On the hottest day of the year, I was helping Kate from Camomile & Cornflowers with a wedding at the beautiful Birtsmorton Court.
Our task was to create a stunning floral arch to form the backdrop for the outdoor ceremony, with the moat and magnificent gardens providing the perfect setting. We had already prepared the flowers in containers to sit in a large apple crate at the base of the arch, but the structure itself had to be assembled and dressed on site.
Once the arch was in place, we added mossages to the two corners before carefully weaving in flowers and foliage. With temperatures reaching 35°C, we left the flowers until the very last minute to give them the best chance of staying fresh. Every stem was placed into a small water-filled tube and cleverly hidden amongst the foliage.
Thankfully, the flowers survived the intense midday heat and looked beautiful throughout the ceremony. However, our work wasn’t over. Immediately afterwards, we had to dismantle the flowers from the base and move the entire arch around 100 yards to the reception area.
Wedding floristry often requires plenty of problem-solving and creative thinking, and this was certainly one of those occasions. Rebuilding and refreshing the design in a new location, in full sun and soaring temperatures, was incredibly challenging. Somehow, we managed it, and the bride and groom were delighted with the result.
It was definitely one of the hardest days of freelancing I’ve experienced, but also one of the most rewarding.
