A soft & subtle selection of September flowers for Lisa's wedding bouquet, made earlier this week.
As well as Dahlias, Phlox, Rudbeckia, Cosmos, Astrantia, Aster & Antirrhinum, I added Wild Marjoram & Pelargonium for scent, plus seed heads & Grasses for a delicate swish, dancing over the flowers. 100% grown here in Galloway by myself at the Flower Farm for minimal flower miles. I think the Astrantia travelled furthest to my workshop - 50 steps maybe? Locally grown, seasonal & sustainable. All our packaging materials are recyclable &/or reusable also. Lisa eloped to Galloway for a romantic wedding ceremony in the gardens at Galloway House, Garlieston near Newton Stewart, Dumfries & Galloway.
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When Claire asked me to prepare flowers for her wedding at Gretna Green, I jumped at the chance! Claire told me she LOVES flowers, wanted multiple colours & wanted them arranged in a natural, bohemian style. Her favourites are delicate wildflowers so I included plenty of these - Cornflowers, Forget Me Not's, Buttercups, Daisies & soft grasses. June is a perfect month for this wedding decor style as we grow many at the Flower Farm in Dumfries & Galloway. I was spoilt for choice when I began cutting flowers for Claire! The flowers were arranged simply in mini 'milk bottles', trimmed with ivory ribbon. Then the bottles were positioned down the table as a botanical runner. Very colourful & interesting for guests to look at during the meal as every bottle contained a different selection of flowers. I made several Posies in ribbon-trimmed Honey jars too & these were placed on the windowsills. After the wedding, Claire invited Guests to take bottles away with them as a wedding favour. She added a packet of wildflower seeds & bottle of pink Gin for each Guest too. Claire took several Posies in Honey jars herself to enjoy in her Camper Van as she & Husband Adie toured the Highlands on their Honeymoon. The couple messaged me to say; Thank you so so much for our beautiful Wedding flowers. We loved them and so did everyone else. We’re still on our travels through Isle of Skye with one of ours jars. And the Wedding Cake... As Claire lived in Dorset & travelled to Gretna Green for her wedding, I suggested contacting Jade of The Treats Darling in Kirkcudbright to make her Wedding cake. And what a cake! Jade's cakes are exceptional - delicious & made with love & such creativity. This cake was coated in buttercream & decorated with a selection of food safe flowers grown by myself at the Flower Farm near Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galoway. As you'll see from the pictures below, it was a real stunner! Thank you Claire & Adie for allowing us to be part of your special wedding day at Gretna Green - best wishes for many happy & healthy years together.
Wedding Suppliers Gretna Green; Wedding Florist; Rosie @Galloway Flowers www.GallowayFlowers.co.uk Wedding Cake Specialist; Jade @ The Treats Darling Wedding Venue; The Gables Hotel, Gretna Green, Dumfries & Galloway www.Gables-hotel-gretna.co.uk The imposing Auchen Castle Mantlepiece decorated in mid-May for Christy & Andrew's wedding, Full on Springtime with fresh, seasonal greens & whites. Auchen Castle is a beautiful venue near Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland. Elegant rooms with large windows for plenty of light, gardens for the photo's & such a relaxed yet professional team. And Christy was a dream client for me - a lover of Vintage & British-grown flowers & when asked about details, replied; 'Do what you like, as natural as possible'. Thank you, Christie! Well, that's pushing on an open door for me... So lots of my vintage crystal, Solomon Seal, Birch, Tulips open wide Ranunculus & so many more in variety. Everything British-grown & most here in Galloway. To add scent, the first of this years Lily of the Valley, cut that morning & a touch of Jasmine from my conservatory. Sustainably grown, with minimal flower miles & no floral foam. Huge thank you to Christy & Andrew for allowing me to share these photo's of their special day.
Photo Credit; Martin Mclellan Photography Venue; Auchen Castle Hotel Celebrant; Lindsey Mason Ross Vintage Wedding Dress; Those were the days Bridal, Edinburgh Flowers; Galloway Flowers Last Minute, 'Secret' Weddings were a bit of a thing here in July & always fun to do.
