I'm finally sitting down to write about the glorious wedding of Jemma and Jacob at Elmore Court in April this year.
Elmore Court, if you aren't acquainted, is an elegantly quirky stately home nestled in the Gloucestershire countryside. If you are looking for a Gloucestershire wedding venue with big personality, unbeatable photo backdrops and an exclusive, premium feel then Elmore Court is definitely one to consider. They are also serious about sustainability which was an important consideration for Jemma and Jacob, read on to find out more.
I can't go any further without crediting the awesome Antonia Grace who photographed this wedding, the photos are complete perfection and very selfishly I love the floral photographs as well the little moments of emotion captured throughout the day.
Romantic floral design inspired by Italy
Jemma and Jacob were such a lovely, relaxed couple which always makes the consultation process a joy and I remember coming away from the initial call feeling inspired and excited. Like most couples they weren't really set on specific flowers or arrangements, more an overall vibe, with a few factors that we discussed in our initial consultation.
They were keen to pull inspiration from Italy which holds a special place in their hearts as this was where they first met. They also loved natural, wild style flowers and wanted to be as sustainable as possible.
To me sustainable flowers are those that are in season, using British grown and also carefully choosing blooms from abroad that had been grown using planet friendly methods
From this brief we decided on a colour palette inspired by Italy in summer using soft sunset colours, with bright pops to reflect the freshness of spring. I used springtime blooms including blousy ranunculus, tulips, buttercream and tangerine narcissus, the cutest blue muscari, show-stealing icelandic poppies, scented stocks and spirea blossom, with added garden style spray roses and delphiniums.
Natural floral design to complement the wedding venue
As I mentioned in my last blog post one of the big considerations when deciding on wedding arrangements is the venue. Elmore Court is incredibly beautiful already but there are some main areas to flower up that I will always suggest as your wedding florist.
Adding flowers to the ceremony room really elevates the space and adds your individual style to the room. Jemma and Jacob chose natural, garden gathered style meadows to line their aisle. I then arranged an asymmetrical bowl arrangement on the marble table with just a few bud vases to lift the signing table.
Floral meadows are one of the most popular wedding designs
They really frame a space and add floral personality, you can use a variety of different flowers and styles depending on the couple's vibe and they are also super versatile. I made these arrangements into moss or chicken wire and water in keeping with the sustainable brief.
We then moved the meadows to bookend the long tables in the Gillyflower for the wedding breakfast and also to frame the top table. No mean feat considering how windy it was on the day of the wedding, in true British wedding style there were huge gusts of wind, short torrential downpours and brilliant sunshine all at one event.
Bud vases, bud vases, bud vases
Alongside the floral meadow, another really versatile floral arrangement is the bud vase. I love bud vases so much I dedicated this instagram post to how to use them effectively.
Like meadows they are really easy to re-use and can be used in lots of different areas. For Jemma and Jacob we first used a cluster of bud vases on the registrars table for their ceremony, they were then quickly whisked away to the wedding breakfast tables once the ceremony was over.
I included the cost of the bud vases within the wedding proposal so the happy couple were able to gift the bud vases away to guests the next day. I can't tell you how happy it makes me seeing guests walk away with some floral magic, knowing the flowers are going to live on for another few days across the country!
The Bridal Bouquet...
...and other stories
Jemma's bridal bouquet has to be one of my favourites (ok I know I say this every time but I'm fickle and fall in love with every single one!)
Bursting with spring flowers and smelling fabulous I was really inspired by the couples love of wild style flowers, using the spirea blossom, clematis and butterfly ranunculus to add natural movement and garden style roses and ranunculus to bring the dreamy romance. The beautiful ribbon from Little Acorn Silks really tied everything together (pun intended) and looked amazing in the wind in the outside photos!
Jemma shed some happy tears when I delivered the bridal bouquet which always makes me so emotional.
Arriving at the bridal suite with the personal flowers is one of the greatest highs of being a wedding florist and one of the best (and scariest) parts of the job!
Relaxed, fun-filled celebration with a party atmosphere
"We had total trust in Poppy from the beginning, she worked so hard to pull together our colour palette and used a wide variety of flowers to make the beautiful arrangements. When Poppy arrived on our wedding day and showed us the flowers, I shed a few tears as they were all so gorgeous."
Thanks so much Jemma and Jacob for having me as part of your wedding. The day was full of so much love and laughter, I really enjoyed creating flowers to set the scene for this celebration!
I hope you enjoyed reading all about this gorgeous wedding, if you're planning a wedding at Elmore Court why not find out more about my design service here