Wedding Experience at Kent Showground Detling

Wow...what a day it was yesterday at Detling. Claire and I didn't talk to each other, and could hardly see each other on the stand until the afternoon. To say it was busy was an understatement! Many apologies to those of you who we didn't get to talk to, and thanks to those who came back later to see if we were free. I think we will need to take more florists with us next time. Thanks also for all the lovely comments regarding the display.
We decided to divide our stand in half this time and to show a monochromatic look on one side, and a slightly mad multicoloured look on the other side. Most of our visitors were drawn to one side or the other.....the only problem it seemed to create was when one half of a wedding couple was strongly drawn to one side, and the other half was very taken by the opposite side! Sorry if we caused a few "domestics" but I'm glad the flowers appealed to everyone. It was also nice to talk to quite a lot of grooms yesterday, who were interested and involved with the flowers. We often find the grooms hanging back and letting their brides make the floral decisions, so it was good engaging with, and hearing the opinions of more of the men yesterday. Just to continue the debate....here's the black and white section with a selection of bouquets, wands and tablecentres etc.....
along with a few of the more contemporary pieces....handbags, corsages, cuffs etc....

And for those of you who love the bright colours and like me, are drawn to the more unusual flowers like the vanda orchids, here is a reminder of the opposite side of our stand.

So, having seen the two sides.....do you have a favourite??

Kimberley and Jason's wedding at the Ashford International Hotel

Kim and Jason wanted an elegant and simple floral theme for their wedding using ivory with berry accents to match their bridesmaids' dresses and the detailing on Kim's gorgeous dress. They wanted to keep a fairly contemporary and unfussy look to their flowers and hence we kept flower choice to a minimum. Kim's elegant bouquet was a natural stem wired shower bouquet following a teardrop shape, but being kept a little more open and with some movement to it, and we think the touch of colour really worked, especially when we saw the touch of colour on her wedding dress on the morning of the wedding. Kim looked breathtaking and we couldn't wait to tell Jason how special she looked. He had sent her a lovely bouquet on her wedding morning to let her know how excited he was about seeing her, and we had to let him know how great she was looking.

For the bridesmaids, we kept their flowers simple, linear and striking using just roses and foliage in overarm configurations. Their dresses were streamlined and striking and the flowers would have added just the final finishing touch. The bridesmaids were doing a great job of organising everything, checking the details and keeping Kim calm, and the chief bridesmaid did a wonderful job on the day and was a pleasure to work with.


For the groom's party, we used the calla lily buttonhole for Jason, which looked very elegant on his lapel, and then used the Black Baccara roses for the remainder of the bridal party including the two gorgeous pageboys who looked fantastic in tail coats. We then used a combination of freesias and spray roses for the ladies' corsages and kept them in ivory to work with all different coloured outfits.

For the main reception room, we used the large and striking martini vase tablecentres, placed on mirrors and with petals and crystals scattered around the base. The floral arrangements were placed in bowls and hidden inside gel crystals which were underlit by berry coloured floralytes. Unfortunately some of this detail can't be seen in the photos, which aren't that great his week due to operator error (yes, I had a camera and brain malfunction when taking some of the photos and they aren't the best....sorry!). The top table was a long and low central trailing arrangement of Avalanche Calla Lilies, Rialto Oriental Lilies, Black Baccara and Gletsjer roses along with palms, grasses and other foliage. The front of table was finished with a soft ruscus garland. Although not photographed, the chairs were dressed in ivory covers with ivory bows sprinkled with sparkly crystals, but were first used in the ceremony room, and later moved for the reception. They added that final touch of sparkle to compliment a really elegant room dressing.

Oakwood House Wedding Fair

Sunday was Oakwood House's Wedding Fair, organised by the team there themselves. It was a lovely fair, very friendly and well organised and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We had plenty of space and light to show off the flowers which followed an autumnal colour theme, with a little bit of a twist, and we had time to talk to an awful lot of lovely wedding couples. Thanks to everyone who took the time to come and see us, some of whom had come along to the fair just because we were there, and we look forward to seeing many of you again soon.

For those who were there, here is a reminder of some of the flowers, and for those who weren't...hope you like them. If anyone is looking for a picture of a particular bouquet or arrangement which I havent included, just let me know and I can email it across.

It will be a completely set of colours and designs this week at the Kent Showground Wedding Fair at Detling, so do come along and say hello.