Feeling Festive

The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in, and our thoughts are turning towards the festive season.

I make no apologies for saying I absolutely love Christmas. In actual fact, I think it’s the preparation I love most. There’s something completely magical about preparing the house for friends and family, preferably with some wonderfully cheesy tunes to jolly things along.

In our cottage, my husband and I love to dress our sitting room with a lush and extravagant garland around the fireplace. The warmth from the fire brings out the scent form the pine, and the rich green reminds us that even in the darkest days of Winter, life abounds.

For me, festive decorating begins with dressing the front door. A wreath of Winter greens is a beautiful addition to any home, so I’m delighted to be holding a wreath workshop in a couple of weeks time. I can’t wait to see what everyone makes!

Not everyone has the room for a full sized Christmas tree in their homes. Living in a 250 year old Cornish cottage, I can vouch for that! That doesn’t mean though that you can’t go big and bold with your decorations.

An oversized wreath like this one would look amazing if you have the wall space for it. I did make something almost as big as this for the dining room last year, and it was a real talking point.

However you decide to dress your home this festive season, do it because you love doing it. There are no rules, and the only thing holding you back is your imagination. There’s a world of inspiration out there, so go and get creative. Happy decorating!

Autumn Elopement Wedding

The colours of Autumn, I love them! As the leaves change, the days become shorter and we all start thinking about nesting, there’s something very reassuring about the vibrancy of rich autumnal hues. This elopement wedding last month, which took place at one of my favourite Devon venues was a perfect example of that.

Ever After is completely hidden away at the bottom of an ancient wooded valley next to the river Walkham. The fact that this beautiful venue is so private, makes it ideal for an intimate celebration. Beautifully styled and carefully curated details included a reception table dressed with warming tones of copper and slate blue, with natural textures of moss and bark.

Rich autumn florals of roses, celosia, freesia, alstroemeria, crocosmia and rosehips together with a roaring log fire set the seasonal scene - perfect!

Venue: Ever After A Dartmoor Wedding

Photographer: Rebecca Roundhill Photography

Beachside Wedding - Becci & Ben

When a bride says the magic words, “flowers are my favourite thing” you know it’s going to be a beautiful wedding. Combine them with a breathtaking coastal venue in Devon, an amazing cake designer and an inspired photographer, and you have the perfect recipe for a fabulous celebration.

Becci and Ben chose the Tunnels in ilfracombe because they both love the beach. So close to the town, yet completely hidden, Tunnels Beaches is a uniquely designed coastal wedding venue – accessed via a hand carved tunnel through the cliff.

In this beautiful setting, the couple exchanged their vows overlooking the dramatic North Devon coastline. with waves crashing onto the rocks below.

With flowers being so hugely important for Becci (former Deputy Editor of Wedding Ideas Magazine, it was wonderful for me to create a gorgeously oversized bouquet filled with seasonal spring flowers. “My bouquet was huge and wild” she recalls, with Coral Charm peonies, ranunculus, sweet peas and roses; all flowers with full ruffled petals, and in so many colours!”

I’m always surprised when couples say they don’t like cake! Becci and Ben however called on the amazing talents of Edible Essence to create a whole cake table of sweet treats, including lemon sponges and salted caramel.

Becci and Ben had originally planned an outdoor ceremony, but the tail end of storm Hannah had other ideas! This didn’t stop them however, making the most of such a dramatic day for their outdoor photos; and I’m so glad they did! The brilliantly talented Liberty Pearl Photography captured this windswept day with some of the most beautiful and heartfelt wedding images I’ve seen.

Wedding Venue: Tunnels Beaches

Photography: Liberty Pearl

Cake Design: Edible Essence

Wedding Dress: Sassi Holford

Wedding Ceremony Flowers

As a celebration of one of the most important days of a couple's lives, flowers are one of the most important elements, and a key component of a wedding ceremony. Whether you decide to exchange your vows in a church, a hotel, or a garden, flowers are the perfect way to make the wedding ceremony the centre of attention.

Before choosing your ceremony flowers however, you need to chose the setting. I know I’m biased, but I do believe that flowers are an essential part of the decoration for the aisle, the altar, and other areas. Whatever flowers you do decide to have, remember that as a couple you are the centre of attention. Your ceremony flowers should enhance the setting, not take over and overwhelm you. Well chosen arrangements should help focus the attention of your friends and families on you during the the ceremony.

