Stem is in the process of moving to a new home in the internet ether. Soon, you’ll be directed there automatically but, for now, please click on the link below to go to our new blog. It’s got everything this blog has on it but that’s where stemgirl will be adding new stuff from now on……
Posted in life at stem flowers
Tagged advertising, publicity, Ruth Curran Crawley, stem flowers
Well, what a great (if exhausting) weekend Stem had at The UK Wedding Show! Once we’d negotiated the slightly mad roads around the ExCel Centre London, managing to get lost only a couple of times, we set up our stand with fabulous spring-time flowers and a collection of beautiful bouquets.
In planning the flowers we were going to use, we tried really hard to come up with a way of giving a good indication of Stem’s personality and creativity. We hoped to create a slightly whimsical, magical display and I think it worked!
Quirky accessories, cute little brightly coloured birds, loads of seasonal foliage and branches of blossom looked absolutely gorgeous next to the fragrant narcissi and hyancinths, tulips, anemones and feverfew. We even planted jewel coloured primulas in teacups, milk-jugs and sugar bowls.
We had a smashing day working alongside Beauberry House, Shot by the Sheriff, Katie Fine, SLR Management and Eloise Prouse and were really frantically busy talking to lovely people on both days. Thanks to all of you who came to say hello!
Posted in life at stem flowers
Tagged accessories, advertising, Beauberry House, British flowers and foliage, civil partnerships, gorgeous colours, happy brides, happy grooms, happy mums, publicity, Ruth Curran Crawley, seasonal, single colour displays, South London, South London florist, Spring flowers, stem flowers, wedding fair
Stem Flowers will be exhibiting at The UK Wedding Show at the ExCel Centre, London on 4 and 5 February. Come and say hello to us at Stand 116 where we’re working with Beauberry House (lovely venue), Shot by the Sheriff (photography) and SLRP (PA, lighting and event production). Our stand is called South Side, just to give a hint about where we’re all based! South London florists on a South London stand! I’ve got some complimentary tickets so make contact with me as soon as you can if you’d like one…..There won’t be many other florists there so I hope you’ll enjoy all the gorgeous seasonal flowers and foliage we’ll be using.
Take a look at the September/October issue of Wedding Flowers Magazine and you’ll see some of our gorgeous flowers. Hooray!
As the photoshoot took place at the very beginning of the summer, I made full use of the fabulous English flowers and foliage – Sarah Bernhardt peonies and Sweet Williams from John Austins and sorbus from GB Foliage. The rambling rose was foraged in West Norwood!
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!
Hooray! Have a look at Stem’s gorgeous flowers featured in the October/November issue of Cosmopolitan Bride.
Stem provided the flowers for Jude and Dave’s fabulous wedding at The Swan at the Globe in London (p.46-48). More photos of their day will follow as soon as this very proud stemgirl gets back into the world of the organised blogger!
As I think I’ve said before, features in magazines or on other blogs and websites are the kind of publicity we just can’t buy. I know I’m not an expert at the whole publicity thing but I am increasingly underwhelmed by the effectiveness of paid-for advertising. That is, I don’t think it’s worth the cash. I suspect our clients are most interested in recommendations and information about Stem from people who know what they’re talking about (i.e. other brides and grooms) rather than glossy ads that tell you nothing real about us. That’s not a hint about recommending us, by the way. Really not….
Stem Flowers will be getting all flowery next week at South London’s first Gay Wedding Fair. Come and say hello to stemgirl at Beauberry House (in Dulwich) on Monday 8th March from 12-8pm.
So stemgirl finds herself quoted in the latest edition of Wedding Flowers Magazine which I’m really pleased about. Especially as it’s in a feature about ‘green’ weddings. Check out pages 50-51 of the February/March issue. One of my quotes is in pink at the centre of the page!
Featuring in a respected publication like this (or other wedding and events magazines) is absolutely fantastic for a business like Stem Flowers. It generates lots of interest from people who happen to read about us and think we sound cool. And then make contact with us. And then ask us to work for them. It is sometimes far more effective than placing adverts which I often find inordinately expensive when one takes into account that they will often generate no interest at all.
How gutting it is, then, to have a lovely quote or two from me in a lovely magazine which lovely people read and NO MENTION of the name of my business or any contact details….AAAARGGHHH!
A quick update on the Wedding TV Best Wedding Venue awards – Beauberry House is through to the final having been voted South London’s best wedding venue. Nothing to do with my flowers, of course!
Posted in life at stem flowers
Tagged happy brides, seasonal, South London, statement flowers, wonderful venues
So, nineteen hours before a very grand wedding at Dulwich College, and on my way to the shed to get some vases, stemgirl trod on a hoe! A three-pronged cultivator to be precise. Through the flip-flop and into the foot. Not good. And all I could think was ‘HELP – I’VE GOT A WEDDING TO DO’! But King’s College Hospital A&E were fantastic and got the message, applied bandages, supplied crutches, gave tetanus. The next day, I was hobbling but back on my feet. Fabulous blue, pink and purple hydrangeas and delphiniums came together to steal the show, especially teamed with antiquey and romantic ‘Pacific Blue’ roses. I don’t think I moaned or looked for sympathy too much but you might have to ask Serge his opinion about that!
stem flowers 
