August Wedding Retreat – Harrison Lake

September 23, 2014

This August was a flurry of weddings, one of which Garden Party Designers Renee Mills and myself were sent to the wedding location, Harrison Lake, about a 2 hour trip …

The post August Wedding Retreat – Harrison Lake appeared first on Garden Party Flowers.

This August was a flurry of weddings, one of which Garden Party Designers Renee Mills and myself were sent to the wedding location, Harrison Lake, about a 2 hour trip from Vancouver.We were graciously hosted by the Bride and Grooms’ families, and were fully immersed in the wedding experience. Retreat and on site design has been a goal of Garden Party’s, and we were ecstatic to be there.

We were greeted by the family of the Bride and Groom Jenny and John. We worked two days at a beautiful house overlooking Harrison Lake and the mountains. Jenny’s vision for the wedding was natural, elegant, and effortlessly chic. She loved hydrangea, garden roses, and especially Cafe Au Lait Dahlias…(one of our favourites too!) The bride’s sister and a friend of mine Christie Graham of Christie Graham Photography documented the happy event.

First, we had to get there. Renee and I packed buckets of beautiful blooms into her tiny Volkswagon Convertible, seatbelted them in; and with a pail of flowers on my lap in the passenger seat we headed to our destination.

Our view from the patio where we worked was phenomenal. We could hardly believe how lucky we were to be designing here. The setup of florals to choose from included shades of cream, sand, lavender, blush and a pop of hot pink. We used Astilbe from Holland, David Austin Garden Roses, Quicksand Roses, Wax Flower, Ferns, Organic Cafe au Lait Dahlias, Organic Love-in-a-puff Vine and foraged materials from the Groom’s property on the lake.

Jenny’s bridal bouquet was a wild and lush bundle of Cafe au Lait Dahlias, Darcy and Juliet Garden roses, foraged hydrangea, astilbe and wax flower finished with frayed silk ribbon by frou frou chic and designed by me. Her Maid of Honour held a similar mix of blooms in solely pastels, designed by Renee. Photo by Christie Graham.

We used delicate blooms of soft peach roses and wax flower in the Bridal Party’s hair, styled by Denise Elliot.

The ceremony was beautiful. Jenny and John exchanged vows on the shore of Harrison Lake. Close friends and family were invited to join them for a casual standing ceremony followed by dinner and dancing.