A Garden Wedding; bouquets of love
Katie wore an antique locket which had originally belonged to her great grandmother. Inside she had tucked a tiny photograph of her Nana and Granddad so they could be close to her on her special day.
I can barely put a bunch of flowers in a vase let alone make a boutonniere or bouquet so to say I was nervous about doing the flowers for our daughters wedding was an understatement! Thankfully friends came through and showered us with love, flowers and foliage – you can read about all the wonderful Seeds of Love here if you missed it.
Many of you emailed me and asked to see the finished results (we were still waiting for the official photographs when I first posted). So as promised here they are.
Setting the Scene
The service was focused around an existing garden arbor which was dressed up with a swag of flowers and greenery wired onto grapevine . Cut flowers were inserted into florists tubes filled with water before being tucked into the swag. (Much more difficult than it sounds, especially when it was raining at the time!)
We hung Mason jars of simple garden flowers and foliage from each arch and allowed trailing ribbons to flutter in the breeze. All the flowers were either from our garden or donated by wonderful friends and neighbors.
The whole effect was beautiful and created a perfect frame.
The aisle was lined with six big logs, each decorated with a jar of flowers and polished stones.
Picture perfect and ready for the bride and groom.
Table Settings
Katie thought of every detail from the colorful pompoms and flags decorating the tent, to burlap and butcher paper runners and layers of greenery cut from our woods. Vases of flowers brought the garden to the table.
Since succulents were one of the themes, Katie and Evan propagated, planted and decorated dozens of cuttings as party favors. They were glad to get their kitchen table back I'm sure!
They even included details on how to care for them on the reverse of the little flags!
In the Garden
Carrying through the succulent theme I tried to include tender and hardy cultivars in all of the container gardens.
The Little Details
The boutonnieres were made from lambs ears (Stachys byzantina), hypericum berries and the tiniest of white flowers bound together with jute, while Katie chose a soft coral dahlia for her hair.
The bouquets
And finally the bouquets themselves – beautiful works of art thanks to our friend Marcia. The perfect blend of casual country garden and chic elegance. Each design was unique yet complemented the others.
Katie and Marcia worked together to select the flowers for her special bouquet which included succulents, dahlias, roses and cosmos.
Celebration of Love
There were lots of smiles, plenty of laughter and yes a few happy tears (thank goodness for waterproof mascara). The casual setting encouraged guests to mingle and explore the garden together so that the atmosphere was relaxed and we could enjoy the special day.
Being Mother and Father of the Bride certainly kept us busy as we prepared our home, garden and flowers but looking back we wouldn't change a thing.
Photographs by Ashley DeLatour, One Thousand Words Photography
🙂 LOVE IT ALL!!!!
Hugs Katie XXX
Was a gorgeous wedding, well thought out, well done! SO talented Karen…but I knew that already.
Ha ha – thank you Grace. Katie takes credit for 99% of the planning though
Stunningly beautiful! I love the combinations of flowers in the bouquets. The hypericum berries and lambs ears was just darling! It just so happens that I'm going to a wedding in the next few days in another state and have been asked to do the flowers. Thank goodness it's only a few. Nervous and excited at the same time.
Sandi, what a fun coincidence. I'm sure it will all be beautiful.
Love all the details!! It's all absolutely beautiful… the location, colors and textures.
And of course your daughters photography is outstanding!
Just Beautiful!!
Thanks Kathy – quite a day 🙂
Oh, how lovely, Karen! And really festive — it's amazing how often wedding decorations forget that bit. The succulent party favors are a really sweet gift, too. Congratulations to your family and to the bride and groom!
Thanks Stacy – good to hear from you!
Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos with us. I have been looking forward to seeing more photos. I too did a lot for my daughers wedding I own a bridal boutique so lots of custom and and extra work most Moms don't have,but it was all worth it and made it very special. You and your friends and family did an amazing job. The colors were beautiful. Happiness and congratulations to the Bride ans Groom.
Thank you Glenda. I will be sure to pass on your good wishes.
What a great job you did! Mazel Tov!
HUGE compliment from the Queen of garden weddings – thank you CL!
fantastic – what a good start to married life !
Thanks David
Exquisite from photos to details. I wouldn't expect anything less from the Chapman clan! well done!!!!
Ha – no pressure Christina!!!
Stunning! My congrats to you all!
Big compliments from a wedding flower guru – thanks Riz
Fabulous! Everyone looks like they had a wonderful time. Now you can just rest and enjoy the memories.