The lovely Tamsin and Mike

When planning her wedding and ultimately her flowers, Tamsin was what I would call a very very laid back bride... Don't get me wrong, she had a vision, but she let us advise her freely how to get that look that she wanted.

And, dare I say - she was the perfect bride from start to finish.  From the minute she walked in she was giddy with her plans but laid back in her approach and that, my friends, makes a florist's life very very easy.  I can't tell you how relaxed I was doing Tamsin's flowers..... which in my experience usually makes for very natural and perfect looking designs.  Being tense does nothing for creativity...

And, being the perfect bride, she even emailed me over some photos like she promised (Hint Hint to those of you who have not sent me pics yet - I will hunt you down ;) ).... after the event.

So, here is what she looked like, perfection and that smile that she wears compliments her dress, her flowers and personality.  She really is beautiful on the inside and the out...

Thank you Tamsin for walking in our shop that day, and deciding there and then that you wanted us to do your flowers, I am so glad you did.

Now for the pics....

The shower bouquet was made up of Avalanche Roses, Freesia, Lisianthus and Spray Roses.

A smaller complimentary bouquet for the bridesmaids.

Tamsin on her way to the ceremony.

The bridesmaids look gorgeous don't they?

The room by day....

And then making the most of their table centres and chair covers by night..

And the lovely couple.... Tamsin and Mike, don't they look like they are just in love?

Lots of love

Paula xx

Maria and Alan

Flowers are important....

For Maria, the flowers and colours of her wedding were a really important part of her day.... Purple, Lilac and a hint of Pink designed in an almost informal fashion but not too loose.

Together, in one of our wedding consultations, we sat and discussed various flower types and colours and the designs below were what we came up with.  Now, forgive me as I did not get as many pictures as I would have liked, which is frustrating but these do give you a flavour of what Maria had.

I think all the memories should still be fresh.... they are waking up today as Mr and Mrs...

Congratulations and as always thanks for choosing About Flowers to be part of your big day.

Maria's Bouquet

Alan's Buttonhole

The Thistle Hotel, Haydock

The Top Table Complete with Swagging

Till next time 

Paula xx

Jenni and Chris at Peckforton Castle

Jenni and Chris

We just love working at Peckforton Castle so it was like our dream come true when Jenni wanted to go all out and have some of our higher end designs incorporated within her ceremony, and then in her reception.  

As far as bride and grooms go, Jenni was  one of the most laid back brides we have ever had the pleasure of working with so creativity for the designs easily came.  Chris was briefly involved at the last minute in purely a logistical sense, but other than that, he did what most grooms did and nodded in the right place and made all the right noises...  (good move Chris)..

You will have to settle for civil ceremony pics though as the reception room is turned around in the middle of the day..

The Bridal Bouquet

Avalanche Roses with Calla Lillies adorned with Pearl detail.

The bridesmaids held a handtied bouquet of Calla Lillies wrapped in a chocolate brown satin ribbon.

And here is where it all happened.  The Grand Hall.  Jenni chose our Floral Fantasy designs for her table centres and we decided that they would look a treat at the ceremony first.  Other decorations in here included chair covers, topiary trees and columns.  The bride provided her own garland which was artificial but looked fabulous.

And now for the real life pictures.  Jenni looks exquisite, I am sure you agree.  

And her she is with all the bridesmaids and groomsmen and of course, Chris the groom.

And here is the Mother of the Bride looking fabulous wearing her corsage that we designed for her.

Jenni and Chris, thank you for choosing us to be your florist and venue deocrator.  We know that it is a big decision and you had lots of choice and we appreciate your trust.  We hope you liked what we did.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Lyon

Take Care

Paula xx

The Hillcrest Bridal Fayre

To have and to hold....

We pick and choose our Bridal Fayres very carefully and not one of those business that is at every event you go to.  We prefer to be a little more exclusive.

And, that is why we choose The Hillcrest Hotel every year.

Today we have dressed both of the rooms up at the hotel but for those of you that could not make it, I took a few snaps so you could get a chance to see our new table centres.

And, I will stop rambling on now and let my pics do the work.

So, any thoughts?  We love feedback from brides and event planners so don't be shy, leave a comment and tell us what you think?  