There's something very special about long term couples making the decision to say 'I do'. Quietly eloping together (for a morning) & surprising friends & family with their happy news! And I mean last minute - one bouquet was requested on the Sunday before a Tuesday beach wedding! For this signing table arrangement, I had a few more days notice (4) - fortunately, we had plenty of flowers to cut & as it was mid-week, happy to help. I hope it gave a country vibe to the wedding photo's. Arranged in a vintage glass bowl (no environmentally harmful floral foam, all fully reusable) it pinpoints the date to me - the first of this years Cosmos, the last of the Alchemilla before it began to crisp in the heat. I couldn't have made an identical arrangement the week before or the week after. It would have been equally lovely, yet different. Availability of specific flowers on a certain date is impossible fir me to guarantee from the Flower Farm. Given notice, I try my hardest to deliver favourites (if in season) & work to a broad colour scheme, but ultimately, the weather decides. Will it be a warm spell? A cold Spring? It can make a difference either way, often several weeks. By working with a network of specialist flower growers across the British Isles, we source varieties elsewhere sometimes (eg Lilies). I never import flowers from outside the British Isles - never have, not starting now. I tell my wedding couples, there'll be flowers, plenty of flowers - I just can't guarantee exactly which flowers... The amazing British heritage of cut flower growing offers an immense selection, changing with the seasons. It's surprising to many unfamiliar with flowers other than the limited selection available in the supermarket. And it makes wedding flowers using our flowers special, unique - nobody else ever had exactly that combination before you, never will again. Our wedding calendar for 2023 is open now. If you would love flowers for your special day that are seasonal, with a low carbon footprint, are deliciously scented & above all, gorgeous, let me know. I might be able to do 'last minute' - but a little bit of notice is appreciated... I'm asked often how I choose the flowers to grow each year at the Flower Farm. After all, there are so many options & I admit, it can be difficult...
I select the flowers for many reasons - they must be beautiful colours my Customers want to buy, tough enough to produce lots of stems in our growing conditions & with organic practices, & last well in a vase. Plus whenever possible, be deliciously scented too. We've become used to the imported flowers offered for sale in the UK (i.e. most of them) having no scent. Many have been bred for this quality or treated chemically as they'll last longer on their journey from where they're grown, thousands of miles away. The treatment destroys scent. So it can be a revelation to discover REAL British-grown cut flowers & their exquisite perfumes. Many children at the Farmers Markets have been astonished (& delighted) to smell my Roses & Sweet peas, for example. They've never smelt them before! Another flower I grow with a fabulous perfume is the Garden Pink - here's a bucketful cut last July. Like little Spray Carnations but with a knock out perfume. Just perfect to add a few to a bouquet, or a bud vase by your bed. Best of all, starring in wedding buttonholes with personality! Available usually from me from late May through July. I use many in my floristry but you can usually order a bunch to collect in season. So get ready to inhale deeply - the flower season is coming... The flower we grow in greatest numbers is the Dahlia.
I adore their diversity & sheer flower power for months on end. Within one family of flowers there are so many shapes, so many colours & they just keep on giving masses of stems for cutting. Last year our total Dahlia plants topped 600. It was a pretty disastrous year for me as I broke my arm & 'only' about 400 were planted out in the field. But all the others were potted up & fed so the tubers kept on growing, ready for their moment this year. The Dahlias are sold in our Bouquets, bunches & even by the bucket (preordering essential). The large Funeral Spray arrangement above was made for a September Funeral, without floral foam. I dry Dahlias too & use them in dried bouquets & wreaths during the winter months. I eastimate we might just top the 800 plants - buckets & buckets of beautiful blooms to look forward to! To order Dahlias to arrange yourself, send an email. The Dahlia season is from mid-July to September (depending as always on the weather!) We grow Cottage Garden Flowers in many, many varieties. I love their soft colours, their scents & the way each has it's season. From late March to October, each week brings something new into bloom. So with such a choice, no two weddings using my flowers are identical, every bouquet is unique. It takes a special type of couple to tell me what you love (no need to know the names of the flowers), your preferred colours & style. Then to trust me to choose the best flowers in bloom on your wedding day. But I do grow a LOT of Sweet Peas (all selected for their delicious scent) & as you may know, I do have a bit of a thing about Dahlias... For me it's a long list - I love working with others who share my lifelong enthusiasm for our beautiful British flowers, who appreciate their variety, colours, scent, their seasonality.
You have to catch British-grown flowers while you can - every season brings it's own special treats, even winter. Many of these flowers are available for just a few short weeks each year. You know how the very best British-grown Strawberries, Elderflower, Gooseberries or Asparagus burst with flavour? And how the equivalents flown from around the globe all year round, simply don't taste the same? Well, our flowers aren't the same either. The delicate scent of a Narcissi, a Tulip (many are scented), a Rose or a Sweet Pea - I could go on... Each has it's own personality, adding something unique to a bouquet or arrangement. I can tell you the week of the year when most of my bouquets were made when I look through the photo's as the combination of flowers will tell me which flowers were just starting it's season, & which were coming to an end. A strange floral quiz game... So I love sharing this enthusiasm with others who grow them in their gardens (or Grandad/ma did perhaps), or who want them in their homes, wedding bouquets or at the funeral of a loved one, with those Florists & Flower Arrangers who create stunning designs with my flowers, other flower growers & those who simply want to learn more about British flowers at a workshop or garden visit. I always find the learning is two-way & I've met so many wonderful friends through my flowers. Looking forward to meeting with even more in 2022! I'm using these short days to sort through photos from 2021 & came across this one from September at Auchen Castle, near Moffat, Scotland.
