Nettie's Super Sexy Wedding Bouquet

Yesterday I made this fab full on colour bouquet for a superbly colourful couple Nettie & Phil

Nettie is dramatic, enthusiastic, vivacious and dynamic, this bouquet is absolutely perfect for her. I really wanted big bold powerful colours, with lots of depth and interest, I chose Gerbera because there is a child like quality to Nettie that a Gerbera suits, I chose Amaryllis because our gorgeous bride is tall and voluptuous, the Schwartzwalder Calla lilies are pefect with Netties ebony hair & eyes, I picked out huge blousy Naranga & Grand Prix Roses for their multi layered, curling swirling petals, Tulips & Blossom branches for youth and the new growth of spring.

I added some jewels with golden embellishments, for a bit of the Varanasi vibe we'd discussed.

The handle was bound with a single Aspidestra leaf, neatly pinned with seed pearls.

We also designed Phil's Boutonierre, Schwartzwalder Calla Lily, Grevillea "Spiderman" (Cos that's Phil in a flower) , Rolled Rose Petal and naked Germini centres.

See pictures from Nettie & Phil's wedding Day here's the link 4th April 2009

St Annes Beach January

This a peaceful posting, if you need more flowers, more weddings and more excitement just scroll on down to more of my usual postings.

Sometimes when you live by the sea you forget to visit it, when my friends and relations come to stay they always want to "See the Sea" before they go home. On Friday I left work a little earlier, but was too early for an appointment I had, so I thought I'd just go and see the sea, it was so beautiful and peaceful, the air was fresh and clean and I thought I must do this more often. Honestly there was not a soul in sight, just me and the sea. It was perfect thinking time, time to ponder, time to reflect and time to come up with new ideas, new designs and some new colaborations.

This is the band stand by the paddling pool, St Annes is very beautiful.

It was a bit to chilly for sitting, but I took this photograph to remind me of a place to go and sit and think when I need to and everyone needs to sometimes.

This is a place to be inspired, to get creative, to come up with great plans, Sally get your pencil sharpened I'm coming back seriously enthused, it's amazing what an hour on St Annes beach can do for a girl...

Wedding Bouquet 2009

This is a gorgeous bouquet I made today as trial bouquet for the lovely Fiona to try out for her wedding this spring. Making a trial bouquet is a superb idea, it gives the bride the opportunity of trying it for size so to speak, we can see how the shades work with her skin tones and the bride can also figure out just how heavy it is. This bouquet has a fabulous combination of fresh spring blooms, I've included Green Cymbidium Orchids, White Roses, White Hyacinth, Viburnum Opulus, Veronica, Paper Whites, Arabicum Chincherinchee, Wax Flower and lots of lovely Eucalyptus.

Here are some links to bouquets in similar colours but that are more summery Laura & James, Mission Impossible, Susannah & Marcus, Charlotte & Stephen.

Flower Design, January Wedding at Stanley House, Blackburn

The lovely winter wedding of Victoria & Peter Robinson. The Ceremony Room upstairs has fabulous views of the gardens below and Lancashire beyond, we framed the ceremony with tall candelabras and a registrars table draped in fabulous spring flowers. The registrar was an old friend of ours Malcolm Campbell who tends to feature regularly on the Flower Design Blog.

Stanley House is quite wonderful, the décor is eclectic, there are so many views and photographic opportunities, our Bride & Groom had exclusive use of the whole hotel which was fabulous and meant that their photographers Martyn & Jo Pearson could take them any where to get the best shots (This sort of consideration is really worth thinking about for Winter weddings when you can’t rely on the weather).

Peter’s Buttonhole was really beautiful Rosie makes all of our wired floristry and she’d really pulled it out of the bag for this one, tiny Begonia Rex leaves, Kochia and Amnesia, and a touch of diamante

Brides Mum Helen, with her gorgeous handbag, Rosie decided to dress this cliutch bag with Aqua roses, rolled Amnesia rose petals and ivory Dendrobium Orchids and a selection of perfectly selected leaves.

The bridesmaids wore a really unusual shade, I really worked hard to find flowers that would be representative of the season and co-ordinate beautifully with the fabric, I was seriously pleased with the final result.

THE BRIDAL BOUQUET
The bouquet I designed for Vicky was in a “Flower Design” hand tied style with Metalina & Amnesia roses, Picasso Calla Lilies, Hyacinth, Lissianthus, Kochia, Eucalyptus, Begonia Rex, Evelyn Spray Roses, Tulips Black Prince and Lavender, Heather, Ivy berries, an assortment of French Herbs, Wild Orchid Zygpetalum, Albiflora Bruneii, Muscari and bear grass trails. The bouquet was finished with an ivory tulle handle.

I really wanted this bouquet to be relaxed and fresh a cacophony of all that is available in January, I wanted there to be fragrance, the scent of spring.

This is just before Vicky, her father & the bridesmaids walk into the ceremony room.

The Very Happy Couple Mr & Mrs Robinson.

When bridal bouquets smell and feel as delicious as this no-one wants to put them down and thats exactly how it should be.

The bridal party had a drinks reception in Freds bar, the day was so lovely that everyone spilled outside for some photographs and for the dried rose petal confetti shower.

I really love Rose Petal throwing it marks the commencement of festivities and is a great start to the celebrations.

The Reception was held upstairs but we dressed the hall way with Hurricane lamps and the Flower Design Seating Plan.

The table plan was themed around the skiing honeymoon the bride and groom were about to depart on, we set this visual delight up in the hall way so that everyone could have a good look and work out where they were to be seated.

The tables were dressed with a combination of high and low designs, we used tall conical vases filled with ice like jelly and topped with hand tied bouquets of fresh co-ordinating flowers and pussy willow.

The lower table centres were designed around a large hurricane lamp with a huge pillar candle and then lots of fresh bulb flowers including Tulips, Muscari, Hyacinths and Paper Whites, the fragrance was sensational when the candles were lit.

I love these two photographs they really show the movement in Vicky's gorgeous gown, the bouquet looks so beautiful too.

Here is a link to another wedding at Stanley House they actually were married at Salmesbury Hall and then had their reception at Stanley House so the posting was in two parts here are the two links Vicky & Jason at Salmesbury Hall and then Vicky & Jason's Reception at Stanley House.