Is it possible to have a favourite flower? I know the struggle! If you asked me at the turning of Spring, I would be swooning for tulips. Summer? Dancing Cosmos blooms. Autumn? It has to be Dahlias! Winter? I would never be far from beautifully scented paperwhites. But what do I always come back to?
The Dog Rose.
As I began working with the seasons, it became clear that I had a constant companion. The Dog Rose perfectly shows how the passing of time changes us and that every version of ourself is beautiful.
How does the Dog Rose change? For Spring weddings I can use the readily shooting foliage to create beautiful structures which in the Summer transform into delicate wild pink roses. The Autumn adds ripe red berries to inject colour and texture to any design and the Winter holds the memory of the year with leaves and berries dried enduringly onto preserved stems.
That’s when I realised that I wanted to have the Dog Rose at the heart of my branding.
I needed to do justice to the whimsical and changing essence of the bloom and reached out to an artist I had admired for a long time. Mary Ellen Taylor is a contemporary Botanical and Nature Artist who has an exceptional talent for capturing every detail and shade with her use of pencils and water colours. Though her realistic depictions awed me, I knew her expressive drawings made my heart sing.
The process had begun.
Excitedly, I received my design from Mary Ellen and knew this Dog Rose would be the one to influence my branding. The result? You can see the simplified line art of this design through my logos and stationary, revealed in gold foil and nestled amongst initials. I couldn’t be happier.
When creating bespoke mood boards for couples or writing names of blooms onto keepsake cards, a glimpse of the Dog Rose emblem reminds me to look forward to that next big change and the exciting projects it will bring but to also slow down and appreciate the beauty of where I am now. The seasons may change but my love of flowers is one constant I will always cherish.
