Blog: rosemary
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Vickie and Liam’s rustic country barn wedding with dried lavender, hessian table runners and a naked wedding cake

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Vickie and Liam's rustic country barn wedding with dried lavender, hessian table runners and a naked wedding cake // Sarah Brittain Edwards Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Raw brick walls and cobbled floors are brought to life and serve as a rustic backdrop in this week’s real wedding. Vickie and Liam’s beautiful rustic country barn wedding is simple, elegant and stylish.

With twinkling fairy lights, jam jar candles and shining glassware, the burlap table runners and bunches of dried lavender help marry together the rustic surroundings and elegance of the wedding.

Vickie and Liam got married at the beautiful Halstead House, which is set in the grounds of a working farm, and chose Sarah Brittain Edwards, a TNWC recommended supplier, to capture their day.  We caught up with Vickie who told us all about how they found the venue and what inspired their plans…

Country bride with bridesmaids in lavender dresses // Sarah Brittain Edwards Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Jam jar lantern and purple wedding flowers // Sarah Brittain Edwards Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Wedding tables with hessian table runner // Sarah Brittain Edwards Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Vickie and Liam's rustic country barn wedding with dried lavender, hessian table runners and a naked wedding cake // Sarah Brittain Edwards Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Rustic naked wedding cake with lavender, rosemary and blueberries // Sarah Brittain Edwards Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

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Alex and James’ intimate natural wedding with vintage French lace wedding dress, local pub reception and pavlova wedding cake

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Alex and James' intimate natural wedding with vintage French lace wedding dress, local pub reception and pavlova wedding cake // Oxi Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

We’ve got a treat for you in this week’s intimate natural Real Wedding.  This couple decided to do things their way and it turned out to be all about friends and food.

They dug up their garden the day before the wedding to fill rusted tins with sweet peas, rosemary and lavender, saved the partying for the weekend after their big day, and ceremoniously cut into a berry-topped wedding pavlova at their reception. Intrigued? You should be.

Luckily it was all captured beautifully by TNWC recommended Oxana Mazur of Oxi Photography, who is renowned for her natural and intimate documentary style. So let’s delve into the rosy-hued pictures and learn more from bride Alex…

Alex and James' intimate natural wedding with vintage French lace wedding dress, local pub reception and pavlova wedding cake // Oxi Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Simple rustic wedding table decor // Oxi Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Alex and James' intimate natural wedding with vintage French lace wedding dress, local pub reception and pavlova wedding cake // Oxi Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Alex and James' intimate natural wedding with vintage French lace wedding dress, local pub reception and pavlova wedding cake // Oxi Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Pavlova wedding cake // Oxi Photography // The Natural Wedding Company

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Samantha Samantha

Bohemian hellebore wedding inspiration shoot for spring brides

Samantha

Bohemian hellebore wedding flower crown for Spring brides // PHASE 2 photography // The Natural Wedding Company

I don’t think I will ever, ever tire of a flower crown, a bold statement I know but if you take a look at today’s beautiful bohemian hellebore wedding inspiration and the to-die-for spring flower crown I think you would agree that regardless of fashion trends they are pretty timeless.

Today’s inspiration shoot was lovingly curated by Beamsley Blooms and shot by Phase 2 Photography  to showcase the possibilities of using seasonal British flowers for Spring brides and grooms, offering a stunning alternative to the more traditional Spring associated blooms. Clare from Phase 2 Photography explains, “The aim of the shoot was to let the pure, natural beauty of the flowers speak for themselves and give brides an idea of what can be achieved with these stunning flowers.”

Susanne from Beamsley Blooms goes on to give us a little more information about the inspiration behind the shoot for us…

Bohemian hellebore wedding inspiration shoot for Spring brides // PHASE 2 photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Bohemian hellebore wedding flower crown for Spring brides // PHASE 2 photography // The Natural Wedding Company

 Bohemian hellebore wedding flower crown for Spring brides // PHASE 2 photography // The Natural Wedding Company

Bohemian hellebore wedding inspiration shoot for Spring brides // PHASE 2 photography // The Natural Wedding Company

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Charlie Charlie

A rustic wedding bouquet of fragrant herbs and a wedding cake decorated with flowering rosemary

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A rustic wedding bouquet of fragrant herbs and a wedding cake decorated with flowering rosemary // Miki Vargas Photography // styling A Monique Affair // flowers Laura Miller Designs // cake Cakes Made By M.E.

