g lily

Peony 'The national flower of China'

2012-01-27T18:23:00.001Z

For 2 weeks From the 23rd January Chinese People all over the world will be celebrating Spring festival which is the beginning of The Chinese new year.
2012 is the year of the Dragon, the most auspicious of the Chinese zodiac signs.
Flower and plant sales are extremely high during this peak period with prices more than doubling.
Imagine a valentines day lasting 2 weeks!
A favourite are miniature orange trees thought to bring good luck and wealth.Clivia, Cyclamen, Orchids and Azalea are also very popular.

The most popular of all is the Chinese sacred lily (narcissus tazetta v orientalis) the bulbs of this miniature narccisus are peeled and grown in water in traditional bulb bowls and feature in almost every Chinese home during the festival.

The Peony, recently named as China's national flower is out of season but Chinese growers will be forcing plants to provide beautiful blooms in time for Spring festival.
Here in the UK peonies have always been one of our most popular cut flowers and the season as become longer and longer with more varieties coming on to the market.
However, I have to say the range of colours and varieties grown by the Chinese Peony nurseries has to be seen to be believed.
The worlds largest peony garden is located in He Ze in Shandong province which boasts an annual peony festival each year.

These images from www.xqpeony.com who raise and export peony roots seeds and flowers.
I think some people will be amazed to see peonies in colours other than white pink and dark red. I particularly like the purple, green and apricot varieties quite stunning.
But then The Chinese people have been growing these beautiful flowers for over 2 thousand years!

2012-01-19T10:57:00.002Z

The latest G Lily video tutorial. Ideas for chairback decoration.

2012 Colour predictions

2012-01-05T09:50:00.001Z

The Pantone colour institute has named 'Tangerine Tango' its colour for 2012.
Described as 'sophisticated but at the same time 'dramatic and seductive the institutes's Leatrice Eiseman its a radiant red-orange which we'll be seeing reflected in fashion, cosmetics and decor.
Of course its a colour designed to cheer us all up and I'm sure on a day like today with a storm raging outside and nothing but doom and gloom in the news a 'spirited reddish orange' is going to lift the spirits better than a cool blue or pewter grey.
So how does this colour trend impact on wedding flowers?

We used flowers in a very similar colour for a tablescape on a photoshoot last year.

In general UK brides do not choose bright citrus colours. Yellow/ lemon/cream are usually reserved for spring weddings reflecting the season. Orange /rust/ brown are fairly popular for autumnal weddings with deeper red/ clove/ burgundy popular for winter.
My experience is that the majority of brides still choose a neutral or monochromatic colour scheme.
I had a look at our 2011 weddings and 45% of brides chose ivory/white/green
50% Chose vintage colours like dusky pink/faded lilac/ We had 1 Yellow /white wedding 4 Blue/white 1Apricot/champagne and 1 Lemon/cream/blue and 3 red.
For 2012, the vintage pallet is still strong with silver/pewter coming through as a popular choice for bridesmaids. So far no orange!
I think citrus colours work really well in hotter climes. With so many blogs / magazines featuring weddings in California/S Africa/ The Caribbean where the light and sunshine are perfect for brighter colours its easy to see the appeal but do they look as good under grey overcast English skies?

As with any trend, its about adapting it for your particular market.
Tangerine Tango can be diluted to create a more wedding friendly Apricot/salmon/sand pallet which works works well with a number of other colours including pewter and pink.

One of our bouquets: Miss piggy and prima donna roses,Dhalias and dusty miller foliage.
Finished with really pretty ribbon picked up in an amazing ribbon shop in Bergerac.

My tip for 2012. A simple fan trimmed with lace and decorated with a single bloom.

A great alternative to the wrist corsage, easy to holds, chic and affordable.

Centrepiece of Miss Piggy roses, hydrangea dahlias and asters. We used an old biscuit tin covered with wallpaper and trimmed with pretty sand coloured lace ribbon.
Both these designs created for Wedding flowers Magazine. www.weddingmagazine.co.uk
If you're smitten with tangerine tango then here's some colour inspiration for you from our Tangerine portfolio!

