 Photo credit Willow and Wilde 'And Something for the Ceremony Area...'
A request in several recent wedding consultations - & there are so many options! Bunches of flowers & foliage tied to the ends of pews & on to chairs continue to be a pretty way to decorate the aisle area.. This one at Balmagkie Kirk last Summer included Eryngium Thistle, dried Lavender & Ivy trails as well as white flowers. Arranged by Rosie of Galloway Flowers. Photo credit: WillowandWilde.co
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 July Bridal Bouquet March was a remarkably dry month here & so I'm made the most of it to prune Roses (we've about 100 so it takes a while...) But it's not a very inspiring picture of a chopped Rose bush or dozen is it? So here's a more colourful close up of one of our Galloway-grown Roses in a Bridal Bouquet made for (another) Rosie in early July last year. The scent of this bouquet was a knockout - Roses, Honeysuckle & Sweet Peas. Rosie chose from our Wedding Packages options. I made the Bouquets & Buttonholes for the wedding party, & supplied a 'Bloom Bucket' of our locally grown flowers too. The flowers were collected late afternoon on the day before the wedding, giving Family & friends time to arrange the stems in simple bud vases for the tables at the reception. The 'Bloom Bucket' is pictured below. It did of course include a good bunch of Sweet Peas! Our Wedding Packages can be tailored to suit your requirements & are a great option for smaller weddings. All the information can be found here on the Wedding Flower Packages page  'Bloom Bucket' of July flowers  Preserved Bridal Bouquet So you have spent hours scrolling through Instagram & Pinterest images for inspiration, deliberating over the perfect colour combinations & flower shapes. There have been detailed discussions with your Florist about flowers in season & your favourites. And finally, on your wedding day, the Bridal Bouquet will be placed in your hands for the very first time. I hope you love it, enjoy the scents & colours, knowing this bouquet will be captured in photographs to look back on for years. And then what? Perhaps you'll pass flowers on to your Mum to enjoy in a vase. Or toss in the traditional way for the next Bride to catch. But an increasing number of Brides choose to keep it as a lasting keepsake. If that sounds like you, this will be of interest. I'm often asked by wedding couples if I would preserve their wedding flowers. While I do dry & press flowers, taking them to the next stage & presenting them as a finished piece of art is more than I've ever attempted. So I wanted to shine a light on the work of Sue MacBride, as her work is beautiful & it's an unusual skill to find. I gladly recommend Sue to those couples instead! Sue preserves flowers & arranges them into pictures full of memories of a special day. It makes a fabulous keepsake doesn't it? I arranged wedding flowers for Hannah & Dan last August, & a selection was taken to Sue after the wedding. The flowers were bright & colourful when fresh (see photo below of Hannah's bridal bouquet). The photo at the top of the post shows the result. Sue has captured the vibrant shades so well, even the Sweet Peas! The preserved flowers were arranged on a backing & carefully placed in a frame so the results can be enjoyed for a long time. Sue is based here in Dumfries & Galloway. To arrange for Sue to preserve your wedding flowers as a unique & lasting keepsake, her business can be found on insta @border_gardens  August Bridal Bouquet  Photo credit; Duncan Ireland Photography Work in Progress... Here I am, in my element, about halfway through decorating the magnificent mantlepiece at Auchen Castle, near Moffat last September. I had put in the foliage & hops & just beginning to 'colour in' with Dahlias & grasses. A LOT of Dahlias - see below. The brief from the wedding couple was 'Autumnal' with Pheasant feathers from their Shoot. So I added Bracken, Autumnal leaves, Berries, seedheads & shiny Horse Chestnut Conkers. And if we haven't met before, here's a short intro...
Venue; Auchen Castle, Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway    Photo Credit Colin Carpenter Photography It makes my day when a set of wedding photo's arrives in my inbox from our wedding couples. And these did just that! Here's Judith & Ben at their Gretna Green wedding ceremony in late February. Couples still travel from across the world to the traditional venue for it's timeless appeal. The wedding couple stayed @Buittle_Castle (near Dalbeattie) with Family & friends before their wedding so it was an easy delivery of flowers for me. All travelled to Gretna & then back to Buittle for the party. Judith messaged to say; A HUMONGOUS thank you for the flowers you made for us that were more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. Thank you, thank you, thank you for them all - they were so unbelievably stunning and admired by all. In Judith's dusky pink & white Bridal Bouquet, I used frilly Lincolnshire Hellebores & Tulips, Isle of Scillies Narcissi & Cornish Eucalyptus. Everything else - Pink Heather, Pieris, Viburnum, Ivy, Pink Pussy Willow - we grew here at our Flower Farm in Galloway. So even in late February it's possible to have 100% British-grown wedding flowers with the lowest possible carbon footprint.  Thank you Judith & Ben for sharing the lovely photo with us.
