Charming Illustrator and stationary extraordinaire, Julia Eastwood shares on trend rustic ‘boho botanical’ theme, a hashtag of now for a beautifully natural and unfussy look to your big day stationary! The vision around Julia’s work stems from her desire to create truly bespoke artwork for stationary that puts the happy couple and their personality at the heart of the design. Julia talks through emerging ideas for achieving your own take on boho botanical and showcases some utterly inspiring examples of her work that we simply cant get enough of!
As a designer and illustrator I love trend spotting and this season I’m seeing a huge movement towards Botanicals. From beautiful traditional blooms for a romantic atmosphere to some quite unexpected structured forms for a trend setting vibe, brides are choosing to feature florals that reflect their day and give guests a glimpse of what’s to come. Here are a few of my favourite approaches so far this year…
Foliage and herbs
Following on from the gorgeous woodland theme that has been so prevalent, foliage and herbs have a strong presence this season. Many herbs have sentimental symbolic meanings attached to them; I myself had rosemary in my bridal bouquet as this represented ‘remembrance’ for my Nanna. Couples are choosing to feature illustrated foliage and herbs on their stationery which can then be followed through in to their decorations, for instance using hand tied herbs on pew ends and weaving foliage onto the frame of their seating plan.
Watercolour Blooms
I’m known for my watercolour illustrations, it’s where my brand began and it is still a hugely popular style due to its beautiful romantic feel. Recently I’ve been asked to create watercolour illustrations of the bridal bouquet, picking out flowers that illustrate the couples background, for instance the designs below represent a couple where the bride was born and raised in Yorkshire and the groom Scotland. It’s a simple yet beautiful way to acknowledge where you’ve come from as you begin your new chapter together.
Structure
This is a brand new theme on the rise and has been a lot of fun to create with my brides. Moving in the opposite direction to the traditional delicate florals of bridal bouquets many brides are opting to use structural plants, flowers and even fruit for a modern and dramatic take on their bouquet and centre pieces. I’ve seen it work really well in a British conservatory venue setting and also a destination sunset wedding in Thailand, needless to say, this is a theme I’ll look forward to seeing develop!
Country Garden
The polar opposite of the new ‘structured botanicals’ trend, the feel here is soft, loose, unstructured and natural to sit alongside a sophisticated soiree, think lawn games and delicate china plates. This is the theme my brides and I really enjoy going to town on when it comes to how we present the invitations, wrapped in lace envelopes maybe or including a quirky telegram rsvp.
Visit Julia’s website for a full range of work from wedding stationary and graphics to bespoke prints and portraits! www.lovejuliaeastwood.com
Alternatively view Julia’s gallery of ‘real weddings’ featuring the brides Julia has worked with!
