A lovely, busy weekend

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!

Stem’s in print again…

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!

springing into march

Hooray for the magical, fragrant narcissi from the Isles of Scilly!  Produced  by family growers in the open air, there are a huge number of varieties, all with surprisingly different perfumes.  They’re normally available from late winter to the end of spring.  There were loads at the market this morning – despite the cold and drizzle outside, they made me feel that, finally, spring is on its way.

perfect and pink (and white too)

 

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. 

spring has (nearly) sprung

In fact, it was bucketing down with rain for alot of Easter Saturday but Stem Flowers brought the gorgeous fragrance and uplifting colour of Spring inside with (English) sun-yellow narcissi, purpley-blue hyacinths, and old-lady’s-p0wder-puff-pink lisianthus.

Vases filled with Tete-a-Tete narcissi and yellow pansies not only made a simple but beautiful mantelpiece display but also provided plantable gifts for the guests to take home. 

The White Room at Beauberry House was filled with prettiness and had the whimsical feel of Miss Marple’s local tea-room! 

  

 

 

 

roses are really red…

February has been a busy and romantic month for Stem Flowers.  Hooray for brides who choose the most gorgeous, most sexy red flowers for their weddings during this month!  Although the cost of red flowers (in particular) are really a bit silly around the 14th, my brides just went for it and chose rich colours, lots of candles and plenty of seasonal foliage.

We used fabulous ‘Royal Velvet’ and ‘Red Lion’ amaryllis and stunning ‘Majestic Red’ calla lilies.  And then, of course, there were the jewel-like ‘Grand Prix’ and ‘Black Baccara’ roses…..  Completely spectacular!  

properly in print

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!

autumnal abundance

How better to ease oneself into Autumn, but with enormous bunches of English hydrangeas?  Each gorgeous bundle combines all the colours of the season – russety reds, jewelly pinks, antique greens and even touches of blue that  echo the sky on those crisp, clear sunny days that make this time of year quite fabulous.  The market is full of them, they’re great value for money and they not only last well in the vase but dry beautifully too.  I like to mix them up and used them here with black-red ‘Black Baccara’ roses and zingy-red ‘Tornado’ alstromeria.  To complement the wonderful hydrangeas, I’m also making good use of the magical colours, textures and berries of locally grown foliage which work naturally and fantasically in larger displays.  How stemgirl loves this time of year! 

beauberry house – a winning venue?

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!

fun at the flower market

I spent a busy and really exciting morning at New Covent Garden Market last week for a Summer Wedding Flower extravaganza.  There was a smorgasbord of floral designers, demonstrations, music, discussion, networking and excellent bacon sandwiches!
Most exciting of all was the wonderful news that I can now buy fabulously romantic David Austin roses (based near Wolverhampton) and a wonderful array of roses and hedgerow flowers and foliage from Country Roses (near Colchester).  Hooray for British flowers! They might be a bit more expensive per stem but they are so completely gorgeous that I hope my clients will see that they are worth it. I was also really pleased to see that my fantastic wholesalers, GB Foliage, continue to have a really magnificent array of seasonal English foliage for me to choose from.  Their stand is like a lush forest of green at the moment.

There were some other fantastic displays to gawp at.  Most striking were the hanging balls of flowers by Moyses Stevens.  I think that there should be more space in the world for floral spheres.  Rebel Rebel were as cool as ever with (rather handsome) DJs and strawberries hanging delicately from wires and Zita Elze focussed on extremely detailed, intricate garlands for chairs and tables.  Strong deep jewel colours continue to be a strong theme (thank goodness) as do block colours and lots of foliage.  Bring on those leaves!

Visiting the market is a really vibrant experience, which is why I love taking brides and grooms (in particular) there when they’re choosing their flowers .  These seasonal events are a delightful way to spend a morning – and you don’t have to be trade to go.  Keep an eye on www.newcoventgardenmarket  for the next one…..