Spring is on the way!

2012-01-03T12:00:00.002Z

Now that the winter solstice has passed its already noticeable that day be day the evenings are a lighter for longer. The first snow drops are up in the garden and the trees are starting to bud.

One of the great pleasures at this time of year are the scented narcissi from Cornwall and the Scilly Isles.
In 1882, after bad weather destroyed the potato crop on Scilly local grower Mr William Trevellick included a hat box of scented Narcissi with the crop of artichokes and asparagus he was sending to Covent garden market. The response was such, that by the turn of the century 30-40 tons of flowers were leaving Scilly by ferry and then via the great western railway who had to build special carriages to house them.
The war years were a very bad time for flower growers with consumable crops understandably taking precedence over flowers. However the industry had a champion in Winston Churchill who, in spring 1943 proclaimed 'These people must be enabled to grow their flowers and send them to London. They cheer us so much in these dark days"
I agree! Opening a box of paper white or Sol d'or and breathing in the scent of spring is like flower prosac! It cannot fail to lift the spirits and give some reassurance that spring is coming.
Recently MacTavish:West consultancy worked with perfumers to try and define the fragrance of key varieties. I love this description of Scilly White: A heady floral top note, evocative of Hyacinth and lilac with a trace of fresh green bell pepper supported by a hint of grapefruit'
I wonder how easy it really is to describe the scent of flower?
I leave you with these lovely images of a spring wedding we did using scented Narscissi.

I love the combination of the mossy green bridesmaids dresses combined with the yellow and white of the bouquets.

Simple hand-tied compact posies of Paper white, sol d'or and golden ducket daffodils

We used a mix of narcissi to decorate the pews.

Centrepieces ofTulips, Ranuncula, Genestra and Narcissi were arranged in cream enamel buckets.

www.mactavishwest.com

www.scillyflowers.co.uk

New varieties from Japan

2011-12-30T16:20:00.000Z

We have all got used to the fact that its possible to source out of season flowers from other parts of the world. I remember when the first Hydrangeas from South america arrived in the middle of winter!
I always have a little chuckle when I hear my American florist friends gushing about the start of the 'Peony season' in December!
As florists its always exciting to see new varieties coming onto the market and I'm really impressed with the flowers coming from Japan via Bloom Japan Network.
Of course I have to ask the question... WHY are we not seeing these flowers in the UK?

The most amazing scabiosa in colours not normally seen on our commercial market.

Oxipetalum or Tweedia. I love this flower in bridal bouquets, its used in the US a lot but we never

see it here. The blue seems to be the most common but it also comes in pink and white

Sweet peas, the Japanese sweet pea season has started and I have to say they are growing BEAUTIFUL sweet peas and have some amazing new varieties.

The apricot sweet pea in the picture is a new variety the growers have developed.

Some other unsual varieties from Japan

The carnation 'Crazy pink'

Spray rose 'Eclair'

Images from www.bloom-japan.net Please check them out!

Chinese flower industry

2011-12-19T14:43:00.000Z

I'm very interested in the burgeoning flower industry in the Far East, in recent years it has really started to develop and on a visit there I was really impressed with the varieties now being grown including some amazing planting schemes in the public areas in Beijing.
China's geography and climate provide perfect growing conditions for every type of flower.
The northern provinces like Shandong are similar to the Netherlands with cold winters and long summer days and in the 'Eternal spring' province of Kunming the conditions are similar to South America where flowers can be grown all year round. In Yunan (also a top honeymoon destination for Chinese couples) the climate compares with that of Thailand or the Caribbean. So theoretically the worlds flowers could all be grown with in China!
That said, there is obviously a long way to go and issues regarding quality control.
On a buying trip to the flower market in Beijing I found good orchids, Dendrobium, James Storey and Oncidiums mainly which obviously travel well and are not easily damaged.
I could not find cut cymbidiums or phaenopsis and had to buy plants.
Roses in general were poor quality and all packed in foam netting many were marked and in general resembled Columbian or Equedorian imports. Many were papery or necking.
Estoma was good quality as were calla lilies and Asiatic lilies Oriental lilies were all sold very open as you can see from the picture. Freesia and suprisingly, peonies were not good but I'm sure that was due to transportation as they would have been grown in the south.

