Musings of a flustered florist: June

“It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than you were yesterday”

— Anon

I was recently nominated in the Muddy Stilettos awards to be Devon’s Best Florist.

Yes, it is exciting and flattering to have been nominated (I don’t know who started that for me but whoever you are - thank you)

I’m not normally a fan of this type of awards as they are based purely on a voting basis and therefore become more of a popularity contest than based on any actual business acumen.

But it did get me thinking. What would make me the “Best florist in Devon”

How do you define “the best”? Especially in relation to a florist?

Do I have the best qualifications? No I don’t. I don’t have a level five in British Floral Association qualifications. I don’t have a City and Guilds in floristry. I’m not sure I even got a girl guide badge for flower arranging. I do have a degree, a post grad diploma and grade five tap dancing - but none of which makes me the best florist.

Is my business the most flourishing? The best turnover or profit? Doubtful. I have a tiny shop (too small) I don’t have a team of staff. I don’t have any staff. It just little old me. And no offence to Bideford but it’s not the most thriving or affluent town in Devon.

Do I have ten of thousands of followers on social media? Would that make me “the best” It’s a tough business keeping on top of social media. There is a pressure to be posting the best photos, the best stories and now the best reels (don’t worry I don’t really get it either) and you can’t help but stare at your follower numbers willing them to increase. (Why? I honestly don’t know. Maybe because it will make me feel “better”)

Do people flock from all over the country to buy my flowers. Nope.

So how do we grade things “the best”. How often have you described products or businesses as “the best”. “It was the best chocolate brownie I’ve ever had”. I had the best nights sleep ever”. How do you know it’s the best chocolate brownie? You’ve not tried every chocolate brownie in the world? But at that moment in time that brownie tasted the best. You enjoyed it. It hit the mark.

But it is ultimately a matter of opinion. We don’t all like our chocolate brownies the same. (The degree of gooey is crucial) The surroundings in which you ate your chocolate brownie influence your statement. Your frame of mind. Your company.

Your opinion.

So I don’t know who originally nominated me for best florist in Devon. I don’t know who also then subsequently voted. But I do know that at that moment in time those people (2,3, 299 - I don’t know how many) but at that moment in time in their opinion I was the best florist in Devon. At that is truly humbling, amazing, gob smacking and honestly - slightly unbelievable.

I didn’t get enough votes to go through to the next stage. I know my social ineptness prevents me from the popularity contest part. But I will more than settle for the opinion of a few that I was fleetingly “the best”

Thank you.

(Congratulations to Amelia’s Flower Farm who was ultimately awarded Devon’s Best Florist. She is “the best”)

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

Musings of a flustered florist: February

“Victory”
Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek “Eunike”, from “eu”, good and “nike”, victory”

— wikipedia

“Hello? Church Park Flowers…”

“Is that Curry’s customer service?”

Just one example of random phone calls I receive. But being February I was hoping for the phone to be ringing off the hook with guys ordering red roses by the dozen. Now, I know 99.9 % of girls don’t want red roses - they prefer pink or white or actually just a pretty mixed seasonal bouquet. But to be honest we would be chuffed / suspicious (delete where appropriate) to receive any fabulous flowers on Valentines. It’s not how it used to be, gone are the days where I’d be knee deep in thorns and rose leaves, cursing as yet another thorn tears through my knuckles. Writing the most inappropriate and cryptic messages in to cards. Making clandestine deliveries to places of work and trying to work out more love triangles than an episode of Hollyoaks. (No I don’t actually watch it but that would be my guess) 

These days the romantic gentleman are bombarded by the likes of Lidl’s where they think they can satisfy their partners romantic demands with a teddy, bunch of flowers, dodgy prosecco and naff card for less than a fiver   Look at their smug faces as they scurry across the car parks - just wish I could see the less than genuine grateful smiles of the receiver. Do I sound bitter? Maybe. Everyone just assumes the florist is soo so busy at Valentines and we must be coining it in. The reality is that flower prices are still sky high with gas and freight charges and that before you add the global demand pricing for Valentines. Supply is very tricky at the moment with less planes flying around, less being grown and everyone after the limited stock there is- a perfect storm. (More on that later)

With such uncertainty all around and to try and secure the best prices - I actually had to put my Valentines flower order in before the end of January at which point my order book was empty. So it’s a leap of faith and complete guess work. As Valentines falls on a different day each year it also affects shopping patterns of the lesser spotted romantic male. 

