Spring wedding at Wick Farm, Bath

A March wedding that was abundant with Spring flowers

Dusky Pinks, Pale Purples, Creams and Ivories. There was limited foliages used here to create a romantic floral dream.

Sophie knew what she wanted. She was an event planner and so used to organising. The wedding was to be full of blooms and the decor was to suit the country style barn with vintage crockery and home made bunting.

Alex was Welsh and so worn a tiny Narcissi daffodil that we fastened with a little fern as a back ground so that it would be fully visible.

Wick Farm is the perfect venue for a country dream. It’s a beautiful barn that has been decorated with such an eye that it mixes simple chic with English charm perfectly. It’s always a pleasure to decorate and there are so many options and ideas that work well.

The tables were arranged in one of my favourite ways with each being full of different items. A mix on each of vintage china, cut glass vases and old fashioned bottles. Some also included primrose plants and forget me nots which just added to the charm.

Planning

All the sophisticated Spring favourites were included here. Lilac, Anemones, Ranunculus, Paperwhites and Hellebores with just a few plants and herbs in the table arrangements.

They had bouquets, buttonholes and table flowers. Budget required approx £800 - £1000.

All the stunning photos below are by Kat Hill

Photography by Kat Hill

Photography by Kat Hill

Photography by Kat Hill

Photography by Kat Hill

Photography by Kat Hill

Photography by Kat Hill

Spring wedding at Pennard House, Somerset

A glorious sunny March wedding

This was the last wedding that I did a year ago before the official lock down of 2020 began and it was a wonderful one!

Rosie contacted me by email saying that she loved some of the images she’d seen of my work on social media (it doesn’t get much better than that!). She sent me a pinterest board of images that had caught her attention which gave me a good starting point to understand what she liked before we talked.

Rosie wasn’t completely sure how she wanted her flowers to look but during our chat she mentioned that they were off to New Zealand for a couple of months and that she would love to incorporate their travels somehow. I always think of New Zealand as luscious and Green so Ferns seemed an obvious choice (and one of my favourite foliages to use) .

It also became apparent during our talks that both Rosie and Nick were keen to keep things as sustainable as possible. At this time in March, it can be tricky to find enough interesting flowers and foliages to make a wedding but I assured them that my processes are as sustainable as possible when it comes to putting it all together, using moss and chicken wire to arrange with rather than plastic floral foams.

Rosie showed me photos of bouquets that were pretty and delicate, not oversized or too unruly. Ones that had a botanical feel with textured foliages but that were still romantic and elegant. We went with a simple Aikto Rose for the buttonholes to fit in with this minimalist chic. This is quite often my Rose of choice over blousey ones because it holds up to all those hugs!

My favourite staircase was decorated to create a warm welcome as you enter the coach house. I just love this staircase. Every time I decorate them it feels exciting and every time it looks different depending on the season which brings me so much joy.

They married at Pennard Church and opted for pew end flowers in a trailing shape (my favourite style) It was the first time that I had arranged flowers in this shape without the use of floral foam and it took a bit of head scratching to figure it out. I always enjoy a challenge though and absolutely loved the outcome.

It is always so lovely to be at Pennard House. The staff are all so helpful and friendly, the grounds are stunning and it has such a relaxed calm feel.

Rosie and Nick were a wonderful lovely couple and their families were so kind on the morning which just makes the day so much more! I’m so pleased that they choose me as their florist.

Planning details

Roses ‘Quicksand’, ‘Caffe Latte’ and ‘Majolica’ were the main focal flowers which were then mixed with Spring flowers like Anemones, Ranunculus and Viburnum. The foliages were kept to a darker Green to add the botanical feel.

They had bouquets, buttonholes, pew ends and the stair installation. Budget required approx £800 - £1000.

Photography by A tall long legged bird

Photography by A Tall Long Legged Bird

Pennard House staircase

Colourful micro wedding at Wick Farm, Bath in Somerset

A micro wedding in 2020!

This was my second wedding of 2020 and to be honest I wasn’t expecting it. The couple were supposed to be getting married in July, they were supposed to be having lots of colourful English garden blooms, they were supposed to surrounded by lots of friends and family.

They had originally decided to postpone to July 2021 but then they had a change of heart, they just wanted to be married, they didn’t want to wait any longer, they decided to do the legal bit now and then have a mega party when its possible. I completely understood, my own wedding was arranged and organised in 5 weeks, sometimes you just want to live for the here and now!

