Indian Palace

The day before London disappeared under a blanket of snow, we were at One Great George Street for the wedding of Simon and Jag. The theme was 'Indian Palace' and began with a civil ceremony in the Smeaton Room, where church candles, tealights and scented jasmine trails decorated the mantelpieces. In complete contrast, an elaborate Indian ceremony took place in the afternoon in the same room which was transformed by the addition of a Mandap which we garlanded with deepest pink carnations.
For the evening reception, the Great Hall was the perfect setting for this glamorous event where tables surrounded with gilt chairs were dressed with deep purple cloths and crystal candelabra supplied by Alternative Occasions, which we completed with lavish rings of purple lisianthus and lilac roses. Gold and silver tealights completed the sumptuous look.The wedding was superbly co-ordinated by Amanda Sherlock of Giles Sherlock Event Design and all credit should go to her for all her hard work and for looking after us so wonderfully.

Jamelia Says I Blue!!

As corny as it sounds, that WAS the headline in one of the tabloid newspapers last year when we supplied the flowers for singer Jamelia's marriage to footballer Darren Byfield. Photographs are few and far between, but much was made of the fact that Jamelia chose blue roses for her wedding bouquet. Most of the press said that she had chosen them as a tribute to Darren's team colours, but it was the bride herself who asked us if we could get blue roses because she liked them and, when we said we could it was blue all the way.

We were delighted then to be asked by You & Your Wedding magazine, to recreate Jamelia's bouquet for an A List inspiration feature for the current March/April issue. Of course there is no such thing as a true blue rose, so we used white roses which had been dyed, which is not as strange as it may sound because many flowers can be dyed to match your chosen colour scheme.....even four colours at once! For Jamelia, every rose was wired so that the stem of the bouquet was very slender to hold, bound with organza ribbon and finished with diamante pins. The bouquet itself was also highlighted throughout with diamante jewels to complement the brides accessories. A bold colour choice but a beautiful one, so if you're considering something a little different for you wedding flowers, then go for it!!

Simply the best!

Sometimes a wedding can be so beautiful that even we feel really moved by it. This happened almost a year ago, when we provided flowers for a wonderful couple, Isobelle and Steve, who won us in a competition! The setting was the exquisite Fawsley Hall in Northamptonshire and their chosen colours were rich wine reds and clarets, perfect for a bitterly cold day in February. Isobelle particularly loved amaryllis and hellebores, and her wish was our command! The bride's trailing bouquet complemented her beautiful silk sash and was a glorious combination of scented jasmine trails, roses ,tulips and hellebores.

The titian haired bridesmaids wore beautiful long, soft caramel satin dresses and carried posies of hellebores and scented rosemary, finished with organza ribbon.

As couples go, its hard to beat clients like Isobelle and Steve, who truly deserved a setting as lovely as Fawsley Hall.

The wedding breakfast took place in the beautifully restored Knightley Court, the former 18th century stable block which has been exquisitely furnished. In this gracious setting, guests entered the hall which we had decorated with moss lined vases of velvety red amaryllis surrounded by flickering tealights. Tables for the reception were dressed with alternating high and low arrangements of roses, tulips and rich winter foliages to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

We are deeply grateful to Mason Photography for bringing our work to life in such a glorious fashion. When we saw these photographs for the first time, we felt genuinely emotional. It truly makes all the hard work worth while.

Don't forget your Sandals!!

It's always good to start the New Year by making new contacts and, last week we did just that when we were invited by Amanda Sherlock from The Association of Bridal Consultants to a wonderfully hosted networking evening by Sandals. Now you wouldn't automatically associate floristry with one of the premiere holiday companies in the world, but for us it was particularly inspiring to learn that Preston Bailey one of the worlds most respected floral and event designers, has joined forces to create a collection of stunning floral themes for couples planning their weddings with Sandals.

For anyone who thought that having a destination wedding meant having to forego the flowers of your dreams, Preston Bailey has brought his magic touch to the caribbean!

Christmas Wedding

Welcome to our last blog for 2008. We said last week that this would be a Christmas one; and that was certainly the theme for this wedding, which took place at the walled garden at Cowdray in West Sussex last Saturday. Pine, holly, larch and fragrant myrtle were the order of the day for this festive celebration. Tables were dressed with rings of rich seasonal foliages and berries which also made beautiful gifts for guests afterwards.
Windowsills were dressed with pine, holly and candles for winter warmth and a white chocolate helter skelter cake added that touch of snow! We wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and look forward to sharing more of our work with you in the New Year.

Gorgeous things come in little packages!!

Santa arrived early at South Park Studios today when our friend Amanda Sherlock of Giles Sherlock Event Design came bearing gifts in the form of these gorgeous little boxes of edible cookie decorations made by Peggy Porschen. She had even gone to the trouble of having them personalised with our names. Now that's what we call attention to detail!!

Chic City Wedding

As so many couples choose to marry and celebrate their weddings in the same venue; it was a real treat for us to supply the flowers for both church and reception last week, at the wedding of Stephanie and Richard. The marriage took place at Corpus Christi church in Covent Garden, a church so discreet on the outside that you could easily walk past without noticing this hidden gem, tucked just off the Strand. For this winter ceremony we decorated the church with seasonal flowers, foliages and berries, warmed with candlelight and festive wreaths which lined the aisle.

Following the service, the guests made their way to the ultra chic Haymarket Hotel for the evening celebration, which was co-ordinated by wedding planner Zoe Lingard The wedding breakfast was held in the hotel's stunning Shooting Gallery, where the tables were dressed with candelabra surrounded by stylised rings of pure white lisianthus for a modern twist on a perennial favouite.

Next week it's a Christmas one!