So several hundred of flowers in all colours of the rainbow - with a bias towards reds and pink - started arriving the beginning of February. It looked a lot. It was a lot. The invoice looked a lot. It was a lot. But you just keep the faith and start conditioning, leaf stripping and bouquet making. And just when you think our romantic partners are going to let us down then they emerge with soppy messages in tow and start to order and buy and send and choose flowers. It warmed my heart. There was still love  in the air - I could feel it in my fingers (sore) and I could feel it in my toes (cold) To those of you who received some Church Park Flowers for Valentine’s Day, I hope you felt loved too - because I did in my little blue shop. 

Mad days like Valentines are obviously followed by cleaning up - reorganising the shop and getting back on an even keel. But Eunice had other ideas! The worst storm in eons predicted to hit the South West and I had four weddings in the week of the worse weather. There goes the stress levels - again. Firstly, would the flowers be able to get to me. Planes, boats and road travel was rather risky at best. Cue frantic emails and messages. But all was good with beautiful quality wedding blooms making it safely to the shop.

The first wedding of storm week was a long postponed pre Covid wedding. two years later and they eventually managed to say “I Do”, even if the coastal view was a bit wild. It then quickly became apparent that I would not be opening the shop on the Friday of the worse predicted weather so a quick shuffle of workload and some “taking my work home with me” followed. 

Friday saw me bunkered down at home watching the polytunnel give in to the worst winds and then losing power. To be fair , both were to be expected but still a bit frustrating when it happens! I managed to keep Saturdays wedding flowers safe at home and set off with plenty of time to deliver as never sure how many trees would be down. Luckily I still had power at the shop - helpful to recharge everything we had from home as we would have three days without power- heat- light- internet- phone signal - hot water etc. We survived but not wanting a repeat of that anytime soon. The kids did not appreciate me telling them how lucky they are and if they were only born in Victorian times etc etc…. (Much eye rolling!) 

More backlogs of admin after loss of internet but one day I will get on top of it….

Twos-day! Who knew it was such a thing. I must admit than when I originally booked two weddings for the special date I was a bit surprised to have two bookings for a Tuesday in February. But the date was so unique; 22022022. How cool was that for your wedding date! So two sets of lovely ladies tying the knot on an unique date. One an elopement occasion. Just the two of them, pared back, nice and simple and just what they wanted it to be. The other - well a whole hotel booked out for family and friends for three days of partying. Two different ways of celebrating the same special occasion. One wedding day and date not to be forgotten.

And the just as you are getting into the swing of February it comes to an end. Abruptly. Almost unexpectedly. These short months take you by surprise. but I will count it as a “victory” to have survived Valentines, storms and special and varied weddings.

Next up: March.  Dare I say Spring and the promise that brings. Let’s see…..

Musings of flustered florist: January

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.”

— T S Elliot

New year. Fresh start. Clean slate. Big ideas. High expectations. Let’s do this…….

Of course that was the vibe in week one. Well, week two actually as I took an extended Christmas break to recover from the whirlwind of 2021. It was a very intense year and it almost broke me, definitely a learning curve not to be repeated. New notebook and great intentions were the way forward for 2022. 

The first problem was that the 2021 me wasn’t notified of this mindset and literally did a runner from the shop on the 23 December. Cue opening the shop door two and a half weeks later to be greeted by what can only be described as a scene from the “morning after the night before”. The floor was strewn with foliage, orange slices were still trying their best to freshen the air and of course pine needles everywhere. And I mean everywhere! Pieces of paper with random cryptic notes written on them and fairy lights twinkling half heartedly. 2022 me was not impressed. Not the fresh start I was hoping to embrace. 

A week of cleaning, mopping, sorting and tidying and the shop has once again taken on the look of a vibrant fresh space. Lots of new houseplants, bulbs, pots and vases. Perfect for filling those spaces left in your house when Christmas trees and decorations have vacated for the year. 

January is notoriously a quiet month in retail. Not a lot of footfall to break up the day. There has been a very repetitive, too frequent playing accordion player on the street - but trust me when I say that doesn’t float my boat. But there has been weddings. Actually five weddings in the first month, all small affairs, but a good gentle introduction to the year. Wedding one was a gorgeous dried flower event. It was also rather nerve wracking as the bride-to-be was a wedding photographer - and a very good one too - so of course she has seen a lot of wedding florals in her time and knows exactly what she wants hers to look like. The bar may have been set high but I leapt it well. They looked great and needless to say to the bride loved them! Weddings are a go go for 2022. 

