Feb 22, 2011

“An explosion of romance and beauty...” - Elizabeth and William

Congratulations Liz and Will on your absolutely perfect wedding day! Liz, your love for coral and all exquisite colours is every artists’ dream. Thank you for entrusting One Wedding Wish with the design of your wedding flowers and for letting us loose to dream alongside you. Wishing the both of you the happiest of days ahead, starting with your honeymoon in Japan! Lots of love, Joanie xox

The Brief

Over cups of herbal tea and macarons one October afternoon, Liz and I sat and chatted about flowers for her wedding day. At this time, I had just designed a process for these discussions so Liz and I could maintain a beautiful and cohesive theme, one to be carried from the smallest detailing on the buttonholes to her glorious bridal table floral centerpiece. We explored as much of the do-not’s as the must-have’s, and deliberated over images, colour and shapes. What I observed quickly and over time was Liz’s love of vibrant colour, a welcome and refreshing change from the very classic and neutral tones. With keywords like ‘soft, fresh, magical’, we combined elements of French Provincial and English Garden into her floral style, befitting a summer wedding at the gorgeous Ripponlea Estate.

The Bridal Flowers

Liz looked simply wonderful, carrying a more striking posy to complement her all white perfectly-silhouetted wedding gown. Her bouquet featured four types of roses including cream David Austins, coral, blush pink and cream roses, and juicy ripened snowberries. I’m particularly proud of the buttonhole we made for Will - a single coral rose, David Austin buds, snowberry, and finished with black-stitched cream grosgrain ribbon and a hand-sewn brown button - bold and whimsical all at the same time!



For the little 4-year old, we made a gorgeous Midsummer Night-style headwreath of ivy, cream spray roses and white David Austin roses. She also carried a matching mini posy down the aisle!



Mothers of the Bride and Groom each wore a pearl corsage atop with a dome of cream spray roses and finished with a thin coral bow. I often see corsages where thick swirls of ribbon dominate, if not completely overpower the design, and flowers too few. Though more laborious, I was adamant that our corsages would not have ribbon to hide flaws. It would showcase gorgeous flowers, sit flush on a lady’s wrist, and be meticulously made so it looks beautiful and balanced from all angles.

The Reception

Liz loved the fullness and whimsical appearance of pomanders, so for guest tables, we alternated between a tall design - utilising black French Provincial candlesticks, and a short design that guests could take home at the end of the night. We produced 15 centrepieces in total, and as I heard it, the flowers were a real treat for guests and not a single one was left behind!


Finally, the bridal table centrepiece, standing tall and graceful on a slender glass vase - the culmination of all the colours and flowers used through the entire wedding, from David Austins, snowberries, freesia, apple sims to the inclusion of dark pink roses for added impact and drama to an evening reception. Better than any words I could use, it is probably best described by Liz and Will as “an explosion of romance and beauty...”. And I do love the sound of that! Thank you Liz and Will for your testimonial too - it is a pleasure and honour to have worked with you both, and that you are happy is the best reward we could ask for.:)

Fun Facts:

• Liz and Will's wedding was styled with nearly 1200 stems of flowes (not including foliage and berries)

• More than 600 roses

• Flowers sourced from 5 different growers/suppliers

• Preparation and arrangement time: 55 hours

A very special thanks to Sarah for her assistance, perseverance and positive attitude. It was a creative challenge that made us both stronger - thank you again!

Images by Gavin Luu for One Wedding Wish

Tags: Real Weddings, Wedding Style Profiles, David Austin Roses, Snowberries, Coral, Melbourne Wedding Stylist, Ripponlea, Posies, Garden Weddings, Pomander, French Provincial, English Garden, Corsages, Buttonholes, Posies, Toorak Uniting Church