Summer flowers can inspire a colourful wedding theme, from bouquets and table settings to the wider venue décor. Browse our summer wedding gallery at Warwick House for ideas.
As wedding specialists, this gives us ideas for themes, food for thought and some inspiration we just can’t keep to ourselves. The big idea this week is summer floral.
As wedding specialists, this gives us ideas for themes, food for thought and some inspiration we just can’t keep to ourselves. The big idea this week is summer floral.
Think Pimm’s o’clock, sitting by the river watching punts and wild birds. Think picnics, bright flowers, daisy chains and long lazy days in the sun. That’s the kind of romantic feeling we want to evoke, with a little vintage or rustic twist. You could also take it in a modern direction if you prefer with clean lines and contrasting floral patterns.
The Inspiration
As inspiration for our summer floral theme, we’re taking some English classics. We like sweet williams, germini, daffodil, alchemilia mollis for a bit of green, Cerise roses for the pink and lovely chrysanthemums to complete the look. It’s a mix of yellow, pink, a little purple and some green to add that touch of earth.
You can of course use carnations, lilac, different coloured roses, sunflowers and a range of other summer flowers too if you’re looking for something more subtle.
Creating the Look
The look we’re going for is obviously summery, which is a balance of floral prints on plain backgrounds to simulate fields full of sunflowers, beds full of roses and gardens full of the variety of summer blooms.
If you’re looking for a bold look, then stark whites with sharp floral prints on top will create a modern contrast that makes a real statement. You can combine rich pink roses with lilacs and carnations for a modern summer look that offers the romance of a wedding with the modernity of the 21st century.
For a more subtle, or traditional look, we might go for some more muted floral prints on ivory. An ivory dress or table settings with lower key floral prints of daffodil, lilac and maybe some light pink peonies may be in order. It’s a very ‚Äúin‚Äù look right now and fits with many of the trends we’re seeing across the Western world.
The subtle look can be made a little vintage too with some bunting, a 1930s inspired dress, stylish art nouveau jewellery or place settings and a selection of wild flowers on table decorations.
A good combination is to have the bride in ivory with a wildflower bouquet, maybe a flower in her hair and the bridesmaids in subtle ivory floral prints. When positioned beside the bride, they highlight the simplicity of the wedding dress while also celebrating the best of British summer.
The Supporting Cast
If you’re going for the floral look for your wedding, it’s easy to go overboard with everything. It’s all so beautiful that it’s often hard to contain your enthusiasm for some of the pieces available.
We would suggest a mix of plain table linen, floral centrepieces, perhaps floral patterned seatback covers and bunting or bunches of flower spread around the room. Nothing too over the top, just a lovely splash of colour and character.
For the modern version, use stark contrasts again. Crisp white linens, rich flowers in centrepieces, richly patterned seatbacks, or even plain wood with only napkins. Much depends on the venue you’re working in.
Go more subtle for a light summer look. The intention is to make it look effortless, which means, wildflower centrepieces, little or no table linen, ivory napkins, lower key flowers to decorate the room or bunting for a touch of vintage. This can be echoed in the wedding invitations too if you want to tie everything up nicely.
Whatever floral wedding theme you elect to use, ask the caterers to integrate it into the food. Many flowers are edible and can be used on cakes, desserts, sandwiches and drinks. All of which go to further the theme while offering interest and talking points to the guests.
The summer floral wedding look is a big movement right now and rightly so. It’s a beautiful theme that offers a lot of scope for experimentation and expression. A single theme can be tweaked to offer modern, rustic, traditional or even vintage looks, perfect for your wedding day!