DIY + Inspiration Archives - Page 5 of 19 - The Natural Wedding Company

Blog: DIY + Inspiration

Charlie

Romantic rainy Cornish wedding shoot with rustic and vintage styling in the grounds of a cutting garden

Charlie

I have literally poured over this shoot for hours in a bid to narrow down the beautiful images – there are just too many that I wanted to share. This romantic rainy Cornish wedding shoot features a real couple, a vintage bike, spring florals, and a stunningly decorated ceremony arch.

More and more I’m seeing inspiration shoots that use real couples, and I think it is so refreshing. Just like the fairytale woodland shoot we recently featured, that also featured a real-life couple, the images today just ooze with love and genuine warmth and fun. That’s what I want to see from an inspirational wedding shoot. I want to be inspired by that authenticity against a backdrop of gorgeous and interesting props and styling. I have a feeling that’s what you would like to see as well.

Having spent many of many childhood holidays in Devon and Cornwall, this shoot captures everything I associate with this magical area on a wet rainy day – the damp vibrant moss, the moody greys, and splashes of colour, a palette taken straight from the towering hedgerows of these counties.

So it’s with a huge thank you to the lovely Gemma from Box and Cox Vintage Hire down in Cornwall that I get to share all this loveliness with you. She styled the shoot and showcased some of her collection of vintage hire items, including their new wooden arch which was so spectacularly dressed. The location was The Cornish Cutting Garden and they also created the stunning florals. Over to Gemma to tell you more…

Samantha

A romantic Austrian fairytale woodland wedding with a caped wedding dress and autumnal details

Samantha

Today’s inspirational shoot is like something out of a fairytale, a laid-back modern fairytale but a fairytale woodland wedding nonetheless. Think little red riding hood, with a touch of Hansel and Gretel and a whole dose of an intimate love story to rival any Snow White or Sleeping Beauty.

Set in a secluded forest, this stunning Austrian shoot provides an abundance of autumnal and winter wedding inspiration, with gorgeous shades of green, berry and cream, incredible fashion and a to-die-for candlelit first-dance.

Here’s the film from the shoot to give you a little taster of just how beautiful it is:

Stefanie who created the shoot told us: “Summer might be a classical time for a wedding but in autumn, when it’s cooler outside, a wedding can be equally beautiful. With furs, blankets, candles and fire bowls the wedding party can easily spend unforgettable hours outside. Natural materials, homemade cakes and other sweets turn the party in something unique and personal.”

Stefanie of Mademoiselle Fee explains the dreamy vision behind the shoot: “Our idea was to accompany a newly wed couple on a romantic walk through an autumnal forest. The two have just exchanged vows, maybe in a chapel close by.

What we wanted to show was a couple, close to nature and grounded, spending this most beautiful day where their hearts are drawing them – to the forest with a little secluded house.”

Charlie

What a truly seasonal British Valentine’s bouquet looks like – hellebores, daffodils, primroses, snowdrops, violets and more

Charlie

I love roses, but garden grown and in season, not on Valentine’s Day. But what does a seasonal British Valentine’s bouquet look like? We asked Anne-Marie from Forage For to make us a Valentine’s floral creation – she is quite renown for her stunning floral designs.

So from one corner of Suffolk in a walled garden, this is what was seasonal this year – and it’s worth noting that this has been a particularly unusual year, with unseasonable weather resulting in quite an array of flowers.

The above floral heart features bellis daisies, witch hazel, primroses, hellebores, snowdrops, heather, daffodils, violets, violas, scabious, muscari, blossom and cow parsley (yes really). This crazy unusual weather means that Anne-Marie still has one cow parsley plant that’s hung on all winter and is still flowering. Incredible.

Charlie

Wreaths throughout the seasons: learn how to make a living winter viola table wreath

Charlie

Well what a week it’s been full of wreath idea – and nothing Christmassy in sight. Alice from Lock Cottage Flowers has shown us how to create a January moss wreath, seasonal Valentine’s wreaths, and today she’ll be showing us how to make a table wreath with potted violas and ivy. If you’d like to see all the posts in this feature series then you’ll find them here at Wreaths Throughout The Seasons.

I’ve really loved her use of living plants in her wreaths, and creating living centrepieces is something we’ve previously shared on the blog. I would love to see more weddings using them in creative ways, and as these ideas show they would work beautifully for a woodland inspired wedding or an eco-chic city wedding perhaps.

Over to Alice…

How to make a winter viola and ivy table wreath

Charlie

Wreaths throughout the seasons: learn how to make a seasonal heart-shaped wreath for Valentine’s Day

Charlie

Today it’s all about creating seasonal Valentine’s wreaths – I particularly love Alice’s wild and twiggy heart with its bright red berries. These could be used to decorate your door this weekend or the smaller heart wreath would make a great DIY project for a wedding.

In case you missed it, on Monday we shared how to create a hellebore moss winter wreath as part of a new blog series called Wreaths Throughout The Seasons with our friend Alice from Lock Cottage Flowers. We’re hoping to inspire you to start putting up seasonal wreaths on your front door or in your home at times other than just Christmas.

Over to Alice…

How to make a seasonal Valentine’s wreath

This first Valentine’s wreath is made from British parvifolia (small leafed eucalyptus – smells divine) and dried lavender which isn’t too visible here, but is very fragrant. These smaller wreaths are terrific for hanging on a small space in the kitchen, or hanging on a doorknob. For weddings they make terrific chairbacks.

