The beach and the ocean have so many moods, tones and textures, and there are so many directions you can go in when it comes to designing your coastal-inspired event. Here are three coastal styling ideas from Ione of Oh Hello Petal to get you started, based on a floral and foliage colour palette!

Natural

Each June, we sneak down to the beach and join my in-laws and extended family for the Queen’s birthday holiday, and it allows me to see a side of the beach that isn’t often appreciated: the ocean in winter. The colour palette is quite muted, with grey skies and wet weather creating matte surfaces. This was the inspiration for the first styling selection.

When deciding on florals, choose neutral, light-toned blooms with dried pieces for texture, and go heavy on foliage to replicate the overgrown scrub of the coast. Pair latte roses or carnations with muted foliages like rosemary or eucalyptus, to give the arrangements romance with earthy substance. Finish them off with fun accents of succulents, dried hydrangea, and lagurus {bunny tails} which are often found growing on Australia’s coastline.

For the decor start with a jute runner to help your guests think of rough sand, and layer with stone and dried seed pods to create texture and interest. Find ceramic vases to reference the sandy cliffs and rocks, and fill them with feathers, a call to the birds of the beach. Finish off with candles and votives as navy as the moody sea, and glass bud vases with natural bubbles to imitate the bubbles and foam on the waves. Add your chosen florals to this setup and voila!

Colour Palette for a Natural Coastal Styling Scheme

Elegant

This styling selection definitely took its inspiration from the lush blue of the sea, and the crisp white of seafoam, along with the palette of the Greek Islands — there’s just an effortlessness that comes when rich, royal blue is paired with white.

Sharp white blooms are front and centre in this scheme, with white phalaenopsis orchids balancing the sweet spot between fun and luxe. White roses combined with blue hydrangea and delphiniums will remind your guests of the domed churches in Mykonos, and using olive as your feature foliage can be a subtle and stylish nod to the Greek Isles.

Blue glass bottles make white florals pop without the palette becoming too harsh, a white muslin runner softens the bold blue. For metallic items such as cutlery, choose gold or brass to add warmth, or silver or steel to keep things a bit more neutral. A crystal-inspired votive gives texture, as does a simple piece of driftwood, echoing back to the sea and adding an interesting textural layer so the palette doesn’t feel too same-same.

Colour Palette for an Elegant Coastal Styling Scheme

 

Tropical

Australia has the best beaches in the world, change my mind. {You won’t!} Some of our most well-known and beautiful coastal areas are found in the tropical north, where florals and foliages of all colours grow in abundance and the cliché of the Aussie beach bum lives on.

Tropical foliage or plants can also be a fun way to dress up the space, so it could be worth hiring some palms or Monstera plants. Add colour with anthuriums, coloured vanda orchids and ginger flowers, then finish off with fun touches like baby pineapples or pineapple lilies, and billy buttons.

Taking palette cues from the strelitzia {bird of paradise} and abalone shell this styling set features bright tones, like the beach on a warm summer’s day. A bright linen table runner looks like a towel abandoned to the sand, with a collection of shells reminiscent of afternoons spent exploring rockpools.

Colour Palette for a Tropical Coastal Styling Scheme

If you are a flora lover like myself, it can make your wedding even more special to know that you’ve taken inspiration from some of your favourite blooms to create the perfect look for your coastal wedding day!

About Oh Hello Petal: Ione Faragher from Oh Hello Petal loves to bring beauty and meaning to celebrations that honour all seasons of life and love. With a strong creative sense guided by intuition, and an emphasis on local and ethically sourced florals, Ione will guide and cheer you on, celebrating you in such a way that helps you feel seen, worthy and loved.

All Images: Oh Hello Petal