Hi all, I’m Joules from Willow and Thyme and I absolutely adore a summer wedding, with those lovely long days and the beautiful evening light. As a wedding venue, Huntsmill Farm has so many wonderful spots for photo opportunities with its setting in the rolling Buckinghamshire countryside, their beautifully tended gardens and the naturally farmed agricultural fields.
Seasonality is very important to me and is a key to making naturally styled bouquets and floral arrangements. It’s the summer months that have the best to offer on the flower front and the reason why “British Flower” week is in June. Most florists like to use British flowers where we can, so it ensures we are more Eco-friendly and opens our eyes to so many possibilities and more unusual varieties. We are always in search of the naturally curving stem or wonky flower, nature has its plan of leading the way. I am also a keen gardener and a serial forager so you are likely to find a few surprise varieties in your bridal flowers, happy additions of course!
If you know very little about flowers and what is available we would love to help. There are so many more varieties to choose from but here are some of my favourite summer blooms.
Sweet Peas – These are usually available through until the end of July. If you are looking for a quintessentially English but delicate garden flower, these are perfect and pack a punch on the fragrance front.
Garden Roses – Oh my word, where do we start here?! The garden roses have a delicate perfume and a more intricate petal structure. They are more expensive than the standard rose but so worth it for a beautiful blousy bloom and available in so many colours, I am a sucker for a rose!
Peonies – The complete “show offs” of the flower world are usually available from May through to July in white, cream, a range of pinks, cerise and the famous Coral varieties, “Pink Hawaiian Coral” and “Coral Charm” being my favourites.
Nigella – “Love in a Mist” are so delicate and a classic cottage garden flower in dark/pale blue, pink and white.
Cornflower – Traditionally available in blue, it can also come in white, pink and a dark burgundy colour.
Foxgloves & Delphiniums – Stunning, tall flowers are perfect for statement displays in white, pink, peach, and blue.
Sunflowers – I am not personally a big fan of the huge bright yellow flowers as they are so bulky and dominant but the smaller headed varieties are beautiful in bright yellow, pale lemon, plum and blush.
Alchemilla mollis – A bright green frilly filler foliage.
Astrantia & Astilbe – Both are soft yet spikey filler flowers available in a range of white, pink and red.
Ammi Majus, Orlaya Grandiflora & Daucus are gorgeous frilly filler flowers in white and a brown tinged plum, perfect for light airy florals.
We like to use a lot of locally sourced foliage too such as Birch, Beech, Larch and Hazel, all of which help to create a really summery feel to your wedding florals. So whether you would like a foliage heavy wedding with pops of colour; a soft, delicate pastel palette or a bright & bold approach, the summer months have it all. Personally I would recommend doing a little research and then let your florist advise you on how you can best achieve your preferred style.
Good luck and enjoy embracing the seasons, Joules.
If you would like a chat with Joules from Willow and Thyme you can find all her details on our preferred partners page here.
