Category Archives: Garden wedding
Crocosmia
04 Feb
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.
Wild Fennel
10 Jan
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)
Stripes
I couldnt devote a whole post to spots without giving stripes the same courtesy.
Above is an Incredible graphic stripe sash. This would be an amazing addition to a simple purchased dress. I will come back to this and make a little tutorial for how to create this look with some basic sewing skills.
The long sleeves in this dress are especially elegant. It is decorated with lace circles but If i was going to use these stripes and lace as inspiration for a dress I would crochet the circles.
A seperate top and skirt can be a great look for weddings. This skirt is made by joining strips of fabric so the look could be re created to work with any colour scheme. Paired with a litle lace top – White and ivory stripes for a subtle bride, White and a pastel floral print stripes for a garden wedding and white and Navy stripes for a harbour side yacht club.
This deceptively simple dress is using a wonderful technique, It isn’t made from fabric with a natural stripe, it is made from a sheer fabric and each of those stripes are applied to the dress. An incredible amount of work. I am assuming they used bias strips so they would curve around the fluted hem, staggering.
This dress is made of a sheer white/solid white stripe fabric. The fabric is cut as large ruffles so the direction of the stripes changes throughout the skirt. This kind of fabric can also be used for a very simple style and the stripe then gives a point of difference.
Lastly this wonderful strapless stripe dress. The stripes make a perfect V in the front. The waist of this dress is quite high which is unusual. Here it all ties together perfectly. Also pockets.
Crepe paper beauties
29 Dec
My day has been improved by coming across the floral beauties of Artist/blogger Tiffanie Turner.
These incredible flowers are so inspiring. Imagine something like this decorating your reception or being carried by your flower girl.
I love this photo because it shows the scale of these flowers.
Her blog has some fantastic DIY flowers for anyone who wants to bring some of this loveliness into their celebration.
Crepe paper floral headdresses
I discovered through reading her blog the source of the paper she uses. I have tried to make some flowers with the sad crepe paper from the newsagent and they were not what I hoped for. I think I am going to have to order some of this thick and stretchy paper if I want to make dynamic and curly petals like this.
Carte Fini – Italian crepe paper.
Swoon tulips
08 Dec
An incredible bunch of tulips, bulbs and all hanging above the door at your wedding reception. what more could a bride want….besides a wall of tulips behind her.
Swiss dot Tulle, I love you too
18 Nov
I recently posted about how wonderful tulle is and if you didnt think it could get any better I still have 2 more posts to go.
Swiss dot tulle is a soft fine mesh speckled with tiny little embroidered dots. It can be softer than usual bridal tulle so used for more simple shapes where the dots are the main feature of the dress.
It also makes wonderful veils. Shown above a swiss dot tulle veil as the centreipeic of a wedding day, the dress a simple strapelss sheath. Below a stunning veil of swiss dot tulle edged with a cobweb of chantilly lace.
A simpla asymmetric dress with layers of swiss dot tulle left raw edged.
The dots have a cuteness to them that lends itself well to 50’s style tea length dresses.
I have seen swiss dot tulle in fabric shops I have visited as well as the fine cotton voile version which is just as lovely.
Tulle, I love you
13 Nov
Tulle is an incredibly versatile, cheap and fun fabric to use in a wedding gown.
It comes in huge widths for flowing skirts. It doesn’t fray so there is no need for edging it, this saves time in making but more importantly the edges have no weight added to them. Tulle can be dressed up for the evening but works equally well for a day dress because of its matte finish.
Below are some examples of the way tulle can be used in wedding gowns. All of these ideas can be used in a made to measure dress and most will be a great way achieve drama without a dramatic price.
A playfull sweetheart dress with a draped tulle skirt from Love Yu
Tulle here is used to make a dramatic but soft fishtail. Raw edge strips are woven around the body creating texture.
Marchesa uses the cut edges to great effect with a hankerchief cut skirt.
I love the shape of this dress from Charlie Brear, A bias cut sheath would fall beautifully over the body and the tulle add a layer of movement without any bulk.
Silver tulle , no source. Colour can be a little trickier to find in a softer weight tulle but isn’t impossible. The right type of tulle can be dyed. Colour tulle (black is available and sexy) is also perfect for any other formal event where you want to make a scene.
this Blue skirt a has a single layer of contrasting tulle over the top. This tulle is a little stiffer than some other examples here so it sits out from the lining skirt.
A skirt of a single layer of tulle draped from a jewel encrusted sheath. I love the way this skirt falls like a waterfall from the edge of the beading.
