Flowers for Weddings
Scottish grown flowers for Scottish Weddings! Our flowers speak volumes. Let me explain!
A sense of place
Firstly, here at BordersEcoFlowers, we dare to do things differently. Most flowers used for Scottish weddings arrive here either by plane at Prestwick Airport, or out of the back of a truck from Holland. They are grown thousands of (air) miles away, sprayed with goodness knows how many chemicals and they have absolutely no connection with Scotland whatsoever! Not so for us. We actually grow all our flowers, right here in our garden in rural Berwickshire, near the town of Duns. We are, if you like, gardener florists - or to coin an american phrase, we nurture our flowers for the whole journey, from seed to centerpiece. Even if you are getting married in the most remote location in the Scottish Borders (probably somewhere around Teviothead), we reckon that your flowers will travel less than sixty miles. Essential for eco-conscious couples, our flowers are firmly rooted in the Scottish Borders.
2. A sense of time
Secondly, the season, whether it be spring, summer, autumn or winter, has a huge influence on the style of your floral displays. Of course, there is a whole host of things to decide when you are planning your celebrations. For us, the most important factor is the exact date of your wedding. Just like in your garden and the landscapes around us, our flowers change throughout the year - we follow the natural rhythms of the seasons.
For a spring wedding, we celebrate the lengthening days and the new shoots heralding the start of the new growing season. With bulbs emerging from their winter slumbers, we pick daffodils, flamboyant tulips, delicate fritillaries along with long stems of early flowering shrubs, like forsythia and flowering currant. Bright, clear colours with fresh young foliage.
Summer brings a floral bounty. We have traditional cornfield beauties like cornflowers, poppies, corn cockle and mayweed. We grow Sweet Williams, sweet rocket and sweet peas, tall delphiniums to tiny dianthus, and exquisite roses and peonies.
As the year rolls on, the temperature drops and the day length decreases, and our garden takes on its autumnal clothes. Chrysanthemums and dahlias come to the fore, and we team these with bright berries and intensely coloured leaves. And we have the ephemeral beauty of dried flowers, carefully gathered, dried and stored for the darker days, a time honoured tradition from the cottage gardeners of yesteryear.
For a magical winter wedding, think velvet capes, woolly shawls and cosy hand muffs. Team these with aromatic evergreens, bright red dogwood stems and architectural pine cones lit by the romantic light of flickering white candles. Here, you have all the elements of a Winter’s walk on a cold, clear frosty morning.
Our flowers are Strictly Seasonal!
3. Created, not copied
Thirdly, we strive to create floral displays that are memorable, because they are different. We always welcome you to come to the garden and you will see that we really are plantaholics. I can’t remember the exact tally, but we must grow many hundreds of different types of plants. That’s really good news for two reasons. Firstly, it’s good for the planet, because it increases biodiversity - providing habitats and a food source for all kinds of flora and fauna. Secondly, it’s good for you, because it means that we have a whole range of different flowers to gather - the ingredients from which we create your bouquets. And we don’t pick just flowers, for that is only half the story! We harvest all sorts of botanical beauties from the hundreds of different varieties we grow here: emerging buds and architectural seed heads, vibrant stems and coloured leaves. So your bouquets truly have that very natural, ‘just picked from the garden’ style. We do not deal in those tedious combinations of scentless roses, ubiquitous gypsophila and dull, grey eucalyptus that flood the pages of social media! We don’t want your wedding florals to look like the wedding before you, or the wedding that comes after you. And neither do we offer ‘wedding packages’. You are individuals, and ‘a one size fits all’ approach is just not our style. Indeed, we’re quite happy to incorporate flowers from your own garden - sometimes a particular flower or tree can bring back happy childhood memories of a special person or family event. Furthermore, the Scottish Borders offers a whole variety of stunning wedding locations from grand castles to expansive beaches, rustic barns to elegant hotels, gypsy caravans to quaint village halls, and we want your wedding flowers to complement the decor, architecture and landscape on your special day. We take an individual approach, so that your florals reflect the style of your wedding.
Your flowers should be unique to you!
4. Fragrance for memories
Fourthly, our flowers are fragrant. It is now scientifically proven that the memory parts of our brain are interconnected with special scent receptors that lie in our nasal cavities. This association really becomes evident when we deliver our bouquets, and the recipient, having expressed delight at the fragrance of the flowers responds “That lovely smell reminds me of ……….. “. Those kind of responses make our day - our flowers have elicited a positive emotion. And in the same way, in years to come, we want you to be transported back to your wedding day - not only by the colour, shape and form of flowers, but by their fragrance too. We offer flowers with classic, time-honoured scents; like roses, carnations and sweet peas. We grow basketfuls of traditional herbs; from lavender to lovage and mint to marjoram. And even in the coldest February day, the humble snowdrop, when massed together can fill a room with its memorable, sweet honey scent. By adding fragrance to your bunches, buttonholes and bouquets, we create a sensuous reminder of your special day.
