February Wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge

Island 26 Photography

"I love all foliages"  said the bride.  Great for a wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge, set in the bush right next to Stewarts Bay on the Tasman Peninsula, a gorgeous natural setting!

The lovely bride was after pinks and softer tones to compliment the "nude" colouring of the bridesmaids dresses.  Protea Compacta, Protea White Ice and Protea Pink Ice were the main flowers used.  Secondary flowers were Banksia Marginata, a local native in soft creamy lemon, Brunia Albiflora and some rich pink Corymbia Ficifolia or Flowering Gum.  More difficult to see is Leucadendron Pisa with its silvery cones, Poppy pods, and some soft pink wax flower.

Foliages used include Myrtle Beech, a native Tasmanian foliage, 2 different types of Eucalyptus, one in bud.  Native, locally growing coral fern is also used.  Beautiful Leucadendron Silver Tree foliage is also used, giving shiny highlights.  There is also some Eucalyptus Crenulata, a blue foliage with a slight purple tinge to the tips.  

Island 26 Photography

Big cascading bouquets full of foliage can be tricky to package for transport!  

Island 26 Photography

The colours worked well with the bridesmaids dresses.

Island 26 Photography

I love candid wedding shots! They really show the emotion of the day.  

For the boutonnieres I used the native coral fern, wax flowers, some deconstructed Brunia and for the groom, some of the pink flowering gum.  

Island 26 Photography

The boutonniere for the Father of the Bride was slightly different using a poppy pod, myrtle, gum and flowering gum.

The floral comb for the bride used similar ingredients - native coral fern, wax flower, flowering gum, deconstructed bruina, Eucalyptus Crenulata, and some eucalyptus buds.

Wax flower is such a popular filler flower and you can see why in this hair piece.  It is so delicate but it also lasts well.  

Island 26 Photography

I love making hair pieces and its always wonderful to be able to see how they're used.  

Island 26 Photography

This one sat so well into the hairstyle.  

Island 26 Photography

The combination of a great hair stylist  (Ben O'Brien) and a great photographer (Island 26 Photography) gives great results!  Its such a privilege to work with talented people.  The beautiful bride looked amazing!

Simple aisle decorations were the only ceremony flowers - a simple mix of foliages and leucadendrons.

Island 26 Photography

Table decorations included rustic log rounds with a trio of vases filled with proteas, foliage and flowering gum.

Island 26 Photography

Twisted willow gave the centrepieces a lift.  

Island 26 Photography

Its always a pleasure to be involved in a couple's big day, especially when there are so many other great providers to work alongside.  This beautiful shot of the lovely bride just goes to show the results that can be achieved when you have great people to work with.

February Wedding at Avalon Coastal Retreat

February is a busy month for weddings here in Tasmania.  The warm weather makes Tasmania's beautiful landscapes and beaches a perfect backdrop for a summer wedding.  This February I was privileged to provide flowers for a wedding held on the Tasmania's East Coast at a special award winning venue called Avalon Coastal Retreat.  

Avalon Coastal Retreat

Right on the edge of the ocean at Swansea, the venue has breathtaking views of the coastline and the Freycinet Peninsula.

Avalon Coastal Retreat

Avalon Coastal Retreat won a gold medal in the Australian Tourism Awards for the best self-contained accommodation.  Its not hard to see why, judging from the photo gallery on their website. 

The colour of the bridesmaid's dresses was a soft pink, with accents in the men's ties of rich pink and orange.  The colour scheme of the flowers came together well, complimenting those colours with lots of native texture.

Pink Ice Protea, Fountain Pincushions and Banksia Occidentalis are the 3 main flowers used.  

The pink, red and orange colours were held together with a burst of soft pink from a gorgeous Corymbia Ficifolia or Flowering Gum.  It really tied the colours together.  Other flowers used were some Leucadendron Silvan Red with its rich new season red, some Leucadenron Gandogeri, Kangaroo Paw in red, Leucadendron Jubilee Crown cones, and some green Corymbia Ficifolia nuts.

