Its so exciting to get pretty new things in our little shop. Today we were treated with some beautiful new flowers and this gorgeous smokey glass vase.
Both are delicious.
I'm always proclaiming love for these white Majolica spray roses, they are, in my opinion just perfect.
With Valentine's Day around the corner we have our hearts set on any of these bouquets ... we're not fussy!
TTFN
Today is the 1st February and hopefully that means spring is around the corner. The shop is filled with Ranunculus, scented Hyacinths and Anemones - I literally love them all and have treated myself to an old biscuit tin filled with all sorts of lovely flowers and viburnum.
Don't even get me started on how much I adore Helleborus.
I have also being dreaming of an Auricula theatre, possibly inspired by my Emma Bridgewater mug...
Our bellies are full of Nigella Lawson's chocolate and orange loaf and all is well with the world.
Today I was spurred into action by the wonderful Wedding Sparrow who tweeted she was going to nose at the blog for some inspiration before a meeting with her wedding florist in a few weeks time. Hugely flattering but I also realised everything was looking a little out of date so my interim offering, before I upload lots of gorgeous wedding photo's, is another homage to the white rose. Not only do I love its simplicity, its romantic ivy collar and the satin bow (I'm big on bows right now) but I also love my model mannequin with wooden arms.
She is called Dolly if you were wondering ...
I am such a white rose girl and they are the perfect for a classical, elegant wedding. I think my favourite thing of all has to be spray roses, I am a complete sucker for them especially when you get these gorgeous green buds poking out between the Akito roses. We filled this wedding bouquet with yummy scented freesias and had one happy bride! hurray!
The Green Parlour girls got pretty excited when I told them about our VIP guest appearance from Kat at Rock n Roll Bride! Not only was she coming to say a massive hello but we invited her in to experience a day in the life of, well us, with some DIY tutorials to share with all of her beautiful readers to boot. Just the ticket to brighten up a dark Wednesday in January me thinks.
Take a look at our day with the pink haired beauty here and watch this space for an announcement on some new flower school bridal courses we will be running ... the perfect way to come and play with gorgeous blooms with your bridesmaids, mums and friends.
Big love to Kat at www.rocknrollbride.com not only for writing such an awesome wedding blog but she's a pretty hot trainee florist too.
Christmas parties in January - with crackers of course
White roses
Dogs
Diets
Blankets to curl up in
Feathers, ribbons and buttons
Home-spun vintage
Allotment time - seeds galore!
Stag head collection
Farrow and Ball 'green'
In part two of our guide on How to Choose your Wedding Flowers we start to look at all the fun things! The actual flowers! First on my flower list is always the bridal bouquet. Along with the dress I believe the bridal bouquet helps to set the scene for the whole wedding, introducing the look of your day and containing your personality. In this, part 2 of our guide, we show you some of the key styles, talk about ways to introduce colour and … don’t forget the groom …
The bridal bouquet is always first on my list of flower requirements to talk about; it is my favourite part of the whole ‘let's talk about wedding flowers’ process, and also probably the most daunting – all the wedding ideas suddenly become super real!
This is the time to whip out all the mood boards, images of your dress (I love this part!), colours that you love, plans, ideas, thoughts, all the little details that you probably don’t think will be connected to flowers. As much information as you can load us up with.
And then it's time for the big questions … what style of bouquet do you want?
The hand tied wedding bouquet, sometimes known as a posy or an upright bouquet, is the must-have bridal bouquet right now. Definitely my favourite shape for its versatile nature, taking you from chic country bride to glitz and glam with a few tweaks here and there.
Fill with in-season flowers to create a wild, natural and just-picked-from-the-garden look, or go for a tightly packed rose dome bound in a satin ribbon for sheer elegance.
What I love most about a hand tied wedding bouquet is the fun you can have on the handle. It's my favourite place to add in extra details to make the bouquet completely unique. Why not try attaching old brooches, winding vintage lace detailing around the stem or platting together satin ribbon dotted with pearl-headed pins for a plush ornate feel?
Shower or cascade bouquets are in the midst of a major resurgence! Gone are the days of the Princess Diana (heavy, cumbersome and super showy) … in are a smaller, more delicate feminine cascade with subtle country twists and bags of movement using interesting foliage.
For an utterly romantic bouquet, fill with a mixture of scented English roses, smaller rosebuds and jasmine foliage in a soft feminine trail. Or go super modern: bold minimalist flowers with bags of colour … my favourite has to be deep purple vanda orchids which look like tropical butterflies.