Photo credit; Colin Carpenter Photography Florist; Galloway Flowers  Photo credit; WillowandWilde Details...
So often the wedding flower photo's posted across Insta etc focus on the Bridal bouquet, the bridesmaids, the flower girl, the venue decor. And with good reason - these tend to be the most showy flowers & where most of the budget is spent. But don't let's forget the Buttonholes for the Gentlemen too. These little mini-bouquets can be intricate, highly individual & really mark out the occasion as 'special'. I enjoy making them, where possible including elements used elsewhere for bouquets & arrangements. This one was made for Leigh to wear at his mid-September elopement ceremony at Galloway House. All the ingredients (I included a touch of late Heather, a small Thistle, seedhead, Phlox & soft grasses) were grown here in Galloway & appeared in the bridal bouquet too. Photo credit; WillowandWilde.co Venue; Galloway House Estate  If you're planning to be married soon, maybe you'll be planning to wear flowers in your hair. Flower crowns, or small sprigs woven into hair are always popular. And I wondered if you had considered a floral hair comb as an option? Made from either fresh or dried flowers a comb can feature flowers included in your bouquet. It can be neatly inserted into hair for a special touch. Usually more budget friendly than a flower crown too so maybe a lovely touch for your Bridesmaids hair too. Here are a few examples of combs I've made from our locally grown flowers. Above is a Comb made for a late February wedding, worn by the Bride. Trimmed with fresh seasonal flowers - Hellebore, Pieris, Heather & Larch. All flowers included in her Bridal bouquet. Below is a floral hair comb made for her Matron of Honour. Late February in a Scottish garden, in miniature. Every wedding season I make many floral hair combs & every single one is unique, as I use the flowers & foliage at it's very best that week.   Colourful cottage garden flowers bring a fresh, relaxed vibe to a marquee wedding at Dabton House, Thornhill last Summer. I love the way the vintage glass vases sparkled in the afternoon sunshine. Using vintage vases brings a unique look to the tables. It's a very sustainable option too, as they can be reused again & again. I've a large collection of vintage vases to arrange flowers in, & they're available to our Bespoke wedding couples to use. And of course, the flowers were all locally grown & arranged without any floral foam. All practical steps to keep the 'flower miles' & carbon footprint of a wedding low, without compromising on the beauty.   Just little Bud Vases of Spring loveliness to brighten up a dreary Sunday Afternoon.
Simply arranged in a line down the centre of a Dining table, or perhaps in small groups between candles or larger bowls of flowers. Perhaps arranged in a circle at the centre of a table around a chandelier or along a window sill, a mantlepiece... So versatile, make any table look like a Garden Party! I love to include the stems of special flowers, too short for bouquets, yet deserve to be enjoyed close up. These were arranged for an April wedding celebration at the beach last year.  Gently easing my way into 2025 with wedding consultations this week- nothing beats the excitement & enthusiasm of couples planning flowers for their big day, guaranteed to lift my spirits despite the cold.
Walking around the flower field this morning it seems hard to believe I'll be cutting buckets full of stems like these in just a few short months. But I will & believe me I'm looking forward to feeling the warm sun on my face again! These Meadow Boxes full of our locally grown flowers are always a winner. Perfect for lining an aisle for the wedding ceremony (as here at Balmaghie Kirk), on windowsills, on dining & signing tables too. And they're often moved after the ceremony to do 'double duty' at the reception too!  Autumn details to celebrate the season & Kerry's wedding at Auchen Castle, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland in late September... Dahlias, grasses, bracken, hops, seedheads, Pheasant feathers, conkers... my workbench looked like a 'nature table' as I collected all items together in the days beforehand. So many textures to add to the rich flower colours. The Bridal Bouquet included rich Dahlias, Hydrangea , grasses & berries plus feathers too. All flowers & foliage grown here at our Flower Farm in Galloway, except the Hops from Kent. Arranged sustainably without floral foam. Wedding venue @AuchenCastle Wedding flowers @GallowayFlowers   Photo Credit Duncan Ireland Photography In the May sunshine, here's Faye with her Bridesmaids.
An exceptionally pretty wedding at Parton, on the shore of Loch Ken, Dumfries & Galloway. The bouquets were full of our locally grown Spring flowers - our speciality Tulips, Sweet Rocket, Aquilegia, Ranunculus & Cornish Alstroemeria. Thank you, Faye for allowing me to share the photo here. And of course thank you to Photographer Duncan Ireland for capturing the moment so beautifully. As large boxes of bulbs begin arriving here this month, it can seem a bit overwhelming. Where & when will I plant them all? Have I invested in the 'right' colours for next years weddings? I'm finding it motivating to remember the special occasions where they went this year! The Calendar for arranging our locally grown flowers at weddings in Wedding Flowers2025 & 2026 is open now. More information can be found by following the links from the wedding pages  Scanning my recent posts, it looks as if I grew only 'Autumn coloured' flowers this year!
