K is a dear friend and while she's not exactly the type of person who loves flowers, she knew her venue called for their impact. We mused how to make her wedding feel like her- a tennis ball in her bouquet, what flowers didn't feel too "girly", what gowns would fit her personality. One day on a casual post-lunch walk down the Jurassic Mile, she remarked that as an avid hiker she loved the willow trees that adorned the path - wouldn't it be lovely for a wedding?
We dug into the idea of willows. Biblically, they're actually symbols of mourning, where Jews in Babylon "hung up their harps". But they also represent powerful revival and festive offering - how apt for their holy matrimony in church.
To create the scene, we added fibreglass rocks, mirror-cut "pools" and even hid a mini fountain to lend the pitter-patter sound of water, the source of life and where willows are often found. We worked with clean greens and whites, symbolising purity, and specifically focused on including different types of seasonal foliage as a nod to the outdoors that she and her husband spend much time together in.
Holy Grace's pews are a beautiful light wood colour, so we decided on alternating hedges down the aisle over pew posies in order to emphasise that forest feeling. Outside, displayed in their large reception space, their pre-wedding shoot in Switzerland.
And at night, for their banquet - 6 towering willow trees hand-selected for their dinner banquet. One at each corner of the dance floor, which was lively well into the night.
