Bright clashing colours for a fun retro wedding at Harelaw Farm
It is always great to head back to Harelaw Farm to flower up a wedding and Sarah and Stuart’s sunny (very sunny) September wedding was no exception. I’d worked on one of Harelaw’s first ever weddings, back when the venue was so new to weddings that there was still a working piggery and it’s been great to see it develop over the years.
Weddings at Harelaw Farm
Just 30 minutes outside Glasgow, Harelaw Farm is in the perfect spot. Easy access to the city centre for guests, but set within the serenity and beauty of the Scottish countryside. If you’re into the barn vibes then it’s got all that and more. Plus the team that run it are absolutely lovely. An added bonus on Sarah and Stuart’s day was the fab team of suppliers that I worked with. Including my favourite wedding photography duo, Jo + Liam who are super fun to hang around with and full of lots of upbeat, positive vibes. They were a great fit for Sarah and Stuart!
It felt so summery, there was a mad heatwave in Scotland. We were up in the high 20s, which is bonkers for Scotland in September. Sarah and Stuart had a really strong vision for their day, and Sarah and I worked really closely planning their florals. She was so sweet to work with and I loved the whole process. Plus their colour scheme was *chef’s kiss*. A really fun, clashy pink and red. So good, I’m all for a good clash! Forget everything you’ve ever been taught about clashing colours and just go for it. It really makes the flowers zing. If there’s no clash, or contrast, things can end up feeling a little flat but their reds and pinks bought so much energy to the designs. We mixed up pastels with brighter colours and burgundy pops.
Bright flowers and pops of colour
Stuart and his groomsmen’s buttonholes were a mixture of sensible, traditional thistles with fun pops of bright pink spray roses. These tied in so well with the wedding colours and Sarah’s bridal bouquet.
Photo by Jo + Liam Photography
I included rosemary, which signifies remembrance in the language of flowers, and is used a lot in wedding flowers. Plus it has a beautiful scent. I bound the buttonholes with twine for that rustic feel as they were getting married in a barn. Twine also goes well with most colours, and looked fab against their grey jackets.
Sarah’s bridesmaids were in a mixture of scarlet and baby pink, I love it when there’s a variety of coloured dresses. Sarah’s bouquet and the bridesmaid’s posies all tied in with that mixture of reds, pinks and pastels. I also added fun streamer ribbons in scarlet, baby pink and a shimmery white, to the bridal bouquet.
The bouquets were filled with lovely seasonal Scottish flowers as well as roses and dahlias, a mainstay of that time of year. Zinia, scabious, cosmos and lots of wafty jasmine tendrils, berries gave texture. I combined them with blousy, bigger blooms for a very summery, romantic blousy feel. The cosmos dances around as you move, I also added Panicum grass, which looks like a firework or a fountain and has a lovely shimmery quality to it.
Flowers for a very cute canine!
Sarah and Stuart had a special guest for the day, their beautiful dog. I got to make a bespoke dog flower collar, which was a real joy! Picture a flower crown, but attached to the dog’s collar with ribbon. We matched it with the bridal flowers, and their dog had a pink harness too which looked fab.
Photo by Jo + Liam Photography
Now, just a word of advice, I always say with any flowers for dogs, kids, llamas and any other creatures, please do have someone keeping an eye out. We don’t want those flowers to get eaten! I know from personal experience that black labs like to eat anything and everything - and I do mean everything! Even though some other dogs just aren’t bothered it’s still good to have a responsible adult in charge.
Harelaw Farm weddings
Their ceremony was held in the smaller byre. We placed milk churns by the main doors and created big, wild organic meadow arrangements with beautiful pink and red flowers along with lots of foliage. There were lots of fun textures in there, including snapdragon, cosmos and berries. It’s a really good time of year for texture! The milk churns are super easy to move through to the main barn for wedding reception. You all know how I love to repurpose wedding flowers!
Sarah and Stuart had collected lots of whisky, gin and other fun alcohol glass bottles. It was a great way for guests to get involved in the lead up to the wedding too, a team effort to collect them all!
We filled the bottles with lots of seasonal, colouful flowers like dahlias, phlox, echinacea - all the fun flowers! They then went into the feeding troughs that line the walls of the byre, and I placed some on top of the signing whisky barrel. After the ceremony they were moved to the tables for the meal.
Long, trestle tables had red cheesecloth runners down the centre as well as those bottles filled with seasonal flowers. Bottles or jars of flowers are a really good option if you’re having sharing platters. The bottles are easy to reposition but big enough to bring colour and make a statement. They’re a great DIY project too! If you don’t think you’ll be able to drink enough booze to get enough empty bottles before your wedding then you can always make friends with your local pub. They get through plenty of bottles and might be happy to save them for you. Bottles are so easy to recycle afterwards as well. Reuse, recycle and reduce waste!
The pinks and reds continued throughout the reception. Those bright colours looked so good against the muted beige, brown and stone tones of the barn. I absolutely loved their neon sign behind the top table and those amazing, cascading fairy lights. Sarah and Stuart really leaned into the disco, retro vibes, with vinyl on their tables printed with their favourite bands and musicians as well as lots of disco balls dotted around.
All in all there was lots of glitz, loads of colour and a whole heap of sparkles. Which sums up Sarah and Stuart’s day pretty well!
Photo by Jo + Liam Photography
Thanks so much to the ever wonderful Jo + Liam for their photos. If you’re thinking of having a colourful wedding with strong clashes of brights then this is your inspiration.
Here are a few more weddings I’ve flowered up at Harelaw
October autumnal wedding at Harelaw Farm
And here are a few more dog flowers to inspire you if you’re going to bring you four legged friend to your wedding.