Musings of a flustered florist: April

“In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities”

— Janos Arany

April was the month of weddings. Obviously I have weddings all year round but there is definitely a key season and April is the first month of the peak season. January to March saw an average of four weddings a month and then bang! April had a total of 14 weddings. I love them! Every one different. Every one with a story. Every one bringing me anxiety. Yes, I do still get nervous when working on weddings.

“Wow! Thank you so much Heather, I was thrilled with my bouquet and flower headband. Absolutely perfect, better than I’d even hoped for.”

— Nicola - April 2022

I may do almost a hundred a year but there is never any complacency. I create the bouquets and arrangements based on meetings, conversations and various communications with the couples. We may share pictures and mood boards and discuss vibes but this doesn’t guarantee I’ve got it bang on. So on delivery day as I take the bouquet into the brides room the nerves are always there. Have I got it right? Does she love it as much as me?

“I wanted to say a huge thanks for the amazing and perfect flowers you did for my wedding at Millbrook. I was blown away and particularly with the detailed arrangement of the hair piece”

— Sandy - April 2022

Fourteen weddings in April. That’s a lots of stress, a lots of sleepless nights, a lot of “what ifs?” (A lot of cups of tea). But if a florist can’t live off adrenaline then what can she do!

There had been roses and peonies and protea and muscari and tulips and ranunculous. Each of these a requested brides favourite. A special meaning. Memories for the future.

“Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for the flowers for our day, they were absolutely beautiful, better than I could have imagined! You got my style and colour palette spot on”

— Charlie - April 2022

Elopement Wedding Flowers - the brave and the bold

“Many people spend more time in planning the wedding than they do in planning the marriage”

— Zig Ziglar

A marriage is between two people. Yourself and your love. Most people want to share this special event with family, friends, friends of family, family of friends – and anyone else who they may have bumped into on the bus.

But a brave few choose to escape the centre of attention and opt for an elopement wedding. The choice to elope may be for any number of reasons – diplomatic, financial, personal – but the result is a day that just focuses on the two that really matter.

I’m extremely fortunate to be a recommended supplier for a local award winning wedding venue here in North Devon that specialises in small, intimate and elopement weddings. With two stunning locations in which to get married in and tranquil settings to relax and spend a couple of days together in, it’s easy to see why people choose the elopement option.

The weddings may be small – but they are perfectly formed. All elements are there – the dress, the hair, the cake, the styling, the photographer – and the flowers.

When it come to the flowers, there is no matching of bridesmaid dresses, no centrepieces to plan around table settings and outlandish themes. More often than not it’s just a bridal bouquet and a buttonhole. This does not make it any less important, in fact the opposite. The wedding is so much more focused on the ‘two’  - so flower choices are so much more personal and central to the day.

I rarely get to meet the couple, planning is often at short notice. But with the power of email, Pinterest and occasionally the phone we can work together to create that perfect wedding bouquet for that very special day.

They say there is safety in numbers, so again I say it’s the brave few that will stand up there and declare their love to each other without the fanfare, frivolity or fuss. Just personal perfection.

Tell me why we don't like (blue) Mondays?

“When I have a bad day, I dream about opening up a gelato stand on the streets of Sydney. Doesn’t everyone have a random escape fantasy?”

— Nancy Lublin

Blue Monday: the day (allegedly) that we are supposed to feel at our lowest in the year. Lack of pay check, grim weather, festive adrenaline died out, diets and resolutions boring, the list goes on. But if this is the worst day then let's get it out of the way and enjoy the rest of the year!

Nancy Lublin says that her dream was the ice cream booth in Australia. Mine was that I always wanted to be that sho sho florist in the south of France. Painted in shabby chic Farrow and Ball colours with vintage pails full of frothy flowers in the never ending sunshine. Chic people buying armfuls of flowers and putting them in their wicker bike baskets as they pedal away. A pipe dream? Or an aspiration?

Okay so there may not be wall to wall sunshine (especially today) or fancy paint effects. The pails are black plastic and not all my customers are necessarily 'chic' but I'm still living the dream. Maybe the parameters just needed to be moved a little. 

There is nothing wrong in dreaming big, many a time in a soulless office I would daydream where I would rather be and how I would tell my boss exactly what I thought of them. It helps you get through the bad days and then other days would be 'wow' days. Everyone has bad days, some more than others, but if we can dream our way through them then all the better. 

Now this pipe dream of mine is not all a bed of roses (excuse the pun). There have been plenty of compromises and sacrifices along the way. January is not a good month for a flower grower or florist. My to do list is all about admin and accounts. Income is minimal. Motivation is scarce. But I know in the coming months the flowers will start to grow, the weddings will continue to build. There will be sunshine. And maybe I could paint the door of my very shabby but not necessary chic workshop a hue of Farrow and Ball. 

So what will you aspire to this 'Blue Monday' ?

oh and some lovely pictures of 'blue' flowers to lift the mood...... 

Being Bridal at Bracken House

"When April blows his horn, Tis good for both hay and corn" Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.

I've not seen the film (or even actually read the book!) but I'm sure that Bracken House would be the perfect location for the book. A gorgeous former Edwardian rectory, Bracken House offers the perfect venue for an intimate country house wedding. The ever fab Blue Fizz Events leapt into action to perfectly encapsulate the look, vibe and aspirations of this edge of Exmoor setting.

Honoured to be invited to do the flowers, I got the chance to be featured with some true bridal style from Lily and Louie and Lottie the dog!

Matt Stockman (of Photo Booth fame!) perfectly captured this quintessential Edwardian era style wedding. I'm sure you'll agree his photos are exquisite. And of course guest star my flowers!

Thank you to all involved (and apologies to any missing tags!)

​http://www.brackenhouse.co.uk/

http://www.bluefizzevents.co.uk/

http://www.lilyandlouie.com/

http://www.mattstockman.co.uk/

Ahoy my hearties!

Ahoy my hearties! Had a fabulous day out at the Clovelly Nautical and Vintage Wedding Fair. Superbly organised by Blue Fizz Events it was a totally stylish occasion. Two stunning marquees filled with all manner of vintage inspiration for the bride to be! Cakes, dresses, photo booths, headdresses and porta loos! Everything a bride desires!

Made my little space work hard for me with nautical floral inspired creations. Bouquet of sea holly, cream lizzies, thlapsi green bell (As used in Kate Moss’s wedding bouquet!) and little seashells wired in. Loosely arranged in a natural look tied with a jaunty blue and white striped ribbon – looked great with Lily and Louie’s vintage dressed bride in the ‘pop up’ catwalk show. Mirrored these flowers in a simple hand tied posy presented in a kilner jar – again tied with the stripped ribbon. Simple, effective and great for DIY budget brides!

Met some lovely people – with some wonderful positive feedback. Fingers crossed for some bridal enquiries as would love to recreate these ship-shape seaside stunners!