AUTUMNAL SUSTAINABLE WEDDING FLOWERS
Autumn is one of our favourite times of year to do wedding flowers because of the gorgeous warm colours and all the beautiful seasonal textures of berries, rosehips, seedheads and grasses. We always try to use mainly Scottish grown materials for our designs and so when Emma and Sam got in touch about flowering up their autumn wedding at The Free Company and said they wanted to make it as sustainable as possible we were delighted! The couple gave us loads of freedom to use the best materials of the season and just specified autumnal colours and the result was a beautiful naturally inspired rustic feel that fit perfectly with the ethos and styling of the venue.
Mixed seasonal buttonholes
We used a mixture of all Scottish grown fresh and naturally dried flowers to really lean into the textural side of the season. For Sam and the groomsmen’s buttonholes we mixed dried thistle with rosemary, autumnal coloured box and dried bracken with little sprigs of statice and rosehips bound with twine for a rustic feel.
Seasonal bridal bouquet
Emma’s bouquet was a celebration of autumn colour with dahlias, sunflower, rosehips, chrysanthemum, rudbeckia, mixed with dried elements like allium seed heads, teasel, grasses, and fluffy clematis seed hedas and autumnal foliage like azaelea and dried bracken alongside beech and hornbeam. The varied textures worked really well with the bride’s gorgeous beaded detailing on her wedding dress. We created matching posies for the bridesmaids inspired by the bridal bouquet but smaller that looked great against their green velvet dresses. All of the bouquets were finished with trailing hand dyed natural silk and velvet ribbon for a beautiful boho look. We dotted jars around the venue for the girls to put their bouquets in after the ceremony so the flowers were well hydrated and added an extra touch of decoration to the venue.
Decorating the venue with seasonal flowers
This was our first time working at the Free Company and what a brilliant space it was! There was lots of scope to make it into an autumnal wonderland. In the bar area we hung branches of seasonally available foliage from the ceiling to soften the space and give a woodland feel. This is a great option if you have a dry hire venue with exposed beams and lots of space and can really transform the feel of the space.
Autumnal floral arch
In the ceremony space we created a wild flower style airy floral arch full of seasonal favourites like teasel, autumn tinted tree foliage, roses, chrysanthemums, berries and bracken. Of course lots of dahlias too as these are always the star of late summer and autumn weddings! We wanted this arch to feel truly magical and seasonal, as if it were part of a hedgerow or had just grown from the floor so we kept it quite light and airy.
Flowers and foliage for the wedding reception
For the reception we lined long wooden tables with vines and green foliage and dotted earthenware budvases and jars or seasonal flowers down the length of the tables. These little pops of colour really helped carry the theme through the space.
WOODLAND WEDDING FLOWERS
From the ceiling above the tables we decorated three large cartwheels with seasonal foliage to continue the woodland theme from the other spaces at the venue. This really helped transform the room and soften the feel of the space
If you’ve been inspired by Emma and Sam’s autumn wedding and want to discuss your own wedding flowers get in touch. Or if you’re looking for more autumn inspiration check out our wedding gallery and blog.
All images by Euan Robertson
Venue The Free Company