I love getting photos of my flowers at work.
This week, Caitlin and Ryan’s photographer, Dale Stephens sent through some gorgeous images of their July wedding. A big thank you to you all for sharing these lovely photographs with me.
I’ll always remember going to meet Cait’s parents, Kevin and Fiona, at the venue - driving down the long approach to the hotel, surrounded by fields and the whirr of pheasant wings, the whole experience crystallised the rare essence of an English summer. The nipping of ankles by Cait’s grandma’s small dog, who seemed to have a beef with male waiters who moved too quickly, also sticks in the mind (but not, thankfully, in my own ankles).
It’s great to visit a venue in advance of the wedding as you can share ideas for the space and get a feel for both what features you might want to decorate with flowers, and also how easily you’ll be able to work with new clients. It was quickly apparent that Kevin, Fiona and I were on the same page where flowers were concerned, and also got on immediately. Kevin in particular had visions of roses and candles on every surface and we all soon rushing off on frenzied flights of floral fancy. The budget was mentally blown about three times over. We did however, manage to calm ourselves and tame our daydreams of flowery nirvana via Pinterest chats and emails in the following weeks and months. Now that it’s all over, I quite miss my email chats with Fiona in Dubai.
Photo credit. Dale Stephens Photography
By cleverly re-using flowers during the different phases of the day, we still managed to pack a pretty powerful floral punch whilst at the same time staying within budget: the garland for the signing table was moved after the ceremony to decorate the fireplace in the adjacent lounge for the rest of the day, and two of the larger candelabra arrangements for the wedding breakfast were popped into the beautiful plasterwork recesses to double up as elegant ceremony flowers.
A pair of abundant pedestal arrangements provided a further flowery focus during the service itself, and were moved to flank the doorway to the grounds as the room was reset in preparation for the festivities whilst the guests mingled on the terrace for champagne and confetti throwing in the July sunshine.
The simple rose and fern chair posies which flanked Caitlin’s progress down the aisle were also put straight into trimmed jars after the service, and found a new life as coffee table centrepieces. The big impact these small arrangements made surprised me, and I think they punched way above their weight for such small details. They obviously made an impression on at least one of the guests too - when I came to put them into their vases, I was one short but soon came across it clutched in a beautifully manicured hand, being raised along with a celebratory glass of fizz.
A few impromptu flowery touches were added to the wedding cake as I worked behind the scenes during the wedding service itself, and single rosebuds and sprigs of gypsophila worked well to add sophisticated simplicity to the understated wedding cake.
Typically enough, it wasn’t the largest or most complicated of arrangements that made the biggest impression during the wedding. As usual, the young flower girls managed to completely steal the show in their ribbon-tied gypsophila flower crowns, clutching their baskets of petals. Quite impossible not to say “Aaaw” as they came down the staircase clutching the hands of the adult bridesmaids attending Caitlin on her way to the service. I’m delighted to finish by sharing one of my favourite pictures with you : after three now…. “Aaaw!”
“Thank you Carole, your beautiful flowers and perfect arrangements were stunning, and they smelt so wonderful too. I can not recommend you enough, it was a joy to liaise with you for every step of the way and you delivered beyond our wildest dreams, thank you!”
Fiona, Cait’s mum.