I used heavy duty garden wire – the kind used for wall training roses – a coat hanger could be taken apart and used as well. Don’t worry if the heart is slightly wonky – this is preferable.

Charlie

Wreaths throughout the seasons: learn how to create a January moss wreath with seasonal winter flowers

Charlie

I am delighted to be kicking off a brand new feature series on the blog this week on seasonal wreaths – I’m calling it wreaths throughout the seasons. Back in my teens I spent a couple of years living in America and it seemed that every season or holiday celebration houses would be decorated with wreaths. I have often thought it sad that we don’t do this more in the UK, and I found out my friend Alice at Lock Cottage Flowers shares my thoughts on this.

So we’ve decided to do something about it – Alice is going to be creating some lovely wreaths of all kinds to take us through the different seasons and holiday celebrations, and I’m going to be showcasing them here to inspire you on the blog. I even want to set myself a personal challenge to decorate my front door at least in some way to fit in with Alice’s posts, so watch this space.

Alice has even set up a hashtag on Instagram #11monthsofwreaths where seasonal wreaths can be posted that fit with our project guidelines below. We’ll be posting all of the wreaths shown here to that hashtag and hopefully more wreath makers will tag theirs as well – please join in.

Valentine’s – I’m sure many of you are well aware that this coming weekend is Valentine’s Day, so this week Alice has created a series of seasonal spring wreaths that are fit for Valentine’s Day or to bring a little cheer to your home this damp spring.

So over to Alice for more details…

Wreaths are not just for Christmas

Wreath making is my favourite form of floristry and one of the oldest so I think it’s a shame to just do Christmas wreaths and the occasional memorial wreath. Fortunately, a lot of brides order flower crowns (a type of wreath) or I’d go bananas waiting until December to be allowed to make them.

My rules for this project are:

No floral foam
Only British flowers and foliage used
Wreaths must be seasonal
Christmas wreaths will be excluded from this project

The first instalment that I’ll be sharing this week covers late winter and early spring:

How to make a hellebore moss winter wreath

Samantha

Delicious edible flower inspiration for savoury dishes to wow your wedding guests

Samantha

Did you see the beautiful edible flower inspiration we brought to you last week? The inspiration we have for you today is just as lovely, but takes on a more unusual twist. Ever thought about serving flowers with a fish dish? No me neither!

These beautiful images are a collaboration between two of our lovely recommended suppliers from our directory; gorgeous edible flowers and herbs by Greens of Devon and all perfectly styled and captured by the talented Betti Confetti Photography.

Inspired by Italian and Mediterranean al fresco dining, these mouthwatering images prove that pretty flowers aren”t just for topping the wedding cake. They are so effective at adding the finish touch to every dish throughout your big day!

Charlie

A snowy bleak mid-winter wedding inspired shoot with shepherds hut and a seasonal hedgerow bouquet

Charlie

A snowy bleak mid winter wedding inspired shoot

A few years ago on an incredible snowing January day, a little group of us braved the icy roads in Dorset to put together this beautiful wintry shoot. The shoot was featured on Love My Dress and as such for one reason or another I never got round to featuring it here, on my own blog. So here it is!

Exquisitely captured by Jennie Hill Photography, seasonal winter wedding flowers by The Flower Field, wedding pies by Tricky Treats, a Sabina Motasem wedding dress (plus a vintage one), and shot at Portesham Vineyard. All the extra bits were brought together by myself and Jennie Hill, and our bride and groom were a real couple, Jennie”s brother Nick and girlfriend Kerry.

The photoshoot team

Jennie Hill and I first met at the Eco Wedding Fair in Bristol, got chatting and soon realised we had shared ideas about creating a beautiful, natural and seasonal wedding shoot. We wanted to celebrate the bleak mid-winter English countryside in all its seasonal glory, whilst bringing together and showcasing the talents of a small team of British businesses.

Samantha

Beautiful edible flower inspiration of sweet treats and cocktails to wow your wedding guests

Samantha

Edible flower inspiration of sweet treats and cocktails

One of the loveliest things about our website is meeting and connecting with such wonderful wedding suppliers and locally run companies. And it is even lovelier when our directory’s recommended suppliers go on to create gorgeous things together!

What we have for you today is the MOST beautiful edible flower inspiration; with edible flowers and herbs by Greens of Devon captured by the talented Betti Confetti Photography.

Providing ideas for how to incorporate edible flowers into your wedding day bubbly and sweet treats, these simple touches will not fail to add that little extra magic and will certainly amaze all your guests!

You can read part 2 here >> Delicious edible flower for savoury dishes to wow your guests

Charlie

Pre-Raphaelite and Flower Fairy inspired loose and natural wedding bouquets and seasonal flower crowns

Charlie

Pre-Raphaelite and Flower Fairy inspired loose and natural wedding bouquets

What a treat we have today, featuring an array of beautiful floral wedding ideas inspired by dreamy pre-Raphaelite paintings and a sprinkle of fairy magic from Cicely Mary Barker’s ever-loved Flower Fairies.

Shot against the evocative backdrop of Doddington Hall, an Elizabethan manor house in Lincolnshire, the floral designs were created by our friend Rachel at Catkin, using all homegrown blooms from the walled garden she tends to on site.

Rachel is a long-standing member of the British Flowers community, so putting English grown, seasonal flowers at centre stage was vital.

The flowers she chose – garden roses, scabious, cornflowers, nigella, sweet peas, pinks, astilbe, larkspur, ammi and daisies – all contributed to the ethereal look Rachel was after, imbuing her floral creations with natural movement and texture.

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