The flowers that she had wanted in July were completely perfect. Lots of English grown, seasonal blooms, Foxgloves, Peonies, Roses, Delphiniums, Snapdragons, Scabious, all in a colourful mix to look like a naturally growing English country garden. She still wanted this fresh vibrant colour scheme in December but I knew that it would be difficult to achieve. We discussed by email what else she could have that had a wild garden feel and in the end settled on a much more simple affair of something similar to White Anemones, Burgundy Roses and Eucalyptus with fillers and other foliages.

Trouble was that I knew deep down that this wasn’t what she wanted. So I phoned her to talk it through. She sounded fine but just a bit flat when we were talking about the flowers. Now, I want my couples to be happy with what I do for them. I want my brides to be in love with their bouquets. I want them to look back on photos in years to come and say, yes, that is me, that is my style, that is what I wanted.

So, I suggested the idea of colourful dried flowers and sent her a photo. She suddenly relaxed and I could hear the excitement in her voice again. This is my job, to find flowers and styles that you really want, not what you think you should have.

Social distancing was still in place between families not in the same bubble so, the tables became a big square in the middle of the room with an empty space in the middle. The obvious place to concentrate the flowers was here. Where everyone could see them. I knew from our talks that she quite liked the idea of rainbow flowers so this is how I arranged them in an ombre effect with one colour merging into the next.

Picture by https://bristolcontemporaryphotography.com/

Picture by https://bristolcontemporaryphotography.com/

I absolutely loved the feeling of the barn at Wick Farm. like this. It felt intimate, cosy and so special. I was pretty envious that I wasn’t on the invitation list!

The other completely total amazing thing about a micro wedding, is that your photographer has the time to get some incredible and interesting shots that probably wouldn’t have been possible in a normal situation.

Picture by https://bristolcontemporaryphotography.com/

Picture by https://bristolcontemporaryphotography.com/

Picture by https://bristolcontemporaryphotography.com/

A micro wedding doesn’t mean that you have to compromise, it doesn’t mean that you have to give up on what you wanted. What it does mean is you can have lots of fun and there will still be as much magic and love as any other wedding.

I cannot wish Georgia and Tom enough luck and love in their lives together.

I love my job. I love weddings!

All of the amazing photos here were taken by Charlie https://bristolcontemporaryphotography.com/ and Georgia’s make up was done by https://www.ellehitchens.co.uk/ who always seems to do the make up for some of my favourite brides.

Christmas wreath making. How to create your own!

Christmas 2020 has seen a revival of the door wreath. A circle of evergreen foliages to represent eternal life and strength. There are so many wonderfully amazing different techniques and styles that you can use but like anything, I have found my own way and will share it here along with some beautiful document style photos taken by my friend Oxi https://www.oxiphotography.co.uk/

My wreaths have always had a very organic wild feel but this year rather than sticking with the traditional wired technique that is used across the floristry industry, I decided to make them completely compostable too. They are more often made on a wire circular frame and everything being tied on with reel wire but these are made with a circular base of Willow and everything being tied on with string.

I have been lucky in that a neighbour has a Willow tree that is slightly growing out of control and so she was happy for me to help myself. Other materials that can be used instead for the frame are Hazel, Birch, some types of Clematis, Virginia Creeper, Cornus, Larch , basically anything that that easily bends and isn’t brittle.

You grab a bundle, maybe 8-12 lengths and take the longest length you have first. Wind it into a circular shape and then use the thinner end to wrap around and around. It should hold itself already, if it doesn’t then your piece may not be long enough so either cut another or use a little string to tie it. Then working in a clockwise pattern add more and more pieces in.

If some pieces feel a little stiff then just manipulate with your hands to bend it gently before using. The more pieces you add in, the bigger and stronger your wreath will be. If you want to use the base for dried flowers or only a few sprigs of foliage then you’ll probably only need about 8 lengths. If you want to make a massive luxury version then you’ll probably need about 20 plus. This really does depend on the material you’re using but once you’ve done it will feel really fairly strong.

Once you are happy with your base then you have a few options. You can either use moss which is a favourite because it feels so natural and earthy (but please search for certified sustainable supplies - you can ask me) straw, which works really well for keeping it light or you can tie directly onto the base. The main purposes of the moss or straw is that it one keeps the foliages damp and alive and two stops the foliages slipping on the framework. Once you’ve chosen your method, you can then tie with string onto your frame. If you use jute string then it keeps the wreath compostable. Just tie the string on to the ring first then take handfuls of moss and wind the string around it tying it at the end.

