Kirsten & Steve's Wedding, East Harling Church & Garboldisham Village Hall

Kirsten and Steve got married at East Harling Church on 2nd July 2011 and held their reception at Garboldisham Village Hall.

They chose purple, white and silver as their wedding theme and this provided the inspiration for their wedding flowers.

Three types of Lisianthus formed the majority of the flowers: a gorgeous double white flower, a deep purple variety and Pictotee, which was a white flower with beautiful purple edges. Gypsophila was used to add texture and the grey-green shrub Senecio greyii incorporated the silver theme into the wedding flowers.

The two Bridesmaid's bouquets were predominantly white with silver and purple accents and were finished with a silver bow.

Kirsten's bouquet contained more of the deep purple and Picotee flowers and fern, Gypsophila, Senecio, Sweet peas and Clematis added interest. The bouquet was finished with a double bow.

Each Lisianthus flower and bud and Variegated ivy leaf of the corsages and buttoholes were individually wired and taped before being assembled, so was a fairly fiddly job as there were 6 corsages and 6 buttonholes!

I also produced a long table decoration for them that was more than 1.5 metres long and was designed to drape over the front of the top table at the reception. The centre piece comprised the three varieties of Lisianthus, Freesia, Lavendar hidcote, Senecio, Jasmine and Soft ruscus.

I was really pleased with the flowers and loved the colours and the textures and enjoyed doing the wedding flowers. Kirsten  & Steve were really pleased too!

Their wedding photographer, Jonathan Boshoff, took some great photos of the flowers, of which some are shown below. More can be viewed on his website http://www.jonboshoffphotography.co.uk/.   There are some lovely landscape photos on there too!

Kirsten & Steve's Wedding, East Harling Church

I did the wedding flowers for Kirsten and Steve who got married last weekend at East Harling Church.  There is a preview of some of the wedding photos and the flowers at the following website:
http://www.jonboshoffphotography.co.uk/kirstystevewedding

I really enjoyed doing the wedding flowers: There were some beautiful flowers and foliage to work with and I was very pleased with the results. Kirsten looked stunning and the weather was fantastic.

More photos to follow! 

Bateman's Barn Wedding Photography model shoot - Part 2

This blog entry shows the second bouquet designed for the wedding photography promotional shoot that Norwich-based photographer Phil Barnes organised www.philbarnesphotography.co.uk. Fellow photographer Brian Egan www.brianegan.co.uk assisted with the shoot and dresses were provided by Jackagowns, a new Norwich wedding dress shop. Both dresses were really lovely - couldn't choose between them!

This bouquet featured Talea roses which are a lovely soft peach colour and the edge of the petals are almost a gold colour, Blue Veronica & Eucalyptus.

Wait until you see the lambs! 

Bateman's Barn Wedding Photography model shoot - Part 1

I was asked by Norwich-based photographer Phil Barnes www.philbarnesphotography.co.uk to supply a couple of bouquets that could be used in a model shoot at the popular wedding venue Bateman's Barn www.batemansbarn.co.uk, located on the Norfolk/Suffolk border near Harleston. Phil and fellow photographer Brian Egan www.brianegan.co.uk got lots of fantastic promotional photos including these below. The beautiful dresses were provided by Jackagowns, a new wedding dress shop in Norwich www.jackagowns.co.uk

The first bouquet comprised Grand Prix red roses, in a beargrass basket and finished with ruscus, and was more formal in design.

The roses were really amazing: Rich vibrant luxurious blooms that were velvety to touch. 

Sapphire Anniversary flower basket

I produced this Spring flower basket for a Sapphire Anniversary. Rather than use blue flowers I opted to use striking purple iris, freesia, hyacinth and statice, with yellow alstroemeria and tulips, purple and white lisianthus and white crysanthemums and gypsophila. The basket was really fragrant and a great burst of Spring for the home.

The large basket was double-sided and the flowers varied slightly on each side. The basket was really vibrant and got lots of really nice comments at the restaurant where it was presented for the couple's 45th anniversary.
Purple and yellow is one of my favourite colour combinations.

Mothers Day flowers

To thank my Mum for everything she has done for me over the last year I made this lovely flower arrangement for her.

