Liz
- Dec 28, 2021

What a year that was!

From way back last April through to just before Christmas, we have been working on some of the most amazing weddings this year... private garden marquees, glorious new locations, wonderful dedicated wedding venues and purpose built structures

I'd like to be able to give you a run down month-by-month of each one, but unfortunately I don't have the professional shots in for every wedding yet! All wedding suppliers have been completely run off their feet this year, ironic really considering in 2020 we hardly did anything! So my photographer friends are madly editing, sorting and reviewing their bulging files to get the images and albums to our couples as soon as they can... and boy will they be worth the wait x

So I'm going to give you just a glimpse of some of the varied weddings we've been honoured to get involved with over the past 9 months...starting with the Spring

One of the first weddings of the year had moved from almost the same date in 2020 so we were able to pick up on the same flowers and colour theme as originally planned and it was a beaut!

Leah and Mark - Cambridge May 2021

Leah and Mark married at one of the gorgeous college campus' in Cambridge and chose beautifully seasonal flowers to complement the Bridesmaids' eclectic and colourful dresses... how amazing do they all look?

And I think this shot sums up the year perfectly... groomsmen mucking in to make everything run smoothly as they help to move ceremony flowers to the reception venue at Longstowe Hall! x

Photographer - Louise Adby

Planner - Louise Perry

Venue - Longstowe Hall

Dress - Halfpenny London

Jass and Jeffrey - Essex May 2021

Next we go to a beautiful outdoor ceremony and another small intimate wedding with just 30 guests at Houchins in Essex... brilliantly and beautifully designed and curated by the lovely Chenai at By Chenai Weddings, we had soft delicate seasonal flowers, gentle colour palette and some stunning details including embroidered napkins, bespoke china and a gorgeous ceremony circle where the couple married surrounded by their friends and family

We created the first of many arches in 2020 right here and, I have to say for many reasons, this is probably one of my most favourite... using a delicate palette of powder blue and white, we made a garden at the base with hydrangea and delphinium and wove tendrils of jasmine and climbing roses up the metal structure to make it appear like a permanent feature

The ceremony circle in front of the arch comprised fresh and dried elements including pampas, grasses, foxgloves, roses, peonies, delphinium, larkspur and campanula... all chosen at our flower market visit earlier in the month. We moved all the displays into the marquee...to the ends of the long table and around the bar so nothing was wasted and this intimate and loving reception was clothed in flowers and fragrance

The table had the most beautiful array of pale blue ceramic bowls, bud vases and toning taper candles with delicate fragrant spray tea roses, garden roes, sweet peas, forget me nots, peonies and even ranunculus

Planner - By Chenai

Photographer - Rebecca Goddard

Venue - Houchins

Linen - Casa di Gaia

Tables, Tableware - Options Great Hire

Lounge Furniture / Bar - The W Collection

Stationery - Pale Press London

Napkins - The Embroidered Napkin Company

Gemma and James - London May and August 2021

Many of our weddings this year were moved from 2020, some had to find new dates 2, 3 or 4 times! Gemma actually originally made contact with me back in March 2020 just as Covid was hitting to discuss her wedding for January 2021... we talked for ages, booked the date in and waited to see what might happen. In the end they decided to get married in June with a small number of friends and family and do a bigger more lavish party in August once a lot of the restrictions had been lifted

How incredible does Gemma look! A stunning Pronovias gown was perfect for her St Pauls OBE Chapel ceremony flanked by her 6 bridesmaids in pale grey/lilac dresses

An intimate reception dinner at The Ned followed and we filled the table with bowls of scented white flowers and tapered candles... we brought the urns from St Pauls after the ceremony to dress the private dining room

We used a lovely scented mix of jasmine trails, peonies, garden roses, sweet peas, hellebores, scabious, astilbe and larkspur with a little geranium foliage

Part two of their celebrations was a whole different affair... deep rich jewel colours were the order of the day and we dressed The Banking Hall in the City of London with candles, dramatic tall displays and overspilling rose bowls... but I think this shot of Gemma and James descending the staircase towards their waiting friends is my fave photo of all!

There was a traditional bouquet toss at the first wedding but I like the face of the winner of this toss the best. The flowers didn't look too well through...!