The rusty coppers, peaches & golds have dominated flowers posted - probably because I've felt so cold & Autumnal since early August... In reality, the flowers I actually grew, cut & arranged for weddings has been very different. It's time to catch up on photo's from this Summers weddings. So to begin, here's Deborah's bouquet for her wedding at Gretna Green from early September. This quick snap was taken before making final tweaks & adding the ribbons. (Flowers in bouquets always seem to move a bit overnight as they settle so I find this check helpful) No Autumn shades in sight here - just plenty of soft pinky-purples, lavender & lashings of white froth. I included Dahlias, Daisies, Phlox, Cosmos, Scabious & Nigella. 100% grown in Scotland, for a low carbon footprint. More information on our wedding packages can be found here  Flower Farm Florist Rosie Gray You'll not often catch a photo of me on here - I prefer my flowers to take the limelight.
Super-talented Photographer Duncan Ireland captured this moment in May when I delivered the bridal bouquet on Faye's special day. (Thank you Duncan for permission to share your photo) Now let me tell you about the flowers... 100% grown by myself at the Flower Farm, about 4 miles as the crow flies from the venue on Loch Ken. Early May loveliness including flouncy Peony Tulips, Ranunculus, scented Hesperis & dainty Aquilegia dancing above the rest.  Large Vase for the Font A Summers day at Urr Parish Church, near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway - a lovely setting for a country wedding. The dainty, meadowy flowers of late Summer including sweetly scented Sweet Peas, Honeysuckle & Acidanthera. Every single stem grown & cut by us at the Flower Farm a few miles away. Then arranged naturally in a reusable glass vase with water for a low carbon footprint. When the flowers fade, they can safely be added to the compost heap. The vase will be washed & stored ready for next time. What could be simpler & more sustainable than that?   Photo credit Rose and Julien Emma LOVES pink... The brief for her May wedding bouquet was 'pink, pink & more pink!' So I selected a mix of deep pink Peonies, pink Aquilegia, pinky hued acer leaves & some lacy Orlaya as the key flowers in her bouquet. Emma brought her own choice of velvet ribbon to add & it turned out to be just the perfect colour. Couples come from all over the World to marry at Gretna Green. Emma, Dan & their young family made a road trip out of the occasion. Travelling all the way to me in their camper van to collect flowers, & then on to Gretna for their special ceremony. Thank you Emma & Dan for sharing the lovely photo - it was a pleasure to work with a real flower enthusiast! Photo credit www.roseandjulien.com  Photo credit Rose and Julien  September Bridal Bouquet Some of my favourite flowers are in this romantic wedding bouquet from last September. Peachy Dahlias, Soft pink Roses, Daisies & a few stems of beautifully scented Honeysuckle. A few stems of Gypsophila from Lincolnshire (by September I had cut all mine), every other stem grown here in Galloway by myself.
As our flowers are grown naturally, availability of specific varieties changes as we move through the flower season. No two weddings are ever exactly the same as I cut the best flowers available to your wedding colour theme. And our Bride Megan told me; 'thank you - the flowers just made the day and all the photos so perfect! They were really beautiful and just the right colours for the late summers day we had. Thanks so much for all the thought you put into creating the perfect bouquets!' If you're looking for memorable flowers for your wedding in Dumfries & Galloway, let's talk soon.  Photo credit Lorna MacLeod Country flowers for a Country wedding... In early July, Fergus & Myumi married at Balmaghie Kirk, near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway. This is such a pretty Kirk, surrounded by stunning views across Loch Ken & surrounding countryside. A beautiful backdrop for wedding photo's. The Bridal bouquet was possibly the most scented I can remember making. Soft peachy pink Garden Roses & Sweet Peas, with delicate Daisies & Nigella. Just very light & airy as Myumi is petite. At the door, two large flower arrangements stood tall & inside the Kirk, boxes of Summer flowers welcomed guests to their seats. Again, deliciously scented Garden Roses & Sweet Peas plus plenty of Daisies & 'froth' from the Flower Farm in Summer. And of course, all grown sustainably here in Scotland for minimal 'flower miles'. Arranged without floral foam or plastics. It wasn't a long commute to work for me - just to the other side of Loch Ken! Balmaghie Kirk is available for hire for weddings,funerals, christenings/naming ceremonies of any denomination. For more information, visit the Balmaghie Kirk website     Photo credit Lorna MacLeod  Here's a gorgeous confetti shot of Rosie & Gregor at their wedding at Crichton Memorial Church, Dumfries in early July. The bright bouquet flowers (all grown here at the Flower Farm) really pop in the sunshine. It included our garden Roses, Honeysuckle & Sweet Peas for scent. Congratulations to both & thank you for sharing the photo. Photo credit Nicola Hunter. Bridal Bouquet closeup Rosie ordered a 'Bloom Bucket' of our mixed Summer flowers, collected the day before the wedding. Family members arranged the flowers to decorate the wedding venue.  