Image courtesy of Luminous Moments
Madi and Danny were married in August at Little Cove in Port Douglas, followed by a reception at the Rainforest Grotto.
Little Cove is one of those ceremony locations that doesn’t need much added to it. With the lawn, palms, water and mountain views already doing a lot of the work, it lends itself beautifully to a more considered floral approach.
For Madi and Danny, we coined the floral style contemporary garden style. We wanted the flowers to feel elegant and quite intentional, with more grouped placements than some of our looser designs, while still keeping that textural, slightly wild and romantic feel that is very much part of The Posy Crew style.
Image courtesy of Sand and Soul Photography
Keeping the ceremony simple
Madi wore an incredible gown, so we were conscious of not creating a ceremony backdrop that competed with her.
Instead, we designed a standard-sized floor floral arrangement for the couple to stand in front of during the ceremony.
It gave the space a clear floral focal point without overwhelming the setting or the couple. And at Little Cove, where the natural surroundings are such a strong part of the ceremony, sometimes a more restrained approach really does work best.
Images courtesy of Luminous Moments
A very good idea for after the ceremony
One of my favourite parts of this wedding was what happened immediately after the ceremony.
Rather than rushing everyone straight off to the reception, guests moved into nearby Rex Smeal Park for drinks and canapés.
I thought this was such a lovely idea.
It gave everyone a chance to relax, celebrate the ceremony and enjoy the Port Douglas setting before moving on to the evening. Rex Smeal Park sits right beside the Little Cove area and is well known for its waterfront lawns and views, so it works beautifully for this kind of in-between moment.
We created a small feature floral design for the canapé or banquet table, bringing the wedding flowers into this part of the day without needing to over-style the space.
Photo courtesy of Sand and Soul Photography
Making the ceremony flowers work twice
While guests enjoyed drinks, we relocated the main ceremony flowers to the reception at the Rainforest Grotto Port Douglas.
The original floor floral design had been created in four sections, which meant we could separate it after the ceremony and reuse the pieces around the reception.
Some were used to decorate the champagne tower and bar area, giving the flowers a second life and helping connect the ceremony and reception visually.
This is something we love doing where the design and logistics allow it. Rather than creating an entirely new set of flowers for each part of the wedding, we can sometimes design with relocation in mind from the very beginning.
The Rainforest Grotto works particularly well for this style of celebration because it is essentially a blank canvas set within a private rainforest setting, so the florals and styling can really shape the feel of the space.
Image courtesy of Sand and Soul Photography
Simple flowers for the long tables
For the reception tables, we kept things simple.
Long tables were finished with glass bud vases filled small groupings of flowers, allowing the floral detail to continue through the reception without competing with the larger feature pieces.
The result felt elegant, relaxed and connected from start to finish.
There was enough floral presence to make the wedding feel special, but nothing felt overdone.
Image courtesy of Sand and Soul Photography
Contemporary garden style in Port Douglas
This wedding was a lovely example of how a more contemporary floral style can still feel soft, natural and romantic.
By combining grouped floral placements with movement, texture and seasonal flowers, we were able to create something that felt polished without becoming too formal.
And by designing the ceremony flowers so they could be relocated, the floral investment worked harder across the day too.
For couples planning a Little Cove wedding, a Rainforest Grotto wedding or another celebration in Port Douglas, this kind of approach can work beautifully. Choose the moments where flowers will have the most impact, then think about how those designs might continue through the rest of the day.
Image courtesy of Sand and Soul Photography
The team
Floral design: The Posy Crew
Planning and styling: Port Douglas Weddings & Hire
Photographer: Luminous Moments
Ceremony: Little Cove, Port Douglas
Post-ceremony drinks: Rex Smeal Park
Reception: Rainforest Grotto Port Douglas
Planning a Port Douglas wedding?
The Posy Crew creates seasonal, garden-inspired wedding flowers across Port Douglas, Palm Cove, Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands.
If you are planning a wedding at Little Cove, the Rainforest Grotto or another Port Douglas venue and our style feels like the right fit for you, we’d love to hear about your plans.
Head to the website and complete our contact form to get started.