Both Grooms adore Lilies so these fabulous, opulent Rose Lilies (grown in Lincolnshire) were essential Around 150 gorgeous double Rose Lilies from Lincolnshire were used to decorate the function rooms. The perfume was amazing! As always, all British-grown flowers & foliage to keep carbon footprint low. All containers were fully reusable after the event too. The long stemmed lilies even went home with wedding guests to be enjoyed, everything else was composted. Beautiful weddings don't have to cost the earth... looking forward to styling more special & environmentally sensitive flowers for our 2022 wedding couples. So excited to be a Finalist in the Wedding Florist category of the 9th Scottish Wedding Awards 2022. Thank you so much to everybody who kindly nominated us - it's really appreciated.
Maybe I need a new posh frock? It's a while since I've worn one... A petite Wedding Bouquet for our petite Bride, Nicky at her Gretna Green elopement wedding ceremony in September.
An elegant colour palette of white & dark blues, using Dahlias, Sweet Peas, Michaelmas Daisy, Grasses & Thistle. All grown here at the Flower Farm near Castle Douglas, except the Thistle from Lincolnshire. Nicky told me 'Thank you so much Rosie - it was absolutely beautiful'. If you're planning a wedding in Dumfries & Galloway, more information about our naturally styled wedding flowers can be found here Wedding Flowers Dumfries & Galloway For Sylvie yesterday.
Just a perfect client, Sylvie's brief for her Bridal bouquet was simple; 'You choose - any colour, whatever's in season, not Lilies'. Her Wedding Vows Renewal Ceremony was at Gretna Green on Sunday. So I chose the best on the day - scented Sweet Peas, some of my favourite Dahlias, a touch of Thistle, & a fizz of 'Frosted Explosion' grass lke a halo over the top (sorry difficult to see in the photo - it wiggles beautifully though). Nobody else has ever had a bouquet exactly like this, nobody ever will again. As individual as Sylvie herself. Her words afterwards; 'Thank you for helping make my day special' Wedding bookings for 2022 are open now, get in touch soon if you would like me to create unique flowers for your special day. A 'Wildflower' Bridal Bouquet of seasonal flowers for Deidre on her recent wedding day in August near Dumfries. Wedding flowers were made by Rosie Gray, of Galloway Flowers, Wedding Florist in Dumfries & Galloway Scotland.
I adored working with this sophisticated colour palette of Champagne, Caramel, Raspberry, Cream & Wine with lots of greens - delicious! And as always, all the flowers & foliage used in this bouquet were grown here in Galloway by ourselves at the Flower Farm. And Deidre loved it too; 'Thank you so much for my flowers. They were absolutely beautiful! I cried when I saw them. They were exactly what I wanted. I can't express how grateful I am - They were more than I could have dreamed for.' Bookings are now open for wedding flowers in Dumfries & Galloway & South Ayrshire in 2022 - more information Wedding Flowers South West Scotland At a local Walled Garden, this made a stunning backdrop for Andrea & Allan's wedding ceremony recently.
I used 100% British grown flowers & foliage (much of it grown by us) for minimal flower miles. It was made without environmentally harmful floral foam (major cause of microplastic pollution in the marine environment). Andrea's bouquet is pictured below. So good to be back prepping beautiful wedding flowers here in Dumfries & Galloway! Our wedding order book for 2022 is open now so why not get in touch if you're planning a wedding in 2022 in Dumfries & Galloway or South Ayrshire. GardenStyleweddingflowers For Katie, married locally at Mabie House Hotel, near Dumfries in mid-July.
A Soft & subtle bouquet, all grown & arranged by Rosie Gray, Galloway Flowers here in Galloway except for the Fenland grown Gypsophila. Katie told me; 'I loved my flowers on Saturday, they looked & smelled beautiful. Everyone was delighted to take some home.' Bookings for natural wedding flowers are now open for couples planning weddings in Dumfries & Galloway or South Ayrshire in 2022. More about Wedding Flowers I love making Wedding Buttonholes - little mini-Man Bouquets full of texture & details.
This one made for Gavin, Groom in mid-July had the extra bonus of amazing scent from the little white Garden Pink. I grow these in our polytunnel to protect delicate petals from the weather. Used to the scentless supermarket spray Carnations, it's easy to forget how exquisitely scented our traditional cut flower varieties can be. I'm on a mission to remind you! If you would like to enjoy our scented, locally grown flowers on your special day, let's talk wedding flowers soon! Our bookings for 2022 weddings in Dumfries & Galloway & South Ayrshire are now open. We were so excited to see our flowers make an appearance on @whimsicalwonderlandweddings Blog in February.
These gorgeous photos by @ljhortonphotography of Louise & Stewart's garden wedding in August 2020 at Thornhill, Dumfries & Galloway. Joyous bright colours of high Summer in the bouquets & table flowers, in a stylish stretch tent on a hillside. Louise chose our 'Bouquets, Buttonholes & Buckets' option for her wedding flowers. I made the Bouquet, Buttonholes & Hair Flowers, plus supplied Buckets of Summer Flowers, which Louise & the family used to make arrangements to decorate the tables. See more at https://whimsicalwonderlandweddings.com/scotland-garden-wedding photography by LJHortonphotography |
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. Archives
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