Art and Architecture Inspired This Wedding at The Bradford
For Justin and Hannah’s April wedding at The Bradford in New Hill, North Carolina, Bowerbird Flowers & Apothecary owner and creative director Diane Joyal incorporated locally grown pansies, ranunculus and a variety of tulips to create moody, romantic arrangements complementing the warm atmosphere the couple envisioned.
Green hydrangeas and garden roses filled in modern altar pillars for the outdoor ceremony. Pops of orange and yellow were interspersed with grasses throughout the floral arrangements to add texture, as well as petite blooms that looked as if they’d been picked from a backyard garden.
Diane frequently draws inspiration from the linen, wedding invitation designs, attire and other details when planning floral designs.
“That all builds toward the wedding day – seeing what each of those puzzle pieces looks like is an essential part of the process,” Diane says.
Artful NC Wedding Florals
“The most important thing to me is to listen to the client – and for them to use words to describe what it is they want, like classical, romantic, playful or traditional.” The colors, mood of the event and how the couple want guests to feel also play a role, she adds.
With rentals and a floor plan in place, Diane can make more decisions about the size and structure of floral elements. A meeting 60 days ahead of the wedding is when most of the fine-tuning takes place.
Locally Sourced Blooms from Bowerbird Flowers & Apothecary
“Usually I start with local [flower suppliers] to build a backbone for the event and go from there,” Diane says. Local blooms are dependent on the season, and supply can be unpredictable due to the weather. Since some flower varieties might only be available for a few weeks of the year, Diane’s 11 years of experience in floral design means she can anticipate which specific blooms are likely to coincide with the wedding date or season.
Moody Romantic Reception Design
For the reception, “it was important to Hannah that corners be filled, that the atmosphere be warm and that there was something to look at on the walls,” Diane says, which gave The Bradford’s ballroom the appearance of an elegant European mansion.
Diane adds that planner “Sterling [Boulet of Anthem House] did a really good job pulling all those pieces together, and the design of The Bradford lends itself to this look because of the architectural details.”
Low arrangements running down the length of the head table added to the intimate feel, as did brass trays layered into the design to hold candles.
“Something we did very effectively was mask candles to achieve the desired look,” Diane says. Ultimately, the tabletop decor created a luxurious atmosphere without setting an overly formal tone.
“Diane is such a lovely person and has a true artist’s eye,” Hannah says. “She brought my floral vision to life and assisted with other decorative items to enhance the space.”