5. Looking after the land.
Fifthly, metaphorically speaking, your flowers will not cost the earth! The word ‘organic’ is banded about the advertising industry on everything from food to face masks and shoes to shampoo. What I want you to know is that we grow all our flowers without the use of any chemical fertilisers, pesticides or weedkillers, whatsoever. Perish the thought ! Of course we need really good, deep fertile soil to grow strong healthy flowers, so we nurture the land with barrowfuls of homemade compost, and we have a small flock of hens and ducks who happily trot round the garden depositing little blobs of manure all over the flower beds. As for pests and diseases, we accept that we will lose a small percentage of our crops each year, but so be it. Eventually, nature will strike a balance between pests and predators, so that the garden retains its natural harmony. We offer chemical free flowers, some of which are good enough to eat!
Let’s sum up! It’s simple. We offer seasonal, scented and sustainable flowers, all grown in the Scottish Borders.
The details
The best way forward is to come and see us, and share you ideas, preferably 12 months in advance so that you can see exactly what is in flower at the time of your wedding. However, sometimes we can provide wedding flowers at short notice. Of course, we cannot absolutely guarantee that a certain variety will be blooming at a particular time, but we have a pretty good idea. Our flowers are grown (mostly) outdoors so they are exposed to the vagaries of the Scottish weather, and especially in Winter when the garden may be under two feet of snow, things can get a bit tricky. Similarly, late Spring frosts can set crops back. But fear not! We always have a plan B.
For a general idea, we list below the usual items, but we are always open to the idea of creations!
For you, your family and friends;
A Bride’s Bouquet. from £90
Bridesmaids Bouquets. from £60
Lots of different styles here from small neat posies to wild and wonderful compositions, all designed to compliment, not compete with the dress. We use the hand-tied technique which creates a natural, spiral effect, perfect for our garden grown blooms. The stems can be tied with rustic twine, raffia, white cotton or beautiful, plant-dyed silk ribbons. All are supplied in water to guarantee freshness. You can even pop the bouquets into a vase, whilst you are enjoying your wedding breakfast! And afterwards, why not preserve your bouquet forever, by having the flowers carefully pressed and designed into a beautiful collage.
You are most welcome to collect your wedding flowers from us here at The Moorhouse. Bring some buckets! Alternatively, we can deliver locally ( and pick up any containers ) for a small charge.
Flower girls posies. from £50
Specially designed for little hands, these can be smaller versions of the brides bouquets, or created in a small wicker basket.
Buttonholes and corsages from £15
Seasonal combinations of flowers and foliage, often with a Scottish themed ‘thistle’. All supplied in water, to ensure freshness and with pins, so you just have to carefully attach them to your wedding outfit. Tied with rustic twine or crisp white cotton.
Florals for the venue.
A whole range of possibilities here. Please note that we do not offer large scale, on site, floral installations.
For the tables - seasonal flowers in your containers or ours. We have an eclectic mix of containers;
bottles, whispy and delicate (£12),
tea cups, vintage style (£14)
jam jars posies, ever popular (£18),
round ribbed vases of flowers (£40)
rustic wooden brick moulds ( each with a trio of posies) (£40). Rectangular in shape, these are ideal for trestle tables
larger displays from £60
milk churns, standing at 55cm ( without flowers), these are perfect for framing an entrance - the church door, dining room or marquee. £120
For the confetti moment, we offer dried petals - not dyed, not sprayed, not imported, just simple, natural, dried petals and fragrant leaves all gathered from our garden. Supplied in muslin bags (£25 per bag, approx. 8-10 handfuls) or small pillow-shaped cardboard packages tied up with twine (£3 each, 1-2 handfuls). Scatter a few petals across the tablecloth for a natural look.
Flowers for you to create your own displays.
If you are lucky enough to have creative friends and family, then this might be a good option for you. We can supply as many stems as you wish, maybe one or two days before your wedding, and you can create your own floral displays. Don’t be intimidated by the, now dated, idea of flower ‘arranging’. Our flowers have a charm of their own and look best when simply styled. They do not need to be elaborately arranged! Sometimes, the most simple ideas can look absolutely stunning. Have a chat with Bridget and show her the containers that you will be using. She can give you some idea of the number of stems you will need and how to create really memorable displays.
100 stems of a variety of seasonal flowers/foliage £70. collection from The Moorhouse, or local delivery for a small charge.
‘Bride plus one’ Grow your own Wedding flowers workshop
Held here at The Moorhouse. Bring along your mum, your bridesmaid or your bestie for a ‘ Grow your own Wedding Flowers’ workshop. Bridget will spend a couple of hours showing you how to use flowers from your own garden to make fabulous displays. Learn how to get the most out of your patch with quick and easy annual flowers, and how to create your very own bouquet.
For 2 people, mornings at 10am or afternoons at 2pm. Approximately 2 hours. £50 each person.
Finally,
We recognise that sometimes it takes a few weeks or even months to decide exactly what you want, and you may change your ideas as time goes on. That is no problem for us. We don’t charge for alterations, we just need a broad idea of your vision, and we can adapt your order as you wish. We do not have a minimal order value, so you can choose as many flowers as you like.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on the form below.
Wedding Enquiry Form