Devon Wedding Flowers: What exactly do you need for your 2021 wedding?

30th September 2020 By Holly

Devon Wedding Flowers: what exactly do you need for your 2021 wedding?

What exactly do you need when it comes to your Devon wedding flowers? It’s a question I get asked a lot… Whilst I don’t think there’s a definite answer, (weddings are personal, bespoke and should work for you), there are some stalwart items that I would always suggest. These can work around most budgets, and still be sustainable and simple.

1.The natural Bridal Bouquet (of course)

My favourite thing ever to create in terms of wedding flowers. I adore making these, it always feels like a special moment when it come to cutting and conditioning the exact flowers for bridal bouquets. Then weaving them into then finished creation- it’s lovely, reflective process. Whilst bridal bouquets come in all shapes and sizes, here at Holly Bee flowers (in the heart of the Devon countryside) we like natural, wild and unusual and always, always romantic. Seasonal led, our flower choices are based on colour, texture scent and style. It’d also important to notice how it feels to hold a bouquet- some are large, and therefore heavy- we prefer to work on the delicate side of things, making it easier to hold, but still providing breath- taking impact.

2. Buttonholes to add delicate details

I always like to think of these as mini- bouquets. Our buttonholes are tied with twine, and not wrapped in florist tape- it looks more natural and tends to blend with our style better. Buttonholes can be worn by the groom, groomsmen, father of the bride, father- in law. I’ve also made for the mother of the bride on occasions too! The flowers used in buttonholes, tend to reflect the other wedding flowers in terms of colour and style; tying everything together. They also need to last well out of water and not droop. I love adding personal touches to buttonholes, maybe a tiny forget- me- not just peeking out, or some rose hips in the autumn- small but beautiful additions to your devon wedding flowers.

3. Bridemaid Bouquets to add romance and wildness

Like an echo of bridal bouquets ,this is something I love creating too. Whether you have one best friend bridesmaid or your whole gang, flowers are an important part of your look (but we try to not be too traditional- wild is our style!). Also all the bouquets I provide are in kilner glass jars of water, so can be used as decoration after the ceremony, and last longer (top tip right there)- getting the most out of you wedding flowers.

4. Ceremony and Reception flowers, think outside the box with DIY Buckets

Once you’ve decided on your personal flowers (bridal bouquet, buttonholes and bridesmaid bouquets etc), then it’s time to decide on decoration for the ceremony and reception! The choice is huge, and it’s going to be led partly by budget. I love providing DIY buckets of flowers for couples to then decorate venues themselves- relaxed weddings are amazing, and it’s a way to involve the bridal party and families, get creative, and also keep budgets in check when it comes to your wedding flowers. Picked to a colour scheme and grown on our Devon flower farm, our buckets are overflowing with flowery goodness and make arranging your wedding flowers easy and simple.

5. Installations to add WOW to your wedding flowers whilst still being completely eco- friendly

Budget allowing then creating installation pieces are AMAZING. Whether this is for the ceremony, or reception, it’s a way of adding impact, and really brings the atmosphere together. Currently we’re getting a bespoke arch made, so next year we hope to be able to create lots of flowery arches with our wild blooms- watch this space.

Image by Emma Jane Photography

So I hope this can act as a gentle guide and get the ball rolling when thinking about wedding flowers and what you would like. If you want to talk further about flowers for your South West wedding then get in touch via our wedding page.

Also the wonderful photographers for the woodland boho arch is Emma Jane Photography .

Thanks so much for reading, I’m off out to plant some new grasses in the rain now- head to toe waterproofs required!

Natural Elopement Wedding flowers for an Intimate Photoshoot

20th August 2020 By Holly

Natural Elopement Wedding flowers for an intimate Devon wedding

Natural elopement wedding flowers

Natural elopement wedding flowers for an intimate Devon Wedding, this was a dream to be involved with; aimed to create a wild and romantic feeling. It was a great time to be creative, and work with other local wedding industry suppliers in the South West too. This one was quite an adventure too! Set on Burgh Island; just imagine the fun of getting everything and everybody to a tiny Island just off the South Devon coast… it’s a very special location, and we’re lucky to be so nearby.

Burgh Island and it’s famous mermaid pool

Flowers grown on our Devon Flower Farm

The brief for this Devon wedding was boho elopement, and the flowers I choose (all grown here on our Devon flower farm of course), needed to be airy yet romantic- natural wedding flowers with a hint of wildnes. The main focal point was a meadow circle, for a ceremony on the cliff top. I wanted it to look like it was growing there, in an undone and wild way- fulfilling the natural wedding flower look that was wanted. It needed to be a focal point, and unashamedly beautiful.

Natural elopement wedding flowers, ceremony set up

Summer Seasonal Flowers

Seasonal flowers included; the always useful Ammi (looks like cow parsley but has a much better vase life, and slightly bigger flowers, I try and grow it all season long). Roses- anyone who know me knows I have a slight obsession here in our flower garden- growing over 200 bushes, but oh my goodness. They like our soil and they are completely breath stopping- beautiful, scented, the colours, I can’t even begin… they get used in our Devon wedding flowers alot.

