And on the 3rd day, God created the Peony
Anyone who works in the wedding industry knows that September and October are traditionally the busiest months on the calendar.
They are insane. My days start at 4am and typically finish at 10 or 11 pm during this time.
And then the peony blooms.
And she’s beautiful… She’s beautiful because she starts as a bud that is a very tight, tiny, tough ball.
Over a day or two she develops her size and colour…
And then, like magic, she blooms…
Bridal bouquet - 'Red Charm' peonies
Bridal bouquet - white Peonies with Dusty Miller
After the exhaustion and stress that comes with peak wedding season, the peony is a special gift that always reminds me of how lucky I am to work with flowers.
x
A wedding by the sea
Bistro C on Hastings St at Noosa was the site of this super stylish wedding reception.
Table centrepieces – Carnations (oh! bring back the carnation!) Snapdragons, Freesias and Spray roses – all in shades of white
The cake – Cymbidium orchids and roses with Ivy Berries
Just metres from the sea…
And a sneak preview of the bouquet…
Gorgeous pink and dusty mauve
Don’t overthink it!
A quick snap of this bouquet before it was packed into the box for delivery shows how such a simple concept – all roses – in this perfect colour combination is so very effective…
Julie Whitehead – Magnifique!
I was lucky enough recently to work on the flowers for a wedding for which Julie Whitehead created the cake – has anyone NOT heard about these amazing cakes? It seems the only brides I meet who aren’t having Julie make their cakes are those who missed out because she is simply too busy.
This one is made of three tiers with many large, romantic Columbian roses between each. I adore these roses – they come in a variety of colours, and the ivory especially ‘relax’ open to look like this.
www.juliewhiteheadcakes.com.au
Ranunculus – the new ‘it’ flower??
It’s my prediction, anyway…
I’ve had these on my dining room table this week and I have to say that I have fallen for them. Their many delicate petals and soft round form make them perfect for weddings, and I’m at a loss as to why more brides aren’t using them as wedding flowers.
Yes, they come in white!
The Sweetest Couple ever…
Rachel and Li came to see me about a month before their wedding. They had planned a wedding ceremony in Australia on a Monday. All they required from me was a bouquet for Rachel and a buttonhole for Li.
Rachel giggled as she considered the types of flowers that she might like in her bouquet. She and Li decided together how the buttonhole would look. Together they made a strong team and their obvious happiness at simply being together was palpable.
Rachel and Li are going on to have more wedding celebrations overseas, and I wish them absolutely all of the happiness in the world.
I think they already have it. x
Thank you to Cathy at www.yuzuimages.com for the above gorgeousness…
20 million flowers a day
Alsmeer: the largest flower auction in the world…
Most people probably don’t stop to consider where the flowers that created their gorgeous wedding bouquet or sit in a vase on their table came from.
On a recent (amazing!) trip through Europe we went to beautiful, crazy Amsterdam. Anyone who has been knows that this picturesque city is home to 750 000 people, 1 million bikes and possibly the most luscious flowers I have ever seen.
A short bus ride (very, very early in the morning for a holiday) took me to Alsmeer, the home of the largest flower auction in the world.
It is here that exporters and wholesalers purchase billions of dollars worth of flowers every year.
There’s a large clock and it ‘ticks down’ as each bloom is presented. Obviously a higher demand equals a higher price and vice versa. The large auditoriums where the buyers sit with their eyes focused on the massive computerised display complete with backwards ticking clock and flower statistics is abuzz with concentration.
As the flowers are purchased here, the market floor below sees millions of flowers being towed in different directions in preparation for their flights across the globe…
Often they arrive in the country of sale just 24hours after having been harvested.
