DoubleTree by Hilton wedding displays

Last year I attended the wedding fair of Doubletree by Hilton and was asked to provide flowers for their wedding ceremony and reception set up.

I worked in conjunction with Rachel at Event Exquisite Ltd with the colour schemes and style for each setting. (All the following chair covers are hers)

So the civil ceremony table was kept very simple with 4 small hurricane type vases filled with a single ivory rose and gyp. In between these I placed my small butterfly lanterns with tea lights and surrounding all of these was foliage vine trails to give a country style to the setting.

This look can be transferred to the top table afterwards

These floral chair covers were so pretty

The top table setting was along the coral and cream theme with a long and low display.

This had beautiful coral roses, cream carnations, roses and lots of lush country foliage

                                      

We decorated 4 round tables;

One had my stunning 100cm candelabras with the crystal chimney and pillar candles and foliage vine running along the arms and down the central stem

                       

Along with 4 hanging ivory roses for a very simple yet stunning display.

Another followed the top table theme with a silver mercury urn filled with green/pink hydrangea, coral and cream roses and calla lily

                                      

Another had a large bird cage filled with lilac sweetness, cream roses, carnations and lots of lovely foliage.

                        

Last but not least was a 60cm martini vase filled with lots of summery yellow flowers such as sunflowers, roses, chrysants and gyp. Trailing foliage and a wood slice add to the country style.

My stand at the fair with lots of loveliness to hire

One of which is my glorious large watering can which can be filled with flowers

and the lovely small crates, here, filled with summer flowers - hydrangea, roses, sweet peas and ammi.

If you are getting married at The Doubletree by Hilton or love any of these displays and want them for your day, do get in touch with your wedding date to discuss availability and to book a consultation.

All vases, crates etc can be hired both with or without flowers, so if you are looking to DIY your displays get in touch with what you need and quantities for a quote. Delivery and collection can be arranged for a small fee.

Sandra X

Ladies evening at The Bentley Hotel

This was a ladies ball last November held at The Bentley Hotel. We were asked to provide simple table designs in autumn colours that didn't take up much room. As you can see the tables are quite full of menus, gifts, glasses etc. Please do bear this in mind when discussing your table designs - how much other stuff will there be? 

We had free reign on the flowers so we chose seasonal orange gerbera, red roses, autumn English Chrysants and red cyclamen with a mix of locally sourced foliage.

It was quite dark when we set up but the flowers did stand out against the pale table set up and chair covers.

If you are holding a ball or corporate event and would like flower displays for the tables do get in touch. We can work with any reasonable budget to create bespoke designs in corporate colours or flowers.

Sandra X

Hemswell Court seasonal Christmas wedding

The wedding of yesterday's post (here) was held at the fabulous Hemswell Court.

The venue was all ready decked out for Christmas and fortunately they had gone for a red and green theme, so all designs worked well together.

On the tables half were 60cm martini vases and the others were large hurricane vases.

The tall martini vases had an assortment of gerbera, roses, berries and amaryllis with lots of seasonal foliage. We were asked not to add too much over the vase and nothing trailing to keep the tables clean and free for the food to be served.

The large silver based hurricane vases had a large central candle surrounded by a layer of seasonal foliage, holly, spruce, ditto and red berries for a splash of colour.

The ceremony display was a long and low compact design of gerbera, roses and berries with mixed seasonal foliage and this would later be transferred across to the top table for the wedding breakfast.

The Primrose room at Hemswell court waiting for the wedding part.

This venue looks fabulous at any time of year, but the decorations they have at Christmas makes it truly magical.

If you are getting married here and would like to discuss your flowers or if you love gerbera and want to get together on how we can style them to your day please get in touch

to discuss availability in the first instance.

For more inspiration look at labels on the right and scroll for 'Gerbera' or for Venue:Hemswell Court.

Another fabulous wedding here with martini vases is here

All vases were hired from us, we set up on the day and arrive to collect the next morning (where possible) so you don't have any worries on getting items back to us at The Studio

Sandra x

Gerbera wedding bouquets

This was a fabulous wedding from last December. The bride wanted to embrace the seasonal colours and loves gerberas, so we combined the two.

The bridal bouquet was a lovely mix of red gerbera, roses and hypericum berries with variegated ditto foliage through and round the flowers.

There is a choice with gerbera, dark or pale centres and these red ones with black centres are certainly striking with the contrast.

Gerbera are our second favourite flower asked for, many florists won't use them, but to me they work really well for bouquets and are a lovely showy flower whatever the colour.

The bouquet stems were wrapped in a lace type ribbon and held with red pearl headed pins.

The single bridesmaid in contrast carried a white bouquet of the same flowers, gerbera, roses and berries but slightly smaller in size.

This was a simple wedding party, no buttonholes just the two bouquets and then beautiful table arrangements for the reception, which is tomorrows post.

If you love gerbera and would like to include them in any part of your wedding designs, do get in touch as we love working with them and have many ideas to inspire you.

Scroll on labels to the right and search 'Gerbera'

Some examples are here and here

Sandra x

Elsham Hall wedding flowers

This is the reception of Thursday's wedding post (see here) held in The Barn at Elsham Hall.

We only provided a few flowers one being the main display for the top table. This was created using the same flowers from the bouquets, roses, delphiniums, anemone, gyp, brunia, with mixed foliage.

