A WEDDING FOR UNDER £600!

Today I was listening to 'You and Yours' on BBC Radio 4.They had an interesting piece about the cost of weddings nowadays (average being approx £20,000). There seemed to be two sides to the argument. 

First was:

 "It's the most perfect day of your life and you want to really make it memorable and enjoyable for all the guests. If the budget gets away from you then so be it." 

Second was:

"In this day and age when getting a house deposit together is hard enough why on earth would you spend £20,000 on a wedding?! If friends and family chip in you can have a great day without breaking the bank." 

I am very much of the opinion DO WHAT YOU WANT, IT'S YOUR WEDDING.

I personally have decided not to marry at all, unless I have a really good (unsentimental) reason to do so. That doesn't mean I didn't get a little misty eyed when two of my friends got hitched last week. It doesn't mean I didn't enjoy every single glass of champagne that came my way during the toasts either. Last week I also experienced my dream wedding. My brother and his girlfriend, who are both students, had an impromptu wedding which I'd like to share. Some may not get it, but it was awesome AND it cost less than £600!

York Registry Office Ceremony and Room for 8 Guests - £200

Bouquet and buttonhole (Made by me as a wedding present) - £40

Tasty Wedding Cake - Wedding Present 

Personalised Cake Toppers - Wedding Present

Chips/Dips/Champagne back at their flat after the ceremony - £40

'Wedding Breakfast' at Lo Spuntino - £250

Warehouse Dress - £60

After all, the main thing is whether the bride and groom are happy, isn't it?

They look happy to me. Congratulations little brother.

Congratulations guys!

SHABBY CHIC BARN WEDDING

I thought I'd share the flowers from the wedding I attended on Sunday. Unfortunately I didn't find out who the florist was, but I thought they were perfect for the shabby chic style wedding.

Bouquet: Blue Eryngium, White Spray Rose, White Lisianthus, White Double Freesia, Pink Bouvardia, Purple Veronica, Green Astrantia, Alchemilla Mollis

Garland: Million Star Baby's Breath, Queen Anne's Lace, White Avalanche Roses, Soft Ruscus, Ivy and Eucalyptus

Centrepieces: Blue Eryngium, Million Star Baby's Breath, White Stocks, White Spray Roses, White Avalanche Roses, Purple Veronica, Pink Bouvardia, Green Astrantia, Alchemilla Mollis

SOFT AND ROMANTIC VINTAGE WEDDING

The wedding held at Shrawley church has been and gone ( Shrawley Church Weddings Post) and I feel a little bereft. I have a couple of other weddings coming up and have redirected my attention and efforts to those, but I will miss this one. The main focus flowers for this wedding were baby's breathand amnesia rose, and the theme was a sophisticated 'shabby chic'. 

My absolute favourite flower in the wedding were the stunning peonies (Duchesse de Nemours) which were softly ruffled and a beautiful ivory. Peonies are really big on the wedding scene at the moment. A bouquet of just peonies on their own can look just stunning and I'd choose that over a bouquet of roses any day. Another popular wedding theme is coral, especially when paired with mint, and coral peonies are a great choice. Check out this pinterest board for inspiration: Peonies!

(Display tray for the buttonholes)

In the picture above you can see the beautiful peonies, baby blue Eucalyptus, white astilbe and Queen Anne's lace (Ammi Majus). Then below the finished table arrangements in all their glory!

Peony Duchesse de Nemours, Sweet Avalanche Rose, Amnesia Rose, Queen Anne's Lace, Pink Astilbe, Silver Brunia Balls, Gypsophila, Baby Blue Eucalyptus.

The flowers were displayed in cream enamelled jugs and set in oasis foam. I will be doing a tutorial for a baby's breath head garland soon so watch out for it!

AN AUTUMN WEDDING

In early November I supplied the flowers for a beautiful autumn wedding held at. The bridal bouquet was a hand tie and included Tango Leucospermum, Grand Prix Red Roses, Blue Eryngium, Charmena Spray Chrysanthemum, Orange Hypericum berries, Black Viburnum berries and Purple Prado Calla Lilys.

The bridesmaids wore wrist corsages. They included Crystal Blush Calla Lilys, Spray Red Roses, Spray Red Chrysanthemums and White Lisianthus.

 The groom's buttonhole included a crystal blush calla lily and eryngium.

The ceremony table was decorated with an autumn box filled with the bridal bouquet flowers with autumn leaves, red freesia, safari sunset leucadendron, bronze chrysanthemums and high and magic roses added. The flowers were arranged in foam.

The tables were decorated with an autumn wreath surrounding a storm lantern. These used the same flowers as the autumn box and were made using a 12 inch foam wreath base.

This was definitely the most enjoyable wedding I've done. The colours were so unusual and vivid. The guests were very complementary! 

SHRAWLEY CHURCH WEDDINGS

About 2 years ago I fell into flower arranging for weddings with a friend. The first wedding we did was her own. I was a bridesmaid and came down the evening before and was handed floral tape, wire, feathers and orchids and told to make buttonholes. I was hooked. We have subsequently done five weddings in total and are doing a friends one next.

I will do a post about each wedding with pics but my most recent wedding was at a STUNNING venue that I just have to share. I went along to case the joint and spent a gorgeous day in Shrawley and Ombersley, Worcestershire. 

The above are pictures of Shrawley Church. The wedding venue, called Curradine Barns http://www.curradinebarns.co.uk/, is a five minute walk up the country lane.

A short drive away is Ombersley, a beautiful little village full of black and white timbered buildings. We had a great lunch in The Kings Arms which had THE BEST chips I have ever eaten. I wish I'd taken a photo but was too wrapped up in eating them I'm afraid!