Poppy and Gold Wedding

The wedding bouquets in this photo shoot really stand out. With the glorious poppies and bright accent greenery, the flowers steal the show in this poppy and gold wedding. Until one sees the gowns, of course!

Elegance is the word to describe the bridal attire in this inspirational shoot. Enchanting in every pose, this couple takes getting married to a whole new level. A wedding in a field of gold matches both dresses chosen for this shoot. Where will you have your poppy and gold wedding?

Food for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

With a colour and flower based theme such as a poppy and gold wedding, it can be tricky to integrate this into your wedding food without it coming across as too much. The star of the show when it comes to wedding food has to be the wedding cake itself.

In poppy and gold weddings, it’s common to have a naked cake where you can see the almost poppy coloured layers of jam and cream and then adorn the cake with similarly coloured berries or with a little bit of gold leaf for a touch of glamour. Don’t use too much gold, otherwise, it just won’t look appetising!

Bouquets & Boutonnieres for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

When you have a wedding theme that has the name of a flower in the title, you know that there’s at least one decision you’re not going to agonise over. With it being a poppy and gold wedding, the easy choice here is to include poppies in your bouquet, boutonnieres and centrepieces.

With poppies being quite a wildflower, it’s a good idea to include a lot of greenery to surround your bouquet to complete the wild and free look. If you don’t want poppies themselves, look at flowers with a similar colour profile and structure.

Dresses & Accessories for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

So far we haven’t really touched on the gold aspect of your poppy and gold wedding, but that changes now. This doesn’t mean go out and buy a gold dress straight away – instead find a dress with gold detailing that brightens up your overall theme as shown here.

Poppy and gold weddings tend to be outside to go with the whole wild nature of the theme, so having the gold in your dress or in your accessories adds the elegance needed for this most special of occasions. Be wary though, go for gold elements on your dress or gold jewellery – both might be over the top.

Colour Palettes for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

Well, clearly our wedding palette has gold in it, but this being an outdoor style of wedding there is also a lot of white, pale reds and greens that you can feature throughout your wedding. The little details and small moments can really tie a theme together and leave a lasting impression.

Think about mix and match tableware, floral arrangements and wedding invitations – you want to weave these two or three key colours throughout the entire wedding experience so that your guests have a sense of the atmosphere and vision you’re wanting to create and can come dressed accordingly.

Table Setting Style for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

As with a lot of the details and decor for a poppy and gold wedding, there is a softer element with the poppies and a more opulent aspect with the gold side of the theme. So when you’re looking at your table setting style it’s important to balance both sides of your poppy and gold wedding theme.

The easiest way to do this is to lead with a neutral cream base and highlight it with poppy-coloured centrepieces and use gold accents, maybe on the edges of your plates, glasses and other stemware. You don’t want to go too heavy with the gold otherwise it might look overdone.

Wedding Photo Shoot Ideas for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

For your photo shoot, it might be a good idea to lean into the chosen colours of your theme. You can go super extravagant with it. One idea might be to stand in a gold birdcage or pergoda and surround yourself with poppies to drive home the theme and embrace it fully.

If you’re looking for something more subtle consider the close up shots of you and your new spouse's hands. Hold the bouquet of poppies and have the gold of your new wedding bands and jewellery shining through against the vibrant pink and red.

Portrait Props for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

When you’re looking at potential portrait props, there are plenty of options that tie in nicely with your theme. Separate from the poppy flowers themselves you can go with the wild and free vibe of flower crowns and garlands.

Speaking of crowns, when you think of portrait props, headwear is normally a go-to and when gold is in the scheme, a crown can definitely be an option and can be a prop that you, your friends and family can really have fun with. Think gold opulence jewellery – even if it’s costumey – or for more elegance, stick with more of a filigree look.

Ceremony Decor for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

For the ceremony decor for your poppy and gold wedding, it’s best to keep it simple and classic. Too much of either will end up looking gauche or too soft and romantic – either is fine, but it’s not the vibe that we’re trying to achieve here.

Balance the poppies and the gold aspects with plenty of green leaves to lighten up the scheme and give some texture and variety. Consider poppy petals along the aisle and a gold coloured circular or hexagonal structure to serve as an altar. This way all eyes are definitely on your and your soon to be spouse.

Budget for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

Despite having a relatively expensive flower and one of the most expensive materials on the planet in the title of your wedding theme, you can successfully pull off this kind of poppy and gold wedding look on a budget. If you’re not massively tied to fresh flowers for all of your floral arrangements, poppies are common among fake floral designs and will help reduce costs.

When it comes to gold details and decor options, gold as a colour and material comes and goes with the trends. As a result, there are a lot of second hand and vintage items that would work for a Poppy and Gold Wedding that you can pick up for fairly cheap.

Outdoor Wedding Ideas for a Poppy and Gold Wedding

Because half of the focus for this wedding theme is based around a wildflower, this poppy and gold wedding scheme lends itself really well to an outdoor wedding while the gold aspect will catch the natural sunlight in different beautiful ways throughout the day and into the evening.

If you are having an outdoor ceremony, then do try and pair back the opulence to make it fit with your more natural wedding venue. This can be done by adding more natural colours and textures like vibrant greens and reclaimed wood to balance out the gold and rich reds of the poppies.  

Field of Dreams Editorial from Smitten Magazine

Have you seen the newest issue of Smitten Magazine yet? If you haven’t you must. Their Spring 2014 issue is just overflowing with beauty and I’m beyond thrilled to be sharing one of the many inspirational editorials to be found there.

Titled Field of Dreams, styled by Pursuing Eden, and shot by Brandi Smyth Photography – today’s wedding inspiration shoot from Smitten Magazine manages to capture a sense of laid-back luxury and dreamy enchantment.

Be sure to click over to the Smitten Magazine to see more from their Spring Issue. Within those 150+ pages you’ll find 4 real weddings, 6 styled shoots, 2 DIYs (the floral headpiece one is my favourite), a flower workshop editorial (that’s amazing, trust me, I’m crazy for it), a ‘trends to try’ feature, and so much more!

Credits: Photography: Brandi Smyth // Featured in Smitten Magazine Volume 10 – Ethereal Elements // Gold Sheer Dress: Handmade by MDSewingAtelier on Etsy // Grey Chiffon Dress: Paolo Sebastian from Nearly Newlywed // Hair Piece: Cristina Vine by Jannie Baltzer // Hair & Makeup: Bel Viso Makeup Artisty by Molly (bel.viso.makeupartistry(at)gmail.com) // Groom’s Attire: Tallia courtesy of John Pickens // Cakes: Silver Palate Cakery // Décor & Styling: Pursuing Eden // Floral Design: Mandy Cathey Florist // Paper Goods: Chez Rivage by Nealy Digilormo.