Swallows Nest Farm: Peachy February Wedding at Port Arthur

Photography by Love Jennifer Photography

February is a busy month for weddings here in Tasmania. I started February 2016 with a gorgeous local wedding, held in the old church at Port Arthur Historic Site. Its the perfect mix of indoor and outdoor, being a ruin with no roof or windows and a carpet of green grass on the floor. It has great atmosphere for a wedding ceremony.

Photo by Alistair Bett c/- Tasman Region

The couple were local to the area and wanted to use local produce and providers for their big day. Local, seasonal flowers is what we do here with all our flowers grown on the farm or foraged from the local area, so I was thrilled to be involved.

The colour scheme was peachy, blush, nude colours in the dresses. The lovely bride was keen on berries and texture, and wanted soft peachy tones while avoiding lots of "green".

Eucalyptus Crenulata is a gorgeous foliage we grow here. It has a purplish tinge to the new growth as well as providing that much-loved eucalyptus "blue". It's new growth had hardened off enough for it not to wilt, so it became my main foliage I used throughout. I used some beautiful Leucadendron Silver Tree too, that shimmers and creates great highlights in a bouquet.

Five bridesmaids meant 6 bouquets all up. They looked great all lined up …

Photography by Love Jennifer Photography

And the continuity of the bouquets really tied the bridal party together with the different styles and colours in their dresses.

Photography by Love Jennifer Photography

Gorgeous!

Photography by Love Jennifer Photography

The main flower used in the bouquets is a Leucospermum or Pincushion called Fountain. They are a summer flowering Pincushion here at Swallows Nest Farm. They begin flowering in late December and continue through January, February and even March.

When they first begin to flower, they have a lovely peachy apricot colouring. As the flowers open more and age, the colour deepens. I made sure I used the lighter, just opening blooms to give the peachy colouring. I teamed them up with some Protea Pink Ice.

You can see some ruby red blackberries peeping out from the foliage. Blackberries are everywhere in late summer in Tasmania. They grow along fence lines and beside the road. I really enjoyed adding them to the design of these bouquets - they added texture, colour, and a definite sense of time and place. You can also see some creamy peach Buddleia flowers and the beautiful flower spikes of a Clethra that has beautifully fragrant white flowers on apricot tinged stems.

Photograph by Love Jennifer Photography

The bride's bouquet leaning up against the convict-hewn sandstone of the old church at Port Arthur.

For the corsages I used more Eucalyptus Crenulata, blackberries and Clethra flower spikes. These also had some beautifully textured wattle buds and a silvery white Leucadendron Pisa cone.

The men's corsages had E. Crenulata, Leucadendron Silver Tree, wattle flowers buds, blackberries and gum nuts.

One of my favourite things about this wedding was doing the floral crowns for the flower girls. They were a satisfying combination of silvery blue tea tree, Clethra, wattle flower buds and blackberries. I loved the combination of colours and the overall texture of the crowns. I bet they looked cute on the girls too!

The bride wore a half-crown with the same combination of flowers, but with some Eucalyptus Crenulata added. Blackberries topped it off.

Photography by Love Jennifer Photography

Such summery crown, perfect for a summer wedding.

Photography by Love Jennifer Photography

They look so happy!

The reception venue was just down the road from the Port Arthur Historic Site at Port Arthur Lavender. Its a great venue surrounded by rows of lavender with a great view out across the water.

Port Arthur Lavender Farm is a great wedding venue!

The tables were decorated with long leafy swags dotted with blackberries, elderberries and other lovely textures, and a splash of colour with a Pincushion.