'Bloom Bucket' of Summer Flowers  Photo credit Luke Bennett Photo It makes my day when I receive gorgeous photo's like these in my inbox! Cally & Chris captured beautifully by Photographer Luke Bennett at their wedding at Cardoness beach in early May. The Bluebells were covering the the woodlands by the shore in stunning blue. I included early mini white Narcissi, Tulips, Scilla, Viburnum & Amelanchier blossom in Cally's bouquet. All grown here except for a few pure white Alstroemeria & the Scilla from a grower in Cornwall. (A few miles north, mine weren't quite ready). Very impressed by the colour co-ordination between the blue Scilla & Cally's boots! (see picture below) Thank you Cally, Chris & Luke for allowing me to share the photo with you. Photographer @lukebennettphoto Flowers @GallowayFlowers Dress @ahwbride Celebrant @solway_celebrant  Photo credit Luke Bennett Photography  Photo credit Luke Bennett Photography  Rich, warm colours & full of scent too - this bridal bouquet from last July is full of both. The scent of Garden Roses, Honeysuckle, Sweet Peas & (one of my favourites) Marjoram softly blended together. All grown here at the Flower Farm near Castle Douglas & freshly cut the day before. We never use noxious chemicals to grow or treat our flowers, we rely on our natural pest control team instead.
By choosing locally grown flowers for your wedding, you can enjoy the freshest flowers, & know the Carbon footprint is kept low too.  Photo Credit Dered Dunlop Photography Sunflowers are among the 'Top Ten' requested flowers by our wedding couples for this Summer.
So this week, I've been sorting out seeds ready for sowing. (Not yet - way too early!) And there are so many gorgeous varieties available now. Looking beyond the cheerful yellow giants commonly seen by the bunch in supermarkets, there are pale creamy lemons, rich oranges, deep plummy reds, stripes, browns... how do I choose which to grow? And best of all, many of these varieties produce multiple smaller flowers with slender stems. They might not win a 'tallest Sunflower competition' but are perfect as cut flowers. So much easier to arrange in a wedding bouquet or vase! The Sunflowers here in Maria's Summer wedding bouquet were just the perfect size - rich, joyful colours & not too heavy to carry. Thank you Maria & Peter for allowing me to share your photo, & of course, to talented photographer Derek Dunlop Photography for capturing the moment.  A teeny little Flower Wand for a Flower Girl's teeny hand, made for a Galloway wedding last Summer...
Brightly coloured blooms including Heather & plenty of swishy ribbons to twirl about. All grown here at the Flower Farm in Dumfries & Galloway, naturally. Who do you know who would like their very own flower wand at a wedding this Summer?  Well, I know I've said it before... but I ask you, if you don't wear flowers in your hair on your wedding day, when will you?
And flower circlets like these are among the memorable details in photographs you'll look at over & over again. I love making these flower circlets for our Brides & attendants on their special day. Choosing elements from the bouquet & adding other touches from around the Flower Farm. Often I can use the dainty short-stem flowers that pinpoint the season (such as the Muscari & Pieris top right or the first stems of Heather in the bottom circlet.) The only thing I don't like about Flower Circlets? Taking a quick reminder photograph before I deliver them! It's so hard to capture a good image when lying flat in my workshop... But it all changes when a circlet is in place. And beautiful Bride Tayla, married last July shows us just how it should be done! (Thank you Rene Welch for the beautiful photo of Tayla - SO much better than my two photos!)  Grooms Buttonhole made from Scottish-grown Dried Flowers A Buttonhole of dried flowers ready to a pin on the Groom's jacket at a recent wedding.
All Scottish-grown & dried by myself. Just natural colours, no bleach or dyes. Dried flowers are so popular for weddings this year & it's no wonder - interesting details, full of colour & a lasting keepsake of a special day. |
AuthorRosie Gray of Galloway Flowers. Cut Flower Grower & Florist near Castle Douglas, in South West Scotland. Using 100% Flowers & Foliage grown in British Isles, all year round. 
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Growing Gorgeous Seasonal Cut Flowers & Foliage in Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
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Flower Farmer Florist Castle Douglas, Flower Farm Scotland, Wedding Flowers Castle Douglas, Florist Castle Douglas, Funeral Flowers Castle Douglas, Sympathy flowers Castle Douglas, wedding florist Dumfries & Galloway, Wedding florist Kirkcudbright, wedding florist Gatehouse of Fleet, natural funeral flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wild wedding flowers Dumfries & Galloway, wedding flowers Ayr, wedding flowers Ayrshire