This mouth-watering, sorbet coloured rose makes me think of a delicious combination of lemons, peaches and watermelons. It’s summer in a rose. And it smells gorgeous.
So who on Earth was the genius who thought calling it ‘Miss Piggy’ was a good idea? I try not to use the name when describing it to clients as it conjures up images of tantrums and flouncing! Perhaps they’ll come up with Rosa Bridezilla next….
There is not much that needs to be said about these plump, pale pink Sarah Bernhardt peonies. Coming into season now, they play a gorgeously sumptuous part in spring and early summer weddings.
Wow! Professional photos of my flowers are on the wonderful Love My Dress blog after a really fun photo-shoot at Beauberry House. Wedding organiser Andri Benson brought together a group of fabulous South London women who are all in the wedding trade and we rocked the whole day. Pretty vintage flowers, romantic dresses, amazing cakes. And now one very proud stemgirl.
And here are some of the photos I took. Just so you can see the difference between my efforts and what a professional can do!
If you’re thinking pretty and vintage I think the delicious colours of this delicate rose are absolutely fantastic in a bouquet or table centre. I’ve used them here with ‘Akito’ roses, ‘Jana’ spray roses and wonderful, wonderful ‘Roma’ astrantia so the bright pink just pops here and there. However, ‘Mimi Eden’ looks really beautiful when used on its own. Recently, little posies for flower girls looked very cute.
On the down side, the petals are really delicate so I am very picky about the bunches I buy as there’s often already evidence of bruising at the market. And they are not cheap! But worth it, I reckon.
I don’t think I have to say anything, really. How absolutely perfect are these nerines? They’re in season now and are completely magical! The bright pink ones above were used for all the bridesmaids (and buttonholes too) and the fantastic combination of white cymbidium orchids and nerines below was for Emma’s gorgeous bridal bouquet.
Well, I think there’s no denying it. Pink flowers are completely and utterly gorgeous. And pink peonies and roses are just about as good as it gets. For this summery wedding, Stem used an abundance of marshmallow pink ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ and lipstick pink ‘Dr. Fleming’ peonies throughout Beauberry House. Then there were the armfuls of delicate pink and fragrant ‘Sweet Avalanche’ roses and romantic, lacy ammi. Ooh, and tiny-leaved variegated ivy just to finish things off.
I love the simple groupings of flowers on the tables which were made a little more fancy with Stem’s posh silver-leaf votives! And the newly painted pink wall in the Entrance Hall was zingingly complemented with loads of peonies, roses and acid green molucella (that’s Bells of Ireland to you and me) in a grown-up not grannyish pedestal display. Little details, like the floating peony heads up the stairs with sparkling wire, make everything feel just a little more thought out and special. A stunning, beautiful, romantic, sexy collection of blooms!
When Heidi and Trevor got married at Beauberry House in Dulwich, they wanted flowers to reflect their relaxed but stylish approach to the day. You can see from the photos that everyone looked absolutely gorgeous and the sexy bubblegum pink ‘Aqua’ and pale pink ‘Sweet Avalanche’ roses just added to it all!
I think Heidi chose a very cool combination for her bouquet – those ‘Aqua’ roses with dark brown ‘Chocolate Cosmos’. They really do smell of chocolate so it was an all round sensory experience.
Beauberry House is a beautiful venue. The upstairs ‘White Room’ (where the weddings take place) is a perfect blank canvas for any number of floral colour combinations. We used the fabulous cerise pink ‘Serena’ gerberas, delicate pale pink ‘Princess Caroline’ delphiniums and pink ‘Cinderella Antique Pink’ stocks with wonderful acid green Bells of Ireland and bupleurum. I love the detailing of snake grass and dark brown organza on the vases which, again, picked up on the sophisticated colours that the wedding party were wearing.
What I really enjoyed about this wedding was Heidi’s infectious warmth and excitement about her flowers and her wedding in general. I can’t help feeling that my job becomes even more lovely when I’ve engaged with a client on an emotional level and not just on a business one. Somehow, the flowers come together more beautifully, if that makes any sense at all!
