I spent a little time looking for wedding dresses in velvet, It could have been the pictures or the fact most were from the 20’s or 30’s but I couldn’t find anything mind blowing. I will have to have a look at some white or ivory velvet the next time I am in a fabric shop and see how it behaves.
Velvet is amazing in rich colours and I have complied below a selection of ideas.
A subtle detail
Flowers with the look of velvet
A touch of Vintage
Chic bridesmaids
No time today to put up with any hay fever whiners, the wattle is starting to bloom and I love it. The bright and lovely pillows of wattle are also the first hint that spring is on its way.
Here is a little wattle inspiration to bring a little more yellow to your day.
Wattle used in a mixed bouquet with more cottage flowers. They do work just as well away from their usual pairings of other Australian natives.
This amazing bead necklace I have seen before so it isn’t available anymore. The designer is called Jojo and I can’t find a trace of her current work to see if there might be some more wattle in it.
This image is from a spring fete somewhere in France but the idea of using flowers and chicken wire would be perfect for a backdrop or photo booth.
Simple yellow, white and green.
The Queen of wattle.
If you want to look a little further, search for mimosa as well as wattle, that is what the Americans call it.
A beautiful ribbon is the perfect accent for a beautiful bouquet. I have been collecting creative ideas for ribbons from the simple to the unusual.
A ribbon can add a pop of colour where your flowers cant. Weddings over winter can have fewer flower choices so why not stick to a simple palette and bring your colour in with some ribbon.
Lace is a good option, A soft white cotton or a more glamourous black.
If you are crafty consider customising, cotton lace can be dyed or ribbons embellished with embroidery.
I am loving this idea, a piece of fabric wrapped around the bouquet. The perfect excuse to buy a LV scarf? or see if there is one that belonged to your Nana. The best fabric shops have gorgeous silk prints and using a print can bring some complexity over a solid colour ribbon.
Some sparkle?
Raffia
Ric rac is a cute option. It works well mixed with other ribbons.
Here are some more unusual. Pom pom braid, feathers and even fringe.
When I first saw this print I was in love, I don’t think I even realised it was birds, It was the colours that grabbed me. It is a fine cotton and for the bridal show I was really interested to use some unusual fabrics and being cotton and a print it was the perfect choice.
The scallop back was inspired by a dress from the 20’s. The scallops are worked into the pattern and each one edged with white silk bias binding. The band around the neck is a curved piece the top of all the scallops are caught into.
For the show the dress was styled with a basic birdcage veil and lovely pink and orange flowers. All the flowers were made by Jill at The little Bouquet in Merimbula.
This dress I am happy to sell, it is wasted sitting in my closet. It is approximately a size 12 and quite long but can be altered to a 10 and shortened. There is also a tulle underskirt that can be either removed or added to depending on what your plans for the dress are. The price is $300.
When my Aunty Marg went through her fabric stash and told me I could take what I liked I don’t think she expected this. A black and Ivory stripe taffeta that was so old I could tear it with a pin carefully pleated and sculpted into this amazing dress.
I used this dress for the finale of the parade. It worked beautifully with the black sequin bridesmaids. I also had a strapless sequin dress I borrowed back from its owner to use for the maid of honour.
The floral crowns were all made by Jill at the Little Bouquet in Merimbula. A tiny little comb held the veil in place and the crown sat over the top. I loved that they were so lush and dramatic, the perfect complement to a dramatic dress.
If you have driven between Canberra and Bega recently you may have noticed that all the road side apples are coming into fruit. This is good news for anyone who likes to make free cider or anyone who is having their wedding this time next year and is looking for something unusual to include in their flowers.
In truth the apples were probably best to use for floral arrangements a few weeks ago, if they are too ripe they are more likely to drop off their branches.
Above are some apples growing between Candelo and Bemboka. These are red but I have also seen green apples in places if that will match your colour scheme.
Apples included in a bouquet.
Here apples are included in the table setting.
The banksias are coming into flower. soon I will grab myself a huge bouquet to enjoy indoors. If you are not lucky enough to have your own supply here are some for you to enjoy.
I am assuming a blow torch was what has given the wonderful black char to these banksia pods. Just keep them away from the dress.
Lush bouquets mixed with softer foliage and smaller flowers. Most native flowers will last well when cut so arrangements like these can be made days before an event.
I included this lovely print by Australian artist Margaret Preston. The graphic lines on this wood block print are the perfect inspiration for invites. Printing paper with that soft natural colour is available from any good art shop.
Single stems with their leaves are an easy choice as they last well and can be arranged by anyone.
I had some fun playing with banksias from my mum’s garden.
Another local ‘weed’ that has caught my eye is the brilliant orange crocosmia. It is currently flowering in abundance along the side of the road between Tura beach and Merimbula. I am lucky enough to have some in my garden and I am going to make sure I collect some bulbs to put into my new garden when the house is finished. I had never thought of it as a wedding flower until I started imagining what was possible outside of what is available commercially.
Crocosmia cut and left tall for a lovely farmyard wedding. This bride also used wild fennel which is flowering at the moment too. The tall leaves she used are actually young stalks of corn.
Crocosmia mixed with garden roses and Oregano flowers.
Crocosmia in a more yellow shade mixed with ginger flowers for a tropical elopement.
Blooming now along side the Queen Anne’s lace is the wild fennel. A similar flower but yellow, it is just starting to bloom properly now (late december, early jan) around Bega. I didn’t pick any of this when I stopped, the stalks are too hard to break so I can’t give any advice about their longevity in a vase. I can suggest you bring some secatures.
Here is a small selection of wedding flowers using wild fennel (or wild dill as it has an almost identical flower)
Try including a fragile little twig in your wedding, They offer the contrast of a solid line against the softer blooms included in a bouquet. consider painting them as a way to add some colour. Green twigs will be less fragile as they will bend before they break but sometimes only the dry ones will do as they are more delicate.
Sticks used for decoration of the reception. Firstly was a marquee so there was no issue with the bride suspending an incredible stick chandelier. The second is in a restaurant so may require some sweet talking to your venue owner. Lastly twigs painted gold for some extra glamour. These would look wonderful used in a vase with lots of white and coral pink peonies, highlighted with foliage and their little yellow centres.
Twigs wound into hair. Etsy has an incredible selection of jewlery made from cast silver or gold twigs if you would like to buy one but I think that with a little time and spray paint a crown of golden twigs could easily be made. If you use fresh green twigs they won’t be so brittle so will last well all day.
