Carrie & Gary's Winter Wedding at Bartle Hall

The lovely Carrie and her Mum and Bridesmaid's were all getting ready at the Preston Marriott prior to the wedding at Bartle Hall, there was frisson of excitement in the suite when we arrived, heightened of course by the great unveiling of the wedding bouquets...

Carrie's wedding bouquet had a Victorian vintage vibe with gorgeous antique shaded Red Sensation Roses, Captain Romance Calla Lily, Ivory Cyclamen, Pink Lissianthus, Classic Hydrangeas, Rosemary, Viburnum Tinnus and Eucalyptus

Carrie's lovely Mum had her handbag dressed to compliment in antique pinks, sage greens and burgundy Calla Lilies, Roses and Hydrangeas

Bartle Hall's fabulous Balmoral Suite was dressed immaculately with ceiling drapes and chair covers by Creative Cover Hire.

We arranged a fabulous totally traditional registrars table centre piece with two chunky candles in the centre, trails of Dendrobium orchids, Lissianthus, Calla Lilies, Gladioli and dangly Amaranthus.

We used candelarbaras to flank the fireplace which was filled with logs and posies of fresh flowers, and bundles of chapel candles. Gary's Groom's special bouttonniere of Calla Lily, Passion Rose and Hydrangea

The Usher's Bouttonnieres of Passion Rose, Rosemary, Hydrangeas and Eucalyptus

An Avalanche Rose Boutonniere

Gary looked so handsome

Loved the Groom cuff links

The lovely Hannah (C&B manager at Bartle) making sure everything was running smoothly as the Bridesmaids arrived

The Flower Girls Posy of Ivory Cyclamen, Pale pink Lissianthus, Calla Lilies and spray Roses was just perfect for her

Malcolm Campbell Registrars extrodinaire!

The Ault Bridesmaid's Bouquets were small versions of the Bridal Bouquet, the shades of vintage pinks and greens worked brilliantly with their red gowns

Huge congratulations to the very happy couple

The table designs were in a combination of high and low styles, with some of the tables having a lovely Hand tie of Roses, Calla Lilies, Hydrangeas and Lissianthus in a clear glass LSa Cube set om an angle on a square mirror tile, with Rose petals and diamante dew drops sprinkled on the table top, very romantic and lovely

The Candelabras looked so dramatic and romantic, the roses, Hydrangeas, Orchids and Lissianthus were all arranged beneath the five tall Chapel Candles

The napkins are folded in the shape of dinner jackets

The Balmoral Suite looked quite fabulous when it was all finished

Many, many thanks to Carrie & Gary for choosing Flower Design to create their wedding flowers

Poinsettia - How do you say that?

Selecting, transporting and caring for a Christmas poinsettia is a garden project because it is not the same as buying a bar of soap. You need to know how to pick a healthy plant and how to get it safely home without subjecting it to damage from the cold, particularly here in New England where the weather so unpredictable.

It's important to know where to place it in your home and how to water it properly and care for it in order to maintain its health and vigor over the festive season.

But before we get to the nitty gritty of all this, there is a more fundamental question on the minds of people (well at least for our customers): What is the proper way to pronounce the word poinsettia? Is it poinsett-ee-ah or poinsett-uh?

Does it help to know that the reason this particular plant has become such an iconic symbol of Christmas is that back in 1825 the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, fell in love with the plant, which is native to that part of the world, and took it back up north to Carolina? Not many years later, the Ecke Co. in California made a killing by learning how to hybridize and propagate poinsettias in the tens of thousands.

Did that help you work out your pronunciation? No, I thought not.

OK, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary says poinsettia can be pronounced either way: poinsett-ee-ah or poinsett-uh.

Oxford English says no, no, no, it is most definitely poinsett-ee-ah.

Merriam-Webster, the U.S. dictionary, only adds to the confusion by adding an extra "t" and insisting it be pronounced point-sett-uh.

How do we say it here at Carey's Flowers? Poinsett-uh(period). End of story. Let me add we have been here for almost 100 years, so I think you should all respect your elders and say it our way. This subject makes me laugh almost as hard as the Gerbera and Hydrangea mess Miss Martha created. So in the end don't take it too seriously and ....Just order from Carey's Flowers no matter how you say it - we'll get the point (pun intended)

Millions of poinsettias are sold in North America every year. Red is still the color of choice and the No. 1 best-seller. Designer poinsettias (with soft pinks and creamy white bracts) are also popular. Tri-color pots featuring three colors - red, pink and white - are the hottest trend at the moment at the big shows in the big city's, but here in good old New England where tradition is still king - Red is still the color of choice.

Punky poinsettias (with white speckles or crinkly rosette-like leaves) are the least popular, but growers still cultivate them as a novelty item and to give consumers more selection.

"Nothing says Christmas like a red poinsettia,"

Hard to believe, perhaps, but there are as many as 100 varieties of poinsettias in cultivation. Cortez Red, Freedom Red and Sonora Red are three of the most successful varieties. Bestselling whites are Cortez White, Freedom White and Whitestar.

Well my goal was to get at least a post a day out on Holiday topics........I'm already thinking that was too lofty a goal. Wish me well!

A Little Behind The Scenes Peek at Yesterday's Gibbon Bridge Brochure Shoot

It was a full on Winter Wonderland day at The Gibbon Bridge yesterday, we couldn't have ordered it! Winter water colour blue skies, glistening snow and that lovely low slung sunshine you get at this time of the year.

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Jonny Draper was taking some seriously amazing shots, check out his preview on the JD Photography Blog, Gill from Dreamcatcher Bridal provided some of the most exquisite "Ice Queen" gowns from Sassi Holford, Kate Sherford & Benjamin Roberts, Janet, Edward, Pauline, Catherine (Gibbon Bridge's Blog writer take a look) & Richard looked after us spectacularly all day with delicious food and hot drinks in endless supply! Olivia and Emily were the very best models ever, never once complaining about the cold!!!

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The flowers were simple, elegant, wintery and completely scrummy, I love this Paper White Narcissus wedding bouquet.

We created two column shaped pedestal designs of corylus, moss and bulbs with plumes of Euclayptus, Oriental lilies and Monte Casino on top.

This wedding bouquet couldn't have looked more perfect, lots of wintery branches, Muscari and Daffodil bulbs and white freesia.

Winter Wedding Bouquet with the promise of spring dominated by fragrant Cyclamen, Tete a Tete, Tulips, Rosemary and Muscari.

It was possibly colder than it looks!

Hot Chocolate through a straw!!!!!

Catherine & Edward

The Team eating delicious Gibbon Bridge fare, Jason, Gill, Olivia, Emily and Jonny

Watch this space for the fabulous follow up, Jonny's images have been promised to me by late next week, I really can't wait to share them with you!!!!!