28 Oct Organic, Textural & Elegant Golden Hour Bridal Bouquet & Florals
October 28, 2022
In a year of wedding cancellations left, right and center, many wedding vendors were left without work and no way to use their creative skills. That fall, we were blessed with an unusually late frost date- which means even in October our cutting garden was still thriving! I decided to try and put together a last minute styled shoot to capitalize on this gift of time and floral abundance. To my surprise, despite the short timeline, every vendor I reached out to responded with a resounding YES! and I am thrilled to share the results of this incredible shoot with you all. Highlighted by a warm golden hour-inspired bridal bouquet, an organic freestanding installation, and a variety of unique textures & patterns, I know you’ll enjoy every piece of this fabulous shoot.
An Intimate Backyard Garden Wedding with Golden Hour-Inspired Florals
A bridal bouquet & a freestanding installation inspired by the warm, sunny hues of golden hour
When I was planning this shoot and figuring out what direction I wanted to take with the florals, I knew I wanted to create pieces that complemented the beauty of this lush, beautifully-landscaped garden. One of our neighbors has the most stunning, mature landscaped property that was in its full fall colors with some incredible natural textures- it really provided a one-of-a-kind backdrop for the whole shoot. Using the landscape as my inspiration and even harvesting a few very special botanical treasure from her garden, I created a this stunning golden hour bridal bouquet. Once I had seen the property and found the spot I wanted to shoot at, we built a freestanding installation to mirror the movement of the plants in that spot. I took into consideration the natural shapes & framing of the trees of the garden while choosing designs, and deciding how to shape the broken installation, and it came to life just as I had envisioned.
An ensemble of autumn blooms in the luscious green garden
One of our most stunning heirloom roses, Honey Dijon, was flushing in the garden, and my favorite flowering vine, “Sweet Autumn” was still blooming. Honey Dijon roses offer an incredibly unique golden shade, reminiscent of toffee or honey (hence the name) that changes with the seasons, and added the loveliest touch to the golden hour feel of this bouquet. The small white flowers along the intricate, dancing vines of the Sweet Autumn Clematis, brought a bit of a “sparkle” to the installation, and the leathery, dark green leaves blended in seamlessly with the backdrop of the garden!
I used these two magical ingredients as the inspiration for the color palette, and complemented these with other botanical treasures still blooming in the garden and on local farms including dahlias, cosmos, hydrangea & heirloom mums. The “Rock Run Ashley Dahlia” is a personal favorite of mine, one of the most charming & versatile dahlia varieties that boasts a lovely sorbet-like shade of apricot-peach. People often like to judge mums as a “grandma’s flower,” but these incredible heirloom ones offer so much magical color & are very special, in my opinion!
The full color palette of soft white & creams, honey & golden tones, complimented with peach & apricot, with some unique greenery featuring fall color hues, along with plenty of textural elements came together to create these elegant, textural, whimsical & organic flower arrangements and installations.
Searching for more fall wedding floral inspiration for your big day? We’d love to direct you to this Fine Art Bold & Moody Fall Wedding to see another one of our all-time favorite autumn bridal bouquets!
Textural elements and unique foliage galore
Also incorporated into these golden-hour inspired floral arrangements were hydrangeas, one of our personal favs – and something we grow a lot of! They’re great for making a statement in installations and inviting in some unique floral texture. Changing from creamy white, to blush, then finally mauve as the seasons progress, this is a magical bloom that never fails to please.
To add even more of a unique, whimsical, & organic feel, we included a variety of textural elements in the arrangement and installation such as goat’s beard, clethra, and a collection of foliage, including crabapple, as well as snowberry & cistus. We used Goat’s Beard at the end of its life cycle in the seed stage, as it adds an incredibly unique textural ingredient that’s sure to draw your eye. Paired with some stunning clethra, a surprise we found in the garden, the natural organic elements of snowberry & cistus foliage to support the flowers, and the uniquely-shaped, “golden raindrop”-esque leaves of crabapple foliage (a variety we now grow in the Noctua Florals cutting garden!), this blend of textures perfectly brought to life the whimsical, elegant feel I envisioned. Using foliage ingredients in arrangements & installations is always a great idea, thanks to the seasonal color change that invited in the natural color palette of this fall season!
Why we only used locally-sourced, sustainable ingredients
I believe this shoot captures the very essence of our work. Every single ingredient grown was either from our very own cutting garden, or grown on local farms like Triple Wren farms using sustainable practices and positive environmental impact. Flowers that are flown in from thousands of miles away are not only bringing with them a huge carbon footprint, but they will never have the vibrancy, color and magic of flowers growing in the particular season of your wedding or event. When we use seasonally-available and locally-grown flowers, we are not only supporting local agriculture, small business, and environmentally harmonious practices, we are also creating an experience for our clients through flowers that is a truly unique, one-of-a-kind and incredibly thoughtful concept that is designed to connect to you and your loved ones to this special moment in time. I hope you enjoy!
A big thank you goes out to the incredible local vendors who were just as excited as I was to bring this shoot to life – and in such a short amount of time!
Creative Director and Florals: Noctua Florals
Photographer: Danielle Johnson
Makeup: Sarah Rorvig
Hair: Lindsay Rice
Cake: Antler Baking Co
Gown: Belle Bridal
Model: Alex Giffin
Ribbons & Linens: Silk & Willow
Ceramics: Tellefsen Atelier & Heath Ceramics
Our Collection of Stunning Seasonal Floral Inspiration
If you’re looking for floral inspiration for your spring or summer wedding instead, don’t fret – we’ve got plenty of that, too! Browse through a few of our recent weddings below, featuring a variety of beautifully unique floral creations for each season.
Modern & Elegant Spring Wedding Florals at Christianson’s Nursery
A Striking Show of Summer Blooms at a Mehndi Celebration
Vibrant & Colorful Summer Wedding Florals at The Saltbox Barn
Joyful & Vibrant Whidbey Island Wedding at Fireseed Catering