Pretty Pink January Wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge

For this January wedding at Stewarts Bay Lodge, the brief was soft pinks with plenty of foliage.

  We are lucky in Tasmania that our Protea Pink Ice flower pretty much all year round, so there's always something pink to work with, but to make something extra special for this special couple, I dialled up the the pink!

Clear pink hydrangeas perfect for the picking, were great in the bouquets.  I used the hydrangeas and Pink Ice proteas along with Scarlet Ribbons pincushions which have a softer colour when they first begin to flower.  

  

Other ingredients you can see are the shiny Silver Tree cones, dusky silver Brunia "berries", some soft green sea holly, and pinky-purple Hebe.  

Foliages used are variegated pittosporum, and Risdon Peppermint gum.  

For the groom, Safari sunset leucos in their deep Burgundy summer colour, hydrangea, sea holly, peppermint gum and Hebe.

For the dads, no hydrangea but some little Jubilee Crown leuco cones were added.  

Its a very satisfying thing to line up all the boutonnieres - they always look so happy!

The lovely bride provided some birdcages to fill with flowers.  These were to hang from hooks on the lawn overlooking the bay at Stewarts Bay Lodge.  As can be the case in Tassie, the weather had different ideas and the ceremony was held indoors.  

I decided these looked best with the flowers and foliage spilling out through the bars.

For the reception, we made a long bridal table garland to sit in front of the bride and groom.  It was full of pincushions, hydrangea, brunia, sea holly and foliages.  

For the guests tables, vases filled with more of the same.  Lots of foliage including some top the beautiful shiny Silver Tree foliage.  

The table numbers were added with little peg picks.  I think combining the table number and the flowers works well in terms of minimising clutter on the tables and creating an overall look.  

Stewarts Bay Lodge is a great venue filled with natural light.  

Photograph by Acoma Studio

It was such a pleasure to be involved in this special wedding.  If you want to see more, check out the video by Ash Video Tas - worth a look!

March Vineyard Wedding at Bangor

March is a great month for weddings in Tasmania.  I love autumn!  Last March I was so happy to be involved in this gorgeous wedding at Bangor Vineyard Shed.  It was a second marriage, and the brides dress wasn't traditional.  It was a gorgeous coloured dress with a large pattern all over it - the colour choice was going to need to be just right.  

As soon as I saw the dress, I knew it would work.  I used white Protea Donna, orange pincushions in Fountain and Cordifolium varieties, with late flowering soft pink flowering gum, red grevilleas and kangaroo paw in soft green.   

Lots of autumn leucadendrons in different greens and almost-yellows were worked in too.  

Important for the colours to work well was the addition of the blue sea holly.  The foliage used was Risdon Peppermint gum and variegated pittosporum.  You can also see a Brunia peeping out from behind the flowering gum and pincushion,   

I loved making this bouquet - such a gorgeous colour palette!

The lovely bride was a hairdresser and had in mind a particular floral crown with charms added to the ribbon.  I loved putting the crown together - kangaroo paw, flowering gum, wax flower, early Thryptomene.  All great Australian native ingredients!

You can also see some tiny variegated pittosporum leaves added too.  

For the groom, some flowering gum, wax flower, kangaroo paw, leucadendron and eryngium.  

The ceremony was held at the top of the vineyard, looking down towards the water through the rows of vines.  It was a stunning autumn day - I think autumn is the best time for wedding weather!  

I decorated the arch with pincushions, leucadedons, flowering gum, and plenty of risdon peppermint and kangaroo paw.  

I really loved working with these ingredients - the structure of the gum and the kangaroo paw was great to play with.

For the cake, I used dried vines, variegated pittosporum, peppermint gum, flowering gum and eryngium.  

Its always fun to decorate a cake in such a "free-form" way.  

The lovely bride wanted her bouquet to be waiting for her when she arrived via helicopter!! Great idea for making a grand entrance.  One of the great things about Bangor is the open spaces around the  venue where helicopters are able to land.  Check out Osborne Heli Tours if you're interested in arriving in style!

It was such a treat to be involved in this special occasion!

September Wedding at Glen Albyn Estate

Sophie Sullivan Photography

September, and the official beginning of spring!  Its a great time for a wedding and there are certainly plenty of native flowers available to use.  This September wedding was held at Glen Albyn Estate south of Hobart.    

Glen Albyn Estate

Glen Albyn Estate is perched on the top of an escarpment with views forever.  Its a great spot.

