A Guide to Loveliest Flowers for Spring and Summer Wedding Bouquets

Hello, my name is Hanna and I am so grateful for this opportunity to be an intern for Stylish Events for four weeks.

As this is the last day of my internship, I would love to talk about one of my favourite subjects – flowers for Spring and Summer Bouquets; probably the most important flowers you will ever choose.

Your wedding bouquet will not only be with you as you walk down the aisle on your big day, but it will also be a feature on the photographs that you will cherish forever.

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Bouquet by Pinstripes & Peonies, Image by Simon Carr

Choosing your wedding flowers is never a trivial matter. Every season has different types of flowers and brides often want different types of bouquet styles.

I hope our guide to Spring and Summer Bouquets is the perfect place to start when considering what style will be the best to compliment you and your wedding dress.

SPRING BOUQUETS
Let’s start with Spring Bouquets. It’s the time of the year when there are plenty of beautiful flowers, from the iconic Tulip, the stunning Peony to fragrant Lilly of the Valley. Here are few ideas that you might find useful for your spring wedding.

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Image by Adrian Neal, The Studio Without Walls

Pretty Pastels
Spring is full of colour, especially pastel colours. It’s the perfect time for a romantic selection of spring flowers. The most popular flowers for pastel bouquets are China blue Hyacinths, Freesias, Muscari and soft pink Roses.

Boho Beauty
Peonies and lots of greenery tied in a loose, natural style can give a romantic bohemian look. Peonies are among the most coveted flowers of the wedding season and bride’s ultimate favourite choice of flowers in Spring.

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Bouquet by Bridal Guide, Image by Manda Weaver 

Not only are they the perfect mix of texture and softness, but also the flower represents ‘a happy marriage’. To create a perfect Boho Beauty bouquet, combine peonies with roses to create a bohemian look.

Heavenly Roses
Roses are always associated with love and romance, so it’s no wonder roses are the most popular wedding flowers. Heavenly looks are created with specialty roses, for example David Austin in soft peach and ivory. The roses can be combined with elegant Calla Lilies and a little greenery.

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Bouquet by Larry Walshe and Image by Adrian Neal, The Studio Without Walls

Beside Hyacinth, Peony and Roses, there are other different types of flowers that can be perfect for your Spring wedding. For instance, Anemone, Ranunculus, Tulip, Sweet Pea, Muscari, Lily of the Valley, Lilac and Narcissi.

SUMMER BOUQUETS
Summer is coming soon, and it’s an explosion of colour. Bouquets are vibrant and playful with luscious greenery. The flowers are a real celebration of the season too. Lovely Agapanthus, Peonies, Roses, Stocks, Hydrangeas, Dahlias, Sweet Peas and Nigella are desired in summer.

Bright and Beautiful
It is a playful look with popping colours and a very daring look for brides that choose bright and bold scheme for their wedding day flowers. The flowers represent optimism and work particularly well with seasonal flowers such as Peonies, Dahlias or Nigella.

Tropical
This style is perfect for bride’s who want something different for their big day. Whether you are getting married home or abroad, tropical flowers are a very natural and bold look.

To create this look incorporate Strelitzia, Ginger and Heliconia. Gloriosa and Calla Lilies are also a good choice as they add structure and texture to designs.

 

If you’re unsure which flowers you want for your bouquet, we always suggest to our Bride’s a visit to Covent Garden Flower Market in London. It’s the most wonderful place to see every type of flower up close and personal.

I hope this guide will help you find the perfect flowers for your Spring or Summer bouquet.

Good Luck and Best Wishes

Hanna

Real Wedding – French and Italian Style Combine for this Elegant Wedding at a Royal Palace in London

To continue our series celebrating 15 years in Wedding Planning for Stylish Events, this week I would like to feature one of my favourite weddings of all time: Pauline and Luca at The Orangery at Kensington Palace in 2015.

Thank you to the fabulous Kate Nielen for providing these beautiful images of the day.

From the moment Pauline and Luca went to afternoon tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace, Pauline knew it was where she wanted to have her wedding.

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Pauline and Luca’s Wedding at The Orangery at Kensington Palace

The Orangery was once the setting for Queen Anne’s sophisticated court entertainment and its soaring ceilings and classical 18th century architecture were a magnificent backdrop for this classic and elegant Summer wedding.