Foxgloves- one of my stalwart bi-annuals. THE COLOURS- blush and peach, perfect, romantic wedding flowers. Their structure, the way bees adore them and vibrate when inside each bell. I find them fascinating, and picked everything we had to use in this shoot.

Foxgloves, ammi, roses and eucalptus meadow scene

There was also masses and masses of eucalyptus- we grow ALOT on our Devon flower farm. It has a wonderful scent, and a gorgeous muted grey/ green, that mixes so well with flowers. As we grow our own, we’re able to pick massive sweeping branches too- perfect to create wild wedding flower installations.

Other shout outs go to blousy peonies (sigh, such a short flowering season but their fleeting nature makes them all the more special and sought after). Again they like our soil, and we grow lots of varieties. And this we also used a lot of flowering cress- it has an amazing texture and vase life, and just elevated everything else. Not showy but very much essential to creating the natural wedding flower -y- ness that we wanted.

Because we grow the majority of flowers we use in our wedding floristry ourselves, in our flower garden, (and if not sourcing from other local flower farms too), we have the opportunity of the unusual! We can pick whatever’s looking best at that time, and sometimes it’s surprising what flowers together at the same time… In this case it was an anemone that had decided to flower extraordinarily late, but was just so, so beautiful. I made sure it got pride of place in the wild and natural bridal bouquet. This bridal bouquet was mainly made up with roses (I did say how much I liked them right?..) and the scent was amazing.

Bridal bouquet made up of masses of scented roses.

It was a great day, with a great team, creating natural wedding flowers in a truly stunning location. If you’d like to get in touch about about natural wedding flowers- find our wedding enquiry form here. And for more inspiration about sesonal flowers- browse our flower galleries here (divided into seasons).

Team Credits:

Team
Cake: Edible Essence
Flowers: Holly-Bee Flowers
Hair Stylist: Brigitte Fisher – Wedding Hair Devon
Make Up Artist: Emma Roberts – Make-up artist
Model: Matt @ Mosaic Model & Creative Production Management
Model: Lucy Cole
Photographer / Creative Director: Emma Barrow Photography
Photographer’s Assistant: Doble Photography
Props: Keeping It Vintage Wedding & Event Hire
Stationery: Knots & Kisses Wedding Stationery & Styling
Stylist: Knots & Kisses Wedding Stationery & Styling
Videographer: Daniel Grindrod
Venue:Burgh Island Hotel
Wardrobe: AW Bridal / The Wedding Company, Plympton / The Grooms Room

Bridal Bouquets and Seasonal Flowers: 5 reasons why they’re the perfect pairing

17th August 2020 By Holly

Bridal Bouquets and Seasonal Flowers: 5 reasons why they’re the perfect pairing

Hello from Devon, the temperature has dropped at last, and there’s been rain as well, so we have happy plants. As wedding enquiries start coming in once more, I thought I’d write a little something on one of my favourite thing to create; Bridal Bouquets. And the reasons why using seasonal ingredients heightens designs and helps create something really special.

I adore making them; it just feels like a quiet moment, and the process is something I find really reflective. They’re also an important focal point, but I try to forget about any pressure! Anyway… seasonal flowers, bridal bouquets and why it’s a wonderful combination:

Natural flowers

Now it’ll come as no surprise at how passionate I am about this, but just to say it again: Natural Flowers is where it’s at. Seasonal, local blooms are truly wonderful. Flowers grown in their natural habitat, picked to order; the beauty and freshness shines through. Grown happily, and simply, working with the seasons and climate. No air miles, no chemicals, no unnatural growing conditions… We grow and source all our flowers here in the South West, working with the seasons, evolving each year, which means we’re providing you with the freshest blooms possible.

Natural Bridal Bouquet

Uniqueness

It also means your flowers are completely unique! Wonky stems (we’re a fan), texture, colour varieties, no two flowers are ever the same- and I love this. On our Devon flower farm we grow select flowers, not on a mass scale, each year choosing, reviewing and planning new varieties and combinations. It’s part of the whole creative process.

Unique flowers grown in Devon

Sustainable

Again this is a big, big passion for us! We look after our land and so the land looks after us (by producing beautiful blooms). Year on year this will continue- feeding the land, and growing more beautiful things. Everything is picked to order, we make our own compost, there’s a life cycle on our flower farm. It all links back.

Bridal bouquet full of home grown flowers

Beautiful

Have I mentioned this yet (sorry, I know I’m biased), but I just think the beauty shines out, and the scent, so many senses come to life from fresh flowers. Scent isn’t something that travels well, so a lot of imported flowers have this trait bred out of them, due to needing to able to survive transporting across the world. But not if you use local flowers…

Naturally beautiful bridal bouquet

Bespoke

Everything is created around your day. Small or big, every item is made for you. This means we’re flexible, and helpful (hopefully). Creating and growing seasonal flowers here in South Devon ,because we believe in the process and want to share it with you, and help make your day unique, beautiful and full of flowers.

I hope that’s explained some of our thought process behind why we work the way we do; hand in hand with sustainability and beautiful flowers. Growing flowers in Devon, and creating wild and wonderful wedding blooms. If you want to send us an enquiry go to our wedding enquiries form. And if you’d like some seasonal inspiration we have flower galleries covering all the seasons (or ask us!) to start to give an idea of what flowers are around and when.