Thats just part of what I have been doing, but I thought it was a catchy title 😃
Weddings I have had two wedding in two weeks. One wedding took place at Eden Hall Estate and the other was at Armathwaite Hall, both beautiful venues in the lakes.
The lakes in autumn has to be one of the best places to visit, the glorious colours of the trees as they shed their leaves, reflected in the still calm lakes. The long shadows which are cast due to the sun being so low in the sky. Magical.
And I am so pleased the weather was perfect for both weddings.
Both brides wanted forever flowers for their special day. And they both opted for preserved white roses as their focal flower.
The first wedding I would describe more as a boho affair. The beautiful bride had a large bouquet made up of (not a comprehensive list) preserved roses, pampas grass, bunny tails, honesty seed heads eucalyptus with a flowing sheer white ribbon.
I made a custom designed hair piece for her which was a half flower crown with added dried flowers which were dotted about in her hair.
For the groom and the gentlemen on the day the instruction was to incorporate a blue thistle to complement their outfits. Mother of the bride also had a corsage to match.
The lovely flower girl had a smaller version plus her own flower crown.
One proud father here delivering the brides bouquet.
The honesty in the bouquet I grew myself from seed. What an honour seeing it in a bride's bouquet. Honesty or lunaria is a biennial and as such you have to be patient as it takes two years to flower. Then when the flower starts to produce the seedpods, I have to harvest and dry at the right moment. Once the seeds are to be used, I hand pick the protective layer off each individual seed head to reveal the iridescent beauty of the pod. This pod also holds the seed which I collected and gave to the bride so she can grow her own honesty from her own bouquet.
The second wedding, the beautiful bride opted for the preserved white roses in her bouquet, she wanted a small, simple hand tied bouquet. We went for eucalyptus, gypsophila, dried grasses (not a comprehensive list). This was finished with white ribbon and pearls around the handle.
For her bridesmaids they were the same but quite a bit smaller as per the bride's request.
The grooms and the groomsmen had dried buttonholes to compliment.
Love all these photos which were taken by Chris Freer of Freer Images.
Absolutely love each one of these photos x
Wall installations, I have been working on three wall installations for a Bistro soon to open in the lakes.
When I initially got the call about doing the work, I had a nosey on Facebook as you do, and I could see the most amazing beams had been installed and I knew straight away what would work. However, I had to meet the owners to ascertain what exactly they wanted me to do and what their taste was.
The room itself is divided into a bar area and a dining area. It was work in progress, but you could see the attention to detail was amazing. Once I got to know the lovely owners, I explained that I had looked up the venue before I had visited and the first thing that struck me was hops hanging from the beams would be absolutely amazing. After a discussion and showing them what they looked like they decided to go for it. I explained that it was hop season now and it would be better if they were installed when they were fresh as they are easier to manipulate into shapes. Once installed they will dry naturally, and the colours would fade.
As you can see, they look amazing.
Then onto the wall installations, the owners had a few ideas what they wanted. I was keen to keep everything as natural as possible, no artificial foliage. After a few emails and a few pictures being sent between us we came up with the final proposal.
Over the next few weeks, I watched the space transform into the owner's vision, the lighting was installed, the kitchen area finished, the hops on the beams and finally the wall installations. In the end we went for a natural look. Like vines climbing up the walls. I chose lots of different dried flowers, leaves, foliage, grasses branches etc. in a muted colour pallet with different shapes and textures. With a hint of bronze to compliment the beautiful lighting. No floral foam was used.
The bud vases and tealight holders were delivered this week.
I cannot wait to go back to see the whole place furnished and to see the owners final vision come together. Watch this space.
If you fancy visiting, you can find this beautiful Bisto on the shores of Lake Bassenthwaite at Herdwick Croft x
Autumn wreaths have been going out. These are fresh but will dry out naturally so they should last until its Christmas wreath season.
Workshops - I held my first fresh flower arranging workshop at The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven.
I was approached by Sarah who works for Copeland Borough Council about hosting a workshop there and what a venue. The view is amazing.
It was a great evening, prosecco was flowing, tea was supped and cupcakes from Keekle Cake Company were devoured. But the main event was all about the flowers.
Tips were shared by me on getting the very best out of your flowers, how to arrange flowers in unusual, shaped vases sustainably and lots more.
Then everyone had ago themselves.
The results were amazing, it was a great evening, with lovely ladies, in a beautiful venue.
Last but not least - Whims, well 'Little Whims' to be exact. Little Whims is the most beautiful gift shop in Whitehaven's marketplace.
I was approached by Lara the owner about us doing a joint collaboration. We are into our second month now and I can say it is working really well.
Amazing things happen when we support each other. My fresh and dried flowers compliment Lara's beautiful gifts and cards perfectly.
Word has now got out and I am supplying fresh flowers, tied and wrapped at the end of each week. Thank you to everyone who is buying them. Humbled as always, Jackie x
What have I learned throughout all of this. That there are some lovely kind, generous people out there all willing to support each other. Wall installations take more foliage than you think. We live in a beautiful area.
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