Now comes your choice of foliages. If you use evergreens then you know they are going to last the Christmas period, so things like, Conifer, Ivy, Pine, Spruce, Cedar. You can also add whatever else you fancy, things like, Birch, Larch, Berries, Viburnum, Teasels, Feathers, Holly if you’re brave enough!

This can be a really lovely thing to get the kids involved with. Go on a walk in the countryside or woods and see what you can all gather.

If you’re feeling confident then you can just tie all of your material directly on to the ring in the same way that you added your moss, but you’ll have to pull it pretty tightly and tie it well to ensure that it all stays put. Or, alternatively, you can tie lengths into bundles by taking 4-5 various stems and tying them together., before adding to the ring. You’ll need approx 15 - 20 of these bundles to cover the ring nicely. These can then be tied on again working in a clockwise motion. I say clockwise but this may be because I’m left handed and so anti-clockwise may suit you more.

If you want to add any additional decoration like ribbons, cones, baubles, dried fruit slices then save these until last. Feed wire into and out of the decoration to create a hair pin with the wire. This can then be pushed it wherever you want. If you have a thick moss base then this may be enough to hold it but if it’s thinner then use wire that is long enough to pull through to the back and twist the ends together. Don’t forget to push the end back into the wreath so that it doesn’t scratch your door.

And, it’s done! Your wreath is ready to be hung on your door and enjoyed throughout the Christmas period. You have made your own unique compostable door wreath!

Happy Christmas xx

Rebrand from 'Walled Garden Weddings' to 'Copper Green'

Way back in January I decided that this was the year that I was finally going to set my sights on the rebrand that I had been thinking about for 4 years.
I had never fully embraced the name 'Walled Garden Weddings' but during my time at ‘The Walled Garden at Mells’ it made sense.

Now to find a new name.  I thought I had come up with the perfect one 'Verdant Revelry' (hang on, I'll get there) so I arranged a meeting with Katie at Edie and Chalk to talk through ideas. She was perfect! She listened intently to me and the vibe I wanted whilst guiding me down a path to really understand where I was going. When she sent me the brand guidelines, I jumped for joy 'yes, I said, yes!' She had embodied everything that I wanted, but, there was still something not quite right. I still wasn't totally convinced about the name. It just didn't roll off the tongue! So, back to the drawing board. My original choice had been 'Verdant Green' but a Google search bought it up as a gardening firm, arghhh! I still liked 'Verdant' and I still liked 'Green' so I literally went through a dictionary and thesaurus until I hit upon it. 'Copper Green', I said it again, then I said it to my husband and it was the first time that he hesitated rather than saying 'nope, next'. That's it! I've got it!

 Now you can’t have a sparkly new website and beautiful logo and not have a set of cohesive photos to go with it so, I decided to arrange a shoot.  I’ve been mulling this over in my head for a long time so I had a fair idea of how I wanted it to look.  I had met the ‘Saint sisters’ a few years ago when doing flowers for Alex’s wedding and knew that they were a perfect fit.  Alex couldn’t because it was getting quite close to her giving birth (and baby Bella is so very cute) but Sophie was up for helping me – yeh! I’d also met Elinor @huncho earlier in the year when she asked me to provide some flowers for a Winter shoot and I instinctively knew that her photography would work perfectly.

I got in touch with Sophie at Wick Farm which is a beautiful wedding venue to ask if it would be possible to do it in her hay barn.  Sophie is the kindest type of human and it felt so right to hold it somewhere that felt familiar and safe.  One final piece was missing and it was a bit of style! I had met Imogen at Luck and Lace previously and knew that her strength was making spaces look memorable and special.  So now, everything was set!  As Elinor @hunchco was shooting I knew that it was going to be perfect.  Everything was as sustainable as possible, Imogens super stylish collection of hire furniture and impeccable taste sat perfectly,  Sophie @saintsbyname and her gorgeous mane of hair looked incredible, the beautiful vintage pre loved wedding dresses from Kate at heartfeltvintage couldn't have been more perfect and a bucketful of more focal homegrown flowers came from Cobi batch cottage flowers to sit alongside my garden offerings and top it off.

If you are considering a rebrand then go for it.  It is so much easier to put yourself out there when you have a brand that fits you perfectly!