Pauline, who is French, and Luca, an Italian, have both lived in London for many years and they have a beautiful son together. They wanted to create a chic wedding, with many warm and intimate touches to ensure their 120 guests from around the world experienced a very special wedding day.

As two busy professionals, they also wanted to hire a wedding planner to assist them to create their wedding day. So, after booking the venue and the church, the next supplier they booked was Stylish Events.

With Pauline’s exquisite French style and Luca’s Italian sense of fun, the day was a quintessentially classic wedding, with thoughtful touches, at one of London’s most prestigious venues.

The night before the wedding the Bride stayed in the Royal Suite at The Goring Hotel, which is actually the same suite that Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge, spent the night before her marriage to William, the Duke of Cambridge.

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The Goring Hotel

Pauline looked stunning in her Sassi Holford dress with her hair styled by Severin of the Hepburn Collection and make up by Sarah Stacey.

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Pauline in her stunning Sassi Holford wedding dress

The Church of England ceremony took place at Christ Church in Chelsea, which was decorated with gorgeous flowers by Joan Holdsworth and her team.

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Luca, wearing his Stowers London suit, arrived with family and friends on a Red double-decker bus and Pauline arrived in a Black Bentley.

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After the ceremony, Pauline and Luca were chauffer driven to Kensington Palace in the Bentley, whist all the guest travelled on the double-decker buses.

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On arrival at The Orangery at Kensington Palace guests were greeted with champagne, canapes and an amazing anti-pasti bar (for an Italian touch), served by the fabulous team from Rhubarb. Music was provided by the Meridian String Quartet.

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Wonderful Catering by the fantastic team at Rhubarb

The Orangery was decorated in classic green and white, with stunning high and low flower arrangements by Sue and the team at Lavender Green and a tablescape designed by the Bride, Stylish Events and Rhubarb. The “chandelle” chairs by Great Hire completed the sophisticated look perfectly.

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Flowers by Lavender Green, Chairs from Great Hire

Without doubt the centrepiece of the room was the elegant “Faberge” cake created by Mich Turner of The Little Venice Cake Company, who was there on the day to ensure that everything was perfect.

 

Pauline and Luca wanted to make their special day just as special for their son and the many children of their family and friends. So, the children had their own fun and entertainment, expertly looked after by JoJo Entertainment.

Following a splendid five course meal by Rhubarb, Pauline and Luca cut their gorgeous cake and took to the round dance floor for their first dance, with production by Fisher and music by DJ Rich T. The guests were wonderfully entertained by the French magician, Etienne Pradier .

As darkness started to fall on a lovely Summer’s evening, guests were invited on to the terrace for a lavish dessert station by Rhubarb and the children chilled in their own room being read bedtime stories or watching films.

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At the end of the evening Pauline and Luca were whisked away to spend their first evening together as a married couple at The Goring Hotel.

Of course a high-end wedding of this size needs a wonderful team of suppliers and you can see everyone involved below. It also needs a great team from Stylish Events, we actually had 12 people on our team that day and I am so grateful to everyone for working so hard – huge thank you to:

Pauline T, Diane, Anna, Alex, Rebecca, Tracey, Steven P, Ellie, Marina, Robert and Kate

And finally, I wish to say an enormous thank you to Pauline and Luca for selecting me as their wedding planner. They were so delightful to work with from start to finish and it was an absolute honour to be part of their very special wedding.

“Dominique really tried to make sure that every single aspect of our wedding was going to be as smooth as possible for us so that we could enjoy our big day.  Not only did everything go perfectly and on the day we had nothing to think about apart from living the event, but Dominique and her team managed to turn all the preparation work in a series of meetings which became very enjoyable and special moments in the run up to our wedding.

We were very sad to see the last meeting gone. What is the “difficult” part of getting married, the organisation, it became something to enjoy, to look forward to and so for us the “big day” was the wedding together with a long period of special moments in the run up to it which we will never forget.

Dominique for us will not only be linked to quality, but also to the magic to be able to make every necessary thing to be done around the event, something to enjoy and look forward to.

