The change in each season is possibly my favourite time of the year. I love snuggling up when the weather changes from summer to autumn, the longing for the sunshine when spring changes to summer. Whats not to love.
Autumn is all about texture and deep jewel colourways.
Seeded grasses, mixed with berries, ivy mixed with rose hips, lovely cotton buds nuzzling along side soft sage green dusty millar. The combinations are endless and, for me, foliage forms the basis of any autumnal arrangement.
I also love the colour combinations, there is still a hangover from the soft pastle tones of summer but combined with deep purples, cerise pinks and clusters of oranges these take on a new, moody look. Can flowers be described as moody?
Knitted pots are our new beau! fill them with frilly cyclamen or ferns for a shot of rich autumn colour.
We're getting our festive sparkle on! Come and join us for one of our Christmas flower schools in December.
Christmas Wreath Course £55.00 per person
Friday 13th December 2013 19:30 - 21:30
Monday 16th December 2013 19:30 - 21:30
Tuesday 17th December 2013 19:30 - 21:30
The perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit. Our Christmas door wreath class provides you with all the know-how and materials to make your own stunning festive fresh floral decoration for your door. Suitable for all abilities, this course is limited to 6 places. The price includes all flowers and sundries, a glass of mulled wine and minced pies. Please book in advance as places are limited.
Book online www.greenparlour.com
Call today 0118 984 4000
I can't wait to share some of the gorgeous images from Becky and Jo's big day at Ufton Court. With my favourite colour scheme of the moment ... peach, white, sage green and hints of soft grey. The arrangements are filled with some of my favourite flowers including Bombastic spray roses, dahlias and ... dare I say it ... peach carnations!
Becky's bouquet was filled to the brim with berried eucalyptus, white dahlias, scented sweet peas, blush Bombastic spray roses, succulents, Majolika spray roses, Apple Tea carnations and softly scented wax flower. I have to admit its one of my favourite bouquets of the season, the soft peach tones are subtle enough to provide a slightly warm blush to the whites. More carnations please!
Wearing nude dresses, the bridesmaids bouquets were a smaller version of Becky's bouquet, with those utterly wonderful dahlias taking centre stage.
I've preached and preached about how much I love adventurous buttonholes and Jo's buttonhole completely sums my rants. Gorgeous soft silver tones from the succulents are complimented with the sweetly scented waxflower and dusty millar.
Becky and Jo's big day took place at Ufton Court, I know I shouldn't have favourites but its an amazing venue, with amazing staff where nothing is too much trouble. You can completely personalise the space and we've seen it transformed from seas of rustic sunflowers to elegant silver flute vases.
Becky chose these wonderful silver flute vases filled with flowers to compliment the bridal party but still keeping the wild country garden feel that works so well at Ufton Court. We also opted to team these tall arrangements with some little flower displays around the base with silver tea light pumpkin vases completing the look.
The cake was amazing, with gorgeous iced bee's and delicate lace flowers adorning all 3 layers. The simple rustic circlet around the base of the cake is a great way to add floral decoration to a cake with such intricate detail.
Men, weddings and flowers.
There may be a few sweeping statements in this little blog post, and I know there are always a few occasions where people buck the trend, but generally men have little say in wedding flowers. I also know for most men its not always the most exciting topic when it comes to planning a wedding - food, yup I get that, drinks, suits, games, ties, table plans ... generally flowers come some way down their list. I'm not complaining, but I do like it when a groom wants to step away from the traditional rose buttonhole. I also love it when a groom says to hell with the bridal flowers, I want something unique thats going to match my suit ... so there!
Buttonhole inspiration is something we get asked about a lot, so we thought we'd take a few snaps of some more manly buttonholes to give you that lightbulb moment. I love all of the below for their texture, the fact that they are not too floral, and most importantly they are not massive!
Remember boys ... buttonholes don't have to be boring, they don't have to be floral and they certainly don't have to match everything else.
Our top 10 summer flowers - the floral equivalent to our summer soundtrack at Green Parlour.
We are completely spoilt at this time of year, so many gorgeous blooms available and so many delicious varieties. Although my heart lies in Spring, I have to admit my heart flutters slightly when I start to think about vases filled with delphiniums, the scent of flowering mint!