The deep purple anemones complimented the mauve and white tulips and the narcissi perfectly. As I was working with the flowers the scent of the narcissi was amazing. I had the arrangement in the kitchen overnight and it made the room smell lovely.

Purples with yellows are one of my favourite colour combinations and part of me wanted to keep it and not give it away!

Gift plant basket

I made this plant basket as a gift for a friend for her birthday. The basket contained ivy, primroses and violas, and was finished with moss. The oranges and yellows were really vibrant. I accessorised the basket with a raffia bow.

The basket was photographed by husband Phil who is a Norwich-based photographer http://www.philbarnesphotography.co.uk/. The black studio background sets off the fiery colours of the flowers perfectly.

Hand tied Lisianthus vase

I was bought these lovely Lisianthus from Waitrose and whilst they are not a country cottage garden flower they wouldn't look out of place in one. I really like the pastel shades of the petals and their structure.

Their structure however didn't lend itself easily to form a hand-tied bouquet so instead I tied them into a shape that complemented the vase and secured a width of antique lace around where they were tied. I cut the stems so the lace was the height of the neck of the vase. 

The colours were really fresh and the vase looked great on our shabby chic sideboard.

Photos by www.brianegan.co.uk

Bridesmaid flower wand - Rose & Sea Holly

An alternative to a posie for a young bridesmaid is to hold a flower 'wand'.

The 'wand' below comprises an Avalanche rose, Eryngium and Eucalyptus, and is accessorised by organza that complements the colour of the Eryngium.

Eryngium are some of my favourite flowers. They are often mistakenly called thistles due to their spiky flower heads, foliage and stems but are actually a Sea Holly. 

Whilst the flowers used here are obviously cultivated, a species of Sea Holly grows wild on the North Norfolk Coast and is a characteristic plant of the sandy, shingle habitat, that can be seen in flower in the summer.

Photos taken by Brian Egan using a studio set-up www.brianegan.co.uk

 

Shabby chic bridesmaid flower bucket

Rather than carry a traditional posie or bouquet, this enamel bucket is an ideal alternative for a young bridesmaid for a shabby chic feel to a wedding. Filled with simple pastel toned carnations and crysanthemums, it is an inexpensive option too and can be used not only for the ceremony but also be placed on a table for the wedding breakfast and can be re-used at a later date and serve as a great reminder of the wedding day too.

Thanks to Brian Egan for the photograph www.brianegan.co.uk

Spring Daffodils

I bought my first bunches of British daffodils the other week to introduce Spring into the house, whilst waiting for the ones in the garden to flower.

I tied a few together just below the trumpets and fixed in oasis and decorated with pretty ribbon.

They were later put under the studio lights, with these results. I really like the blue background resembling the sky: The colour works really well with the yellow.

Photos by www.brianegan.co.uk.

 

Studio photos: Tulips

After being used in Phil Barnes Photographys' shoot, my tulip bouquet was taken in the studio and put under the lights. Photos by Brian Egan www.brianegan.co.uk.

The bouquet was later taken apart and tulips arranged in a basket by my mum. Though some were wilting for the photo, after a long drink they were standing tall and proud.

VE Flowers design used in a photoshoot by Phil Barnes Photography

Last week Norwich-based photographer Phil Barnes did a post-wedding portrait shoot at Unwind Bar & Grill in Trowse. I designed a Spring tulip bouquet for the shoot, tied with vintage ribbon and a buttonhole that also featured vintage ribbon. I love the rich colours of the tulips: The pink and purple perfectly complement each other.

I really enjoyed the evening. The bride and groom looked stunning and Phil got some great shots. The photos that feature the flowers are shown below. Phil's website and blog links are:
http://www.philbarnesphotography.co.uk/
http://www.philbarnesphotography.blogspot.com/

Valentines day decorations

Feeling inspired by Valentines day, here are a few homemade decorations I made for our home.

Making a pussy willow heart was surprisingly tricky. I had to make a heart-shaped frame and tie the willow to it to retain the shape. I have also included a photo of a short stem of pussy willow that I took using a small Panasonic Lumix in my sitting room - much easier than a really big, heavy SLR and lens set-up.

I found these great heart-shaped stones on the beach at Cley over the winter. I painted them using white acrylic paint.

These hearts are made from dried rose buds and are lightly perfumed. I have placed one of them by the stairs and you can smell it every time you pass by it.