How to create an abundant yet natural floral look on your wedding day by using pastel summer flowers
Pastel summer blooms will never go out of fashion, the soft pale blush compliment the dusky lilac perfectly and the mid summer months are the perfect time to embrace this look. By pairing these tones with soft summer foliage, I want to show you how you can use pastel shades to create a truly romantic and elegant feel to your special wedding day.
I have the most beautiful wedding flowers to share with you today, my happy couple were married back in August at the stunning Pynes House just outside Exeter. Flowers were so important to my bride and she wanted to include them throughout the whole venue to create a truly romantic experience and surround herself with her favourite blooms. August is a brilliant time of year for seasonal flowers and lots of the flowers I used here were locally grown from just down the road. How special is that?!
What flowers are in season In August?
August in the UK is a fabulous time for locally grown British flowers. Dahlias should be in full swing and these prolific flowering plants come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. From dainty ‘pom pom’ dahlias, to the humongous ‘dinner plate’ dahlias, which if you cannot tell by their name they are the size of a dinner plate! A true statement dahlia, and one that looks fantastic is larger arrangements or placed singularly in simple votives. Another great August flowering blooms are Zinnias, originating from Mexico, as you can imagine they love the heat and so can be a bit touch and go in this county when grown outside. However, in a warm poly tunnel you will be flying with them! Traditionally zinnias were grown in extremely vibrant shades like hot pink, coral, orange and red, however over the lats few years we have seen more muted tones, which tend to work better in the more softer, romantic palettes that couple’s tend to opt for their wedding. Hydrangeas are another firm favourite, the varieties such as … and …. are an exquisite British bloom to include, and offer that true English country garden feel to any wedding.
USING FOLIAGE IN AUGUST WEDDINGS:
Summer foliage is a great way to add texture and interest to your wedding flowers and really bring that abundant feel to your blooms. August is a key month for foliage and here I have focused on using the brighter green shades such as geranium foliage, which also has a fabulous zesty scent! Alchemilla Mollis is another foliage that I love to use, it has a bright green tone and a frothy airy feel and works well in the bottle arrangements below, adding lots of movement to the designs. The ceremony designs contained lots of Cornish foliage such as birch and beech, alongside seasonal locally grown grasses. The grasses swaying in the breeze really do soften the tall delphiniums and add to that meadow feel that I wanted to create with the aisle flowers.
Bridal Bouquets for an August Wedding:
My bride wanted her bouquets to feel natural, yet romantic and flower filled and full of pastel colour. Alongside the above mentioned zinnias, I used blousy ‘Quicksand’ roses, which really are the perfect muted blush shade, almost porcelain like in their appearance, they really are an exquisite looking rose. For movement I used scabious, in blue and white for a more delicate touch, and also sweet peas with they tendrils attached. Not only do the sweet peas smell delicious, the texture of the tendrils really are just stunning! The bridesmaids carried smaller versions of the bridal bouquets with all bouquet being finished off with ivory silk ribbon, a special finishing touch.
happy words from a happy bride:
It is always a pleasure to receive such a wonderful response from my clients, each wedding is a true privilege and we all work so hard in creating the dream flowers for each couple. Therefore it truly makes a difference to read such kind words like this from Daisy…
“Rachel, where to begin but to credit your support, guidance and kindness from our initial planning meeting all the way to the day of the wedding. You made me and Harvey feel like we were in the safest hands.
We have just received our wedding album and as promised, I wanted to share the beautiful flower pictures with you.
Looking back at the photos and seeing the flowers again in all their beauty, took us right back to the day and to each and every moment. Thank you again for everything - you are amazing and we can not say thank you enough for bringing to life the stunning venue of Pynes with each and every floral display.'“
Ceremony Flowers at Pynes House:
The sun shone so the wedding ceremony was held outside, we lined the aisle with a beautiful meadow of natural flowers including tall sculptural delphiniums, scented stocks, grasses, campanula, September flower and lots of other seasonal blooms to compliment. The arrangements could be repurposed inside afterwards so the guests could enjoy the flowers throughout the whole day. As we are in the UK, it is always wise if you are hopefully for an outdoor ceremony to consider florals that can also work if we have to resort to a wet weather plan. These aisle arrangements are versatile and flexible and so if needs be could have been transported in last minute, or set up inside to begin with. Talk with your florists about all eventualities and I can assure you this will make you feel much more comfortable and confident with how your wedding flowers may pan out and look on your wedding day itself.
Table Decorations using seasonal August Flowers:
My couple wanted to carry on the abundant, romantic feel of their florals into the dining room at Pynes House. The long banquet tables were full of classy glass votives and bud vases, placed throughout the centre of the tables. These were accessorised by candlelight in the form of blush, ivory and taupe taper candles. Arrangements like this work particularly well on longer tables, because your guests can be completely immersed in the scent and sight of the blooms, without them being overwhelming, distracting or getting in their way. A good florist will not only discuss the beautiful elements of your wedding day, but the practical ones too!
The cafe au lait dahlias were locally grown and are a real stand out August bloom for me. The muted pale blush and the sheer size of the dahlias, make them a totally unique flower and a real talking point. I placed one between the bride and groom and was thrilled when my bride came up to me the following day and exclaimed how they were her favourite flower and she was so pleased to have them so near her during her wedding breakfast!
What to consider when opting for a summer wedding at Pynes house?
Pynes House is a beautifully neutral wedding venue and so lends itself to either a similar neutral palette or embrace a touch more colour. The lilac, blush and dusky blue wedding palette is a stylish way to use colour in August and is a timeless choice for couples wanting a romantic and elegant look to their wedding day. I would recommend if you are wanting to stick to a neutral ivory colour palette then do think about using lots of greenery to break this up. Not only will the foliage add texture and interest, it will really allow your flowers to shine against the neutral interior. You could even go a bit bolder and use the dark plum and chocolate foliage, which starts to come in around August time. I love this look with pre white flowers, a super stylish alternative to working with the more traditional green foliage.
If you are looking for wedding flowers at Pynes House or for more information on what is in season in August, I would love to hear from you. I have supplied lots of beautiful weddings at Pynes House so I really know it well and can recommend all the best places that you should consider flowering, and just as important to not flower! There are also lots more real life weddings you can look through on the journal for more summer wedding flower inspiration.
A big thank you to Tara Statton Photography for sharing these beautiful images.
