Autumn Wedding at Joseph Chromy Vineyard

Photography by Fiona Vail

It was such a treat to be involved in this stunning Autumn wedding at Joseph Chromy Wines just south of Launceston.  The bride wanted natives and something soft and pretty, with pinks, white and soft greens.
    

Protea Repens is an autumn flowering protea and this soft pink variety was the focal flower I used for all the bouquets.  There were quite a few, with 5 bridesmaids and 4 little flower girls.  

The attendants bouquets were made in a simple posy style with soft foliage. 

For the little flower girls, a single Repens Protea with some Jester Leucadendrons, which are a variegated variety that are at their most colourful in Autumn. 

Pink Mountain Berry is native to Tasmania and is a startling hot pink colour.  It is prickly but the colour more than makes up for it.  I use a rose de-thorner to remove the prickly leaves. It was great to be able to sprinkle these through these bouquets.  

Foliages used were flowering lemon-scented Tea Tree, variegated Pittosporum, and Agonis Flexuosa.

For the bride, a cascading style bouquet with lots of the tumbling lemon scented Tea Tree foliage with the focus on those autumn flowering Protea Repens.

I added some sweet apricot garden roses, pale peach hypericum berries, more of the Mountain Berry, and some flowering Brunia 'buttons' as well as some Hebe and Leucadendron Jester.

Photography by Fiona Vail

 Jester Leucadendrons in rich pink/red were sprinkled through all the arrangements.  They're such a gorgeous colour in autumn and are some of the first Leucadendrons of the season that are ready to pick.

For the groom, hypericum berries, a Jester Leuco, and a dainty apricot garden rose.  

Little splashes of Tea Tree foliage which had the added bonus of the fresh lemon scent, and pittosporum were the foliages used in the boutonnieres.  

Boutonnieres for other members of the family ... they're always so cute lined up for a photo!

For the reception venue, there were a couple of large wine barrel arrangements - always a good idea at a winery!

 

The Protea Repens are really the stars of the show here.  There were lots of little posies for the tables too, all with the same ingredients.  

Photography by Fiona Vail

This was a truly stunning wedding.  And the photography by Fiona Vail just captured it to perfection. 

Photography by Fiona Vail

This photo really captured the beautiful autumn light we get in Tasmania.  I'm not biased at all (!), but I do think that the quality of light in Tassie is sublime.  

Photography by Fiona Vail

All the beautiful details were captured from the ceremony to the reception.  I really think having a great photographer is worth splashing out on.  Capturing those images that will help remember all the details of the day is worth every cent.

Photography by Fiona Vail

I was honoured to be involved in this special wedding.  

Battery Point Wedding in March

This March wedding was held in Battery Point, an historic inner city suburb of Hobart.  The ceremony was held in the courtyard of the beautiful historic house, Narryna.  Battery Point community Hall was the reception venue.  

There was a bridal bouquet and a little flower girls bouquet in  pinks, reds, and creamy whites with blue green foliages.  Protea Compacta Red is a large velvet pink protea with a red centre that looks great in bouquets.  For the bride's bouquet, it was teamed with an early creamy white Repens protea, a black fringed white Neriifolia and some creamy flowering Brunia Albiflora.

For the reds, there were Banksia Occidentalis, new seasons Safari Sunset Leucos (burgundy) and Jester Leucos (striped burgundy and green).  I also used the first of the fine leafed Leucadendron Tall Red in rich maroon.  Masses of budded gum and Agonis Flexuosa foliage provided the structure. 

Other Leucadedrons added were the dusky red tinged Orientale, and the pure and sage Discolour with its silvery edges.  Some Leucadendron Pisa foliage, which is a soft silvery green, was also included.  Lastly, there were dark mahogany coloured dried Leucadendron cones.  I love the texture and depth of colour they add.  

Blue Sea Holly was sprinkled through the arrangements and the groom had a Sea Holly "thistle" in his boutonniere, surrounded by Brunia gum foliage, Pisa foliage, a Jester Leuco and some sprigs of Thryptomene.  

The little flower girl wore a crown of L. Pisa foliage, gum foliage and sprigs of thryptomene. 

I love using the soft green Pisa foliage.  Its soft and silky like the Silver Tree but much finer leafed.  

For the bride, a floral comb featuring a red Banksia and some Jester Leucos, Sea Holly, gum foliage, Pisa foliage, Agonis foliage and more Thryptomene.

There were a few late flowering gum buds and lastly, a dried Leucadendron cone.  

  

The ceremony took place in a sheltered courtyard in the garden of Narryna House.  Floral arch decorations were made with masses of foliage and flowers.  The standout were some huge flowering Brunia heads. 

The courtyard walls are full of character and the ground is paved with huge old flagstones.  It was a lovely, intimate spot for this small wedding.  

The gorgeous cake was made by Coal River Farm and was decorated with giant blackberries.  More matching flowers and foliage decorated each tier.

For the reception at Battery Point Community Hall, there were vases full of flowers and foliage to match the bouquets.  Flowering Brunia, Protea Pink Ice, Banksia Occidentalis, masses of gum, and Pisa foliage, and some Agonis, as well as a variety of Leucadendrons.  

The venue has beautiful light that streams in through the windows.  

  

The lovely bride and groom sent this picture, admiring the cake.  I love that you can see her bouquet and hair flowers and how everything ties together.  It was such a pleasure to help in the celebration of this couples' special day.  

Tasmanian Native Wedding in March

Tasmania is a place known for its pristine wilderness and many people come here to experience that. For this wedding, the bride was a tour guide for the new Three Capes Track wilderness walk that shows off some of the spectacular coastline of the Tasman Peninsula.  Being a tour guide she wanted plants that were native to the Tasmanian bush that she worked in.

In spring there are a multitude of wildflowers available in the local landscape, but in March not so many.  I was able to use some gorgeous native coral fern, and the beautiful Tasmanian Myrtle Beech foliage to create the structure of the bouquet.  I also used some lovely wattle that flowers throughout the year in our local area.  I love using wattle in bud, when its little flowers are still little green balls that sit at great angles along the stems.  

The other two local native ingredients were creamy pale yellow Banksia Marginata.  These grow all around the local area and will flower at different stages throughout the year, given the right conditions.  The real standout, colour-wise, was the Pink Mountain Berry which grows profusely in patches around the Tasman Peninsula.  

Pink Mountain Berry or Leptecophylla Juniperina is native to New Zealand, Tasmania and Victoria.  It is not often used as a cut flower because its very prickly!  But I was lured in by the amazing hot pink colour so I got out the rose de-thorner tool and handled it carefully.  

The remaining ingredients were some red Banksia Occidentalis, a Birdsnest Banksia or Banksia Baxterii, and two different coloured flowering gums.  The result was a bright, native bouquet designed to go with the brides dress which had red Nothofagus leaves embroidered over it.    

For the groom, some myrtle beech, coral fern, wattle, Pink Mountain Berry, flowering gum and a red Leucadendron.  

I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with something "local" and "native" for this special wedding.

  

Do yourself a favour and check out the Three Capes Track website for some truly amazing Tasmanian Peninsula Wilderness.  (I'm not biased at all!)

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!