She was our angel for this special moment in our lives.”
Pauline and Luca, 2015

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List of Wedding Suppliers:

Venue:  The Orangery at Kensington Palace (www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/hire-a-venue/weddings/)
Church: Christ Church
Wedding Planners: Dominique and the team at Stylish Events (www.stylishevents.com)
Photographer: Kate Nielen (www.katenielen.com) assisted by Cristina Rossi
Videographer: Jonathan and Monica from Portobello Films (www.portobellofilms.co.uk)
Bridal Accommodation: The Goring Hotel (www.thegoring.com)
Guest Accommodation: San Domenico House (www.sandomenicohouse.com)
Catering: Georgina and the team from Rhubarb (www.rhubarb.co.uk)
Flowers at the Christ Church: Joan Holdsworth, Parish Florist
Flowers at The Orangery: Sue and the team from Lavender Green (www.lavendergreen.co.uk)
Production, Outdoor Furniture, Lighting & Dance Floor: Grace at Fisher Productions (www.fisherproductions.co.uk)
Cake: Mich Turner MBE at The Little Venice Cake Company (http://www.lvcc.co.uk)
Chandelle Chairs: Greathire Ltd (www.greathire.co.uk)
Marquees: Berry Marquees (www.berrymarquees.com)
Musical Entertainment: Sternberg Clarke (www.sternbergclarke.co.uk), DJ – Richard Toynton, String Quartet – Meridian String Quartet
Magician: Etienne Pradier (www.frenchmagician.co.uk)
Children’s Entertainment: The JoJo Entertainment Co Ltd (www.jojofun.co.uk)
Hair: Severin at The Hepburn Collection (www.hepburncollection.com)
Make Up: Sarah Stacey (http://www.beautyintheart.co.uk)
Bride’s Dress : Sassi Holford (www.sassiholford.com)
Groom’s outfit : Stowers London (www.stowers.london)
Bentley: Panache Chauffeurs (www.panache-chauffeur.com)
Red London Buses: A Class Corporate Travel (www.aclasscoachhire.co.uk)

 

Spectacular Wedding at the Rosewood London – Jessica and Josh’s Wedding

Jess and Josh were married in spectacular style at the 5 Star Rosewood Hotel in London.

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Dominique has known Jess for many years and she was actually an Intern at Stylish Events in 2012! She is now a successful wedding planner herself.

Jess planned the wedding, but always knew that she wanted Dominique there in the final weeks before the wedding and to run the day for her.

The wedding suppliers for this wedding were some of the best in the business, including Photographer John Nassari, Florist Amie Bone, Cake Designer Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium and on the day Stationery from Intricate Creations.

It was such a pleasure to do this wedding for the loveliest couple a wedding planner could ever hope for.

We hope you enjoy the video by John Nassari.

Spanish, American, Indian Wedding in the heart of Canary Wharf, London – Diana and Vicram’s Wedding

Diana and Vic were married at a fabulous restaurant and bar in Canary Wharf, London – Tompkins and the Attic Bar.

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Diana is from Spain and Vic is from America with Indian heritage, so they wanted to include their multi-cultural backgrounds into their wedding day.

We helped them design a beautiful and fun day for all their guests to enjoy.

Stylish Events designed and created the whole day, including the flowers, stationery and dessert table. We also translated everything into Spanish, including the speeches to ensure everyone felt welcome and included.

Cake from GC Couture

Photographer: Frances Carlisle

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Wedding Flower Trends in the USA for 2016

The USA is arguably  “the land of the wedding planner” and I often say to my students and interns, “in the US couples get in engaged and the first thing they book is their wedding planner, however, in the UK, when couples get in engaged the first thing the bride does is buy her dress! :))”. For this reason, wedding planners often look to the USA for wedding inspiration. We were delighted to be contacted by Heather Floral, based in New York City, to write an article on our blog on what’s hot in wedding flowers in the US.

So, what are the latest wedding flowers trends in the USA for 2016? Over to the team at Heather Floral…

Although plenty of people believe that true style is timeless, that doesn’t excuse wedding flowers from the endless rise and fall of trends. Certain choices become overwhelmingly popular in their time and these shifts in demand can alter prices and availability dramatically. Whether you want to follow the crowd or stand apart from it, here is a look at some of the biggest news in wedding flowers for 2016.

The Surge in Local Flowers
So far, all the evidence is pointing towards 2016 being a great year for tradition when it comes to wedding flowers. Planners and florists are getting a lot of requests for flowers that are locally-sourced and fresh-cut or at least look like they are. Seasonal blooms are in in a big way this year with the choice of date playing a larger role than ever before in floral selections.

