Spring Wedding

Last Saturday, we at Calypso Flowers decorated a garden for the spring wedding of Sam and Sophie.When I first saw the garden, it was towards the end of winter, and Margaret and I stood under an umbrella in the rain, looking at the beautiful structure of the bare garden. The only flowers on that day were green and white hellebores (Christmas roses). Hundreds of them! 

Early spring being early spring, we had to take into account the fact that the ceremony might have to take place under a marquee, and that everything might have to be moved around.

Their plan was to have the ceremony and then croquembouche and champagne in the garden, then go to a restaurant for dinner later.

After thinking about the wedding for a few days, I came up with a picture – no, some pictures - in my head. Sophie was going to wear a pale apricot/orange – the colour of rock melon or cantaloupe – and so we discussed orange, red, and hot pink as the theme colours. Pockets of colour would be strategically place around the garden, to inject a feeling of gaiety… of celebration … a party! Rather than make the whole garden ablaze with colour, I imagined vignettes, as part of the journey that the guests would take.

Guests were to enter via a side gate bedecked with Tracey’s gorgeous wreaths, and walk down the rose-petal strewn path, through the ‘spindle walk’ (bamboo poles with vine wound around the top, and ribbons blowing in the breeze) to the seating area. Here, the petals have still to be strewn, and flowers to be placed on the table in the distance. This would lead the guests by colour.

The ceremony was to take place in front of an old urn. We ‘planted’ dark orange tulips in the urn, and defined the ‘stage’ with 2 bamboo tripods which held polyanthus plants in the theme colours. You can see the signing table on the right (3rd picture), minus its white cloth and orange and red roses.

 The  bar was to be set up under an arbour covered in Boston ivy – all branches, not a leaf to be seen. Paper lanterns added a party atmosphere, and bobbed around in the breeze.

 

Another area needing some colour was the veranda entrance to the house from the garden. I had several wooden fruit boxes filled with polyanthus that could be easily moved around the garden to add colour into ‘dead’ spots, and we positioned some of these by the steps. A large, beautiful woven basket was placed against the wall and filled with polyanthus plants. On the corner we hung glass test tubes with ranunculus, tulips and roses.

I was really pleased with the way the garden was transformed. I wanted it to be that no matter in which direction the guests looked, there would be something interesting and colourful at eye level...something that would invite closer inspection and intrigue. The photos don’t do true justice because they were taken quite hurriedly as the rain was falling…as you can see, they decided NOT to have the marquee…and because the rose petals and some other flowers were to be put out at the last minute.

It was an unconventional wedding in many ways. The bride and groom arrived together, and were the first to arrive ! I love it when Brides smile on their wedding day.  She was blown away by the transformation of the garden, and her dress was sooo beautiful.

It had stopped raining when we left, 45 minutes before the ceremony. 

Happy days, Sophie and Sam ! And thank you, Margaret, for inviting me to be part of the wedding.