A Guide to Autumn Wedding Bouquets

Autumn colours can be deep, fiery, earthen and vibrant. Combine plump crimson and purple berries with flaming oranges, rich reds and evergreens to conjur the passion and warmth you want to bring into your married life.

There are a few ways of doing this, so no matter what your style of wedding, there is a hot autumn trend. If you find one you like, remember, it is only a guide. Let your imagination fly: an expert wedding florist will be able to work with your ideas, and these trends, to create a bouquet that is both personal, and unique to you.

Calla Lilies, with their velveteen petals and their seductive shape, symbolize beauty, perfection, eroticism, and purity and ascention, depending on their colour. Although their appearance is beguiling and exotic, they have been out in force, in many English gardens, this summer. Their dazzling array of colours, and their distinctly female sensuality, makes them a beautiful choice for your wedding bouquet.

White is the traditional choice, for a bridal bouquet, but if you want something a bit different, try combining mango-coloured Callas with deep, aubergine purple ones. Ask your florist to mix the lilies with thistles, berries, raffeta, hessian, and other natural fabrics, for an exotic take on an ancient, woodland feel.

Gerberas come in a fabulous array of hot shades. Studded throughout your bouquet, their simple, cheery forms will set off the exotic curves of the Callas beautifully. The lilies can alternatively, be teamed with roses, which also come in a variety of warm colours.

The images to the left, and right, courtesy of topdreamer.com, show what can be achieved with this design. And the similar bouquet below left, is available from Lily Blossom, East Molesey. 

  

Design by Lily Blossom Florists

If you are looking for a wedding bouquet that has a more vintage style this Autumn, you could consider asking your florist to combine that soft, versatile, vintage beauty, the rose, in pale, wistful shades of baby pink, cream, pale orange, and soft yellow. The Autumn colours are there, but beautifully mellowed. Again, team with natural materials such as twigs and seasonal foliage, and perhaps a soft ribbon in a shade of creamy mocha, for a simple, striking bouquet. 

Available at Lily Blossom Florists

If you find a bouquet design that you love, it is a good idea to use it as the inspiration for the rest of your wedding décor, if possible. Or to choose colours of your wedding décor and theme, as the main palate for your bouquet design. Your florist will be glad to help you with this. And it is sometimes useful to create a mood board: cut out images that you like, such as colours, flower combinations, even textures, and show them to your florist, who can talk through your ideas with you, and will physically show you what different flower combinations will look like when you go to see them.

The flowers, textures and tones in your bouquet, will usually inform your choice of table centrepiece, wedding party buttonholes, flowers to decorate the venue, or wedding arch, and even the style and décor for your cake. Make sure to incorporate the colour of the bridesmaid’s dresses into your bouquet where possible. Your bouquet should become the simple essence of your wedding’s central theme. And if you choose your flowers carefully, thinking about their meaning and symbolism as well, you will have a bouquet that represents the hopes and dreams you hold for your future as Mrs X.

Lily Blossom Florists, East Molesey, will be happy to talk through your ideas with you. Contact us by phone on 0208 979 5656, or email to book a free, no obligation wedding flowers consultation. Or pop in to see us in our florist studio.

Ask about our exclusive Forever Wedding flowers package, which entitles you to a free bouquet of flowers, delivered fresh to your door, every year, on your anniversary, for twelve years!!

And look out for our guide to winter wedding bouquets coming soon…

The Festival of Qi Xi (or Chinese Valentine's Day)

The 2^nd of August saw the Chinese community celebrating Qi Xi, the Western equivalent of which, is Valentines Day, centred around the romantic tale of love and sacrifice, of a cowherd and his love.

You probably know this already, but here at Lilyblossom Florists, there’s nothing we love more than a little romance, and an opportunity to celebrate our home city’s diverse culture and ethnicity. So we thought we’d delve into the history of the British Chinese a little, and then share the traditional folk story of love in the mountains of China, that it is custom to tell, at Qi Xi.

Rumour has it, that the Qi Xi celebrations were first inspired by a traditional Chinese love story. It is a little complex, and is re-told here by writer Kyra Hall-Gelly, exclusively for Lilyblossom Florists. To know the story of Niulang and his weaver princess, is to understand the positive, poignant nature, and beguiling romance of this festival, so please read, and we hope you enjoy!

Facts about the British Chinese Community

Did you know that British Chinese are the third largest overseas Chinese population in Europe? The British Chinese community is also thought to be the oldest Chinese community in Western Europe, and most British Chinese people are the descendants of overseas Chinese communities themselves. Descendants of mainland Chinese people constitute the smallest number of British Chinese, with the majority having hailed from former British colonies like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. And, did you know that our British Chinese, are the fastest growing ethnic group in the UK?

The Chinese have been part of British culture since the 17^th Century, with the first Chinese immigrant to be recorded in Britain, being a Jesuit scholar named Shen Fu Tsong (below), who was part of  the court of King James II. 

Chinese Jesuit Scholar Shen Fu Tsong

In 2006, the Office for National Statistics marked the total British Chinese population at over 400,000 people, with 33% of British Chinese living here in vibrant London town, and another 13.6% living in the South East.

The Chinese community have contributed much to British society, including most notably, Nobel Prize winner Charles K Kao KBE, who pioneered the use of fibre optics in telecommunications, life peer Michael Chan, and of course the lovely Gok Wan.

What flowers do we feel embody the spirit of this gorgeous festival?

Well of course, we have a spectacular range of orchids and lilies, that symbolise beauty, perfection and, in the case of white calla lilies, purity. These are all fabulously romantic, ultra-feminine flowers, used to symbolise and celebrate femininity for centuries. Asiatic lilies are a perfect romantic floral gift for the month of Qi Xi, or simply to bring the energies of romance and promise, into your environment.

 

Tea Cup & Saucer Arrangement from Lily Blossom Florists

The other quintessentially British, enduring symbol of romance, steeped in its own rich history, is the rose. We feel that our collection of rose baskets, and these kooky giant teacup rose arrangements represent the romance, domestic skill, and bliss that is the essence of Qi Xi. They’re also perfect, affordable wedding table centrepieces for an August wedding. 

And, you’ll be pleased to know, that we are offering FREE FLOWERS, in our fantastic Forever Wedding Package. Click here for details.

Vibrant Basket from Lily Blossom Florists

Of course, for a bouquet that truly represents the British Chinese community, and combines these two lovely cultures, it would need to contain both the lily, and the rose. The Red Rose and Lily Hand-tied Bouquet from our collection (below) is the one our florists chose to celebrate Qi Xi. 

Red Rose and Lily Hand-tied Bouquet, from Lily Blossom