The bride's bouquet also featured a small red King Protea.

A bridal hair piece was made by attaching the flowers to a comb which sets well at the back of the head  (also useful above a bun).  I used more of the Corymbia Ficifolia in that gorgeous soft pink, and added some pink wax flower and some local native tea tree that grows in coastal areas here in Tasmania.  It's soft grey leaves and white flowers worked well on the hair piece.

Simple little floral picks were also made for the bridesmaid's hair.  

The floral comb worked beautifully as an alternative to the traditional veil.

The suits were a rich blue with a white shirt that had subtle accent colours through it.  

For boutonnieres I used more of the fabulous Corymbia Ficifolia teamed with Peppermint foliage, Leucadendron Silvan Red and a L. Jubilee Crown cone.  

All the bouquets and boutonnieres were bound with jute twine for a rustic, earthy feel.

The grooms boutonniere had added wax flower and a small green gum nut.  

Wholesale flowers for decorating the venue where Protea Pink Ice, Banksia Occidentalis, Leucospermum Fountain, Leucadendron Silvan Red and Risdon Peppermint foliage.  

It's always such a treat to see a photo of the bridal party, showing all the effort come to fruition.  It was a pleasure to provide flowers for this wedding.  I really enjoyed the colour combinations of the pinks, reds and touches of orange.    

Soft Pinks and Greens for a January Wedding

January Wedding Bouquet

Soft pinks and mint greens were the colours for this January wedding.  The bride loved eucalyptus and gum nuts and wanted something soft to compliment the bridesmaid's dresses in mint.  January was challenging this year with warmer than average temperatures and much lower rainfall than usual.  It meant that there was some unusual timing with some of the blooms, but we managed to come up with some pretty colours and textures to suit the theme.

White Ice Proteas flowering earlier than expected were happily snapped up to suit the theme.  Some rare January Pink Ice were also used.  Beautiful Brunia Albiflora was looking fabulous and is always a great addition to a bouquet no matter what the colour scheme.  

You can also see some Red Protea Compacta.  Smaller filler flowers used were Ozothamnus, a native that grows in the bush here.  If picked at just the right time it can be a beautiful filler flower, a relative of the Rice Flower.  I also used Elderberries for a rich purply-pink contrast.  

Used in the bouquets and more prominently in the boutonnieres are these silvery white cones with a purplish tinge.  They are the cones from the Leucadendron Pisa plant which are in season in the summer months.  I removed the outer bracts from these cones, which are lime green at this time of year.  The result was a pearly cone perfect for the focal point of the boutonnieres.

Vintage barely-pink lace was used as the binding for the bouquets and boutonnieres.  The brides dress had a tiny touch of pink to its colouring and this lace was perfect for the job.

Foliage used included the beautiful Leucadendron Silver Tree, ready earlier than usual thanks to the weather conditions.  Some Agonis Flexuosa with its whispy foliage and delicate white flowers made a great addition for the draping, cascading effect.  A mix of other eucalyptus foliages was also used.

In the boutonniere gum leaves also featured.  Some local native tea-tree and Leucadendron Jubilee Crown cones were used too.  I love the pink blush of the Jubilee Crown in summer.  A great little addition to bouquets and boutonnieres.

A close up revealed some very early Banksia Occidentalis.  These flower in late summer and early autumn and these were the first pick of the season.  Banksia Occidentalis is a bright red flower but needs to develop its colouring on the bush.  If picked early the flower is fully formed but the colour is not as intense and provided a dusky pink addition to the bouquets.  This picture also shows the purplish tinge that the L. Pisa cones get - such a pretty Leucadendron.

These arrangements were used on wine barrels for decorating the ceremony.  I used all the same ingredients as for the bouquets.

Chelsea Parsons Photography

The happy couple!