June Wedding

Photographer - Matt Porteous

Venue - St Pauls OBE Chapel / The Ned

Dress - Pronovias

August Wedding

Photographer - Matt Porteous

Venue - Banking Hall

Dress - Galia Lahav

Maggie and Steve - Kent June 2021

When Alex from the Bijou Studio came to me about this wedding in Kent, I jumped at the chance as I love working with her plus it was being held at a gorgeous church in Penshurst followed by a reception in Penshurst Place... as we know, a lot of plans changed last year but even with the changes we knew that this would be a fabulous personal wedding and Jessica Williams' photos show this off so well

The church element went as planned on a beautiful sunny day and we travelled down to Kent to dress the church and get the day started

I think this has to be one of my favourite arches from 2021... but I may say that a lot!! Full of Spring loveliness... philadelphus, delpiniums, lysmachia, ammi and foxgloves it was super delicate but very welcoming and truly loved by the American guests as a quintessential British tradition

I really love these images... Maggie clutching her father's hand as hard as he is holding on to her precious bouquet of blush peonies and O'Hara roses as they approach the church...then a quiet moment of reflection as they prepare to enter, just so lovely x

Inside the pretty church the deal was sealed amid laughter and lots of smiles and flanked by our lush urns

Spring is a wonderful time to get married and take advantage of so many beautiful seasonal British flowers - the garden roses have started, there is sweet rocket, scabious, foxgloves, ammi and much much more

If you want to go down this route, check with your florist about what is available and if you aren't particularly wedded to a colour theme, then take their judgement on the best of what is around for your date

How happy do they all look with their frothy posies full of fragrant roses and sweet peas...? Teaming perfectly with their soft dove grey dresses, all individually chosen to complement each maid, a lovely Bride Tribe!

Then it was on to the new venue, Gravetye Manor where the urns and some of the arch were repurposed in the reception room and around the top table

We had to rely on space in the guests' coach plus the car boot of one of my freelancers however, as my van had been blocked in by a local who'd decided to leave his car and go for a walk!! But it all arrived safely and looked amazing in its second home for the day

So when it comes to it, the most important thing with all the moved weddings from 2020 and 2021, is to have your family there, close friends too and enjoy yourself as much as you can and get a great wedding planner to help if you are busy or unsure and an amazing photographer to capture it all x

Venue - Penshurst Place Church / St John the Baptist

Venue - Gravetye Manor

Photographer - Jessica Williams

Planner - Alex from The Bijou Studio

Candles - Candle Flair

Floral Helpers - Graeme at Bloom and Burn / Sarah at The Linen Ladder

Heather and Steve - London June 2021

This wedding was one of a small number that we flowered last year to have just a few guests, around 30 in the end I think... an intimate ceremony held at the glorious Fitzrovia Chapel, a hidden Baroque gem right in the middle of the West End of London surrounded by office blocks and tourists

How amazing does Heather look walking from her car to the Chapel entrance... when you are choosing your wedding dress, don't forget to think about the view for your guests as you walk past them down the aisle

And there is Steven, waiting patiently in this stunning Grade II location. The Chapel was originally part of the now demolished Middlesex Hospital and served as its place of worship although it was never consecrated which means, I think, that couples of any denomination can marry there

Leaving to a bubble parade is such fun and makes a change from confetti, although that is still very beautiful! The couple then had a walk around the area to take some photos with Sophie Lake - you definitely need to make the most of your surroundings whether that is Central London, a riverside or a stunning country location, its all about the memories!

The on to the reception by classic red London bus but not before a bit of urn manoeuvring... re-use, repurpose wherever we can. A real armful of seasonal beech foliage, fluffy peonies scented O'Hara roses - my favourite - stock, foxgloves, lysmachia, scabious and lupins, what's not to love!

Ta da! There it is in a new home...a lovely upstairs room at Paradise by way of Kensal Rise

Pretty soft pinks and pops of darker pink and plum set the tone for the tables... with flowers, napkins, candles, glassware all co-ordinated perfectly and actually working with rather than against the rich gold velvet chairs

The room was enhanced with a very gorgeous and tasty tastefully decorated cake from the lovely Vaani

These two images really show the benefit of having a planner involved in the wedding process... whilst you can get involved as much as you want to - or can - you know you can trust that your planner will guide you at every stage to curate your perfect wedding, which is then a joy to behold when you see it all together for the first time

And then you can just sit back and enjoy... or dance on the stairs! x