Loving hydrangeas

Rose and hydrangea heart - Image courtesy of Leafy Couture

When I was getting married, I looked at alot of flowers because we (or should that be my extremely creative mother) were doing the flowers ourselves for the church and reception. I decided I wanted big bold flowers so we went to the flower wholesalers and looked at all the gorgeous blooms and at first I was looking at peonies (but as it was pointed out "not in October you're not") and then I saw the flower that I immediately fell in love with - beautiful large white hydrangeas. Oh how I wanted them and oh how my dreams were shattered when I was told it would be hard to get them in October. In other words they would cost a fortune and we had a big church to fill. I did sulk but then what Mum came up with was amazing and I wouldn't have changed what we had for the world! Although I will be honest and say if I'd had something like this on my top table I wouldn't have been unhappy!

Image by Chris Hanley Photography, floristry by Green Earth Flowers

And who would be unhappy with gorgeously simple bouquets like this?

or even this?


But despite not being able to have these gorgeous blooms on my wedding day, my love for hydrangeas has continued and I love having them in the house (and we are desperately trying to grow them in the garden!). I love the colours and I love their overall boldness but I also love the fact that for all their boldness they are made up of hundreds of delicate petals. And it was whilst I was looking at a beautiful dried hydrangea head last year that I came up with a few ideas for my 2011 Summer Collection - taking the form of the hydrangeas and turning that into beautiful hair accessories.

The initial concept idea was born using gorgeous rose quartz chips

And then having fallen in love with the concept I decided that this idea would form the backbone of the summer collection. And so 5 pieces were designed (and the 6th will be released very soon!). Here are the 3 main designs:

Hydrangeas

Photography by Hannah Duffy Photography

Hydrangea


Hortensia

Photography by Hannah Duffy Photography

I wanted to recreate that feeling of bold yet delicate in the designs so I decided upon beautiful freshwater pearls to give the depth and sparkling Swarovski crystals in various shapes and sizes to give the sense of delicacy and lightness. And by using a mix of singular and clustered beading I was adding an extra layer of texture and interest into the overall look. But the key to these pieces is the wiring and construction. Layers of decreasing circles of wiring are piled on top of each other and then twisted to give a light and airy feel to the pieces whilst maintaining a bold overall look. As you look into these designs you can see a dense core - just as you can see when you look into a hydrangea. These designs represent a beautiful element of summer for me and the range of designs from the bold and striking Hydrangeas through to the small and yet beautiful pins which are fantastic in barrel curls means that they appeal to a wide bridal audience. And indeed these pieces have proved to be a favourite with brides and magazines alike.

And over the next few weeks I will releasing a rather special hydrangea inspired design to celebrate the start of Spring and the move towards the summer season.

All in all though it must be remembered that if it wasn't for the amazing hydrangea none of these designs are likely to exist. They are just the perfect flower - gorgeous when fresh and hauntingly beautiful when dried. And to illustrate their fabulousness I asked Emily Quinton if she had any images of hydrangeas and she sent me some wonderful images which highlight their versatility at every stage of their lifecycle.

Beautifully simple purple hydrangea display

Pretty in Pink

Beautifully delicate when dried

Picture perfect, paper thin detail

Apart from the gorgeousness of the hydrangea, these images just show what a talented botanical (as well as wedding) photographer Emily is and in a few weeks I will be bringing you a feature post on Emily and her fabulous work. So look out for that - I can't wait to share it with you.

I hope you have enjoyed my little post about this beautiful flower and I have been able to share some hydrangea love. It never ceases to amaze me how nature develops such things of beauty I would love to know if anyone else shares my warm and cosy feelings for them or even hear about what floats your boat in terms of blooms.

So until next time......
Special thanks to:
Leafy Couture
Chris Hanley Photography
Hannah Duffy Photography
Emily Quinton
for providing lovely examples of their work and images.