Counting down to the big day?

-->Did he/she pop the question on Valentine's Day?

Now the fun begins. . . . 

Planning a wedding requires high levels of organisation and many, many to-do lists!


Give yourself enough time - depending on the size, allow between 9 and 12 months to plan your wedding.  

There's lots of elements to consider - this will provide a useful planning checklist.



Starting now and counting down. . .


12 - 9 months before the wedding date

·       Set the budget
·       Set up a filing system for details and receipts.
·       Choose the wedding date
·       Draw up a guest list
·       Decide on the type of ceremony religious or civil.
·       Meet religious minister/registrar to discuss ceremony
·       Choose and book venues for wedding and reception.
·       Obtain menus and cost estimates
·       Investigate photographers and entertainment
·       Choose the best man, bridesmaids, pageboys and ushers.
·       Make appointments to try on wedding gear
·       Look into florists and check seasonal flowers.
·       Look into honeymoon ideas and destinations.
·       Book time off work for the wedding and honeymoon.

Look out for next post. . . . 

A chink of sunshine for Louisa & Casey

The wedding took place at the Crockstead Farm Hotel, Hallam Nr Lewes on what turned out to be a fabulously sunny October day.  Louisa rang me a couple of weeks previously following a referral from her local flower shop.

As a freelance workshop based florist, my busiest time for weddings is usually during Spring & Summer, so I can normally accommodate late comers during the 'off peak' months running up to and including Christmas!

Louisa didn't have a colour theme, as such, but mentioned that she liked the idea of using blue flowers and also mentioned that Casey's favourite colour was orange - a particular favourite of mine and a winning colour combination!

Louisa's dress was fitted and stunning, with some subtle diamante embellishment which I incorporated into the bouquet design by securing the hand-tied design with double satin ribbon and diamante pins.

The ceremony was taking place at the Crockstead Farm Hotel, a romantic venue nestled in the heart of the beautiful Sussex countryside, so the Bride chose a country-style, naturally hand-tied bouquet using a mixture of blue and orange flowers, with fragrant foliage including flowering mint and Eucalyptus.  Louisa's two adult bridesmaids held a smaller bouquet using the same flowers.

Buttonholes were supplied for the Groom and Groomsmen, chosing flowers from the main bouquet with smaller accent flowers and matching foliage.

Flowers Used: Delphinium, Crocosmia, Freesia, Eustoma, Alstromeria, September Flowers, Veronica, Flowering Mint & Eucalyptus Parvifolia

Relaxed, happy and married. . .

The summer months have passed with alarming speed.  Today I've been feeling particularly Autumnal and my thoughts are beginning to turn to Christmas and this year's door wreaths and garland designs.

But before I start posting for the festivities, I wanted to share some fabulous images of Fay & Laurence's wedding, which took place on Friday 7th September in the beautiful setting of The Captain's Club Hotel by the river in Christchurch.

I've been working with Fay from Pink Rose Cakes for some time and was honoured to be asked to provide her personal bridal flowers for her marriage at the beginning of September.  The brief was as relaxed as the wedding - natural, simple & stylish.

The Groom's favourite colour is Pink, and Fay loves the contrast of bold primary colours which include deep purples and hot pinks.  So, working with this pallete, the cake (which the Bride designed and created herself), the Bridegroom, Best Man (the groom's eldest daughter), the Bridesmaids and the Flowers were themed to fit the brief.

The main photography was by fabulous local Brighton photographer Paul Fletcher who also captured the civil ceremony a couple of days before at Brighton Register Office.  All other photography on this page is by yours truly. . . .

Image by Paul Fletcher Photography

Image by Paul Fletcher Photography

Cake designed and created by Fay - all flowers are sugar crafted and entirely edible

Fresh Flowers used: Illusion Roses, Hot Pink Spray Roses, Hydrangea Macrophylla, Purple Eustoma, Flowering Mentha, White Veronicas, Eucalyptus Parvifolia

Romantic, Vintage Wedding Flowers for 2012

It seems that this year the trend for wedding flowers is Romantic and Vintage which means flowers with a hand picked appearance similar to those found in an English garden like roses, peonies, ranunculus, hydrangeas, lisianthus, lovely spring daisies and big blousy blooms.

Wedding bouquets are still very much hand tied with clusters of flower groupings and a greater use of cool grey/green foliage such as Dusty Miller and Senecio.  Feathers are also being added to give movement and come in a huge range of colours to complement your theme.

Staying with the romantic theme, there will be more creative detailing on the bouquet handle - covered with a variety of ribbons, damask fabrics, layered and finished with vintage pins, brooches, rhinestones and pearls.

Staying with the sphere, we'll be seeing topiary like designs transferring to table centrepieces and ceremony arrangements.  Displayed as hanging pomander balls using colourful blocks of carnations, roses, hydrangeas and daisies or placed on top of large urns or glass cylindrical glass vases.