The wedding ceremony venue will be the place where your marriage will actually take place, so it deserves some carefully thought out plans.

For a church wedding there are some important questions to ask before you get carried way in a floral fantasy! Many churches welcome outside florists with open arms, and are happy for you decorate as much as you like, but some aren’t. Over the years I’ve had many dealings with “the ladies who do the church flowers”, and some of them can be very territorial! They definitely don’t like the idea of an outsider coming in, so you may get a flat refusal, or be admitted grudgingly (as long as you make donation to the church funds).

If you are allowed free reign, there are many options for floral decoration. As a rule of thumb though, there are two main areas to focus your attention. The first is the altar, where large arrangements on either side should be large enough for everyone to see, and be seen from afar. The second is the aisle, where pew ends flowers can define it. These can range from single stems of flowers to large bouquets, but you need to check the fixings! Church pews don’t come in “one size fits all”, and I know from experience that the shape of some pews can make attaching flowers much more difficult than others.

If you are having a civil ceremony in a register office, these may already be decorated with flowers. Some register offices do however allow you to bring in your own floral decoration, as long as it’s removed immediately afterwards.

Image by Pippa Mackenzie

For couples who choose a licensed venue for their ceremony and reception, this is where you floral decoration can be multi purpose. To be honest, it’s rare for me nowadays not to be asked to move arrangements from the ceremony area and reposition them for the wedding breakfast. Depending on the venue, moving flowers can be logistically challenging, but in general it’s far easier to transfer the flowers from one room to another than move them from a church and reposition them during the drinks reception. Think about arrangements that will suit both rooms, and which could possibly double up as table arrangements.

Image by Pippa Mackenzie

If you decide to have an outdoor celebration, make the most of the scenery! If there is a particularly beautiful tree, why not consider dressing it with flower and foliage garlands. They’ll make an amazing backdrop to your ceremony, and can be used to dress the reception tables afterwards.

Whatever style of wedding ceremony you choose to have, religious, civil or humanist, take time to look at all the potential your venue has to offer. Do check to see what you’re allowed to do, and do take the advice of your florist who’ll be able to come up with some amazing ideas!

Wedding Bouquets

As far as I’m concerned, a wedding wouldn’t be a wedding without a bouquet. The flowers that a bride carries set the tone for the day, and are an intrinsic part of making your special day so memorable.

The tradition of a bride carrying flowers has its roots in ancient times, when it was believed that flowers signify new beginnings, fidelity and the hope of fertility. The modern version of the bridal bouquet was popularised by Queen Victoria when she married Prince Albert. In an age when flowers each had a different meaning, their exchange was linked to romantic love. Because of this flowers, their with their romantic association became a part of wedding ceremonies.

Today however, most of the old traditions have been forgotten, and brides now choose their flowers for their colours, fragrance and shape. A wedding bouquet is the greatest accessory and reflects a brides personal style and preferences.

So how do you choose your perfect bouquet? Well your dress will have a lot to do with it! The actual design will depend on the style, colour, and design of your gown. Pinterest is a great starting point, and you’ll be spoilt for choice for inspiration. A word of caution though, please DON’T bombard your florist with a a constant stream of Pinterest images, but DO trust them to use their expertise, and create something breathtaking for you.

Whatever the style of bouquet you choose, it has to be right for you. This is actually a really good time NOT to follow fashion! From neat and compact to wild and woolly, bouquets come in many styles and sizes. You may love the idea of a perfectly neat dome of roses, or some wildly cascading creation, but the size of your wedding bouquet must suit you, and your dress.

Many brides have said to me that they don’t want to feel overwhelmed by their bouquets. In contrast, I’ve also known brides who like the idea of carrying something oversized, so that they have something to hide behind! With floral fashions changing from day by day, the most important thing is that the flowers perfectly complement you and your gown.

In choosing your flowers, there will be some flowers that you like that aren’t available all year round. Ask your florists advice on what the best options are when you’re getting married. Choosing seasonal flowers will also be more cost effective. A really nice personal touch is to include flowers that represent a family tradition. Perhaps flowers that your mother or grandmother carried on their wedding days.

Finally it’s important to feel comfortable holding your bouquet, and to hold it correctly. It should be held slightly away from you, and just below your hip so that the shape of your dress can be seen. Remember, you aren’t holding a microphone!

If you intend to throw it by the way, don’t go for something heavy, or you may injure someone (it has happened!) Above all relax, and enjoy the beautiful bouquet that your florist has created for you.