Lydia Taylor
Floristry
Blog
MONDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2025
Soft Green for an Autumn Wedding
Soft, sage greens have been dominating wedding themes for quite some time, and with every good reason. Sage green is soft and romantic. In floristry, green is the neutral colour that pairs with everything, and in this shade and tone it pairs particularly well with soft pastels, especially gentle white and cream.
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Many people follow traditional seasonal colours for their wedding - dark blues and greens in Winter, pastels in Spring, saturated and cheerful colours in Summer, and oranges and rusty red in Autumn - but there are no rules about this! Any colour can be for any wedding, and sage green is not just for Spring or Summer.
If you want sage green for a November wedding, but still want an Autumnal theme, here is a gorgeous idea for a table centrepiece that mixes the symbolism of the season with the green of your dreams.
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Pumpkins are usually thought of as orange, and most of them are, but the Crown Prince pumpkin variety is a beautiful minty-sage treen colour (at least on the outside - the flesh inside is a very striking orange!).
If you cut out the top and carve out the flesh, you can create a cavity inside to fit a small vase or other water container, such as a clean food container. Don't put water directly into the pumpkin as this will cause the pumpkin to soften quicker, and may also cause bacteria to shorten the life of the flowers you put in. ​Once you have your cavity with vase in place, fill with flowers, chasing foliage in similar blue-green tones and flowers of your choice!​
Pumkins can last months uncut, but once they are cut they can deteriorate in a few days to a week. If you're doing this a few days before your wedding I would suggest keeping the cut pumpkins in the fridge to keep them fresh and looking their best.​
You can watch me making this design on my Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube accounts.​​
MONDAY 27TH OCTOBER 2025
The Peony Conundrum
I know, peonies in Autumn is not the most seasonal of topics, but if you're planning a 2026 wedding, there is never a wrong time to talk about peonies!
Pinning down the perfect wedding date is never easy. Finding a venue that is available on that one day next in 12 months' time that doesn't clash with your Great Aunt's hip replacement surgery, your future in-law's long-planned Caribbean cruise and your best friend's due date feels almost impossible. Imagine you've managed it - you've booked a dreamy venue, the guest list is coming together, everything feels perfect - but then you meet with your florist to show her your vision board, and to your dismay discover that your wedding isn't in peony season.
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Peony's are firm favourite wedding flower, with their soft yet dramatic blooms that perfectly accompany the romance of the day. But what many people don't realise is that peonies are only in season in the UK for a very short period of time from late April to early July. While they are abundant in season, out of season they are much more expensive, very difficult to source and their quality is unreliable.​​​​​
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So to help you out, here are four peony alternatives to help bring your wedding vision to life:​
​​1. Carnations (commercially available all year round)
Inexpensive and resilient, carnations are often seen as a 'filler flower' rather than the main event. But mass together a bunch of pale pink carnations for a delicate cloud of petals that will truly make an impact.
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2. Tulips (commercially available November-April)
Double tulip varieties (those that have a higher petal count) have enough romantic ruffles to rival any peony. There are even varieties of tulips known as 'peony tulips' due to their showy similarities.
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3. Protea (commercially available July-December)
If you are looking for all ​the drama of a peony and then some, look no further than the bold and majestic South African native, the King Protea.
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4. Faux Flowers
If, after all, it just has to be peonies, hyperrealistic faux flowers could be the answer. Chose all faux flowers and foliage, or a mix of faux and fresh, to achieve your dream look.
MONDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2025
How to make an Autumn Wreath
My instagram feed is full pumpkins carving videos, I've stocked up on the cosiest of cosy-scented candles to fill my home with the aroma of spices and crisp woodland walks, and Strictly is in full swing - Autumn is well and truly here! After holding on to Summer vibes for way too long, I have finally succumbed (as I do eventually every year) to the joy of crunching through leaves and snuggling up in blankets.​
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If, like me, you want to bring Autumn into your home with elegance, joy and a touch of rustic charm, you have the perfect excuse to make an Autumn wreath.
Step 1 - Gather Your Flowers
I started drying flowers in the Summer, carefully preserving left-over flowers and foliage from my fresh-flower creations. But it’s not too late if you’re just jumping in on the action now - hydranger flowers, for example, are best cut at this time of year, as the blooms become papery and firmer to touch. Make sure you prep stems by removing any leaves and then hang them upside down to dry in a well-ventilated area for about a week. I love these mini curtain clip-hooks, which I clip to the end of each stem and then hang off a drying wrack.​
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However, if you are keen to get on with building your wreath, you don’t need to DIY dried flowers, your local floristry shop will usually have a selection of ready-dried flowers you can buy. I would suggest you need at least two kinds of flower and three kinds of leaf or grass.​
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​Step 2 - Create A Frame
Rustic wire (sometimes called rustic grapevine) is wire wrapped in twine. It is a fantastic product to create your base as it is both flexible and sturdy, and looks really pretty. I used is APAC Rustic Wire in Natural, but other brands sell it as well. I measured out a length of approx 300 cm and created a circle with the first 100cm. I then used the rest to wind in and out round the loop two more times and the result is a strong loop of three intertwined strands of wire.
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Step 3 - Prepare Your Flowers
Cut your flower and foliage material into 5-8cm pieces. Create small bunches using one kind of flower and two kinds of leaves, or two kinds of flower and one kind of leaf. Use floristry tape (like the tape pictured, from Oasis) to secure the bunches together. Mix up the materials so that all the bunches are slightly different.​​
Step 4 - Assembly
Look at your wreath as a clock. Using a length of raffia, create a loop and secure it to the top of your wreath at 12 o’clock - this is for hanging your wreath up later, but will help guide the spacing on your wreath now. Starting at 10 o’clock, wrap your floristry tape around a couple of times to secure it. Don’t cut your tape, leave the end attached to the reel. Place your first bunch against the loop where you have taped, and wrap the tape round a couple of times to secure the bunch in place. Then place the next bunch and wrap your tape round again. Continue to place bunches and secure with tape, without cutting the tape, until your reach approve 7 o’clock on your loop. The do the same coming the other way, starting from 4 o’clock on your loop and making your way back to 7 o’clock. At the place where they meet, add a large flower to cover up the ends.
And that is your wreath finished - well done! It is ready hang up to bring Autumnal joy to your home!
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