Mackenzie & Chris

Guests travelled far and wide for this beautiful wedding in early August. Mackenzie, a Californian bride, wed Chris from Northern England, in the setting of Northbrook Park, Surrey. In classic English Summer style, the weather consisted largely of rain. However, this didn’t phase the couple or their suppliers in creating a truly beautiful day.

The styling for this wedding was inspired by a romantic and monochrome aesthetic chosen by bride Mackenzie, featuring elegant and contemporary floral designs throughout.

The colour palette was predominantly white, with hints of green tones to compliment. Gypsophila is the favourite flower of the lovely bride, Mackenzie, so with that it became the focal flower of the wedding, featuring in an abundance within all of the designs, accompanied by a selection of the most luxurious blooms possible.

For the ceremony, Mackenzie wanted her guests to be wowed, with an abundant backdrop which framed her and Chris as they said their vows. The venue’s existing stone fireplace is a statement in itself, so I created a design that made an impact without overpowering the existing features, or the couple. The final concept was an asymetric design adorning the fireplace, incorporating light foliage for that more natural touch. Blousy white roses had each petal carefully reflexed to encompass that contemporary style, with large white hydrangeas and tall delphiniums clustered together. And, of course, gypsophila was used en-mass to create that delicate, cloud-like aesthetic.

This design was mirrored in large arrangements at floor level, placed either side of the fireplace to ensure bride and groom were perfectly framed whilst saying their vows to one another. Inside the fireplace, hundreds of white pillar candles flickered within glass vases, bringing all the romance and finishing the design perfectly. The result created a breath-taking display, encompassing a contemporary take on the classic “whites and greens”.

For their Wedding Breakfast in The Orangery, the couple chose long banqueting tables for their guests to be seated at. This is my preferred table layout style, as it allows the look of an abundant tablescape to be achieved with much more ease than a large circular table. Plus, it tends to create a much more sociable atmosphere between guests!

Mackenzie and Chris had opted for delicious sharing platters with their caterer, Kalm Kitchen, therefore I wanted to create designs for the table that not only captured the essence of the couple’s vision, but also created a harmonious ambiance for their food to be served, carefully considering the layout and placement of all elements on the tables.

Each table was adorned with abundant arrangements in white ceramic bowls, feature along the centre. The arrangements featured loose and natural designs in a contemporary style, with tumbling gypsophila paired with stand out roses creating abundance, whilst delicate light florals added height and movement.

Each bowl featured an ever so slightly different design, as nature would intend, but all still compliment each other. A mixture of larger, smaller and footed bowls were used to create difference in shape and levels along each table, rather than a uniformed look. White pillar candles in vases were placed sporadically along the tables to compliment the bowls, adding that flicker of warmth to the room. These designs were curated the perfect balance between the platters and the flowers, achieving a layout that was simultaneously functional and visually captivating.

Mackenzie and Chris focused their budget into ensuring the ceremony and wedding breakfast was full of florals, and therefore did not have any bridesmaid flowers or buttonholes. There are no rules in what flowers you should and shouldn’t have at your wedding, and I am a big ambassador in focusing your budget on larger designs that will be more memorable to you and your guests!

For Mackenzie’s bouquet, she wished for a flower heavy style full of blousy roses. I incorporated large reflexed roses to create a modern design, whilst also using heavily scented roses whilst are too delicate to reflex but carry the most divine scent. I always like bouquets to have movement, so added home-grown agrostemma, which delicately danced as the bouquet moved. They are such stunning little flowers - they are so perfect that they almost do not look real! The bouquet was medium in size so to not overpower Mackenzie’s petite frame, and ensure all eyes were on her and her sensational bridal gown by Galia Lahav.

Imagery by Courtney Marie Photography