Emma & Jon

In this time of lockdown although I am writing the garden blog, I do miss weddings. Therefore I thought I would write a piece on my friend’s daughters wedding for whom I had the privilege of doing her flowers and attending. Firstly I will give a little background to our friendship.

Clare and I met at a mother and baby clinic when her daughter Emma and my son Tom were 6 weeks old. They spent their early years playing together and attending the same primary school. They went through the familiar stage of saying they would marry when they grew up! We have moved house a number of times but remained friends, I am in fact godmother to one of Clare’s other children.

Move on 20 years, Emma qualified as a primary school teacher, met Jon who proposed and they set the date for their marriage on Friday 26th July 2019 at the lovely Rowhill Grange Hotel and Spa

It can be quite tricky attending a wedding and providing the flowers but the wedding ceremony was not until 3pm with the ceremony and reception in different areas so set up was not a problem. However, the weather was a slightly different story. The ceremony was planned to be outside but it was touch and go right up to the 11th hour. It had rained most of the morning and a decision had to be made by 2.30pm as to whether it could be held outside. Miraculously the sun came out and stayed out but chairs were still being wiped dry as I attached the aisle chair flowers!

The flowers were whites and blue with sliver and grey, green foliages to compliment Jon’s fab tartan suit, here he is looking a little apprehensive with a white thistle & wax flower buttonhole.

The groomsmen had matching waistcoats and the bridesmaids dresses were a minky/grey.

Above are Emma’s twin siblings Ollie, a groomsman and Alice, a bridesmaid in the middle. I used roses, lysimachia, lisianthus, white and blue thistle with a few stems of lavender from our garden. You can see a close up of the bouquet below.

A lovely photo of signing the register with Emma’s bouquet and a vase of flowers from the reception tables.

A kiss and confetti moment!

Emma & the girls on the lawn with a backdrop of hydrangea’s.

And a close up of the bouquets.

The grounds were perfect for romantic photos

It was a lovely day with canapes and champagne on the lawn, an afternoon tea reception. Speeches by the bridesmaids and a Mr & Mrs game devised and compared by Emma’s twin siblings. Game in full swing below!

There was an evening BBQ and disco at which we had a good old boogie!

Thanks to Natalie Hyland for the great photos of Emma & Jon and to them for letting me be part of their wedding day.

There were a few weddings where I did not have the professional photos when I did my other posts so this is a catch up of those 2019 weddings.

Above is Hannah and her bridesmaids with a close up of their bouquets below.And now for Hannah with hubby Luke. They got married at Blackstock Country Estate and went for ivory and blush but with the added drama of burgundy in the Picasso calla lily.

Such a lovely moment here. All photos by courtesy of Matthew Page

Above is an image of Natalie & Toby’s table centres at the lovely Cherry Barn They are in wooden creates made by Natalie’s father from larger apple creates. It was quite a personal affair as Natalie’s mother made the wedding cake – such a creative family! Another white, green & blush wedding.

Next up we have the 2 Sam’s wedding! They also got married at Blackstock Country Estate in September and had photo’s taken by Clare Fitzgerald

They too went for calla lilies but this time mango to reflect the change in season. Sam also had feathers, wheat, hypericum berries, dahlia’s and roses.

And here are a few I just like that did not make it into the other posts. Black and white photos just seem to have a romance to them added to the fact that here Loulla is looking a little apprehensive as she arrives at the church. Thanks to Georgina Piper for that lovely shot.

How happy does Georgie look foot loose and fancy free, such a beautiful dress, captured by Rebecca Claire

And finishing off with another photo from Catherine and Matt’s June wedding in Rye as they walk down from the Town Hall snapped by Duntons Photography

This arch shows a number of blue flowers – hydrangea, pale and darker delphinium, larkspur  and how well different shades of pink, white, mauve and of course green work with them. There are not that many ‘true’ blue flowers but the following are what is generally available in each season. In spring you have muscari, bluebells, forget-me-nots, hyacinths, iris, in early summer nigella, meconopsis (Himalayan Blue Poppy), cornflower, delphiniums, gentiana and late summer hydrangea, agapanthus. Thistle tends to be available most of the year and many other flowers are called blue but are in fact purple such as lisianthus, veronica, clematis. There may be a few I have over looked but the above are the most readily available and grown in this country.

