Buckinghamshire Wedding Florist. WeddingShowcase at The Dairy, Waddesdon Manor 5th March 2017.

Wedding Showcase at Waddesdon Manor.

The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor has to be one of my favourite wedding venues. It's secluded lakeside setting, versatile event spaces and exclusive use policy make it the perfect place for a wedding celebration at anytime of the year. As a preferred supplier who knows just how the venue works and how wonderful it can look, I was delighted to be involved with the Wedding Inspiration Showcase at The Dairy which took place last month. The reactions to my table setting were amazing and left me on a real high. Thank you to all the wonderful couples who attended. 

Featuring a host of fabulous suppliers, the showcase was brilliantly coordinated by Kelly Chandler  of The Bespoke Wedding Company, who as one of the Uk's leading wedding planners knows exactly how to organise the perfect event.

Designed to inspire and inform couples with a host of industry suppliers and interactive activities; the Inspiration Day transformed the venue from an empty space into a stunning setting, perfect for a wedding celebration.

The central courtyard of The Dairy, which is a beautiful setting for a civil ceremony or drinks reception was transformed with a clear span marquee, capable of seating 300 people. It was in this light filled space that I created my own table setting, complete with lavish arrangements of roses, fragrant spray roses, hydrangeas, viburnum and scented stocks in shades of blush pink. green and soft apricot. Antique gold chivari chairs surrounded the table, which I dressed with a green paisley patterned cloth, gold beaded charger plates, gilded cutlery and gold rimmed glassware. Cut glass vases and candlesticks completed the look.

The style was soft, romantic and very elegant. The tall vases created bold statements without blocking the view (always a consideration), whilst the low vases gave interest at eye level when seated. I loved creating a table setting that was so feminine, but which also had a broad appeal (the guys loved it too!) So if has inspired you about your wedding celebration, let me know how I can help to flower the wedding of your dreams! 

Venue: The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor.

Event Coordination: The Bespoke Wedding Company.

Table Plan Banner: White cottage weddings.

Photography: Kate Nielen.

London Wedding Florist. Floral Trends for 2017

Wedding Reception Flowers. Image by Amy Shaw.

With the start of the new year, now is the perfect time to think about the design and style of your wedding. Flowers make a wedding, so what trends can we expect to see in 2017?

I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that vintage is over, and so are flower walls! From the sublime to the ridiculous, these two wildly differing looks have been featured endlessly in the bridal press as the must have look for weddings. At one end of the scale vintage has been seen as the perfect solution for the money conscious bride flowering a DIY wedding. At the other end, flower walls filled with literally thousands of blooms have been the floral must haves for those, bold enough and wealthy enough to afford them.

While both styles can and do look beautiful, I’m seeing a real trend towards floral designs that strike a balance between old fashioned tea party and vulgar ostentation. I noticed a definite swing towards something more elegant, stylish and dramatic last year, and I’m sure this will definitely continue in 2017. 

Glamour is back in a big way, with reception tables dressed with tall statement vases overflowing with romantic blowsy blooms in muted shades and plenty of greenery. Talking of greenery, I couldn’t be happier that this is the official Pantone colour of the year, so expect to see it featuring heavily on social media, especially Pinterest.

Foliage is an absolute favourite of mine, yet so often overlooked. Foliage is both versatile and adaptable. Amazing for lavish celebrations when used in huge quantities, but also for more modest weddings because it adds scale and drama to arrangements, giving the impression of expense. If you want to create the feeling of an enchanted garden, ask your florist how to create a fabulous opulent style with just the use of greenery. 

Overtaking the flower wall, floral and foliage chandeliers, as well as hanging flowers generally are among the latest trends. These statement pieces which look so impressive can often be a far more cost effective option. I'm very excited that there seems to be a real desire for good old fashioned romance in floral design right now. Many creative florists are transforming venues with beautiful garden style installations. Garlands for staircases, and banquet style tables, oversized statement urns and even statues are succumbing to this widely romantic look. So if this is a style that you love, think more about the green, and less about the flowers and be a trendsetter in 2017.

LondonWedding Florist Simon Nickell Design Featured in Wedding Flowers & Accessories Magazine

Happy New Year to you all! I'm very excited to start 2017 with some wonderful press coverage, courtesy of Wedding Flowers & Accessories Magazine. A few months ago I was asked to provide flowers for the magazine's Look Book section. Given the brief of mixed colours, I created a bridal bouquet and accompanying arrangements in shades of pink, white, lilac, lime green, magenta and deep berry red. The flowers are featured in the latest issue, which is on sale now, and I'm thrilled to see that my bouquet was chosen for the front cover. It's a pity that magazines don't came with scratch and sniff, because the scent from these gorgeous garden style roses was intoxicating! 

