Wedding flower sourcing in the south west: sustainable luxury CENTRING around ethical, locally grown blooms.
If you are getting married in the South West and looking for locally grown, seasonal wedding flowers I want to introduce you to this super special, one of kind experience that will not only make your flower wedding planning easy, but also hugely fun and inspirational too.
Imagine being able to walk into a beautifully rustic workshop, on your chosen Devon flower farm seeing all of the colours in your wedding palette laid out in front of you in one stunning display. This is what we offer working in collaboration with Pat at The Forgotten Garden. She lovingly grows the flowers and I lovingly arrange them for you on your special wedding day.
Why use Locally grown flowers for your wedding?
I have written a whole blog post solely on this topic, but in summary locally grown British flowers are just unbeatable. They are always a lot more natural and of course seasonal, because they are only grown at that particular time in the year when nature allows. Therefore the flowers that will be available to you for your wedding will be far more specific to the season, and I feel more special. You do not want garden roses in December, because they would not naturally grow then… so embrace each season for it’s finest quality blooms on offer and you will have the most beautiful, and importantly timeless wedding flowers. The textures, shapes, elegant and delicate shapes that only British blooms provide, those ‘wonky stems’ that set our wedding florists hearts aflutter. We know the types of flowers that will make your wedding flowers sing, shine and shout from the rooftops, and I can safely say that these will be British blooms.
Locally grown wedding flowers and where to start:
Locally grown flowers are a huge part of my business and during the growing season in the UK, which is typically March to October, I always begin with contacting my local flower suppliers when starting my wedding flower order. I tend to give the growers my colour palette and then ask them for the varieties in season they have that will work with my chosen colour scheme, and of course an approximate stem count. From here, I then go onto my Dutch wholesaler, to top up my flower order. The weddings I work on are large scale and require a large amount of flowers, which quite often cannot be achieved by using British flowers alone, due to the quantities that the flower growers actually grow.
Wedding florist and flower farmers working in collaboration:
Pat from The Forgotten Gardens, is my local flower grower and I can safely say a very good friend as a result of it! She has provided me with wedding flowers ever since I relocated to North Devon and since last year I have been lucky enough to help her out a bit on the farm, spending the odd day helping to plant bulbs, seeds, dahlias, and get stuck in on flower farming life where I can. It is from this experience alone, that I can vouch for what a wonderful space Pat has, based in Combe Martin the drive alone to the gardens is an experience in itself. A long, bumpy off the beaten track only suitable for 4x4 vehicles or on foot will lead you to this glorious pocket of Devon countryside, high up the views are amazing and you really do feel like you are just enveloped in the very best that nature has to offer. Pat always says that ‘time stays still’ up there and it truly does. The gardens are the most magical place for nature, as Pat uses no chemicals and everything she does is to work alongside the existing wildlife and to enhance it where she can. Sheep keep the grass down and the birds are well fed throughout the year, there are pockets that have been left to nature’s own devices, encouraging a hugely natural habitat for all who reside there! Pat grows unique seasonal blooms via poly tunnels and outside flower beds, with a large focus on perennial plants I have got some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen from the gardens. These types of locally grown, special unique flowers, will completely elevate your wedding flowers and make sure they are something different and ones that you will treasure forever.
Struggling to envisage your wedding flowers?
One of the universal problems my couples encounter is the fact that it is difficult to see, in the flesh, the exact wedding flowers that you will be having on the day. As a studio wedding florist, I only take on a certain amount of beautiful weddings each year, and so I do not have a shop full of every flower in every colour to show my couples. Of course, we have excellent tools such as Pinterest and I use mock up designs that will allow me to communicate my intended flower arrangements to show you, however seeing that actual flowers beforehand may not happen. When Pat and I work on a wedding together, with her growing the blooms and me arranging, we can turn one of Pat’s flower sheds into a truly magical space, full of the seasonal flowers and foliage, in your chosen wedding flower palette, all arranged on the workbench to offer just a tiny glimpse of the beauty that is to come. As locally grown flowers are so seasonal and depending on lots of factors, specifically the weather, the types of flowers on show may not be exact (depending on on when you come to visit) however the overall look and feel, will emulate your wedding flowers on the day perfectly. It is a chance to see your colours in action, and the types of beautiful varieties to really make sure you are completely happy with your floral decisions. Seeing all of the flowers laid our infront of you is such a special experience, I cannot underestimate how wonderful this is, with couples really being blown away with hoe helpful and enjoyable this day is.
What happens in our flower consultation?
If you book to come up to Pat’s flower farm for an in depth, in person flower consultation you can expect the most personal experience, collected from Combe Martin you will be driven up to the gardens and immediately immersed in nature. The flowers will all be laid out for you to see in all they glory in one of the sheds, alongside a cup of tea and a slice of cake! We make everyone feel so at ease and at home and we all get chatting about flowers, how they are grown, what flowers will be in season for your wedding day, which ones work better for bouquets or the larger scale installations. We are on hand to answer any question that you may have about your wedding flowers, big or small, that is what the consultation is for! I can guarantee squeals of excitement upon seeing your flowers, but this will also be your chance to tweak anything too. If there is a particular flower, or colour shade that you are not keen on, then this is the perfect opportunity to say. This meeting is all about fine tuning your vision, and communicating that so we can ensure that you have your dream wedding flowers on the day.
DIY wedding flowers in North Devon:
If you are looking for DIY wedding flowers including buckets of locally sourced blooms then Pat offers this service individually. You can come along to the same experience at the gardens, with Pat where she will show you what is in season and talk you through hints and tips on how to create your DIY wedding flowers. Lots of flowers have specific requirements and this generally takes years of learning, so Pat will be able to show you and advise you on how to look at the flowers once collected.
I hope this post has been helpful in providing more information about locally sourced flowers for your wedding in Devon, and how these will be grown in an ethical and considered way, proving that sustainable luxury is possible and when flower farmers collaborate with wedding florists, you really do get the best of both worlds and a fountain of knowledge and experience at your hands. Not many engaged couples booking their wedding florist can say that! Apart from anything else, you will have the most wonderful day out with your chosen people, whether it is your groom or your Mum, special memories really are created and ones to treasure. The feedback we have had from couples has bee wonderful and I will leave you with this thank you we received ‘Mum and I had the most magical time up at Pat’s flower shed, looking at the flowers over the summer too, a special day we’ll remember forever! Thank you!’
If you are planning your wedding flowers in the South West and looking to chat further, I would love to hear from you, do message with your wedding date, venue and requirements and we can book in a time for an in-depth initial consultation.