Burgundy, coral, white and ivory were the colour themes for the rest of the months weddings and it’s been wonderful to have some variety and play with seasonal offerings in what is sometimes seen as a “difficult” month. British spring flowers are coming through so expect to see plenty of them in the shop over the coming weeks. 

The key word for January has been “admin”. I don’t mind confessing that admin is not one of my favourite pastimes. Why spend time typing emails when I could be playing with flowers. But emails don’t go away if ignored, therefore many an hour has been spent catching up on correspondence, quotes, invoices and consultations. It’s the backbone of what I do and definitely one of my resolutions to improve on in 2022. In all honesty I probably could do with a VA to help with email management for me so if you know of any admin angels that could help please send them my way?

I have many grand plans for 2022 and lots of new initiatives and adventures scribbled in the new notebook. But I’ll drip feed them out to you as the year goes on. No point in telling you everything now as have to keep the suspense up all year!

I have found some new exciting suppliers for this year. Boy, I can get carried away over a beautifully photographed trade catalogue. I’ve got some draft orders put together so hopefully there will be amazing new stock in during the spring.  Think French brocante style for inside and out, revamp that outdoor space or even just a windowsill. And there are new designs and ranges coming of the already popular botanical gifts I stock. I’m so impatient to see it all come together. One of my plans for 2022 is to increase my non plant and flower offerings. As hopefully the high street comes back to life after the “covid pause” we can tempt more people to shop local and support all the fabulous independent businesses Bideford has to offer. 

Scarily, January is pretty much been and gone. Yes it’s a cold and quiet month but sometimes we need that pause in the mayhem to stop and evaluate where we are. Look at where we’ve been and where we want to go. As I said at the beginning I have big ideas and high expectations and I’m relying on the 2022 me to deliver them. She better not let me down!

“Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn’t give in
When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin”

— T S Elliot (Cats)

Choosing the best wedding florist for you. (Me of course!)

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

— Roy E Disney

Happy (!) New Year!

A bit late to the party and I’m sure we can all agree it’s not got off to the most fantastic of beginnings but hopefully for some lucky couples it is the start of something exciting…….

Did your partner ‘pop’ the question over the festive season? If so, then a massive CONGRATULATIONS! And now the fun can really start as you begin to plan your big day (Or not so big under current restrictions). You’ll have plenty of choices and decisions to make over all sort of details you haven’t even thought of yet but it should be a fun and not stressful pastime.

One of the most important decisions is choosing your florist, Obvs! So I could write a fantastic blog about how you should go about this, or I could just use one already written by the tremendous Anthony Lyons of Special Day Wedding Photos! Anthony is a talented local North Devon photographer who I have had the pleasure of working with. (Most recently on a photoshoot at Moreton House just a week before Lockdown One - How little we knew then….)

Anthony contacted me towards the end of last year asking for some input to a blog he was writing about choosing a wedding florist. As he was so kind to incorporate so many of my thoughts, I feel it is only right to share his take on it rather than my totally biased opinion.

Of course it goes without saying that if you looking for a wedding photographer for your North Devon wedding then Anthony should be at the top of your list!

Read on for his opening gambit - and then click on the link to find out what wise words I offer up on choosing the right florist for you.

…….Planning for all aspects of your wedding day is very important. You want it all to come together into a glorious vision you will never forget. Choosing a wedding florist is one of the most important tasks for planning any wedding. Choosing an experienced florist that can help you plan how to use and decorate your space is really important in achieving your dream look. There are many things to consider when hiring a wedding florist, such as, can they work with your budget, have they worked at your venue before, or can they produce a style of wedding flowers that will suit the theme of your wedding? There are many things to consider and hopefully some of your questions will be answered below……..

Read more - including my input - at Special Day Wedding Photos

Colourful wedding after the Covid Storm

“I think I have more patience now than I did in the past”

— T. Boone Pickens

A wedding! Yay!

I think after the last four months we all have a lot more patience than we did before. We’ve waited. We’ve waited to stay safe, we’ve waited to see family, to see friends, to go out for a drink, to go to the shops, for toilet roll to be back in stock, to return to work…… and for some, to get married.

This was supposed to be my fourth wedding of 2020 back in early April! And guess what? It’s still my fourth wedding after seven months of the year. My first post lockdown wedding. Doing a quick tot up I should have been at around twenty-two weddings in by now, so around 19 of my brides have had to postpone so far this year and there were no April, May or June brides. We missed the peony season, we missed the ranunculous season, we just missed weddings.

