An Elegant Wedding at Avington Park

Avington Park stands as an exquisite canvas for unforgettable weddings. Nestled in pristine Hampshire countryside, its timeless elegance offers couples a romantic haven where they can say, ‘I Do’. The stately 17th Century home boasts stunning architecture, opulent interiors, and enchanting gardens that provide a dreamy backdrop for ceremonies and receptions. Its rich history lends an air of grandeur, while versatile spaces accommodate both intimate gatherings and grand celebrations. From the regal Great Hall to the picturesque lakeside, every corner whispers of love stories. It was a pleasure to work with this dreamy couple to create their luxury floral design at Avington Park and I invite you to scroll through a snippet of their very special day…

“Guests absolutely raved about Fiona Curry’s sumptuous florals displayed throughout the Avington Park venue. She and her team brought our luxury wedding aesthetic to life exactly as we’d envisioned. I had to pinch myself when I walked into the ceremony room! Flowers were such a key element of our wedding that Fiona was only the second supplier (after the venue) that we hired. Throughout the months, she listened, gently guided, and never pressured us into ordering more – always cognizant of cost and budget. Fiona also prepared beautiful flowers for our pre-wedding event. And bonus: I feel like I made a wonderful friend in the process. From the bottom of my heart, Fiona, THANK YOU for making our wedding weekend the best of my life!”

Having worked at Avington Park a handful times, I knew how beautiful it was, which only added to my excitement of working with the soon-to-be newlyweds here. Hosted on Saturday 8th July 2023, the couple were graced with glorious summer sunshine throughout their wedding weekend. They actually began celebrating the day before with an informal BBQ and activities on the grounds of Avington Park estate, as they had guests flying in from around the world and wanted to make the most of their time together. My team and I arrived at the venue to decorate the spaces with bud vases, flickering candles and decadent arrangements that were dotted around for the guests to relax and unwind in. The King Charles room was the first room guests would enter upon arrival, so we wanted to make sure it had the wow-factor from the second they stepped in. The lovely Alice of Avington Park was on hand to help throughout the set-up!

Our beautiful bride-to-be was a vision, carrying a bouquet of pillow-soft blooms, including roses, peonies and white hydrangeas. She was wearing a strapless gown, which was the perfect match for her blush pink and ivory flowers. Her husband-to-be had a few buds from her bridal bouquet to pop into his buttonhole.

The stairs that led to the Versailles Room (where the ceremony was being held) were an opportunity to create a statement ‘aisle’ focus. On the day of the wedding, we entwined the stairs with exquisite blush roses, oodles of natural foliage and swathes of falling ivy – the epitome of understated elegance. There’s no doubt about it – the Versailles Room was utterly breathtaking and we so enjoyed filling the space with our signature tall clear pedestals and large billowing arrangements on tall glass vases that gracefully lined the aisle. As you entered the room, on the lefthand side was a stunning and vast mirror, which we artfully adorned with an arrangement of full blush blooms. At the top of the room, an additional huge mirror filled the space, which we styled with matching blush posies as well as tall blousy white delphiniums for an extra dose of glamour, drama and luxury.

After vows had been exchanged, my team and I returned to the ceremony space to repurpose some of the flowers for the reception, using the floral arrangements in the Orangery for table centrepieces. The mirror designs were delicately placed along the top table and on the floor, offering a natural look that looked as though the flowers were growing up the table. The other tables were dressed in pale pink tapered candles in glass holders, along with glass tea lights filled with light pink tea candles. A show-stopping, light and airy space, the Orangery had a seating area where guests could take a few moments to relax and soak up the wedding magic. To style the area, it was filled with furniture from Pippa at W Collection. Cushions and throws in a soft pink palette added a hint of romance to the décor – not to mention the guest chairs for the wedding breakfast.

The bride had fallen head over heels in love with our FCF signature cake flowers, ordering them in a soft pink shade for her wedding cake, which effortlessly became a focal point of the wedding day. It was an absolute joy to work with the newlyweds and to be a part of their elegant occasion at Avington Park – we already can’t wait to return.

If you’re looking for a luxury wedding florist to elevate your wedding day through elegant floral design, I welcome you to get in touch with me to discover my availability and services.

 

Supplier Credits

Catering: Kalm Kitchen

Cake: Dotty Rose Cakes

Music: Quattro String Quartet

Lights and Music: Farnham Sound and Lighting

Photography: Divine Day Photography

Planning: Pippa-W Collection

 

Introducing Fiona

It’s an absolute pleasure to announce the launch of the brand-new Fiona Curry Flowers website and we hope you love it as much as we do! It’s been a ‘behind-the-project’ scenes for many months now and we’re over the moon to be heading into 2021 with a brand that just feels like ‘us’. 