Lovely tulle sleeve seen on Style me Pretty. A gorgeous addition to any dress.
Another from Style me pretty is this wonderful wedding where the bride isnt the only one who gets to wear an amazing tulle skirt. I love the way the bridesmaids have paired their skirts with a simple stretch fabric tee.
Tulle gives a layer of etherial softness to a sequin gown without dampening the sparkle underneath. This simple shape is turned into a shining star through an inspired choice of tulle and sequins. The photo of this dress at the top of the post also shows tulle used for the straps.
Another wonderful use for tulle is for table cloths, in white on white and as a pale contrast to a moody grey.
Backyard weddings
If you are looking for an informal wedding the backyard is number 1 on the list for me.
Location – the sucess of the backyard wedding obviously depends on the house, if your house isnt up to scratch or size, consider your extended family. You may be able to borrow a house if you can assure its owners that they wont have to lift a finger other than to drink their champagne.
A great space for a reception may not have the ideal ceremony location. If you don’t want to hold the ceremony elswhere then you can make a backdrop of the ceremony. Streamers, baloons, bunting, candles…the possibilities are endless. A quick search of pintrest for wedding backdrops will yield a thousand wonderful ideas. I love the idea below to bring some colour to the location.
Having access to the location for at least the day before is a huge advantage. You can mannge the decorations and set up well before the wedding. much less stressful than having only a few hours to set up and having to rely on the venue to do it or pay your florist extra.
Below friends and family install an amazing branch chandelier in a marquee set on the driveway.
Time – you will have full controll over the time, no need to start later or finish earlier than you would like. Make sure you do consider the neighbours, better yet, invite them.
Children – In most cases a backyard wedding is ideal if you will have children attending. There may even be a few spare rooms where the little ones can be put down for a sleep. The bigger ones can be set up in another room with a perpetual loop of Frozen.
Drinks – Alcohol can be a large expense. If you purchase it yourself it can save you a lot of money. Using a venue with a liquor liscence you wont be able to do this. I spent a weekend scouring hunter valley cellar doors for a mix of great wines at a much better price than retail (and Dan Murphys is hard to beat).
Beers and ciders can be served in the bottle (with cute straws where appropriate) Most bottle shops and supermarkets can get you a few cases of little mineral waters or ginger beers if you want. Set the tables with some ice buckets and allow the guests to get their own bottle from the bar to share at the table. This avoiuds the need for anyone to serve drinks.
Flowers – When working with a florist consider asking them to order you what you will need for the table decorations. They can apply their skills to the technical bouquets and you can collect the flowers the day before and make simple bunched in vases for tables the day before the wedding. The florist wil be able to advise you on the flowers who will still look amazing the next day.
The flowers below a mix of florist supplied and garden collected made the day before, proving that Australian natives are a great choice.
Relaxing – Finally the most lovely thing about being at home is the ability to relax. You and your guests can take off their shoes at the end of the night, chairs can be shifted and cars can be left to be picked up tomorrow.
Finally one of the most lovely parts of the backyear weddings I have attended has been the guests who are able coming over the next day to help clean. It is a great time to catch up and polish off the last wine and cheese. Delegate someone to cook the egg and bacon rolls on the bbq while the others rinse and stack glasses. This is the perfect antidote to waking up the next day and feeling sad because it is all over.
Gingham
08 Nov
A gorgeous choice for a summer day wedding.
Above is the Incredible Ulyana Sergeenko in a striking gingham dress. The skirt shows the gingham pattern stretching and moving. This is because of a full circle skirt which shows off fabric beautifully because 4 points in the skirt sit on the bias.
Brush strokes soften the bold gingham print on this Caroilna Harrera skirt. I wonder if I could create this look with actual brush strokes, I like the thought of using white silk with a hint of colour in the paint.
This Oscar de la Renta gown uses a sheer ribbon sewn onto the fabric to create the gingham effect.
The same gingham effect is created by Aria bridal using 2 layers of stripes at 90 degrees to each other. I love the look of this dress for a day wedding. The gingham effect would shift as the layers of the skirt moved against each other. This dress is called Dorothy, after the Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and her iconic gingham dress.
Another way Gingham is created is through pleating the fabric in 2 directions, 90 decrees to each other. I love this Christian Dior dress for the variation in width of the pleats which create a modern take on gingham.
All the methods of creating gingham through layering of fabric would be achievable in a made to measure dress. Using white on white would give texture in a more subtle way than some of these examples. Creative ways of using basic fabrics can give amazing results.