Talking florals with Posybloom
Image by Candy Capco Photography
A surprisingly massive part of your wedding day - flowers! From the bouquets carried by each bridesmaid, to buttonholes on the groomsmen, and floral archways, backdrops and table settings, choosing your floral arrangements can completely change the look and feel of your wedding day.
So, we’re talking to an expert! Heather from Posybloom Boutique gives us the breakdown on all things floral - what’s trending for this upcoming wedding season, colour palettes, cost-effective planning and how to make your day that much more eco-friendly by making smart floral choices. “Wedding season has begun for another year, and with it comes so much joy, being able to take a bride's vision and turn it into a piece of floral art which will be part of their memories and treasured photos for the rest of their life,” says Heather. “Definitely the highlight of my job by far.”
October 12th 2019 wedding - Photo by Posybloom Boutique
MOST MEMORABLE BOUQUET?
"We did the most amazing wedding to kick off the season at the beautiful Anam Cara Gardens in Otaki. I’d have to say the bride’s bouquet is my favourite combination of flowers, colours and textures I’ve ever created to date.
Our lovely bride really wanted Anemones and Peonies, in a combination of pinks and whites. It was going to be very hit and miss being able to source both of these, as it is right at the end of Anemone season, and right at the beginning of Peony season. I am super lucky to have the most amazing local grower here in Waikanae who was able to provide me with the most incredible Anemones, and as luck would have it, the peony growing gods were on our side. They literally just started appearing at the flower auctions right in time for the big day, so it was my absolute pleasure to be able to deliver the bride her dream bouquets.”
Photo by Von Photography
Image by Candy Capco Photography
WHAT’S TRENDING THIS SEASON?
“Aside from this stunner of a wedding, this season we do seem to have carried through from what began last year. A strong theme of minimal (and in some cases none at all) flowers in neutral tones with lots of lush textured greenery.”
“This greenery trend seems to have begun with some brides thinking greenery bouquets are going to be more cost effective, which in some cases may be true, but it very much depends on what greenery is being chosen. For example, everyone's favourite for quite some time now has been the ‘silver dollar’ and ‘baby blue’ varieties of Eucalyptus – definitely not a cost-effective option, unless you know someone with a giant tree you can raid!”
KEEPING IT COST EFFECTIVE
”If it’s super cost-effective you’re after - and let’s face it, we all know wedding budgets are a stressful part of the planning- you can absolutely still have a stunning bouquet full of flowers on a budget.
My number one tip to keep costs down, is try not to get your heart too set on specific flowers, but rather have a colour palette you love and let your florist work their magic and choose seasonal blooms to match. Seasonal and locally grown is always best!”
Image by Posybloom Boutique
SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT?
”I do love when a bride comes to me with a really different colour scheme to what the going trend is – Earlier this year I had a bride wanting “zesty orangey reds with white”, in amongst a sea of blush and burgundy weddings. I am typically more of a pinks and purples kind of a girl, so orange is not normally a colour that would make my inner flower nerd sing, but when it all came together, I was so surprised at how in love I was with the end result! A fabulous combination of locally grown Dahlias, heritage style Roses, Hydrangea, Lisianthus and delicate sprigs of Gypsophila tucked in.”
It makes me smile how the trends always seem to come full circle – once upon a time not so long ago, gypsophila was considered tacky and dated with its place firmly set in the 80’s/90’s. But over the last few years it has made such a comeback, that the biggest gypsophila grower in NZ is currently sold out one month in advance! “
Images by Katie O’Neill Photography
CREATIVE IDEAS FOR FLORALS
“Getting creative with your florals can be so much fun, and the sky is the limit as far as things you can do.
Bridesmaid hoops are making a comeback (along with all that gypsophila!), mixed in with large, modern and elaborate hanging floral installations. Flower crowns, hair florals, floral curtains for photo booth backdrops, terrariums for centrepieces, the only limit is your imagination. Find a good florist and they should be able to pull off whatever you throw at them.”
Images by Candy Capco Photography
LOVING OUR ENVIRONMENT
“Along with being able to pull off creative designs, a big challenge we face in the floral industry is our environmental footprint. You may be quite shocked to know just how much plastic I end up with at the end of processing one weeks' worth of flowers that I purchase from the flower auctions.
As a florist business owner, I personally make an effort wherever I can to purchase flowers not wrapped in plastic, and organic spray free options are definitely preferable although not always possible. I love being able to buy directly from a grower and collect them in a bucket of water instead of wrapping up in plastic to transport - Farm fresh direct to my bouquets is the absolute best feeling!
But as a bride, being environmentally conscious with your flower choices is a tricky one, as it mostly falls down to our growers to try and find a more eco-friendly way of wrapping and transporting their product.
You can however opt for arrangements that don’t require oasis floral foam. Along with all the plastic wrap, Oasis is another not so eco-friendly product in the floral industry that we are striving to phase out with new techniques to achieve the same result; minus the foam. You can request that your florist use methods without foam and ask that they be eco-friendly with their flower purchasing if possible.
You can also create an awful lot of amazing DIY wedding décor from up-cycling and buying pre-loved items to keep that environmental footprint as small as possible – if you’re not on Pinterest yet, go have a look, but be prepared to fall down the black hole of endless ideas, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
A massive thank you to Heather from Posybloom Boutique for her wise words! Looking for a florist? Check out our listings here.
Brought to you by our wonderful blogger in chief, Deanna Walker.