Creating intimate wedding flowers for your backyard wedding
If 2020 has taught us anything about weddings, it is that love conquers all and what matters is saying I do to your significant other.
love conquers all
So many couples have been playing Hokey Cokey with their wedding plans and it seems, as we head into 2021, for many couples the “is it going ahead”, “can we have a wedding reception” is continuing.
It is no surprise there is a sudden surge in brides seeking small, intimate venues. In the UK, Pinterest has seen a whopping 160% increase in searches for backyard weddings and double the amount of registry office searches.
Home receptions
Of course, in the UK you just can’t get married anywhere but there is nothing to stop you having your reception at home or in an outdoor space. You can still have opulence and luxury or causal with intimacy. However, you plan your celebration, it will certainly be bespoke and romantic.
To me, an exclusive outdoor wedding doesn’t shout shoestring. Your day can still be a lavish affair despite any budget constraints. Flowers can play a big part in enhancing a space, giving it a country garden feel or drawing attention away from areas you would prefer to remain hidden.
Outdoor celebrations
A few years ago, my friend Anna had an outdoor wedding in a farmer’s field. Being outdoors on a summer evening with fairy lights, cozy blankets, a fire pit and garden chairs was refreshing. It was a beautiful and joyous way to celebrate love.
This was before I started Ethical blooms otherwise, I would have offered to create small arrangements to give a more intimate feel. Wild seasonal flowers can look elegant and natural. Think Foxgloves or Snapdragons in milk churns, rustic crates, or wire baskets with meadow box arrangements.
Creating a meadow box is easy to do. You just need a variety of jam jars which you add flowers, grasses and hedgerow with different stem lengths to give it a wild meadow feel. Floaty flowers such as Cosmos, Aquilegia and Sweet peas mixed with daisy type flowers give the arrangement texture and a natural feel.
Jars of beautiful blooms
Jam jars, old tins or coloured glass bud vases are a hidden gem for outdoor events. A group clustered together on a tree stump or even hanging from branches add to simplicity and beauty. Of course, you can go big and bold with urn arrangements placed on tree stumps or putting all your bridesmaid posies in one large vase can give an effect of a large arrangement.
Greenery
Foliage should never be underestimated. Whether its branches with spring blossom or apples, large pots filled with aromatic herbs, ferns, or other greenery. Layering pots and vases from the floor using bricks, wooden benches or small tables can give height and depth as well as hiding an unsightly area. Add some training branches of a climbing rose or ivy helps to create a natural landscaped garden look.
Dried flowers are also an option. Whether used as natural confetti sprinkled around a tree to give the impression of fallen spring blossom or as a small cluster of dried blooms hand-tied and used as place markers.
There is even room for quirkiness with wellington boots filled with flowers.
Finally
Whether you have the budget to hire a floral designer, want to source your flowers in DIY flower buckets from a local grower or are going to ask friends and family to help you create your unique wonderland, there are endless possibilities.
I have created a Pinterest board with photos to inspire you right here.