This is such a gorgeous statement shape! I love seeing it with simple, elegant gowns or with vintage style dresses with delicate sparkly beading around the bodice. It's my dare-to-be-different bouquet of choice and should be made using some of the most standout flowers available.
For the 'wow' factor include crisp white calla lilies with modern leaves, or for a country twist go for strong groupings of zesty lime hydrangeas; a must-have colour for 2011.
The first rule is always reflect what's happening in nature ... Simple huh?
Every time I talk about reflecting the seasons, an episode of Don’t Tell the Bride pops into my mind. Specifically, the one when during a heat wave in July, a snow loving Groom transformed a barn into a winter wonderland. It looked beautiful, yes, but there was something slightly unnerving about seeing guests in very summery dresses, walking down an isle covered in snow. Flowers follow the same rules!
Choosing the right flowers to reflect you and your wedding day can be mind blowing! First there is the style of bouquet, then you have to think about colours and on top of that flower names and what may be available at that time of year ... and it goes without saying ... cost! Flowers are so important for adding the finishing touches to your day, reflecting your style, colour theme and enhancing your dress.
So where do you start in this daunting flower world? Follow our step by step guide to prepare for your first wedding consultation ...
It sounds a little interior-design-meets-changing-rooms but mood boards are a great way of gathering all sorts of visual information to show your wedding florist (and other suppliers). Go traditional and get creative with your scissors and glue and grab all of those lovely wedding magazines you've been hoarding and start ripping them to shreds! Fill it with images of your dress, your inspiration; basically fill it with you, your personality! If you are a little more technology minded give some of the online sites a try, some allow you to create your own mood boards using some of their existing photos as well as uploading your own images and taking a look at other peoples boards of inspiration while you are there (www.dessy.com).
Take a look at the blogs below for some gorgeous wedding inspiration that is sure to get you drooling at all the wedding loveliness out there:
... and don't forget to photocopy/print your creative hard work and give a copy to all your potential suppliers!
Budgets are always a difficult subject - how on earth with no knowledge of the cost of flowers are you meant to think of a figure to put in your budget? There is so much varying advise out there, it sounds pretty obvious but the more you spend, the more floral your decorations will become. We usually find the budget for the flowers should be between 5% - 10% of the total wedding budget but this is not prescriptive. It really depends on you!
The best advice we give is to be open with your budget, it allows you to get the most out of a consultation with any supplier and means that any ideas being discussed will be achievable for you!
Phew!
This is one of the most exciting parts! We usually suggest putting by around 1 hour 30 minutes for your first consultation, giving us plenty of time to talk about your dress, the look and feel of your day and of course the mood boards we talked about earlier! You can contact us about a consultation online here or you can call us on Tel: 0118 984 4000.
All quiet on the blog posts for a week so I thought I'd show you a sneak peak of the start of our festive season online. I am particularly excited to show you our range of fresh Christmas wreaths.
I am totally in love with Christmas wreaths and I have to say I've fallen head over heals with the vintage inspired wreath with dried lavender and the most beautiful old fashioned tea roses ever! I have a thing about lavender and go completely barmy for it. Although not in true seasonal spirit, it looks amazing combined with miniature pine cones, berried ivy and the natural willow twigs ... very Country Living!
I think people often feel a little sad that they spend money on a wreath for the outside of their door and then spend most of the time inside not looking at it. But it doesn't have to be this way ... we always have a door wreath during December and as soon as we're entertaining and the guests are inside we whizz outside, take it off the door place in the centre of the table with a grouping of thick church candles in the middle and voila, from door wreath to table arrangement in under 5 minutes flat.
Learn how to make your own stunning Christmas door wreaths and dress your table to impress
Green Parlour will provide you with all the knowledge and materials to create your own Christmas door wreath. Perfect for celebrating the festive season!
There will also be expert advise on the latest interior trends, as well as some inspirational ideas on how to dress your Christmas table from Lynda Tillotson at L Interiors, Chapel Row, Bucklebury, RG7 6PB.
Taking place at The Bladebone Inn, Chapel Row, Bucklebury, RG7 6PD classes will start promptly at 7.30pm and finish at 9.30pm. You will be greeted with a glass of wine before a brief demonstration on how to create the perfect Christmas wreath. You will then be invited to create your own wreath for your front door. Lynda will then guide you through dressing your table beautifully for Christmas Day.
Each class costs £45.00 per person, per course. Places are limited.