Gladioi and Chrysanthemums were very good and there was a nice selection of heliconia, sunflowers Solidago and forsythia.. I was able to buy good foliage s: Palm, Eucalyptus and Strelitizia leaves as well as some nice ornamental gourds.

90% of China's flowers are grown for the home market. The Chinese love of flowers its evident when you see a Chinese wedding. Flowers usually cover the wedding cars which are numerous and the venue although table centers are usually small in comparison with a western wedding as Chinese food is usually served on a lazy Susan leaving little room for anything else!

As for floral design, even further to go! A little thing called a color wheel would be beneficial!
Good floral design is hit and miss but there are a growing number of more sophisticated florists springing up. Anyone want to set up a Chinese flowerschool let me know!

Crafty ways with containers

2011-12-03T17:26:00.001Z

Another pretty centrepiece using an old container covered with wallpaper. Its so easy to really customise your wedding by taking a trip into your local DIY store!
Here we added some 3 D butterfly stickers from The Range and a little ribbon trim.
Total cost 99p!

Roses, Paper white Narcissi, hydrangea heather wax flower and cyclamen

Hybrid bouquets

2011-11-28T17:43:00.001Z

Supposedly the shower bouquet is making a come back. I would prefer to see a more natural style semi shower that doesn't come in a plastic oasis frame or completly wired. Its quite possible to make a trailing bouquet using the right foliage / flowers with out the slightly contrived over worked look many shower bouquets have.
Here I used trails of white solanum and jasmine to make a base and threaded paper white narccisi throught to give it more substance. By keeping the stems short its quite easy to hold this bouquet downwards in the same way as a shower but also over the arm or to one side of the body making it far more versatile from a photographers view point.

Hybrid bouquets

2011-11-28T17:39:00.001Z

Winter colour inspiration

2011-11-10T13:17:00.000Z

With winter fast approaching I've been experimenting with wintery looks...
I love the combination of very pale powder blue and white, it always look chic and clean.
For the first look I tied paper lace doilies together with ribbon for make a banner to hang behind my table. The table was dressed with muslin with a runner made from pale blue wallpaper.
I ran a rotary blade down the sides of the wall paper to give it a scalloped edge.
I added 2 circular doilies and placed white cut out candle holders on them.

In the centre I placed a white candlestick (one of my recent finds, I loved the parrots!) on an oblong doily. I love the final result, sometimes its nice to do some styling without flowers!

For the second look I wanted a bit more sparkle so I covered the table with silver cobweb material and hung a snow flake garland up for my back drop.
I used a candlestick with a cheap light fitting for my centr[piece topped it with a mirror and votives and placed a white feather wreath at the base. I finished the look by adding some mercury glass candle holders. I know crystal and mirrors have been used a lot and I was a little worried it might be a little OTT adding feathers as well but for a winter or christmas wedding (or party) I think it works!

2011-10-23T21:33:00.001+01:00

DIY
Decorative paper wheels.
We love these paper wheels, so adaptable and easy to make.
Use them to hang from the ceiling in a marquee or venue or to create a back drop.

Heres our step by step guide:

You will need:
1) Medium thick card. We used a book of mixed designs that all co-ordinated.
2) Scissors
3) A ruler
4)Double sided tape
5) Glue. We used copydex.
6) Silk rose petals
7) A Hole punch.
Step 1
Begin by folding the card to create a 'concertina effect. Use the ruler to get a sharp clean edge.

Step 2
For a decorative patten make cuts along the spine of the card.

                                                                               Step 3
                                  Join the individual pieces of card together using double sided tape.

                                                                     Step4
                                  Bring the joined card together to form the wheel.

Step five

To decorate the centre cut a small disc of card and glue it to the centre. Glue the petals to the disc to create a rose. Add a button or bead for a pretty finishing touch.

Step 6
Make a hole using the punch so the wheel can be hung up.