But they are back. Albeit a little bit smaller, a little bit different. But actually this particular wedding was no different from its original planned form. It was only ever going to be the two of them. An elopement wedding in some ways. Or just a small intimate wedding in others. Held at the award winning Millbrook Estate - who specialise in small weddings. They had to change date twice so as Jane the bride said “third time lucky” and patience has paid off. Both original dates were wet and windy (per the norm round here) but on the true day. Sunshine. Sunshine and smiles.

If you were looking you might have seen some small differences to the wedding; professional hair yes, but not bridal makeup (she looked fab) the registrars and witness / coordinator at a safe distance. But the dress was there, the flowers, the photographer, the cake and the glass of bubbly afterwards. Perfect. What more would you need to celebrate your day.

The wedding memories were captured by the fabulous Maria Broome. It was her first wedding post lockdown too but she had nothing but positivity to share;

“…Finally being able to join Steve and Jane for their much awaited special day was an absolute joy, and with the low numbers and masses of outdoor space there was nothing to be worried about, in fact I don’t think anyone would have noticed much difference, at the end of the day the two people who need to be close to each other are, and standing back and watching that is a natural part of my work….. my lenses have long enforced what we now call “social distancing”….. a hug or a hand shake at the end of the day is the only thing missing, but its a small price to pay!”

I could not have put it better myself!!

All good things come to those who wait….. and for Jane and Steve it was well worth the wait.

Wedding Flower Crowns

“With grace in her heart and flowers in her hair”

— Mumford and Sons

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Flower crowns - I love them! They are so pretty, so delicate, so individual. Don't think of them as purely for flowergirls, they look equally stunning on a bride. 

There is a real trend currently growing for the bridal crown. This has been taken from the custom of wearing them at festivals where they are worn to symbolise the carefree nature of the countryside, the music, the relaxed vibe. And why shouldn't you take this relaxed - some may say bohemian - look into your wedding.

Of course flower crowns are not a new thing. Julius Caesar rocked a pretty good laurel crown back in the day. The Chinese had their own version using orange blossom which, as it blossoms and fruits at the same time, symbolises fertility. Queen Victoria borrowed this idea and wore an orange blossom flower crown for her wedding to the hunky Prince Albert. But I guess it's the hippy 60's we most associate with the flower crown and it's from there it transferred to mainstream fashion and weddings of today. 

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So wear your crown with pride. Whether small and dainty or bold and beautiful, you can wear flowers in your hair and celebrate being 'you'

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rustic flower crowns

Should Pinterest or your personality shape your wedding?

“If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself”

— Rollo May

I love Pinterest, I waste many an hour browsing through pictures of .... well just about anything. From gardens to kids crafts, campervans to wedding bouquets. It's an amazing source of images and articles in an easy accessible form that can be organised and kept for future instant recap

I also use it lots when I'm meeting and speaking with brides to be. It's a perfect way to get across pictorially the bouquets they like, their style, theme and thinking behind the wedding.  

But is it realistic? Is it achievable? And rather than giving ideas is it not just copying others ideas rather than encouraging original thought?

Images on Pinterest are the 'best of the best'. A majority of them are taken by professional photographers during photo shoots where the lighting is perfect, the models are beautiful, the budgets are astronomical and it all comes together to make an amazing 'wow' image that we fall in love with. But do we stop and think how that image captured in Southern California, in near perfect weather after hours of set up, make up artists and photo editing will look when recreated in wet windy north Devon?

We all want a fairytale wedding with towering cakes, 5ft high floral arrangements and designer gowns but unless we have a real 'prince' charming to finance it we have to be more realistic. Of course there are some great budget conscious ideas on Pinterest but are they your ideas or someone else's? 

I'm often sent the same images from brides to be of wannabe bouquets, centrepieces and arches. So how unique is your one special day going to be if you are merely copying ideas of others. 

Does your intended really love burlap and bunting? Yes it creates a beautiful rustic charm, but does it truly reflect what you and your partner are really about? Does it show your own individuality? Does it reflect your personality?

Of course use Pinterest to capture those great ideas and photos. But make sure they are reflecting what you truly love rather than poster pin ups of the best.  