Take care.... Paula x

Julie and Ward

I met Julie a couple of years before her wedding and I loved the ideas she had for her and Ward's big day.  All the detail was organised, but while she knew what she wanted, she was also really open to other ideas to add into her vision.

So, together, we had some fun discussing what flowers were going to be best for her theme, what table centres would go where... etc etc.. 

I have really enjoyed working with Julie and Ward, and their 25 year wedding anniversary went with a bang by the sounds of it. I am sure you will all agree, they look absolutely fabulous.

Now after the pics, I am just dying to see this marryoke.... did they get Julie's Mum on it or not I wonder???

Julie, Ward and their lovely girls.

Julie's Bridal Bouquet complete with lace and brooch detail.

Close up of the flowers in Julie's bouquet.

Bridesmaid's Bouquets

Flowergirl's Floral Wand

Groom's Buttonhole

Birdcage with Ivy, Hydrangea and Spray Roses

Soft swagging with Roses and Hydrangea.

Where they renewed their vows....

Thank you for choosing About Flowers Julie, we know you had lots of choices but we are really glad you chose us...

Take care and keep in touch....

Paula xx

Using A Retail Florist / Venue Decorator

Booking your wedding and all the things involved with it are major decisions and given the expense involved, should not be taken lightly.

So, when choosing who to use for your big day, you should consider how much time and effort a person has put into their own business.  This should give you an indication of how much time and effort they will put into your wedding.

If you need to know what to look for, here are a few pointers.

1.  Previous work.  Does the seller have an extensive portfolio of work to showcase and are the pictures theirs to show?  Make sure they are their pictures, this should be obvious with a particular style being displayed or local venues or attractions on the pictures.

2.  Do they have a team of experts around them?  This proves particularly important in the event of sickness or something going wrong on the day.  Back up is very important as sometimes time is of the essence when both doing bridal flowers and decorating a room.

3.  Are they well established?  A well established business has usually built up good relationships with their wholesalers and are able to call on them with a seconds notice, should they need to.  Fresh stock and sundries are not easy to come by in a crisis and retailers have taken the time to build these networks.

4.  Is this their main job?  This particularly means a lot to me as if they are trading in their field entirely and not part time as a hobby, they are more likely to put all of their focus on your wedding.  I understand the notion of starting out in business, but would you trust your big day with someone who does their field as a part time gig?  I wouldn't.  I would be asking are they going to be around in a years time as they are not fully committed?

5.  Are they qualified and experienced?  This ties in with number one but can be a stand alone checkpoint also.  Someone who has taken the time to go to college, attend regular workshops and basically give up all their time is committed and will show the same level of commitment to your big day.  

6.  Do you feel easy about booking with them?  Confidence is a big thing when booking your expert.

7.  Do they have a retail outlet?  This is not always essential as some fields of work do not need one such as a photographer but places like Cake Makers / Florists / Venue Decorators to name but a few, should have decent space to work out of in order to create the wedding of your dreams.  Working around a family or in a shed or spare bedroom often can be distracting and messy.  These are not conducive to providing stunning creative work.  

8.  Beware of cheap cheap cheap.  Why are they doing it cheap?  In my experience it is because they are desperate for work?  If they meet all the points above, why should they be desperate for work?  Another point to note about cheap work is that they often over book jobs in order to get enough money in which means the focus on your wedding will be completely lost.... you will be one in many many weddings..

Anway, this is a bit of a serious blog for me to write as we usually focus on our work.  But the amount of times we have now had to bail out brides at the last minute because their friends friend or neighbour who promised them the earth is nowhere to be seen... decided to stop doing it... overbooked themselves or decided to have a holiday in the summer rather than do their wedding is becoming all to regular.

What you have to remember though is that this is only my opinion and opinions vary.... 

Take care and good luck with all your planning.

Paula xx

Buttonholes and Corsages

There are tons of buttonholes and corsages that we have done so i am just going to bundle them all together in this blog for you to have a mooch at.

Buttonholes shown here are generally for the men and the sprays with more flowers in are Corsages that are for Mothers of the Bride/Groom.

Any questions, do not hesitate to ask me (I'm Paula by the way).

info@about-flowers.co.uk