New colour inspiration

2011-10-12T09:18:00.001+01:00

As the year progresses I start to ponder new colour combinations. This year I find myself tiring of the faded vintage colours that have been so popular and looking for a more vibrant colourway.
I'm loving peridot, amethyst and aquamarine as predicted by the great Martha Stewart.
Aquamarine is not really a flower colour but is easily added as an accent by using ribbon, a table cloth or label.

Here we used a screen covered with aqua coloured muslin and edged with green braid. The table is also covered in muslin. Green glass jars filled with Ocean song and avalanche roses. Small glass bottles with lupins and sweet peas in lilac and purple (amethyst)

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Brassicas and sweet peas in glasswear with amethyst glass paperweights.

Small glass bowls of 'wimbledon' 'ocean song' roses aster lisianthus and tanecetum.

New buttonholes

2011-10-11T21:13:00.000+01:00

Gone are the days of the carnation and fern garnished with silver foil!
I'm predicting a move away from the larger buttonhole with less blousey flowers and smaller more interesting combinations.
Heres a little selection using pansies, hebe, annual scabious, spray rose, hypericum and hydrangea.

Budget centrepieces

2011-10-01T23:53:00.001+01:00

With the current economy we thought it would be nice to show case some centrpieces that don't cost the earth.
Heres the first in the series.
Tin cans painted and covered with a little lace trim then filled with sweet peas from the garden and the odd rose.
Total price about 30p!

Buttonhole tutorial

2011-10-01T23:42:00.000+01:00

Heres our first tutorial, making a buttonhole.

Button Hole

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Styled shoot

2011-09-09T21:50:00.000+01:00

Its been a busy few weeks culminating in our first styled shoot at Chaffeymoore grange.
I've been planning this shoot for a while, I wanted to create a natural modern look with a peach and pale pink colour scheme.
My models Zoe and Jack fitted the bill perfectly. Zoes hair and perfect peaches and cream complexion
looked amazing and Jacks dark good looks were a great contrast.
I chose a fifties inspired dress in nude by Hampshire based designer Chaos design with a cheeky facinator to match and nude vintage gloves from the flea market. For Jack we chose a young relaxed look, with waistcoat and trousers by Mulberry a white shirt,skinny black tie and converse.
We created an afternoon scene with a vintage 50's T set and a tea cup tree with china provided by Elsie Florence who also provided the deckchairs, parasols and cushions.
The tablescape of vintage china with peach place settings and flame Dahlias in decorative bottles continued the simple pretty theme.
Inside in the beautiful oak room we created a peach themed dessert table styled by Emma who also created the wall decoration using embroidery hoops. Genius! The mantlepiece was decorated with our white vintage lanterns,Dahlias and peaches.
After shooting some images in the beautiful bedrooms at chaffeymoor we finished with our models leaving on Travis the horse, complete with suitcase!
The images here are taken by G lily. More images to come from our photographer Sophie Pierre.

Credits www.chaffeymmoregrange.com
www.elsieflorence.co.uk
www.calmamongstthechaos.co.uk

Dahlias

2011-08-17T20:01:00.000+01:00

I've always loved Dhalias, there cannot be many flowers to rival them for sheer diversity of colour and shape. I'm so pleased to see them becoming a more fashionable flower.
On sunday I took a drive just up the road to Gants Mill in Bruton.
Tucked away down a long drive this beautiful working water mill is still used. These days to produce hydro electricity to 10 homes.
However it was the garden that really impressed me. Beautifully laid out it is a series of 'areas' rather than rooms. It gives the impression of openess but at the same time reveals many hidden delights.
It is divided by a bubbling stream which is traversed by a number of small bridges adding to the overall charm of the planting. And what planting! As a late summer garden it has everything I love, particularly Dhalias! Over 100 varieties have been planted at Gants mill and many were at their best for my visit.
From football sized to golfball size. White through to vibrant pinks, rust reds, luminous yellows and pretty peaches. Collerettes, pompons, decorative, cactus flowered and water lily. Dhalia heaven!
I've been promoting the Dhalia as a wedding flower for a while, its so useful. The smaller varieties look pretty mixed with garden flowers and larger varieties are great for bulking out tablecentres and larger arrangements and with so many colour choices theres a Dhalia for everyone!
Gants Mill has a civil wedding licence and ceremonies can be held ouside under a beautiful flower bedecked pergola so if you are looking for a garden to get married in is perfect!
Contact: Mill and garden Alison and Brian Shingler 01749 - 812393
Weddings Greg Beedle 07854-166624.
www.gantsmill.co.uk