Take inspiration from other things around you. That garden you pass everyday on the way to work that always catches your eye, your favourite dress at the back of the wardrobe that doesn't fit any more, but you can't throw away because the colour is delicious. That restaurant you went to with your fiancé last year on holiday that you still talk about. All these things are a true reflection of you and your fiancés personalities and loves and they should help shape the wedding of your dreams.

After all, do you want your guests to come to your wedding and look at your set up and say 'lovely - it looks just like that picture I saw on Pinterest' or do you want them to take one look and say 'wow' that is so 'you'!

Six ways to make the most of Pinterest when planning your wedding:

1 Manage your expectations
We can all be guilty of champagne taste with a sparkling water budget. Keep your budget in mind when your start pinning images. And don't forget seasonality - peonies may look beautiful but are very expensive out of season. 

2. Leave room for own style and ideas
Upload your own images rather than just repinning other people's images. You can add a Pinterest option to your uploads direct from your photo library

3. Use non wedding related Pinterest boards
Variety is key. Take inspiration from other streams such as travel, interior design or fashion. 

4. Include your offline life
You do have an offline life don't you?! Do you and your partner have a shared interest in theatre or 80's music or even rugby? Try and incorporate these shared interests into your wedding to make it truly unique. 

5. Narrow it down
It's very easy to get carried away and find you have hundreds of images. You need to get strict and delete, delete, delete. Hone the images down to less than, say, twenty and then you will have a clear vision of what you are wanting to achieve

6. Stick to it
Once you have your board - stop pinning! Move on to planning and physically doing else there won't be a real wedding to enjoy!

The Friday Photograph - the One of Me

“Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror or the painter?”

— Pablo Picasso

This week's Friday Photograph has been triggered by a blogger that I follow; Me and Orla. Sara is a real whizz when it comes to anything Instagram or photography related, and when she posted a blog a couple of weeks ago about 'putting yourself in the picture' it struck a chord. 

I am always more comfortable about sharing pictures of my flowers and letting them 'sell' the story and speak for themselves. But of course there is much more to 'Church Park Flowers' than just the flowers and I must show my face occasionally to show that, obviously, there are people behind the scenes squirrelling away - planting, weeding, watering, picking, creating and delivering. So....... Here I am! 

'Modelling' a bouquet and flower crown that I made for a recent wedding fayre, you can just about make me out. The flowers still take centre stage, but firstly I am more comfortable with that and actually they should be the focus!

Clearing the annuals.....

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” 
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

 As summer draws to a close (sorry!) it’s time to say good bye to last year’s annuals. These have been my floral stewards over the last five months and it is a bittersweet exercise when pulling them up.

They have faithfully provided colour, scent and beautiful blooms for all manner of requests over the summer. The birthday bouquets, the thank you bouquets, the blue cornflowers and nigella for the nautical themed weddings, the brighter bolder zinnias for the mid summer buttonholes and the scented sweetpeas nestled in bridal bouquets.

As they are pulled from their spots I make mental notes for next year plantings. Definitely yes to more larkspur - Long lasting stems in mauves, purples, whites and pinks. Save space for the ever favourite cornflowers – the blues win hand down on popularity and vibrancy. Need to include more colours for the antirrhinums. (Only had deep crimson and a few white ‘snapdragons’ this year) Jury still out on the zinnias. They win ‘most colourful annual’ award hands down – but not popular for brides unless the Caribbean them takes off in 2016. Dill flowers will appear again as I love the zingy yellow that works so well with other colour palates and adds a spicy scent to bunches of blooms. Cleome?? What were they thinking when they recommend it as a cut flower? Yes it looks impressive but those thorns?! Really? They are killers on your hands. Don’t want the dry-cleaning bill as they prick the finger of a bride in pure white! Escholias, again look great in the beds – but no real staying power for the vase. Must remember to pinch out cosmos next year as picking from 6 foot high plants is no easy task! The sunflowers are still giving so can stay put for now. As can my years favourite – the daucus. The colour, the shape and the generosity of this annual makes it my current favourite. Still producing well in the outside beds it pairs perfectly with dusky pink hydrangeas that are still looking good. (If anyone is looking for a gift in the next few weeks this would make a fabulous long lasting floral arrangement or bouquet – hint hint).

The nice part about clearing the annuals is that it is not a hard task. No deep roots to dig out you can literally just tug them up and chop them into the compost heaps. So at least they are not wasted on any level. You can then clear some beds in super quick time and get them dug and raked over ready for the next ‘guests’.  ………to be continued

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!