Elopement Flowers Scotland - Q&A with Mel of Briar Rose Design

MEL is the GREEN-FINGERED GODDESS who is the ARTISTIC genius behind BRIAR ROSE DESIGN. SHE CREATES WILD FLOWER WEDDING FLORALS THAT ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRYTALE. FROM BOUQUETS TO INSTALLATIONS, SHE'S GOT YOU BLOOMING COVERED for elopement flowers scotland wide!

Hi! I’m Mel from Briar Rose Design which I started almost 10 years ago after working as a traditional shop florist and freelancing for other wedding florists. My own style as a florist is natural, wild and relaxed. It’s important to me to make sure I focus on sustainability and environmentally friendly practices within the business and I find that most of my clients and couples really value that too. I grow my own flowers and work with other growers nearby to try and use locally grown produce as much as possible. I’ve also recently gone back to college to study horticulture which has really helped me further my skills in growing my own flowers and foliage.

Photo by Joy Story

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A WEE WILD WEDDING THAT YOU’VE SEEN FIRST HAND?

I’ve had the privilege of being a witness at some of the Wee Wild Weddings which is always really lovely seeing two people who are so in love get married. I think the most important thing is that the pressure is off with a Wee Wild Wedding and you can have your day exactly as you want it. Sometimes with bigger weddings, there’s the potential for the couples wishes get a bit lost with having to please everybody but a Wee Wild Wedding is all about you.

It’s also a lot more flexible in terms of timing. For instance, if decides to rain (which it can do a lot in Scotland), you can wait 10 minutes until the rain blows over. You haven’t got as many moving parts as a big wedding which equals much less stress.

Wee Wild Weddings always feel really genuine, lovely, fun and beautiful events to witness. And just because you have a Wee Wild Wedding, doesn’t mean you can’t have a big party afterwards to celebrate with your family.

So, if you’re thinking about it, I would definitely say to go for it!

Photo by Joy Story

Personal flowers are included in the package (i.e. bouquets and buttonholes) but tell us about all the other exciting add-ons you can opt for with Briar Rose Designs.

There’s lots of options if you’re thinking about add-ons for your Wee Wild Weddings package. Things like bridesmaids bouquets, corsages, buttonholes, hair flowers … and flowers for guests too. Another thing that’s really popular is flowers for dogs! A lot of couples like to bring along their furry friends to their wedding and I love to create flower collars or ‘dogsages’ – as long as they don’t try to eat them!

There’s also the option to create a special ceremony space by using flowers. If you’re standing amongst some epic Scottish scenery, it’s sometimes quite nice to create something with flowers that gives a focus and anchors a special space for the ceremony amongst the big mountains, lochs and glens. I’ve made flower arches and hanging archways, meadow flower circles, dressed trees with flower garlands and flowing fabric – there’s a lot of things you can do to add a bit of special flowery magic to your ceremony!

Photo by Joy Story

AS A COUPLE, WHAT OTHER THINGS SHOULD YOU BE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF FLORALS?

Usually the process starts with couples coming to me with colours that they’d like to work with for their flowers. It’s great if they can send me images of designs and styles that they like to help me see what their vision is. Some people like big romantic blousy flowers, others like lots of texture and froth, some want really dramatic trailing bouquets or even something more minimal. It’s really helpful to have pictures to work from and then be able to translate it into something that’s seasonal and in my signature natural, wild flower style.

A top tip for couples getting married in the warmer months is to think making sure that you have water to transport your bouquets and a cool box for buttonholes.

More generally, location is something to bear in mind if you’re inviting guests with mobility challenges – and also think about packing sensible footwear options if you have to walk to your beautiful ceremony location in Scotland’s great outdoors!

Photo by Joy Story

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE FAVOURITE DETAILS YOU’VE SEEN AT WEDDINGS?

I love working with the natural environment and there’s something really special about seeing flowers in a outside in a wild landscape. Obviously Scotland’s scenery is beautiful in itself but when you add really dramatic flowers to that it creates a real wow factor and sense of occasion. And as a creative, it’s just really fun to have the freedom to work that way and go wild with my flowers!

Photo by Joy Story

HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY WEDDING TRENDS APPEARING LATELY?

There’s lots of people looking for bright or clashing colours just now and I’m a big fan. Colour combinations like blue and orange or hot pink and red – both of which I really love. Foliage only designs are also popular just now and really fun for me to work with because I have to use lots of different varieties, colours and textures which can be a fun challenge!