www.gantsmill.co.uk

A days filming

2011-08-11T23:31:00.000+01:00

I finally found the time to film some short DIY tutorials with the help of Emma and James.
I was really dreading standing in front of a camera but I think I actually quite enjoyed it!
We managed to film 4 clips; Buttonhole, bride's bouquet, carnation pomander and chair backs.
They'll be online as soon as they have been edited.
Some images below including a new take on bunting made by Emma and used as a chair back decoration. More ideas from Emma on a new craft workshop soon...

Lovely vintage styled wedding at Halswell House

2011-07-30T18:55:00.000+01:00

Just back from doing this lovely wedding at Halswell House www.halswellweddings.co.uk

Quirky details like stacks of books for table numbers and scrabble place names worked well with blousy roses, phlox, dill, hydrangea and stock arranged in a variety of different containers from bell jars to candle sticks.
,

Portfolio workshop

2011-07-27T22:27:00.000+01:00

The portfolio day went so well.
It was lovely to catch up with Jan, Emma and Ann. One of the bonuses of these workshops has been seeing how people have developed and used their skills, starting new businesses or taking on a friend or relatives wedding. Its so nice that people return time after time and still get something out of the workshops. We must be doing something right!
After a coffee and a danish we began with buttonholes and corsages to get warmed up, taking pictures of each in turn.After breaking for lunch we continued with a hand-tied bridal bouquet of mussette roses, avalanche roses,hydrangea and feverfew in apricot pale pink and white. We headed out to the church to take some pictures in situ before starting on centrepieces which we used to create a table-scape complete with vintage china and napkin and chair decoration.

The aim of this workshop is to provide images suitable to use in a porfolio.
I think I'd be happy to have any of the following in mine!

Portfolio workshop

2011-07-24T20:16:00.000+01:00

I'm very excited about our first portfolio workshop this tuesday.
We'll be creating beautiful commercial designs and setting up a photoshoot so that those taking part can go home with some really nice shots to add to their portfolio.
I see too many good florists spoiling the look of their work due to bad imagery.
Having a good photographic record of your work is so important.
I often make use of any flowers left over from a wedding by turning them into a mini photo shoot, it allows me to be creative, take some good images for my portfolio and hopefully start a new trend!
These are some images from the last 'left over ' shoot..

Compost!!!

2011-07-22T21:19:00.000+01:00

Daisies

2011-07-22T19:49:00.000+01:00

The garden is still looking lovely as we head into late summer.
After composting all the old flowers and foliage from the weekend (I wonder how many florists compost?) I picked a few flowers and herbs from the garden. Candytuft, margarite,alchemila,sweet peas and hebe with some coriander that has started to flower.
I love this look,uncontrived and natural.
Using a daisy in any flower arrangement helps to create that 'just picked' look. I hope we'll start to see more daisy inspired weddings. Daisy bouquets, buttonholes garlands circlets ...I can see it now!

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Fresh blues,lemons and golds.

2011-07-17T21:13:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to share a few images of this weekends lovely wedding.
I love pinks and lilacs but it was such a pleasure working with this colour scheme.
We used a mix of gold and lemon roses, Eremurus ( fox tail lily) delphinium, stock, aggapanthus, brodea, scabious and and nigella.
We arrived at the church in a downpour, Luckily we only had 2 arrangements to attach to the entrance and planted pots of hydrangea, sunflowers and margarites to place on the church steps.
I think these looked really effective and made a change to the usual Bay trees.

The centrepieces were a mix of cream candelabra and low terracotta pots painted in old cream.
This mix created a layered look both with the flowers and, later in the evening, candlelight.
From the centre spine of the marquee we hung 2 large floral spheres which provided impact whilst not taking up floor space.
Marquees can get very hot in the summer especially in the ceiling area so we used flowers that could withstand a little heat.