For this wedding, leafy and wild, with pinks soft tones was the brief.    For the bride, a mix of protea varieties - white Donna, Pink Cream and Satin Mink with the black fringing.  I used thryptomene and Pimelea Nivea, both dainty white native flowers  Wattle in bud provided some lush texture, along with some Berzlia.  

I also used some blue Sea Holly, and soft pink leucadendrons called Silvan Red, which lighten in colour significantly towards the end of winter and beginning of spring.  There are also some early golden Dryandra and gumnuts added.  

The bridesmaids had less colour but plenty of the same foliage and texture plants.  

The central proteas are Protea Donna, a lovely white protea with a soft pink central mass.  I also used Leucadedron Silver Tree - I love its brilliant shine and silky feel.  

I love the mix of textures you get with natives  The zig-zag leaves of those golden Dryandra flowers, with the little Berzelia berries and the budded wattle is a great mix, with the dainty whites and Sea Holly in there too.   

For the grooms boutonniere, I used gum nuts, teamed with Sea Holly, Thryptomene and Berzelia.  The foliage used was Risdon Peppermint and the zig-zag Dryandra leaves.  

Lots of lovely bouts all in a row!

Carrying on with the leafy theme, I made 15 metres of leafy garlands to dress the tables for the reception.  

Masses of Risdon Peppermint foliage with sprigs of wattle buds interspersed, snaked along the workbench and across the floor of the flower shed.  Soooo much foliage!

More foliage for the three foliage chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.  

These look so effective, hung from the ceiling.  I added in some sprigs of twisted willow to hang down at irregular intervals.  A great way to add atmosphere to a room.

Sophie Sullivan Photography

It was a treat to be involved in this lovely couples special day, and to add a little native flower magic to the occasion.  

Colourful February Wedding at Bangor Vineyard Shed

I really enjoyed playing with colour for this fabulous wedding at Bangor Vineyard Shed last February.  The challenge was the bride's colourful dress, which was actually her mother's wedding dress,  embroidered all over with colourful flowers.  Not only did I love the idea, but the result was truly beautiful and unique.  

Photgraph by Nina Hamilton Photography

One of my favourite Tasmanian photographers captured the day.  I love Nina Hamilton's documentary style which expresses the natural beauty and joy of each event.  Her website is worth a look. 

The bride's and bridesmaid's bouquet were full of colour.    The colours on the wedding dress were bright but soft so I keep the colour palette to similar tones.   Lots of pinks, red, orange, blue, green, and yellow.  

The bridesmaid's dress was a mustard yellow with spots, so Billy Buttons were an obvious choice.Protea Compacta and Pink, along with Scarlet Ribbons Pincushions were the main flowers.  

There were blue echinops or globe thistles, light pink and deeper pink flowering gum and beautiful blue green Peppermint foliage.   

The soft pink grass heads were a foraged find - such a great colour and beautifully summery.  

I also used a summer flowering wattle that I love to use in bouquets.  It holds its blossoms well but looks great even in bud, with the little yellow balls sitting at great angles on the stem.  

For the groom and the groomsman, there were Billy Buttons, foraged grass heads, peppermint and flowering gum.  

For the dads, more flowering gum, grass, peppermint and some wattle.  

The mums wore wrist corsages with the same combination of pink, yellow and blue, with blue-green foliage.  

The ceremony was held at the bottom of the vineyard, overlooking the bay.  

The was a simple wine barrel overflowing with colour.  It was a beautiful day!

I really loved creating the wine-barrel arrangement with lots of different coloured flowering gum, wattle, plenty of peppermint. proteas and pincushions and plenty of other colourful blooms. 

Chairs were decorated with little posies of colour.  

For the reception, the long tables at Bangor were decorated with more colour in dark glass vases.  Protea Pink Ice, Pincushion, Flowering Gum, Wattle, Echinops, Silver Tree Leucadendron, Peppermint foliage, foraged grass and Billy Buttons. 

These were a pleasure to make.  I really do love colour!

One really large arrangement decorated the venue inside.  Profuse flowering gum, wattle and peppermint gum with some jaunty Billy Buttons.  So much Australian native love here.

That look pretty much says it all!  

For more information about booking Bangor as your wedding venue, and to see more pictures (by the talented Nina Hamilton Photography) of this gorgeous wedding, check out the Bangor online wedding brochure.