latest wedding album from a lovely local bride

Canberra has some really lovely venues for photography if you are after a relaxed, rustic tone. Plenty of grassy plains, meandering pathways, hillsides, heritage buildings in various states of grandeur or disrepair and lots of rural textures - timber, stone, corrugated iron etc etc!

 

Without further ado, here are some of the lovely images from a recent wedding I did for a Canberra bride and groom. The photos are by Mel Hill Photography http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150360596563588.372360.47867988587&type=1

and they do such a great job of portraying the relaxed atmosphere and the beautiful settings.

The bouquet was to be full and blowsy with old fashioned style roses - so was made of open roses, David Austin roses and Lisianthus.

busy, busy...

It's been busy, busy here at brave botanics. How about you?This feels like the first clear 5 minutes for a while now, so a chance to add some more photos.

The Wedding Fair at The Brassey Hotel came and went, and I finished off the day with a drink in the gorgeous, green courtyard area listening to some live jazz, which they host every Sunday arvo there from about 4pm onwards. So nice to sit and soak up the atmosphere of the old place and reflect on the day ...

It is a funny old hotel, formal but also quite homely...that does sound like a contradiction, but maybe I just got comfortable really quickly! I'm thinking G&T in the plush tub chairs, overlooking the manicured gardens and edges...

So, the Wedding Fair. Lots of lovely brides, and plenty of grooms, bridesmaids, sisters, mothers and various other types of hangers on - which we love! Everyone has an opinion, but happily no bridezillas on the day! This is how I set up my little stand - I wanted it to look like a bit of a spring fair - plenty of pink and fragrance.I had David Austin roses, Flannel Flowers, Orchids, Lilies, Peonies, Freesias etc.

A funny thing happened though. 

The hotel provides table flower arrangements as part of their packages for wedding receptions and they use a local purveyor of fine flowers, no names. So he is all booked in and confirmed to deliver - this is the bi-annual showcase for the hotel of what they provide and their chance to show off - all polished, i's dotted and t's crossed...and he doesn't turn up. 

15 minutes til opening. 

They call him - he forgot. They ask if he can whip something up - he says no, sorry.

(*$@###!!!!%$**

So I got the gig of rushing out into the old fashioned gardens, clippers waving madly and having pick of the plants. The selection of vases (I use the term loosely!!!) scavenged from all corners of the hotel  was quite funny, but I was very happy to be snipping massive open rose blooms, and lavender, rosemary and leaves and especially happy to be helping out the Brassey team, one of whom I know reasonably well from my other job at the gallery. 

But really, I cant believe that a supplier who already had a commitment in the form of a guaranteed, standing order would be so unreliable and blase. It sounds like blowing my own trumpet, but I can tell you I would never say that to a client, and if I had forgotten or run out or whatever, I would be hot-footing it into the closest farmer's market, or woolies or wherever...in order to deliver on the promise. 

Anyways, I have posted this all topsy-turvey, with the ending at the beginning and visa-versa, but you get the idea. Great venue, great brides, great day.

XNarelle

roses and portugese tarts

Sometimes the best laid plans don't quite come off for weddings, and I always experience a weird feeling of foreboding mixed with impatience, when I am waiting for a flower delivery...until it's arrived and unpacked I am never quite confident that everything will be there, in the correct quantities and colours. Sometimes I over order - on purpose, in order to have spares and extras and options to be able to make the bouquets just so on the day. This is something which I suspect not many people realise and which contributes to the price of wedding flowers, not just your average walk-in bunch of flowers.


This week my heart sank when not one, or two, but three trusted suppliers were unable to fill an order for a specific variety of rose, requested by the bride for sentimental reasons (which is sorta what weddings are all about!). When I was ready to call the bride with the bad news, the fourth on my list confirmed that they could provide the said rose...beautiful aren't they?

 $165.00 this lot cost me...

Sometimes I over hear people complaining that wedding providers (florists, photographers, cake makers etc) take advantage of brides and overcharge just because its a wedding. For the record, I think this is a bit mean and unjustified. The extra cost is to cover situations like this one - additional flowers (to pick through and get the best ones), back up flowers (in the brides second choice), additional suppliers, phone call orders, reminder phone calls, confirmation phone calls...and the stress! Just so I can deliver what I promised!

Anyways, deliver I did and I think the bouquets turned out beautifully! They also included David Austin roses, Ranunculas, Freesias, Waxflower, Pieris and twists of vine.

The bride stayed at a really lovely guesthouse, Redbrow Gardens out of Hall. 

http://www.canberraguesthouse.com.au/

I snuck some pictures while I was wandering around - trees, plantings and some of the rustic farm gear dotted all over the place.

 

And never one to miss the opportunity of a decent coffee, I stopped in to Poachers Pantry  http://www.poacherspantry.com.au/smokehouse-cafe which is a reasonably close neighbour. This portugese tart was the best I have EVER tasted, hands down. A great end to this particular wedding adventure.

 So...the moral of the story is...

Feed me a portugese tart at the end of the day and I will happily fork out $165 for a few bunches of roses.

XNP