Also, multiple and variations of smaller vases lining the centre of long reception tables and lots of branches adorned with smaller flowers in elegant ceramic dishes and vases.

A Day at the Races. . . .

Thanks to all the brides who stopped by our stand last Sunday at the Brighton Racecourse Wedding Fayre.  I collaborated with Fay Miller from Pink Rose Cakes to showcase some new designs and ideas for wedding flowers and cakes.
There was a bit of a beach theme going on with the flowers! Opting for the recession-friendly carnation, and blocking hot colours to demonstrate that the humble carnation can create impact without denting your wallet.
Available in just about every colour, carnations are a symbol of love, are very hardy and last for days!

Flowers for a Civil Ceremony

Stephen and Peter celebrated their Civil Ceremony last Saturday at the Seattle Hotel in Brighton Marina

 Registration Table Display; White lilies, Avalanche roses and Strelizia Leaves

Top Table Designs: Vanda, Dendrobium and Cymbidium orchids with spiralled steel grass

Guest Tables: Dendrobium Orchids and spiralled steel grass

Candle Table Centres: Gerberas, Ranunculus and looped Dracaena

Tribute Table with scattered Dendrobium Orchids

Venue: Seattle Hotel, Brighton Marina
Flowers: Fuchsia Christine
Photography: Fuchsia Christine

Tea and Nuptials

Stopped off at  Bateman's - National Trust house in Burwash - for lunch on Saturday.

Very tasty Pumpkin Soup.

This was after delivering the flowers for Hannah and Ryan's wedding at The Flackley Ash Hotel in Peasmarsh.

Smart venues; smart boys; smart flowers

Autumn Wedding Flowers

Flowers for Hannah's Wedding bouquet;

Red Germini

Blue Hydrangea

Safari Sunset Leucadendron

Vivienne White Spray Roses

Wedding Marquee Flowers

Caroline and Elliott's Wedding in Hove

Sweet Avalanche Roses, Pink Garden Roses, Mimi Eden Spray Roses, White Gladioli, Eucalyptus

Cake Table Display with Cup Cake wedding cake

Sweet Avalanche buttonholes

Traditional Brazilian Sweets 'Bem Casados' (means 'nicely, well married' in Portugese)

Aisle Flowers using simple bunches of Gyp

Today's wedding at St. Philips Church, Hove
Aisle flowers with simple white Gypsophila bunches tied with Satin Ribbon

Flowers - Who? What? Where?

Unsure of what flowers to have, who should have them and which ones to choose?   Gone are the days when the bride carried only white flowers up the aisle!  You can get married wherever you like and have whatever you like in your bouquet, on your tables, at the venue or in the church.  It's completely up to you.

A mood board is always a good starting point, to create an overall theme.  I recently went to see a potential bride who presented me with a folding board dotted with magazine pulls showing blocks of colour and actual fabric swatches and images of all the elements she wanted to include in her wedding.
I was overwhelmed!  And very pleased, as this made my life extremely easy.

If you're going to stick with tradition, here's a general guide as to who, what and where.

BRIDE
What you wear on your big day will influence what style of bouquet but there's 3 basic types:
Hand-tied, Trailing and Overarm

GROOM
Buttonhole - usually he'll have something a bit special, using the main themed flower and another which matches the brides bouquet

BEST MAN/FATHERS

Can be any flower from the wedding theme.
All worn on their left lapel
MOTHERS
Although it's traditional for Mums to wear a corsage - this can be too overpowering and to be honest, out of all the weddings I've done this year, I haven't been asked to provide one!

BRIDESMAIDS

Usually carry a smaller version of the Bride's bouquet or a simple representation using either one or more of the main flower
CEREMONY
Depending on where you are getting married, this is a blank canvas including garlands, pedestals, columns, walls, windowsills, chairs. . . .  the list is endless

RECEPTION

I would normally recommend that any moveable flowers (those not fixed to columns or arches) to be moved on to the reception venue to save money.  In addition to that, table designs which could be anything from extravagent candelabras to simple vases or pots with a mixture of all the themed flowers.

GIFTS

As a thank you for all their help and support in planning your wedding, I'm sometimes asked to provide a 'living' bouquet for presentation to the Mothers of the Bride and Groom.  They then have something to take home as a reminder of your special day.

Simple Summer Wedding Flowers

It's always a pleasure to work with classic summer wedding flowers and when I met up with Emma last October to discuss her wedding in July this year, it was refreshing to be asked for simple, unfussy fragrant flowers.

White roses have a special place in Emma's heart, she chose a simple hand-tied bouquet using Avalanche roses intertwined fragrant freesias, and red freesia weaved into her hair to complement the design.


Both the wedding and ceremony took place in The Grand Hotel in Brighton with simple and effective glass cube arrangements to tie in with the whole flower theme.