It’s been a few weeks since the Royal Wedding, and the flurry of media attention from everything to the flick of Meghan’s fringe to the gold of the cake-stands and the hats of the guests appears to have subsided slightly. I was fully prepared to let the royal wedding sort of slide by. Yes I was glued to the screen (of our local pub nonetheless), eager to see the dress, the details... but I didn’t feel the need to add to the many hundreds of blog posts and articles out there talking about it (sorry but that is just me…).
Except it’s now nearly a month later, and I still find myself thinking about the royal couple’s flowers. Philippa Craddock and her team did such an incredible job. The thing that struck me most about the flowers though, was that each variety had been selected for its meaning, as well as its aesthetic. As well as myrtle, clipped from the bush planted by Queen Victoria, the bouquet included forget-me-nots (Princess Diana’s favourite flower), lily-of-the-valley (meaning ‘a return to happiness’), sweet peas (‘blissful pleasure’), astilbe (‘patience’) and astrantia (‘protection’). A pretty great combination for a royal marriage.
I chatted with luxury London florist Ruth Davis of All For Love London (whose stunning arrangements were some of the highlights of last month’s Chelsea in Bloom) for her take on the Royal Wedding, and what sort of an impact it might have on future wedding trends…
Tell me a little bit about All For Love. What makes you stand out from the crowd?
All For Love, is an award-winning, young, independent London florist dedicated to producing truly beautiful flower arrangements for all occasions..
Our secret ingredient is definitely love. What is done in love, is always done well and this genuine passion for flowers and design comes across in both our service and our creative work and is of utmost important to us.
I would say my style is romantic, relaxed, quite organic and always seasonal. Always full, lush and emulating nature. We’re dedicated to creating an atmosphere with our flowers that goes way beyond just placing arrangements on a table. We set the mood of the party and transform the feel of the place with our designs.
What did you think of the Royal Wedding flowers?
The Royal Wedding featured the classic combo of greens and whites – always elegant and timeless. Lots of locally sourced, beautiful seasonal foliages, with flowers chosen for their significance to the Royal Family and Meghan meant everything had a hidden meaning, which we loved!
We loved the delicate bouquet and how meaningful each choice within it was. If you were to create an arrangement based on the language of flowers and what they signify, which varieties would you use?
This would depend entirely on who it was for! In the dictionary of flowers, there are so many that denote so many different emotions it is a deeply personal thing that needs to be shared between the bride and the florist.
Have you noticed any trends in the world of wedding flowers this year? What would you like to see more of?
A very popular trend from this year, and every year, which The Royal Wedding was spot on with, is beautiful greens and whites. The classic white wedding is timeless and always on trend! Foliage will continue to play a leading role in 2018 and 2019 weddings, using statement creations such as oversized urns or a gorgeous, natural overgrown arch of course.
Having said that, there is the bolder bride this year who is not just choosing one colour palette but really being quite daring and mixing it up. Brights will be very popular, think rainbow bright, just like our beautiful heart arch from this year’s Chelsea in Bloom! When you think of bold, think stunning hot pinks, bright yellows, corals and sky-blue blues with a touch of green of course.
With Instagram proving increasingly popular, many weddings now are looking for that insta-wow-worthy shot, so flower installations in all forms is appearing on a bride’s wish list more and more. These could be anything from statement arches, chandeliers, marquee ceiling foliage and photobooths to flower walls and over-sized urns. These kind of installations offer focal points for the wedding and give the real ‘wow’ factor for guests, providing many a photo opportunity!
Another trend, which is appearing on many bride’s Pinterest boards is one for the more boho bride, with hand spun Macramé hangers, crystal quartz, along with the fabulous Pampass grass – a trend which we were starting to create with in 2017 and is still going strong this year.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give couples when planning their wedding?
My number one piece of advice for couples? Research! Find suppliers whose work you like the look of, find out if they can work to your budget and arrange a face-to-face meeting to discuss your initial ideas. I think that a face-to-face meeting is key: it gives both sides a chance to get to know each other and decide if they're going to be a good fit. Then of course consider your budget, and try to be realistic. For instance, when couples are thinking about incorporating a statement floral design into their day, yes, they are epic and amazing, but they can be pricey, so do be realistic with your wishes to avoid any disappointment. Decide early on what's most important to you as a couple and work out how much of the budget to allocate there; the rest will fall into place.
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