At the end of this post I will comment on blue generally as it is this years Pantone colour of the year but first onto our weddings. Love this one of groom Damian in charge of his wife’s bouquet! There are thistle, delphinium and nigella amongst the white and green.

Linnea & Damian’s wedding was at Salomons Estate in late April, you can see how blue featured in the flowers, for the bridesmaids dresses, grooms suit and even the carpet which brings out the blue delphinium in the milk churns perfectly.

And it was a windy one, we had quite a few of those last year, glad photographer Scott Kendall Photography got that shot.

Gemma & Kevin got married in June at The George They had quite a journey leading up to the their wedding as Kevin was very ill but as you can see from Jacqui McSweeney’s  great photos they had a wonderful day and Gemma just does not stop smiling.

The bridesmaids dresses were a pretty pale blue and all ladies had pale blue hydrangea, delphinium and thistle along with ivory roses and lisianthus.

Such a happy lady

And another blustery day but makes for such fun shots.

Barbara also had pale blue for her and Robin’s laid back beach wedding at The Gallivant in August. Another very smiley bride and why not when you can go bear foot in the sand. They had the ceremony and canapes in the dunes at Camber

Pale blue drapes, table runners and chair ties adorned the marquee along with succulent place names and vases filled with nigella, wax flower, roses, phlox, green bell & eucalyptus And it was all in the detail, lovely menus stands, bespoke welcome & order of the day boards made by Hire Love and photos taken by Cooper Photography

And I could not resist finishing with this one!The reason I chose to do a separate blog for blue weddings is because the Pantone colour for this year is Classic Blue.

Blue has always been a popular choice for weddings, particularly navy bridesmaids dresses which work well at most times of year but come into their own for winter and Christmas weddings. This was Helen & Chris’s wedding we did in November 2018, 5 navy dresses but all different styles.Thanks to Clare Randell for that shot.

Blue works for the boys too. This was Dino & Lyndsey taken by Sarah Williams at their December wedding last year and looking back the majority of grooms wore blue suits of one shade or another.

And thistle is always a winner for buttonholes

Below is a lovely mixed bouquet found on Pinterest showing how blue can be incorporated both with flowers and by using beautiful flowing ribbons.

So what will your wedding colour be? I know from recent consultations that whites and greens are still a favourite combo but so far we have quite a range of colours and I am looking forward to working with them all.

The next blog is about the flower crown as looking back I realise how many featured in our weddings last year.

People choose their wedding colour scheme for all different reasons but there are some key things to consider: skin tone, the season, the venue, some have very strong decor, favourite colour and current trends – the colour of the year tends to influence all aspects of weddings from the bridesmaids dresses through to invitation design and everything in between. However I believe particularly in this age of sustainability and being conscience of the environment, seasonality can be the biggest player. We are increasingly being asked for seasonal and locally grown flowers. And rightly so, there are so many great flowers and foliages to choose from which ever month you get married. The above is an excellent example of an autumnal wedding, Rebecca’s vibrant bouquet captured beautifully by Duntons Photography

The arrangement below shouts summer, overflowing with typical summer flowers including delphiniums, larkspur, garden roses, ammi, lavender, achillea, hydrangea and grasses. It was for Racheal & Rob’s August wedding,

And then the milk churn for Josie & Dan’s was a transition in seasons from summer to autumn

Such a sweet moment for Belinda with her granddaughter flower girl at her & Les’s wedding in April.Belinda’s bouquet was a mixed pallet including, lilac, ranunculus, clematis, thistle, lisianthus and we even managed to get sweet peas which were particularly special to her. Just look at those nails! The photos were taken by Emma Johnstone

Can’t be bad when the groom matches his suit to the flowers! Amanda & Sam at their wedding in May at Blackstock Country Estate

Bethany wanted a real summery mix of blue, pink, yellow, white and touch of burgundy for her June wedding. We also supplied a couple of buckets of blooms for her and her family to fill the table jars.

They looked great in Eridge Village Hall along with the bunting and pompoms!