To celebrate the launch of www.fionacurry.com we thought we’d introduce you to Fi, the creative soul, artist and imagination behind the brand. Fi loves nothing more than being surrounded by beautiful flowers on a daily basis and works from her flower studio (the dreamiest space to discuss your wedding day). “Our studio is a wonderful mix of peace and tranquillity, but a creative hub at the same time,” Fi describes. “I am often told that it smells amazing!”

Fi began as a design florist in London before opening a shop in Italy. She now spends her time between Hampshire, London, Umbria and Rome. “I was fascinated with the beauty and ethereal detail of flowers – and the fact they are a natural creation. I just love the way that flowers and foliage can be used as an expression of art.”

Over the years as a wedding florist, Fi has created heart-stoppingly beautiful floral designs for hundreds of couples. She explains, “One of my most memorable times recently was creating the flowers for an exceptionally elegant wedding at Froyle Park, using an abundance of white blooms with touches of blush. The outdoor ceremony was stunning; we decorated the beginning of the aisle with two flower groups on pedestals. Scattered petals and candle-lit glass lanterns led the way to the dome, with two statement garlands framing the soon-to-be newlyweds. The reception was equally elegant, featuring large table centrepieces of white and blush flowers along with an array of candles. The flower groups and garlands were repurposed to decorate the bay window with a table for the bride and groom, surrounded by candles in glass lanterns. It was magical. The bride opted to place various Jo Malone candles around the Ballroom for an added natural fragrance and atmosphere, as well as hand-painted Ladurée macarons in the prettiest boxes for each guest to enjoy.”

Fi’s passion as an event florist effortlessly translates through her work. “I love arranging flowers. The bigger the arrangement the better – although I adore working with tiny wiring detail too. My whole body moves and is involved when I make large arrangements, it’s almost like singing and conducting…” 

The consultations and building a relationship with our couples is also hugely important to Fi. “I love being involved in their happy times!” She is fortunate enough to have trained at the Sloane Street florist ‘Pulbrook and Gould’ and as a result has developed skills that most florists never learn. Her extensive knowledge about flowers (and especially about buying) makes it a joy to deal with other specialists in the industry. 

As a luxury wedding florist, every day is different for Fi and our team – that’s why we love what we do! During wedding season, the start of the week usually involves client work, writing to-do-lists and plenty of market purchasing. Mid-week, the flowers arrive, and work starts in the studio! There is usually a team of florists on hand to condition, count and check the blooms, offering time for any additional adjustments. Work begins on the flower arrangements, as well as lists and packing for smaller details such as candles, urns and pedestals. Towards the end of the working week, we will begin working on the table centrepieces, ceremony flowers, garlands and bridal bouquet. Friday and Saturday are often wedding days, so we’ll spend time setting up flowers in the morning and creating the bouquets for the next wedding in the afternoon. 

To keep everyone going, we start the day with tea, coffee and the radio on to keep us humming while we work. Lunch is spent outside on the garden benches if the weather graces us with sunshine. We chat endlessly all day about families, flowers and weddings! 

If you’re wondering where Fi finds the inspiration for her work, she often looks to Instagram for interior, fashion and all things lovely. She also has every copy of Vogue and House & Garden. “When I’m in London or Rome I visit galleries and admire the flower shops, spending time with other florists if they are free. The hotels I stay in often have flowers arranged in all sorts of ways which I love to see, as well as shop interiors. The cities are full of flowers if you look closely! I am also inspired by the flowers in my garden – the shrubs are huge, and it was definitely originally owned by a lover of cut flowers. Scent and flowers are such an important part of flower design and stay with people for a lifetime. The way flowers and shrubs grow often sparks an idea for a shape or movement of an arrangement or colour combination I hadn’t thought of, particularly with foliage which is so important in the visual display of flower shapes and colour.”

5 QUICK TIPS FOR COUPLES WHO ARE CHOOSING THEIR WEDDING FLOWERS

  • Love your florist’s work!
  • When you meet, enjoy the time dreaming and planning. 
  • Your florist should be knowledgeable and passionate about what they do.
  • It’s your day and you will love your flowers if they are your heart’s desire and not someone else’s – so don’t try to please everyone!
  • Don’t worry about having everything planned out before you meet – enjoy having an expert there to guide you.

Keep your eyes peeled for real love stories and wedding inspiration on the blog, but in the meantime you can follow Fiona Curry Flowers on Instagram here

@fionacurryflowers

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