The overall effect was elegant and vibrant even with overcast skies.
Happily just as we were leaving the sun finally appeared in time for the wedding ceremony.

Marquee - Hatch Marquees www.southwestmarqueehire.co.uk
Caterer and event planner - www.redherringevents.com
Cake - www.lisaNotley.co.uk

A little garden chic

2011-07-13T09:05:00.000+01:00

A little garden inspired centrepiece and posy.
It makes such a difference to any arrangememt when you use a few things raided from the garden.
My pet hate is Ruscus foliage, recently spotted in a couple of period drama room sets and in The flower arranger magazine feature on flowers from the past.
I know Ruscus or Butchers broom has a long history and can be grown in the garden but its over use in commercial floristy makes it look out of place.
Appologies if you love it, just my opinion. Don't even mention leatherleaf to me!

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More Sweet peas

2011-07-10T10:49:00.002+01:00

Its the sweet pea season!
Yes you can use them in your bouquet!
Many people seem to think that sweet peas are going to wilt and die very quickly. Not the case.
We use the commercially grown sweet peas from english growers which have been specially treated resulting in a much longer vaselife.
The sweet peas grown in your garden are probably more suitable for small containers as the stems tend to be much shorter and not very straight.
The perenial everlasting sweet pea is also worth growing and much hardier, although it has much smaller flowers I think its very pretty.

Although they originated in the mediterean sweet peas have become an intregral part of the English country garden and no-one grows them better than us!

Sweet Peas

2011-07-09T22:56:00.000+01:00

Although Katie arranged her own reception flowers, she asked us to create her bouquet, bridesmaids posies and buttonholes.
The bridal bouquet of cream and lilac English sweet peas was finished with an ivory band and lilac lace detail.
The bridesmaids carried simple posies of sweet peas, nigella, spray roses white scabious and fevergfew
The buttonholes were made like miniature posies with nigella, roses , feverfew, lavender, marjoram and rosemary.

2011-07-09T22:30:00.018+01:00

DIY Flowers

2011-07-09T10:07:00.000+01:00

Heres some images of Katie's DIY wedding.
I love the mix of colours which worked really well to create a country picnic look.
Long trestle tables were laid with gingham table cloths made by Katie's family.
Mum Jane has been collecting jam jars and bottles for a while.
She also collected all the plates, saving on the china hire.
Although some of the flowers were supplied by us, many of the sweet peas cosmos and scabious were picked from local friends' gardens.
Katie's cousin Alice organised friends and family to lay the tables and arrange the flowers in groups of jam jars, mustard pots and bottles.
Katie's Dad is a tree surgeon and had cut some branches of silver birch which were placed in dustbins covered with material.
Homemade bunting decorated the ceiling of the marquee and brought the whole look together.
Charming!

2011-07-08T16:10:00.000+01:00

Peonies

2011-07-08T15:33:00.002+01:00

So many brides ask for peonies and at this time of year they should be available in abundance.
Yesterday I popped in to pick up some Sarah Bernhart peonies from my flower supplier.
The flower prices have been rising rapidly over the last few weeks and peonies in particular are now up to 3 times the price they are normally.
This is obviously very worrying for florists, wholesalers and brides!

So why is it happening?

It seems that the lovely hot weather we had back in April brought a lot of flowers on to the market earlier than usual. It meant that the prices around mothers day were very low. Since then the weather had been very dry and recently rather wet. We all know the farmers are suffering and the same goes for flower growers.
Prices on the flower auctions fluctuate due to supply and demand. Add to that the high cost of fuel and transportation costs coupled with economic crisis in a number of European countries and you have the answer. Another reason to try and source summer flowers locally.
Hopefully the situation will improve, I'll be updating the blog with news on flower prices over the next couple of very busy weeks.

More lovely jam jars

2011-07-08T12:49:00.002+01:00

Had to post this picture from Sarah Williams lovely Littlewhiteblog.wordpress.com
I can see recycling bins across the country being raided!