Each of the above flowers has a special place in my heart. I know there are a few marmite flowers on there, dahlias in particular seem to have a bad rep, but I cant understand how people don't fall for them in all there multicoloured glory. I'll have them over sunflowers any day of the week.
Scabious and later on in the season their gorgeous seed pod heads, are perfect for a summer wedding with a country vibe. Fill a jug with seeded grass and scabiosa for a lovely addition to your table.
Hydrangeas with their brash bold heads work perfectly in a vase on their own. I may even go as far to say that they are my favourite flower of all time. A bold statement from a florist!
I love the simplicity of the glass cylinder vase, perfect for a pretty hand tied arrangement of flowers. Everyone gets worried about arranging in vases, we can arrange a bouquet in any vase you have lying about the house. Pop one into the shop for some expert advise on what would bring your vase to life.
Whats your favourite summer flower?
xx
We are a little addicted to craft at Green Parlour and Pinterest is full of gorgeous crafty ideas to get your teeth into. Here are a few of our favourite pins from our Pinterest adventures this week ...
I stumbled upon this amazing Runaway Coffee Date dress pattern when it was re-pinned by Tilly (from Great British Sewing Bee fame) who runs Tilly and the buttons and of course I clicked right onto Four Square Walls to see where I could get such an ace pattern from. I should have known Etsy would be involved! If your after some unique patterns Pattern Runway do some lovely bits and pieces, well worth a look if your longing for some dress making time.
String, wool and some cleverly placed nails. Now all I have to do is convince the other half that this gorgeous DIY idea HAS TO grace to walls in our little abode. Such a simple idea, now to choose a word...
Check out some more of our favourite pins here or come and look at all our boards by following us on Pinterest
Nathalie and Neil tied the knot at The Aviator in Farnborough. If you haven't visited this hotel before, you must! Its absolutely stunning, with unusual views across the airfield!
Nathalie wanted to blend the formal surroundings with a more relaxed country vibe throughout the bouquets and venue flowers. I think its a look that really works, especially when the ceremony took place within a picturesque old church.
Nathalie was keen to have lots of scent in her bouquet, and we focused on the amazing scented and flowering herbs that are available throughout July, August and September. Flowering mint is a complete favourite of mine and a scent I find incredibly calming, perfect for a bridal bouquet.
After setting up our wedding flowers at The Aviator we managed to sneak a few snaps of the amazing staircase that runs over all 4 floors of the hotel. What an amazing view!
Hannah visited with her mother, Diane a few months ago to discuss all the flowers for Hannah's big day. Filling me in on all the details including lots of DIY bunting which would be hung throughout Ufton Court. I love setting up wedding flowers at Ufton Court, such an amazing venue and each wedding we do there is completely different! Hannah had chosen a colour palette of peach, blue and yellow, based around the amazing soft lemon bridesmaids dresses and her groom's love of cornflowers.
I admit it ... I am a complete David Austin rose-a-holic. This gorgeous Juliette rose is my absolute favourite, teamed with the soft blue delphiniums and deeper blue cornfowers, this is a bouquet I'm seriously considering for my wedding day!
I always feel a little uneasy uttering the word "carnation" but this soft peach Apple Tea carnation is perfect for weddings, just the right shade, not too orange and not too pink. I'm sure when I suggest it brides think I've completely lost the plot, but I hope you'll agree, its a stunning carnation.
Do you love Hannah's colour palette? Let us know what you think! xx
Harriet, Romain and their families first came to see Green Parlour in the depths of winter. Talking through the garden feel they wanted to create and the summer blooms weaving throughout all the arrangements felt like a lifetime away! But finally the time came and below is the outcome of many month planning.
We loved that each arrangement had its own personality, but still following a colour palette theme. This really works for a natural relaxed vibe. Just because a flower is in your bridal bouquet, it doesn't have to dictate everything!
With the ceremony taking place at The Olde Bell in Hurley, we went all out with the country theme, mix and match vases adorned the tables and large milk churns filled with the most spectacular hydrangeas framed the ceremony table perfectly.
Weeping pear trees marked the entrance and helped transport you into the garden theme of the day.
We loved setting up the wedding flowers at The Olde Bell, Hurley. Such a lovely venue set up and I hope you'dd agree the flowers were beautiful! I can't tell you how much we enjoyed making all the beautiful displays. Let us know what you think xx
