Your North East Wedding - Sep/Oct 2019 (Issue 34)

Make sure your bridal bouquet and wedding day flowers are blooms to remember with our seasonal guide to getting it right Flower Power emmamariephotography.co.uk SPRING TRENDS What are the flower trends for spring? “The big trends are bouquets and arrangements bursting with mixed luxurious foliage, along with blooms that match the wedding colour scheme,” says Rebecca Walker from Skelton’s The Countryside Florist. “A lot of my spring 2019 brides had a deep cranberry/burgundy colour, which on the surface sounds very wintry! However, we cleverly combined these deep colours with rich creams and cerise, along with some springtime flowers such as narcissi and pussy willow, and this really brought the colours to life and into season.” What are the most affordable flowers for spring? “There’s an abundance of beautiful and affordable blooms available – think ranunculus, daisies, spray roses, narcissi and astilbe. You can also get a couple of varieties of peony between May and June, which can be really affordable – it all depends on what your colour scheme is as to whether they would tone in!” What are the most expensive flowers for spring? “There are some exceptions, but most peony varieties are very expensive because of their limited season of May to June and the high demand from brides all around the world who want these ruffled beauties! An alternative to a peony would be a garden rose, but these are often around the same price or more expensive. The humble carnation is a fantastic substitute for a peony because it’s made up of lots of ruffled petals, which are so similar to a peony – and are a fraction of the price. Lilac/syringa is also an incredibly stunning flower, but it comes at a price! It is very hard to substitute as it is such a unique bloom, but other filler flowers that would work out cheaper would be gypsophila, white astilbe or hydrangea.”  What’s the best wedding bouquet you’ve ever made? “If I go with my gut, the one that feels like my best is one I made for a Danby Castle bride in the autumn. It was the first bridal bouquet I created in my wild style, which is now a firm favourite with my couples. The flower combination was exquisite: black baccara and quicksand roses, berries, astilbe, waxflower and veronica, with a mixture of eucalyptus. It went together perfectly first time, and it suited my bride and her theme down to the ground.” If you could give one piece of wedding flowers advice to brides and grooms what would it be? “Choose a florist you click with. You need to trust that they understand your vision and that they have the skills and experience to deliver it. You need to eliminate as much stress from the planning as possible, so choosing vendors you trust is absolutely key. You may need to pay a little more for a florist who’s got more experience, but if it sets your mind at ease then it is money well spent.” To book Rebecca for your wedding day flowers visit thecountrysideflorist.net thecountrysideflorist.net thecountrysideflorist.net emmamariephotography.co.uk 53 FLOWERS