Ranunculus and Anemone bridal bouquet

I've been dying to post images of today's lovely bridal bouquet.

More over at my new website, Lilac & Lily.

After weeks of tweaking I'm really excited to finally launch my new website Lilac & Lily.

I set up this blog back in 2008 when I took the huge step of leaving my regular day job in marketing and began the journey towards retraining for a new career in floral design

I've worked as a florist since then and had the opportunity to design flowers for weddings and events at some amazing venues. I’ve loved every minute of it but, ultimately, it’s always been my goal to set up on my own.

So now, I’m really excited to announce the launch of my new website and floral design business and invite you to take a peek at what I’ve been up to.

I'll continue to post here at h for hellebores from time to time, mainly using this blog to post design inspirations and favourite finds.

Please stop by my new site and say 'Hi'. I'd love to hear from you

Decorative containers

Just doing some research for a brief to come up with designs that integrate decorative containers with the arrangement and am loving Laura Dowling's work.

Images: Laura Dowling

My big fat gypsy wedding

Why settle for Jenny Packham when you can have a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding?

Paper Mosaic

I came across this beautiful paper mosaic from a series of botanical images by Mary Delany over at All things considered the other day.

Angie Lewin writes:
It wasn’t until Mary Delany was in her 70s that she first picked up a pair of scissors and began cutting intricate shapes from coloured tissue papers which she mounted strikingly onto dense black backgrounds. The hundreds of collages which she created are the most beautifully coloured and botanically accurate plant portraits.

The exhibition is on rom 19th February until 10th May at Sir John Soane's Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP.Website: www.soane.org

Edmund de Waal

Poor neglected blog. I've been a bad blogger. Forgive me, I've been busy at work on a new site for my work which I'll be launching soon, but I plan to continue to post design inspirations and favourite finds here on this blog from time to time.

I popped into the Pump Rooms at Leamington Spa the other day to take a look at an exhibition of ceramic works by Edmund de Waal.

De Waal uses a subdued colour palette to create beautiful vessels that are both comfortingly domestic and calmingly sculptural.

The Exhibition, water-shed, features a collection of recent work and includes a newly commissioned installation by the same name. The show is open until 11th April 2010.

Amaryllis

Seasonal corporate arrangement with Amaryllis, Protea and Carnation.

The container is wrapped with willow sticks tied together with bullion wire.

Fragrant Christmas wreath

My Christmas door wreath, lovingly constructed on a traditional moss ring at great expense to my poor hands.

No bling, no bows, just fragrant blue spruce and eucalyptus and a few berries.

Rose & Protea bridal bouquet

Hand tied bridal bouquet of 'Sweet Avalanche' Roses, Protea, Hypericum, Pittosporum and Eucalyptus.

The Crown Inn at Amersham

Over the weekend it was my absolute pleasure to attend the wedding of our friends Ali and Chris at The Crown Inn in Amersham. The Crown is a delightful old coaching inn that featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral. You might remember it as the setting for the scene where Hugh Grant cosies up to Andie Mcdowell. It has since been exquisitely restyled by interior designer Ilse Crawford with Farrow and Ball colours, Welsh wool blankets, Ercol chairs and vintage radios combining to delicious effect to create a warm, welcoming and soothingly simple interior.

It was so lovely to relax and enjoy a wedding where I wasn't running around worrying about the flowers and the Crown was not only a perfect venue for an intimate informal wedding, it was also a lovely place for a romantic weekend break.

I could go on and on about the delicious food, the crisp white linen, the sumptuos beds, the chic bathrooms etc... but maybe I'll just show you a few more pictures instead and let you make up your own mind.

Roses & Calla lilies

Just back from the wholesalers with flowers for this weekend's wedding this weekend. These will be mixed with rich orange 'Cherry Brandy' roses and Ilex berries.

Grand Prix bouquet

Grand Prix roses for today's bride.

What to wear on your head when you wed is a much debated topic in the world of blogging brides. For me it was a beautiful Butler and Wilson crystal flower hairpiece which I fell in love with and designed my entire wedding "look" around, but rarely have I seen anything with the sheer show-stopping glamour of this stunning vintage inspired piece by Stephanie Browne Australia.

I loved Peony's what to wear on your head post over on A Practical Wedding but I loved her post about why when it came down to it she decided not to wear a veil even more. When wedding planning starts to spiral out of control and you start to obsess about details so much that you lose sight of what matters, sometimes you just have to take a step back and remember what it's all really about.

Autumn country wedding

In a few weeks time I will be doing the flowers for the wedding of Claire and Michael who are getting married at the beautiful Callow Hall in Derbyshire.

Claire has chosen a colour scheme incorporating rich autumnal shades of orange. I'm really excited about some of the ideas we've discussed and can't wait to see how the flowers turn out. Here's a moodboard I put together to work from.

Photo credits
Dress: David Fielden
Venue: Callow Hall
Arrangement of orange and white roses with mango calla lilies by CM Designs
I wasn't able to find the original credit for the calla bridal bouquet. If it's yours please let me know so I can credit you.

Willow wreath

I re-enrolled at college last month to continue my floristry studies with an advanced course focusing on contemporary and European design. For the first few weeks we have been having fun creating willow frames and other structures.

I really enjoyed creating this piece. My aim was to create lots of movement in the design with the overall effect soft, loose and flowing.

Vintage vase

Leftover roses and hydrangeas in a vintage Sylvac vase.

Sitting pretty

Did I mention that I'm not a huge fan of autumn? One of the few things I do however love about this time of year is the desire it unleashes in me to go shopping for new winter boots, especially if the shoe store is as pretty as this new Camper store opening on Regent Street later this month.

The design concept for the store features an installation and bouquet chairs made of folded tissue paper by Tokujin Yoshioka. And lets face it shoe shopping can be hard work, so why wouldn't you want to take a moment or two to relax and sink into a soft cushion of petals whilst pondering whether to opt for ankle boots or knee length this season.

via Dezeen

Calla Lily, Rose & Freesia wedding

A few images from today's wedding. The bride chose white roses, calla lilies and freesia for her bouquet. I always love green and white as a floral colour scheme. The two colours look so fresh, simple and elegant together.

Florist shop windows - No. 2

The Garden Room Florist - Porlock, Somerset.

Woodland Posy

Grouped woodland posy with white roses, 'Anastasia Green' chrysanths, carnations and ivy.