I absolutely love it when rosemary is in flower, with those tiny pale blue flowers it takes on a new dimension to its very green version that we mainly see and associate with it here in England. We have featured rosemary and other herbs in abundance here on the blog because they have so many lovely qualities – their fragrance being number one in my opinion.

This simple white wedding cake decorated with flowering rosemary is a wonderful example of how you can achieve a pretty and less conventional look without spending lots of money or time. Invest in a great quality wedding cake, made from organic and fair trade ingredients, and then just decorate it simply with naturally grown herbs.

A rustic wedding cake decorated with flowering rosemary //Miki Vargas Photography // styling A Monique Affair // flowers Laura Miller Designs // cake Cakes Made By M.E.

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Charlie Charlie

A creative and practical guide to making an edible leaf wedding cake

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Edible leaf wedding cake // Maddocks Farm Organics // Bees Bakery // The Natural Wedding Company

I was blown away by this unusually decorated wedding cake with its edible leaves, a fantastic collaboration between TNWC recommended supplier Maddocks Farm Organics and Bees Bakery. If you’ve read our blog for any length of time you’ll know we are big fans of edible flowers, but edible leaves on a wedding cake? It may sound odd, but as you can see from this beautiful cake it creates the most stunning effect. It is both modern and natural, and feels like it could have been painted on. I particularly like the combination of purples and greens used.

Sourcing Edible Flowers For Wedding Cakes

Whilst this is a design you could ask a wedding cake maker to create for you, Maddocks Farm Organics have helpfully given some tips on how to do it yourself. Firstly, it’s important to remember these key points about using edible leaves:

  • Flowers and leaves should not be eaten unless sourced from a reputable organic supplier of edible varieties (we recommend these edible flower suppliers).
  • Many flowers and leaves are poisonous and can cause a whole range of serious symptoms if ingested. Even if you don’t plan to eat them, it is wise not to attach them to any food items in case they are mistaken for being edible when they are not. Even if they are just decoration, sap or fine hairs could leech onto your cake and cause irritation.
  • Do not be tempted to pick up supermarket or regular floristry flowers to decorate your cake. They are routinely sprayed with chemicals that you absolutely do not want to be ingesting or touching your wedding cake.

So when sourcing your edible flowers or leaves, ensure that you 1) buy from a reputable organic supplier; 2) Ask your supplier how they are grown, picked and processed; and 3) Discuss with your supplier how you want to use them.

Natural and modern edible leaf wedding cake // Maddocks Farm Organics // Bees Bakery // The Natural Wedding Company

How To Use Edible Leaves On Wedding Cakes

With that in mind, here’s Maddocks Farm Organics top tips on how to use edible leaves on your wedding cake:

  • Edible leaves work best when pressed into buttercream.
  • They should be added to your cake on the day of your wedding.
  • Choose from organically grown leaves, herbs and wild foragings.
  • Use clover shaped and fern shaped edible leaves in a variety of shades to create a striking design (like the one above).
  • More robust varieties include rosemary and lavender (examples below, but please note I am not sure if any of the other flowers/leaves shown on the cakes are suitable, as per the advice above – please check with your supplier).

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My autumnal styled stall at the Eco Wedding Fair with seasonal flowers and ideas for wedding table centrepieces

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The Natural Wedding Company stall at the Eco Wedding Fair

On Saturday I shared Jennie Hill’s lovely photos from the Eco Wedding Fair (you can see it all here), and today I’ve got my pictures of my stall and a few more details about how I decorated it. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration for your wedding or just an autumn or winter celebration you might be planning.

We arrived at Riverstation in Bristol at about 9am and first we had to: unpack a number of boxes of what at first glance probably looked like a pile of junk, carry two heavy buckets of sand up a flight of stairs, and manoeuvre a bundle of 7ft long bamboo canes.  I was so pleased that the other exhibitors had equally quirky bootfuls for their stalls!

Rustic wedding decorations

My mom and I had two hours to set up before visitors started arriving, so here’s what I did with the mottley collection of items.  I used a pair of curtains to cover my table – they are a rather fun botanical print style curtain with what looks like horse chestnut leaves on them, and they ended up working in perfectly with that autumn feel I was going for.

Autumn leaf curtain tablecloth

The two metal buckets of sand went either side of the table and they held some of my bamboo canes – apologies this is the best picture I have which shows the bamboo canes and bunting

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