THE BRIEF
Deep, Wild and Autumnal
From the first moodboard, Ellie and Jack were drawn to flowers with depth: burnt oranges, rust, burgundy, plum and warm brown foliage, lifted with occasional softer peach and pink tones so the palette never felt too dark. They loved a wild, seasonal style with generous greenery, especially eucalyptus, ivy, oak leaf, cotinus, physocarpus and autumn beech.
The final designs centred around dahlias, cosmos, astilbe, roses, hydrangea, sanguisorba, ammi, helenium, echinacea and chrysanthemums. The brief was full but considered: a larger bridal bouquet, four bridesmaid bouquets, seven buttonholes, twelve aisle arrangements, a wild altar design, sixteen reception table designs and one entrance arrangement to sit with the welcome sign.
Because the wedding breakfast was served as sharing plates, the table flowers needed to feel generous without taking over the table. We worked towards tall stems in clear glass bud vases, lighter foliage through the centre, warm orange tea lights and enough space for food to move easily around the table.
THE VENUE
The Barns at Delbury Hall, Shropshire
Ellie and Jack married at The Barns at Delbury Hall, an exclusive-use Shropshire wedding venue set within the Delbury Hall estate. The venue combines an 18th-century Georgian manor setting with restored barn spaces, gardens, parkland and the light-filled Orangery used for wedding breakfasts.
For autumn wedding flowers, Delbury Hall is a dream to design into. The ceremony room brings together exposed brick, white plaster, stone flooring, wooden cross-back chairs and statement lighting, while the Orangery opens the day out into views of the garden and surrounding countryside. It gave us two very different spaces to connect with one floral story: richer, foliage-led ceremony flowers in the barn, then lighter, table-friendly bud vases and garlands for the reception.
The venue's scale also made it possible to move designs through the day. The altar arrangement was created with the top table in mind, so it could become a second focal point after the ceremony, while the entrance flowers were designed to sit beautifully with the welcome sign and later work alongside the seating plan.
INSTALLATION & ON THE DAY
A Thoughtful Setup Plan
The installation was planned around Delbury's Friday access, with setup beginning in the ceremony room before moving through to the Orangery. We liaised with the venue team ahead of the day so the larger pieces could be moved safely and reused, helping the flowers work harder across the whole celebration.
The ceremony table was compact and also needed to be used for signing, so the altar design was kept lush but practical: slightly more upright, full of autumn foliage, and sized to sit comfortably without losing impact. Later, it could be placed at the top table with extra foliage and bud vases around it, giving Ellie and Jack a beautiful focal point for the wedding breakfast.
We also added foliage for the sweetie cart, tying it back into the wider design. It was a small extra detail, but exactly the kind of thing that makes the whole day feel intentional from room to room.
BRIDE'S BOUQUET & BUTTONHOLE
Wild Texture and Chiffon Ribbon
Ellie's bouquet was designed to feel larger, wild and full, with trailing foliage and a relaxed garden shape. The couple were especially drawn to deeper oranges and purples, so the finished bouquet brought together orange and coral dahlias, burgundy astilbe, dark chrysanthemums, eucalyptus, cotinus and autumn leaves, with softer tones woven through for balance.
The bridesmaid bouquets followed the same seasonal language on a smaller scale. Ribbon colour was chosen carefully once the dresses were confirmed: an olive-green tone to sit beautifully with both the green and rust bridesmaid dresses, while still feeling subtle against the foliage.
For the buttonholes, Jack loved the small dahlias, but the brief also called for variation so not every wearer had to have orange. We created a mixed set using dahlias in burgundy, apricot, peach and burnt orange, with eucalyptus, dark foliage and textured seed heads to keep each one connected to the wider palette.
CEREMONY
Aisle Foliage and an Autumn Altar
The ceremony brief was foliage-led. Ellie and Jack loved the idea of aisle arrangements that echoed the greenery already hanging from Delbury's chandelier, so we kept the chair designs full of ivy, eucalyptus, oak leaf and warm beech rather than making them overly floral.
Twelve aisle arrangements were tied to every other row, giving rhythm down the aisle without crowding the space. At the front, the altar arrangement brought the flower palette back in: dahlias, hydrangea, ammi, antirrhinum and dark autumn foliage arranged in a wild spray across the ceremony table.
The result was soft, atmospheric and unmistakably October: deep green structure, warm brown leaves and flashes of orange and burgundy against Delbury's pale stone floor and brick walls.
RECEPTION
Bud Vases in the Orangery
The wedding breakfast tables needed to feel dressed and abundant while still leaving room for sharing platters. Instead of heavy centrepieces, we used an assortment of clear glass bud vases with three stems per vase, paired with a light scattering of foliage through the table centre.
Each table carried the same autumn palette in miniature: coral dahlias, peach roses, burgundy snapdragons, dark cosmos, ammi and textured seed heads, with eucalyptus and autumn beech softening the lines between vases. Orange tea light holders added warmth without the height or wax risk of tall candles.
For the top table, the ceremony arrangement was repurposed as the focal point and supported with extra foliage and bud vases, so the reception design felt fuller where it mattered most.
ENTRANCE ARRANGEMENT
A Wild Welcome
The entrance arrangement was designed as a generous 90cm by 80cm wild piece for the welcome sign: tall, full of foliage and layered with key wedding flowers. It needed to make an immediate impression as guests arrived, but also feel completely connected to the rest of the day.
We built it with dahlias, hydrangeas, antirrhinums, ammi, chrysanthemums, eucalyptus, ivy and autumn beech, allowing the flowers to spill naturally around the forest-green sign. The sign itself celebrated Ellie and Jack becoming husband and wife after 4,667 days together, dated 25 | 10 | 25.
Later in the day, this piece could sit alongside the seating plan at the entrance to the Orangery, carrying the first impression through into the reception.
THEIR REVIEW
A note from the couple
“Alex did the flowers for our wedding and they were absolutely stunning. We had so many people comment on how beautiful they looked throughout the day.
Alex was incredibly helpful and responsive in the lead-up to the wedding and was able to help guide us with suggestions and make sure the displays were tailored to our colour scheme and preferences. The whole process was so enjoyable — my husband has even discovered a newfound interest in flowers!”
INSPIRED BY THIS WEDDING?
Let's Create Your Day
Planning an autumn wedding in Shropshire or beyond? Get in touch to discuss your flowers.