Romantic Winter Wedding

Just before Christmas saw me up at Hengrave Hall in the Suffolk countryside www.hengravehall.co.uk for the wedding of Natalie and James. We embraced the fact that it was less than two weeks before Christmas using lots of frosted pine cones, silvered and glittered flowers and foliage and generous handfuls of artificial snow.  Natalie had exquisitely planned and thought of everything: with crackers on every plate, stockings hanging on the backs of chairs for the little ones and sequinned runners adorned the top table. As darkness falls early this time of year I supplied over 70 mercuried glass votive holders for the tealights on the tables and Natalie had brought in numerous silver lanterns to fill the halls and passageways with light, each filled with chunky candles, frosted cones and of course: snow!

Inside on the window sills....more roses, gyp and fern

 just inside the entrance, cones, snow and fresh confetti with votives filled with roses

The  stunning flint chapel at the venue was dressed with a  delightful frothy arch made with silver glittered gypsopehlia ( a much maligned flower in my opinion) with a cluster of roses to the top and enhanced only with fronds of delicate frosted asparagus ferns

Arch made with fern and gypsophelia with silver glitter and roses to the centre which can be seen better in the close up below:

Inside the tables were dressed with tall and low table pieces. The low centres were large silver chalice bowls filled with roses, gyp, silvered foliages, cones and amaryllis in whites and soft pink. The tall table centres had soft trails of asparagus ferns and small votives arranged at the base with spray roses and gypsohelia. Every table had at least six silver glass tealights to give a soft and intimate glow to the proceedings.

Votives filled with little flowers at the base of the tall arrangements

Amaryllis, roses and gypsophelia with silver









Gypsophelia bunches tied to the bride and grooms chairs

the fisherman's cottage: A Little French Shop

Lovely blog about a lovely shop. Recently bought a pair of old french doors (8 feet tall!) which will be my new wardrobe doors..sometime soon I hope. If in Norwich very worthwhile a visit, it is beautiful.
http://thefishermanscottage.blogspot.com/2011/04/little-french-shop.html

Delicate Anemones

Delighted to receive photographs from Jemma who was married at Penshurst Church and Place a few months ago.
Beautiful photography from Stephen Bunn Photography
I love the combination of softest pink roses, senecio peeping through with freesia buds and spray roses but what  has the most impact is the inclusion of the black centred anemones.

Just divine shed??

Traditional Garage And Shed design

I've just found this most gorgeous garden building. Am in love.

Willow Bridal Arch

Let not a little precipitation dampen the spirits! Last weekend I had a fabulous teepee to decorate. The entrance posts were wound with fresh Kent hops (keep the windows down while you drive, I was advised by the Hop Shop, or you may feel a little happy by the time you get home!) Four large birdcages were hung from the beams too, filled with bright dahlias, alchemilla and green bell foliage. Rustic pitchers were dotted around and looked fabulous and seasonal with crocosmia, sedum, glistening red viburnam berries and the aniseed smelling yellow dill. Standing back with a steaming cup of tea it looked wonderful, shame I cant say the same for my photos but the light inside the teepee wasnt great!

The use of hessian on the tables for the bar area was the perfect foil for the rusted pitchers

I was asked to make a portable archway which was to be  carried by the bridesmaids after the service at the church with the bride and groom walking underneath it, followed by all their guests. The reception was just a short stroll from the church. Here is the base frame of willow and moss being carried to the church gate before being dressed on site the following day.
The trick here was making it as light as possible to enable two people to comfortably carry it but to have sufficient strength to maintain its shape.





On the day it was covered with berried ivy, cerise gerbera, crososmia, berries and green bell and left in pots outside the church ready to be picked up and carried.......what a lovely idea