Here is a selection of Q&As from An Essex Wedding magazine whether it be about flowers, hair and makeup, fashion, wedding themes, health & beauty, cakes, stationery, legal advice. If you would like your question answered by our experts, please email it to editor@anessex.wedding
To view more expert advice on a different topic, please select one from the list below.
Money talks
Q. We want to book a florist but are panicking about the budget getting out of hand. Is there anything we can do?
A. Gillian Fautley says: We are now offering seasonal flower packages for 2023-2024, to help our couples stay within budget. It starts with you choosing a colour selection, before deciding what you want for your big day. Our Willow Package, for example, is just £1,000, and includes a teardrop or luxury handtied bridal bouquet, four bridesmaids' bouquets, two corsages, groom's special buttonhole, five groomsmen's buttonholes, an alter or top table arrangement, six tall hired stand designs, eight pew ends and a pedestal for the ceremony and entrance to your wedding breakfast. We even have a Rosa package for just £250, which features a handtied bouquet, two bridesmaids' posies, four rose buttonholes and two spray rose corsages.
Gillian Fautley, Courts of Rayleigh
courtsofrayleigh.co.uk
Flowers
Q. How have couples changed their approach to wedding planning for 2022 and beyond?
A. Kelleyann Phythian says: Naturally, we are working with a lot of brides that have had wedding dates changed or delayed over the last couple of years. For many brides, this has made them more relaxed; rather than worrying about every single detail, brides are just so delighted to finally be getting married. It has also allowed some couples to save up a bit more ahead of their big day and so they are investing in bigger floral installations and statement pieces that really provide the wow factor. Ceiling fixtures with flowing foliage have grown in popularity, particularly for wedding breakfasts in big barns or grand function suites.
More and more, weddings are focused on the celebration of getting together as friends and family in a way that reflects the personalities of the happy couple, so parties with a casual, festival vibe continue to be really popular. Couples are changing up the flowers they feature in their displays now too. There is an emphasis on choosing seasonal bouquets that are native to the UK, which I think is a combination of people thinking about the environmental impact of the choices they make and also fears over supply chains from overseas. Roses, sweet peas, dahlias and tulips regularly appear in bouquets as people find inspiration from things they have seen in their own garden, in the countryside around them or what they see on their social media.
Kelleyann Phythian, Honeysuckle Flowers
www.honeysuckleflowers.co.uk
In the summertime
Q. We're having a colourful summer wedding. What florals do you recommend for this?
A. Victoria Makepeace says: Summer is the best time to embrace bright and beautiful flowers. You could consider a tropical design filled with anthurium, ginger flowers, orchids and protea all finished with palm leaves and monstera. This would create a vibrant palette of hot pink, coral, peach and white.
For the more rustic couples, it has to be sunflowers – the bigger, the brighter, the better! A cluster of these yellow giants softened with gypsophila and gorgeous grey-silver eucalyptus is all you need. For late-summer weddings, it has to be the quirky dahlia. With so many colours and styles, they give the ultimate wow factor all by themselves.
The colour trend for 2022 is orange and peach, and I can't wait to get stuck in. So summer couples, be brave, be daring and add a splash of colour to your day!
Victoria Makepeace, Simply Stunning Flowers
www.simplystunningflowers.co.uk