Alison & John went for pink tones at their July wedding with peonies, roses, astrantia, veronica & astilbe

And what a setting the The Old Rectory is, how pretty nestled in the boarders.

Hopefully you can see the colours of Rachaels bouquet match the earlier urn arrangement. Lovely summer colours with both bride and flower girl wearing flower crowns.

Suzy & Dave also decided on a summer pallet, pastels for the bouquets but more vibrant for  the amazing St.Thomas a Becket Church, literally in the middle of Romney Marsh. The sky was threatening at times but fortunately it stayed fine.

They then had their reception at The Gallivant so had some great photos on the beach.

And that was not the end of it, they really went for different as they stayed in Rye Windmill. It must have been photographer Teri V’s dream wedding with all those fantastic locations!

It was great to see Maria & Kevin go for ‘Living Coral’, last years Pantone colour of the year, so vibrant.Lovely and bright with dahlia’s, roses, hypericum, antirrhinum & astilbe for their August wedding at Blackstock Country Estate

Well they are having fun! Thanks to Anna Pumer for the lovely photos.

Summer faded into autumn and we had some lovely seasonal weddings with Charlotte & Leyton having a Spanish theme, who needs San Sebastian when you have Udimore Village Hall!

A short walk to Rye Town Hall for the ceremony and then the kiss.

Leyton is a chef so organised and cooked most of the food. They went for Spanish tapas so a casual affair rather than the traditional sit down wedding breakfast. The vibrant red, orange, yellow and burgundy flowers were arranged in food tins in keeping with the general theme. I don’t know if you can see from the above photo but Leyton & the boys had quirky buttonholes with ‘tapas pins’

Rebecca & Sam had full on autumn with orange protea, ranunculus, berries, burgundy foliages along with a touch of champaign and blue. There is close up of Rebecca’s bouquet at the start of this post.

The buttonhole flowers were in gun cartridges which were also used on the cheese stack.

And for the tables we used Hendrick gin bottles nestled into a foliage garland of bay, rosemary and eucalyptus.Thanks to Duntons Photography for all the photos.

We now come to the winter weddings. I am a fan as I get to use some of my favourite foliages, skimmia and acacia baileyana purpurea both of which are in the bouquets below along with astilbe, amarnthus, astrantia, scabious, roses and eucalyptus. Those colours bring some warmth to chilly days. Sarah and all her girls outside The Gallivant 

Here is a close up of Sarah’s bouquet nicely finished with velvet burgundy ribbon. Photos taken by Vicky of Vivanity Photo

Ruth & Mark wanted seasonal foliages for their December wedding so we used skimmia, pine, ivy, eucalyptus, fir and acacia in the aisle chair tied bunches, table flower and bouquets.

Marks buttonhole of skimmia, acacia, thistle and lisianthusHow stunning Ruth looks with Camber Sands as a backdrop. Who would have thought it was December.Thanks to Simon Booth for the photos.Finally Mel & Mike had their wedding at Blackstock Country Estate and went for winter whites with a touch of red in Mike’s buttonhole to match his tie.

Mel’s bouquet had anemones, ranunculus, spray roses, brunia, eucalyptus and grevillea foliage.

And how can you resist the ‘confetti’ shot to round off a post! Thanks to Matthew Page for these images.

The next post will include our 2019 weddings with blue flowers as it ties in nicely to show which flowers compliment 2020’s colour of the year. Thanks once more to all the above photographers for the great photos and our couples.

It is incredible how many different greens there are and types of foliages to choose from. We use a lot of Ruscus Aculeatus commonly known ‘soft ruscus’ as it is a great base for garlands or as a fine garland in its own right. It is deep green and very long lasting. However the most popular foliage last year was eucalyptus, there are numerous species with various size and shaped leaves but it is the grey hue and scent that makes it so attractive. Thanks to Paul Read for the above photo of Chloe & David’s cake table at The Pilgrims Rest last September. There is more of their wedding below along with all the others who choose a green and white pallet.

I think the reasons green is so often used is that it suits most people, you can put virtually any colour flower with it and it was Pantone Colour of the Year in 2017.

