Great Day for an Autumn Wedding

The recent wedding reception in our garden here at Northview was a great success with gorgeous weather and happy people. Guests milled around the garden in the late afternoon and into the evening. Their silky multicolored dresses added to the charm of the garden scene. The largest tent that we could order filled the Tent Lawn and acted as a centerpiece to the festivities.

Flowers are an Important Part of any Celebration

I was brought up with the idea that every occasion called for flowers. Not necessarily fancy flowers, but some flowers. The more heart-felt the better. The soul and love of the giver brought the arrangement to life. The flower choices, colors, and style were the added benefit. Think of a bunch of freshly picked marigolds given to you by a child and you will get the picture.

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Meaningful Flowers – Colors and More

I have known the bride (Celeste) since she was born and so to be asked by her if we would host her wedding and provide the flowers was a special honor. Those of you who have been following my once-a-month newsletter or reading this blog know that we started preparations in January. Celeste wanted the colors to be Sage Green and Burgundy with some Cream-colored accents. This differs from my normal color choices of pink, pink, and purple but we made the pivot – see end of blog. (The link to sign up for the newsletter is above)

While snow was still on the ground, Hanna (our gardener here at Northview) and I were brainstorming the flowers that we would grow from seed and bulbs and plants that we would order. We were drawing on our experience to think what flowers would be in bloom in late September in our area that also had Celeste’s colors.

We drew up a list – and Hanna – the best seed sower – got to work growing lots of seedlings that would be transferred out to the garden in the spring. We tended those baby plants, swore at the bunny rabbits who were eating them all, watered, staked, and cared for them. This is why a flower from your garden is so special. It is laden with choice and caring.

Flower Preparation Ahead of Time

Flowers for arrangements need a good hydration before they are used in arrangements. We soaked all the flowers from the garden and the purchased ones in buckets of water. We prepared the stems by stripping off the leaves that would be below the water. We did this outside as much as possible because it can make a lot of mess. We used our weed bucket to take the leaves to the compost heap.

Mechanics – Bowls, Marbles, Coated Chicken Wire, and Waterproof Tape

Choosing the vessel for your arrangements and making sure that your mechanics are sturdy is an important part of the process. When you are finished, the way that the flowers are held up (waterproof tape and chicken wire) should not show. We used stainless steel food bowls from IKEA because Cleste wanted that color. They were sturdy and held marbles in the bottom to prevent tipping and a cylinder of coated chicken wire that was taped across two ways and held slightly higher than the bowl surface.

Which Flowers Made it to the Wedding Reception

Drum roll for the flowers that were the best of the best and worked for the wedding arrangements.

1. Hydrangea – The Base and Filler

This was the best of the best! We have a huge Hydrangea ‘Limelight’ with hundreds of blooms. We cut bucketloads – mostly from the back of the shrub – and you could not see that we took anything off it. We used these to fill in at the base, cover the mechanics, and add fullness without height. We kept the arrangements low and mounded so that people could see over them to the other side of the table.We used other hydrangea with airy blooms that were great to lay across the middle of the arrangement. The woody stems formed a framework to keep the other flowers standing up. A shout out to Celeste’s Aunties – especially Yaz and Kenza, and Helene (my assistant) who were valuable members of the flower team alongside Hanna and me.

2. Amaranthus ‘Hopi Red Dye’ and Amaranthus caudatus ‘Red’ – Used for the Drapiness and Magenta-Red Color

Amaranths were the second best for the arrangements and a huge color presence in the arrangements – plus they are easy to grow from seed as an annual. Celeste had specifically requested drooping and draping flowers for her bouquet and those of the bridesmaids. These were created by two lovely flower ladies Jackie and Amy, who did an amazing job. I knew that putting together these handheld bouquets was beyond my skill set because these arrangements have to hold together while being grasped, tossed and flung around. Jackie and Amy used lots of these Amaranths and made each bouquet specifically for the particular bridesmaid. We grew the Hopi Red Dye and bought more of the hanging types – you need a lot of flowers! The colors were right, the shape was correct, and they held up well. We stripped off the leaves and just left the tassel-like flowers.

3. Eucalyptus and Edible Sage – The Sage Green Color and Fragrance

We ended up having to buy Eucalyptus because our two puny containers did not provide enough for 24 table arrangements. The flowers we sourced from local flower farmers as much as possible and then the Eucalyptus had to come from somewhere warmer where it grows well. We chose it for its color, which is that perfect sage green, its flexible stems with penny-shaped leaves, but also for its aromatic fragrance. The sage was from my garden and Jackie’s garden. It smelled so good in the arrangements. Remember that people are eating their meal next to these flowers so make sure that they smell nice and that you are not using poisonous plants.

4. Aster and Boltonia – Airiness and Delicacy

Small white asters and boltonias from the garden were added next for their airy delicacy. They worked well with the light-green, cream, and chartreuse base layer and added movement to the composition.

5. Astrantia, Marigolds, African Blue Basil, Hardy Begonias and More

The greenery and hydrangeas were added first so that all the arrangements had a similar look. Then the flowers that we had in small quantities like Astrantias, Marigolds, African Blue Basil, Scented Geranium leaves, Hardy Begonias and Quaking Oat Grass were added to just a few arrangements. In this way the arrangement went together but each had its own particular look.

6. Dahlias, Lisianthus, Cosmos, and Zinnias – The Focal Flowers

We realized that we couldn’t pick all of the focal flowers from the garden because we had guests in the garden who would be looking for the blooms as they walked around. So we ordered flower types that we were growing, but lots more of them. It was so exciting to see them in the buckets waiting to be arranged. These went into the arrangements last after all of the greenery and hydrangeas were in place.

Dark Dahlias and Zinnias were paired with light pink Lisianthus (we bought more of these because they are lovely – like miniature roses). Each of the 24 table arrangements had its own character depending on the choice of these focal flowers.

Finished Arrangements

Final Assessment – If it is not Working – Pivot

Phew! Everything worked out well and the main thing was that Celeste was happy. It was a lot of work by a lot of hands. From soaking the flowers, to stripping off the lower leaves, to assembling the mechanics, there are a lot of steps. The reward is of course the product – flowers for a wedding – but along the way it is a message of camaraderie, getting to know people when working with them, and my final thought is attributed to Auntie Yaz – ‘Pivot’. We used this so many times during the two days of preparation and arranging. If something isn’t working, PIVOT.

So happy to share with you this wedding flower journey. Bye for now Gardening Friends, Cheers, Jenny Rose Carey