Also in this issue, you can read my interview with the magazine about how I started as florist, what I love about the job, my trend predictions for 2017 and expert advice. Thank you Wedding Flowers & Accessories for this wonderful feature.

London Wedding Florist - Galen & Richard's City Wedding at Ham Yard Hotel 16th April 2017.

Take one beautiful bride, one handsome groom and one of London's hippest hotels, and you have the perfect recipe for a stunning wedding! I was so excited when Galen told me that she and Richard were having their wedding ceremony and reception at Ham Yard Hotel. Having had my own reception at one of its sister hotels, the Covent Garden six months previously, their choice struck a real chord with me. Ham Yard is part of the Firmdale hotel group, and all are renowned for the individuality and quirkiness of their interior design. Galen's choice of vibrant jewel toned Spring flowers was a perfect compliment to the hotel's striking interiors, where, when it come to dressing the venue you just have to "go with it"! 

The Windmill room, with its botanical wallpaper in shades of black and grey was the setting for both ceremony and reception. Against this monochromatic backdrop, the vibrancy of the flowers shone through.

I think the tablescape for Galen and Richard's wedding, captured so beautifully by Peartree Pictures has to rank as one of my all time favourites. I absolutely adore the jewel tones of the flowers and glassware banked enmasse down the centre of the table. Peonies, anemones, celosia, ranunculus, sweet peas, geulder and roses all jostling for space, like the busy streets above. I love this picture so much I've set it as the wallpaper on my 'phone!

For the reception, the natural wood of the unclothed table was the perfect base for the flowers, adding warmth to the setting The river of colour running the full length of the table draws the eyes to the centre of the room. With the lighting dimmed and the candles lit, the mood for the evening was warm and inviting. Perfect for an intimate celebration.

Ham Yard's stunning roof top garden was the perfect place for Galen and Richard's post wedding photos. High up among the sky line of Soho, this green oasis is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the streets below, but here all was calm, and against the green back drop Galen's show stopping bouquet of peonies added an amazing punch of colour.

Venue: Ham Yard Hotel

Photography: Peartree Pictures

Buckinghamshire Wedding Florist - Carly & Tom's Country House Wedding at Stoke Park.

I think there is something so quintessentially English about a white wedding. Carly and Tom's July celebration, captured so beautifully here by photographer Paul White, combined a traditional church ceremony and an extremely glamorous country house reception filled with lush Summer florals. Roses, peonies, hydrangeas and abundant foliages set the tone for a beautiful wedding day.  

My introduction to Carly and Tom came through wedding planner Kelly Chandler of The Bespoke Wedding Company. As one of the UK's most respected planners, I knew that they were in the  safest of hands; and I loved working with Kelly to bring the couple's floral dreams to reality.

From our initial meeting I knew that purest white was the order of the day. Carly's stunning gown from Vera Wang reflected this, and her bouquet of pristine roses and gypsophila was the perfect accompaniment. As a flower girl, Carly and Tom's daughter, Bella had the choice of a delicate posy and a pomander of gypsophila. 

I love a good church wedding, especially when it involves making statement urn arrangements. White hydrangeas, roses, stocks, roses and peonies combined with fresh green, and created a wonderful focal point for the ceremony at St Mary's Church in Beaconsfield.

For their reception, Carly and Tom chose the elegant setting of Stoke Park for their reception. To complement the classical proportions of the Fountain room, the tables were dressed with spectacular vase arrangements of blowsy (lemon meringue pie scented) peonies and roses, which I think looked stunning.

This beautiful wedding cake, created by Cakes by Krishanthi was a masterpiece. Having worked with Krishanthi before, I've actually been fooled into thinking her exquisite sugar flowers are the real thing!  I couldn't have added fresh flowers to such exquisite sugar work, so For Carly and Tom I surrounded the base of their cake with a lush garland of gypsophila so that it seemed to be floating in a sea of flowers.

You can see more details of Carly and Tom's beautiful wedding on The Bespoke Wedding Company's blog here. 

Venue - Stoke Park

Wedding Planner - The Bespoke Wedding Company

Cake Designer - Cakes by Krishanthi

Photographer - Paul White