Charlotte & Adam wanted a very sustainable wedding so we used British seasonal flowers & foliages as much as we could, no floral foam and twine to tie the bouquets & buttonholes. There were foliage garlands on the mantles and tables for the reception at The George along with foliage tied bunches on the aisle chairs.

Foliage table centres featured in a few weddings last year, including Loulla & Billy who can be seen below coming out of Sandhurst Church captured by Georgina Piper and then had their reception at Swallows Oast.

Catherine & Matt had a touch of blue but essentially the flowers were mainly whites and greens with foliage garlands on the mantles at The George

Catherine looking lovely with her bouquet and flower crown and with her bridesmaids below.

And we must not forget the celebratory drink of bubbly

Along with the cake table, all taken by Steve Smith

I then had the privilege of providing the flowers for and attending my friends daughters wedding who also added a touch of blue and lavender.

Jon’s suit was a winner, the groomsmen had matching tartan waistcoats and Emma looked beautiful captured here by Natalie Hyland taken at Rowhill Grange

Harriet’s bouquet looked very fresh with the grey brunia, olive and eucalyptus.

Hannah and Tom got married at Wadhurst Castle, we provided the bridal flowers and supplied them for the tables but Hannah and her family arranged them in their own jars and bottles.

Always a special moment as a bride descends for the ceremony, taken here by Eliza Claire

Such a sweet photo!

Wonder what made Hannah giggle?

And on to more of Chloe and Davids September wedding at The Pilgrims Rest

Chloe looking dreamy and less windswept than below – great shot by Paul Read

And the happy couple

A showery October day did not deter Lizzie and Matt having some lovely photos at  The Gallivant and on Camber beach by Lemonade Pictures

Lizzie’s mum did an excellent job in nurturing numerous succulents for the cake display and tables

And then it was December when Lyndsey a Scot married Greek Dino, traditions were fused at St.Mary’s Church Sevenoaks and Westerham Golf Club 

Lovely stoles for a winter wedding

The foliage table centres make their final appearance of 2019

The cake by Sharon Lord was pretty special too

Happy memories created by Sarah Williams

Green was a popular choice for bridesmaids dresses too, mainly sage but mint and what I would call a bright emerald made a few appearances.

Barbara & Robin’s bridesmaid above taken by Cooper Studio Photography and Natasha & Andy’s below by David Long both from weddings at The Gallivant

So that was it for green and white in 2019 and let’s finish off with a table centre vignette from Catherine & Matt’s wedding. Thank you to all the above mentioned photographers for letting me use their lovely images and couples who chose me to provide their flowers. In the next blog there will be colour!

Well I have finally got round to looking back at last year’s weddings. It was quite a year and I would say a year of the foliage garland, I’ve lost count of exactly how many I made! Blush along with green and white were the most popular colours but we did have the occasional vibrant wedding and one coral paying homage Pantones colour of the year. Actually pale blue featured quite a lot too. 

I have been pondering how to review them, chronologically, by colour, venue, I suppose it does not really matter as long as you get to see the lovely flowers!

I think Amy & Jake’s wedding can be slipped into the green, white & blush although they did include thistle for a touch of blue. Thanks to Debbie Sanderson  for this photo and the one above. 

There was the very sad event in July of a devastating fire at the wonderful George Hotel in Rye

This resulted in some weddings moving location, date or being postponed and has had a knock on effect for this year too. But here is the Ballroom in all it’s glory for Kate and James wedding in June.

They went for green, white & blush with peonies playing a big part. Images by adamnicholasfilms

Continuing with green, white & blush, one of my favourite weddings was Natasha & Andy’s in April at The Gallivant

Just look at that pose on Camber Sands, at the ceremony and in the hotel coastal garden, they are definitely enjoying themselves. Captured brilliantly by David Long Photography

Georgie & Ian chose this colour pallet too with their wedding in June at Laughton Barns 

Georgie’s dress was to die for as was her flower girl. Photo’s by Rebecca Claire Photography

We saw it again for Natalie & Toby’s wedding in August at the wonderful rural venue of The Cherry Barn

Patrick & Tori bridesmaids were in blush dresses at their wedding in October at Blackstock Country Estate

I know there were a few others with this colour scheme and will post them when I receive the professional photo’s but now it’s time to move on to the next colour wave of just green and white.