Via Style Me Pretty

‘Christmas Eve is a busy day for a florist,’ says Jo. ‘There’s a real sense of excitement and anticipation in the studio, and we have the festive music on and the mince pies out. We do one final check with all our hotel clients to make sure everything is just so, then it’s all about getting the last orders out.

‘Christmas starts back in August for me, when I begin working on ideas for clients. There can be a mix of projects – anything from decorating a five-star boutique hotel or a wedding, to one-off bunches of flowers and wreaths.

‘My house gets decorated early, while the season is still fresh to me and I have the chance – things get too hectic later on. Then, on Christmas Eve, I top up everything with fresh flowers and foliage.

‘We don’t bother with a Christmas tree – I wrestle with so many for work that putting up another is the last thing I want to do when I come home. Instead, I’ll light masses of tea lights to give the living room a rich, warm glow. Fragrance is important – it adds that final layer. Library by True Grace is one of my favourite candles for this time of year – it has a smoky, wintry fragrance [tel: 01985 210893, truegrace.com].

‘I like to throw a few cinnamon sticks on the fire – they gently scent the whole house with a just-cooked-gingerbread smell.

‘On the Christmas Day table, I go for a few small displays rather than one big one – it’s much easier to shuffle them around and slot them in among the serving dishes.  ‘Putting a little sprig of rosemary or a stem of eucalyptus or a tiny narcissus flower on each napkin pulls everything together – and it’s a subtle way to bring fragrance to the table without overpowering the food.’

Don’t think everything has to be in water – most winter foliage, such as pine, holly and eucalyptus, will last out of water for over a week. Even when dried out it still looks good. If you’re raiding the garden for seasonal foliage to add to shop-bought flowers, cut the bottom of woody stems into a V shape to allow them to soak up plenty of water so that they stay looking fresh for longer.

Follow the link below if you’d like further information on making your very own decorations.

Via You Magazine

These rustic buttonholes are a whole new take on the traditional bloom adorning your suit. We think feathers and structural berried branches would look amazing paired with some fabulous flowers on a wedding day.

Source: Before The Big Day
Images from Pomp & Plumage

I’ve just discovered this wonderful book by Geraldine James, ‘Creative Display: Inspiring Ideas To Make Every Surface Beautiful’. Geraldine is home buying manager for Selfridges in London and her passion for making homes beautiful translates to all aspects of her life. The book is packed with images and ideas in the style I love, and it’s absolutely full of inspiration for transforming a plain and empty space into a work of art.

We love this gorgeous image of some towering, structural blossom branches decorated with an array of pretty tea light holders which works perfectly against the city backdrop of NYC. Image courtesy of the impressive Flower Girl in New York.

Whilst we love wedding dresses in traditional white and ivory, these beautiful Vera Wang Autumn 2012 creations in black really caught our eyes. Softened with floral ruffles, floating fabrics and dusty nude tones, they appear romantic and accessible, not too harsh or gothic. If you love the style but not the colour, there is also a selection of blush pink versions!

See the entire collection here: http://www.weddingchicks.com/2011/10/19/vera-wang-bridal-fall-2012/

Would you wear an unusual colour on you wedding day?

Blush bouquet themes are something we’ve seen a lot of over the past few months, and dressed with the right foliage it can fit in perfectly at any time of year. The effect created is dreamy, soft focus and unashamedly romantic.

A selection of blush blooms would look gorgeous paired with Dusty Miller leaves (right). For more on these ornamental leaves, visit: Design Sponge.

Its always nice to see flowers displayed with a bit of edge! This shoot certainly shows roses in a different light.

These images are found Via The English Group – the brilliant Creative Agency who have helped us to transform over the last 10 years, through all of our re-incarnations. It is fair to say that after all this time they totally understand us and always do us proud… thank you The English Group!