2011-07-06T22:13:00.001+01:00

Really getting into monogramming! Its huge in the states with most high end stores like Williams Sinoma offering to monogramme just about everything. Heres my effort, jam jar, with a few left over roses a little ribbon and small stamping kit! Great way to pernsonlise

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A lovely vintage inspired wedding at Halswell House.

Halswell is a beautiful period house which as been faithfully restored to its former glory.

I always think that venues should keep all public rooms very neutral providing a blank canvas for clients to create their own individual look. However the period colours used at Halswell always seem to work with any colour scheme. That said, I always hope that any bride hiring such a beautiful venue would look for flowers and decoration that compliments the surroundings.

Vicky's bouquet of memory lane and avalanche roses with veronica, rosemary and senneccio fitted the brief perfectly.

Vintage style hurricane lanterns and rose petals placed on the window ledges in the churchmade a change from flowers and brightened up a slightly overcast day.

In the dining room we placed single bud vases and small votives filled with upper secret roses, tulips, aslepia and wax flower around Halswells silver candleabra. Simple, and stylish with a hint of yesteryear.

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Pink will always be popular! heres a selection of our pink bouquets ...

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We all agreed this wedding in Dorset was very elegant, the bride had though everything through with lots of little details. We loved the typewriter guest books and the lemon table plan!

A beautiful pristine marquee again by Abbas Marquees www.abbasmarquees.co.uk was enhanced by the addition of mirrors and decorative object d'art. With a cream carpet the shoe police were out in full force.

The brides bouquet was a elegant shower bouquet of avalanche and akito roses,Arabica and dendrobium orchids. Bridesmaids carried simple posies of white hydrangea with a collar of Arabicas.

The centrepieces were a mix of low glass footed bowls and silver candelabra with roses and eucalyptus. Predominately ivory with a hint of champagne which stopped the overall look becoming too 'white'

The church was decorated in the same vein with urns of Avalanche roses and eucalyptus and simple pew ends of hydrangea.

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Every year I spend some time up at the wonderfully uber cool Camp Kerala at Glastonbury.

These unbelieveably luxurious tents are where 'Glamping' was born.

Camping here is like camping in a 5 star hotel with luxury bedding, toiletries and staff to attend to your every need. So of course there are flowers which is where we come in.

This year I was really impressed by these wonderful flags created just for Camp Kerala by Big wave flags. www.bigwaveflags.co.uk Ange and Charlotte can install flags for any event in any colour and can even send them via courier for DIY customers. Fantastic for weddings..

Camp Kerala and Glastonbury festival will be taking a break next year but we're really excited to be working with Camp Kerala Madmoiselle bringing the same wonderful experience to the wedding and event market. I'll be posting more about this exciting new concept very soon!

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Pickwell manor near Georgeham North Devon was the setting for this lovely colourful wedding.

The weather meant the ceremony had to be held inside so the flowers really came into their own.

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Jo and Neil's chic Somerset wedding June 2011

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June has always been the favourite month for weddings, although we've seen a trend for april weddings in the last couple of years. I put it down to brides working out that actually the weather has been better in April and may than june and july which was certainally true this june.

Jo and Neil's wedding in Wookey nr Wells had a lovely relaxed feel.

Jo looked stunning on the day carrying a bouquet of peonies, roses, freesia and bouvardia.

Her 10 yes 10! Bridesmaids carried posies using different combinations of hydrangea and roses.

The reception was held in a marquee on the family farm and the weather behaved itself!

We arranged peonies, roses, hydrangea, sweet willam, stock and alchemila molis in enamel jugs and buckets. Sometimes 'country style' can be a bit too rustic, all raffia and haybales.

Jo's well thought out details gave this wedding real style from the ribbons on the napkins to the favours of sloe gin and jam.

To create a focal point in the marquee we hung a large arrangement from the centre spine. The marquee by Abbas Marquees was clearspan to one side giving everyone a great view of the countryside.

After a church ceremony Jo and Neil returned to the farm in true style on the back of a tractor!

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Welcome to the g lily blog,

Dedicated to flowers and inspirational style ideas.

We hope you enjoy reading about our weddings, events and photo shoots.