We also provided thank you prevention flowers for the speeches. These were a mix of flowers in the same colours as the wedding.

These are (recommended) in water to keep fresh all day and to save recipients from having to look after them at the end of the day.

We also left the guys buttonholes. We recommend if at all possible to leave buttonholes at the venue, this way they cannot be left behind and the co-ordinator will be on hand to pin them on.

Are you getting married at Elsham Hall? Add another dimension to your day with the sight and scent of fresh flowers, they really do make a difference to the feel of the reception.

We have set up lots here and these are a couple of examples 

Another blue themed here  and a white themed here

For more examples go to labels on right, scroll right down to

Venue:Elsham Hall

We are happy to do as much or as little displays as you need to work with your chosen venue and what they provide in packages.

Sandra x

Banana Tree - House plant of the month - April

April 2017: Banana tree Houseplant of the Month 

The story of the banana tree 

Many people are familiar with the banana tree (Musa) from exotic trips and holidays, since they grow everywhere in hot regions, from Tenerife to Indonesia and from Thailand to Mexico. Although it’s called a banana tree, what looks like a trunk is actually overlapping widened leaf stems which together create the apparent trunk of this perennial plant. The flowers grow on a thick flower stem, often with a purple bract. The male flowers are at the end of the dangling flower stem, and the female flowers that grow into bananas are higher up. Because the flower hangs down as a result of gravity and the bananas want to grow upwards towards the light, the bananas end up somewhat curved. On plantations where bananas are produced, it takes about 18 months from planting to harvesting. The parent plant then dies, but by then it has formed young shoots that provide the next harvest. As a houseplant, the banana tree rarely bears fruit.

Origin 
Bananas originate from East Asia, and have spread from there across the rest of the world in countries around the equator. The first cultivation by humans dates from around 8000 years B.C. in the Wahgi Valley in New Guinea. Alexander the Great is said to have brought the plants to the West from India. Banana trees were initially used on plantations to protect coffee, cocoa and pepper plants from the bright sun thanks to their large leaves. Only later were they appreciated for their fruit.  

What to look for when buying a banana tree 

• When buying banana trees look at the pot size, the height of the plant and the number of plants per pot. Because the plant’s leaves are rather fragile, they must be sleeved in order to prevent leaf damage and cold damage. 
• The plant should be free of diseases and pests: aphids and scale insects are the most common. Also look for the presence of sticky clear honeydew, which is a sign that there are ‘beasties’ living on the plant. The plant can have red spider mite if conditions are too dry. 
• If the banana tree has been kept too wet, this can cause root rot, disrupting the plant’s growth. 
• Banana trees cannot cope well with temperatures below 12-15°C, which is something to bear in mind when transporting them during the cold months.

Choice of range 
The range of banana trees is limited. The most common varieties are Musa ‘ Dwarf Cavendish’ and Musa ‘Tropicana’. Most banana trees are offered as dwarf banana trees, and their size also makes them suitable for the living room. All plants are characterised by the large, smooth-edged leaves, often with a slightly wavy edge. There are sometimes darker markings on the leaf which further enhance the decorative value. With hardy bananas it’s useful to know that only the rhizome is properly hardy, and the aboveground parts are sensitive to frost. 

Care tips for consumers

• Wrap carefully for the journey home during the colder months. 
• Banana trees like a warm and light position. The large leaf area means that the plant evaporates quite a lot of moisture, and therefore needs some extra water. Avoid getting the soil too wet, since this can cause root rot. 
• To get a banana tree to flower, you need both patience and space where it can keep growing with plenty of light and high temperatures, such as a conservatory. The plant may then flower and produce fruit after 3 to 4 years. 
• Houseplant food once a month will keep the banana tree strong and beautiful.
• The banana tree can be placed in the garden in a sunny, sheltered spot as a container plant from mid-April to mid-October. Allow it to overwinter indoors, and allow it to gradually acclimatise to bright sunlight in the spring to prevent scorching.

We can special order these plants for you. They make great plants for your office or reception area if they get lots of light. AS shown, they look great in striking pots which can really add colour to the area. We can also provide care for these plants (or any other) just ask us for more details.

The text and photos are curtesy of https://www.flowercouncil.co.uk and Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

Sandra x

Blue, lilac and ivory wedding party flowers

This is a gorgeous wedding with blue, lilac and ivory flowers from a while ago. Somehow it got missed being posted but is such a pretty combination I thought it was worth showing.

The brides and bridesmaids bouquets had the same flower and foliage content but with the bride's being larger in size. They all had ivory roses, gyp, anemone, blue delphinium, lilac roses and eustoma and brunia, silver leaves and seeded eucalyptus.

The stems were bound with hessian to complete the country look.

The flower girls carried a basket filled with the same mix of flowers with the handle and bows in silver ribbon.

The ladies wore corsages of roses, delphinium florets, gyp, eustoma and foliage.

The groomsmen wore smaller buttonholes of anemone brunia and eucalyptus leaves. All the stems on these were bound with twine.

If you love this style and colouring and would love to recreate this in anyway for your wedding get in touch today to book a consultation. We still have a few dates available this year and are taking bookings for 2018/19. It is never too early to start thinking of your flowers.

Sandra x