Seasonal Flowers

Seasonal wedding flowers all taken from Stylish Events weddings: Clockwise from L: Summer from Lavender Green; Autumn from Pinstripes and Peonies; Winter from Joan Holdsworth; Spring from Chantal Flores; Images courtesy of photographers (Kate Nielen, Adrian Neal, Ann Kathrin Koch

Some flowers that have long been relegated to the realm of hopeless cliche, such as chrysanthemums and carnations are being welcomed back into weddings thanks to the proliferation of heirloom varieties that combine traditional forms with exotic shapes and colours. In terms of colour selections, the latest craze is for subtle variations on a theme with different breeds and sizes being pulled together to create a rich, textured colour profile.

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Chrysanthemums and Carnations are making a comeback – images found on Pinterest

Naturalistic Arrangements
Besides concentrating on regional and seasonal flowers, wedding selections are also trending towards a more rustic style when it comes to arrangements. Greenery is gaining stature when compared to blossoms and “messy” arrangements that present a wild look are growing extremely popular. Foliage is winning all around, with non-flowering plants like vines, trees, and shrubs becoming especially popular for room decorations.

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Image courtesy of Heather Floral

Of course, the spontaneous look that brides are craving this year is actually the product of careful planning and considerable experience. The sheer variety of species required to realize some of these more ambitious “wild” designs means that the wedding florist’s job has grown far more complex. Good florists stay on top of their selections, ensuring that even the most diverse choices are assembled into a harmonious whole.

Edibles
One trend from 2015 that is still going strong this year is the continued interest in melding edible plants with decorative ones when it comes to floral selections. This practice is developing some real variety as it matures with planners picking up on cues from many different sources when they are selecting edibles. Some are chosen strictly for their visual appeal, like the berries that are appearing in more and more centerpieces. Others are added to give arrangements more intriguing odors, like vanilla and coffee beans. In many cases, edible selections even make direct reference to the veggies on the menu; at some food-oriented weddings, it gets difficult to tell the difference between the centerpieces and the side dishes.

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Watermelon and fruit carving, image courtesy of Heather Floral

Colour and Palette Trends
The colour experts at Pantone took a bold step by naming two separate colours as 2016’s “colour of the year”- rose quartz and serenity.  These interesting choices definitely play well together and though they are a trifle rich to be seen as true pastels, they are helping to prolong the popularity of the delicate pastel-themed palette in many US weddings. They also work very well with the above-mentioned trend towards wilder floral choices that are heavy on greenery. This is particularly attractive with serenity blue.

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Image courtesy of Heather Floral

Metallic palettes and highlights are also proving to have real staying power. Metallic tones like copper and gold work well with rose quartz and savvy florists are pairing this mixture up with the brightest, most eye-catching blooms to give their selections some real focus. Flowers with more intense but still complementary colours, such as deep reds and bright yellows, work well with these palette choices.

F&G Table Scape - Stylish Events

Stylish Events wedding May 2016. Flowers from Passion for Flowers; Chargers, glasses and gold cutlery from Duchess & Butler; Tablecloths and napkins from Essex Occasions; Stationery from Intricate Creations; Venue Down Hall; Images courtesy of Craig Mitchell

In contrast to some years gone by, 2016 offers brides and planners a wide-open field when it comes to picking out trendy flowers. The overall tastes of the year favour diversity and eclecticism, and that means you can easily incorporate your own favourites into a beautiful and highly stylish decorative ensemble.

Written by D. More, a successful businessman who helps to operate the website, Heather Floral, who are committed to providing only the freshest and finest flowers. To see their one-of-a-kind arrangements which use some of the most exotic flowers available, visit today.

Chic Winter Wedding in Mayfair, London – Anna and Luke’s Wedding

Anna and Luke had a classic, elegant and chic winter wedding. The ceremony was held at the beautiful St Mary’s Church, The Boltons and was followed by an evening reception at the fabulous Connaught Hotel, Mayfair.

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Working closely with the bride, her mother and the groom, who all had superb taste, we designed this wedding together from start to finish in four months.

Guests were transported to The Connaught by coach whilst sipping champagne and were greeted with a jazz band Booth Street West and a champagne drinks reception, followed by a delicious dinner in the stunning art deco Mayfair Ballroom.

With gorgeous floral centrepieces by Chantal Flores Design, chic service wear from the Connaught, a macaron pyramid by Ladurée, a four tier cheese tower by Churchmouse Cheeses, elegant Chandelle chairs from Great Hire, and white LED dance floor, lighting and great music from Mighty Fine Entertainment.

This wedding truly was the epitome of understated elegance.

Photographer: Adrian Neal, The Studio Without Walls

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