Back in January, while I was still pregnant with Arthur, I was diagnosed with gallstones. These had developed during pregnancy and unbeknown to me that is very common. Anyway, in the last 5 months I have been admitted to hospital and taken to A&E numerous times with indescribable pain. It was bad enough while pregnant, however with a newborn it has been horrendous. All I want is to be at home enjoying my beautiful boy, but that’s been disrupted and I feel so robbed.
Anyway to cut an incredibly long and winding story short(er), the flares have got worse and more prolonged, and my blood tests became more alarming. Yesterday I underwent surgery and am home recovering. Even though it was keyhole surgery, they stressed to me that it was a major surgery and that the recovery is not to be taken lightly. So I’m being looked after really well and following their instructions.
Because of all of this, I have come to a decision to close the diary for the year and to take a more realistic maternity leave. I won’t be taking anymore wedding bookings for 2024, and I won’t be hosting any consultations for further bookings (for 2025/2026) until October/November 2024. I want to be able to enjoy more time with my baby after I’ve been so unwell for the first nearly 8 weeks.
All of my weddings that are already booked still stand and will all be completed as agreed. I have organised excellent florists to work with and assist me with any weddings that will need it, so there is definitely no need for anyone to panic!!
Thanks for understanding 🩵
Ps. Fun fact - I bit my lip during/short after surgery and it is the size of a grape it is so swollen. I can see the teeth marks in it 😂
I honestly never thought I’d be in a position to write this post. I have been through periods of time over the last many months where I’ve wondered if it would ever happen for us. For as long as I can remember I have yearned for a child, and since being with Jonathan that has only grown into a stronger wish.
After going through the heartache of a miscarriage in April, I can hardly believe that we are so lucky to announce that I am pregnant with a healthy baby BOY, due in March 2024 🩵🩵
It has been a rollercoaster few months of emotions, but so far everything is looking as good as can be and so we can only keep on hoping and feeling positive.
I worry about him in there every single day 🙈 but Jonathan has reminded me that even when he’s here, the worrying will be with us forever so I can just get used to it 😂
All wedding clients have been informed and plans of action put into place! Thank you all so much for your support and well wishes! 🩵
Here it is! 🌻☀️💛Laura came to me for her wedding flowers with two definites in mind - sunflowers, and this flower heart! This piece is the absolute definition of a labour of love. It took 4 hours and some heavy lifting, but I am SO proud of the end result! Beautiful fresh flowers and foliage all around, including sunflowers, roses, spray roses, germini, santini, eucalyptus and more. Everyone commented on how beautiful the room smelt as you walked in! Thank you so much Laura for putting your trust in me to create your perfect wedding flowers, it was a privilege, as it always is. Thank you to the staff at Rushpool Hall for being so accommodating in letting us start set up early and basically be there for a full shift 🙈
For Lin 🤍 Rich creams, nudes, soft pinks and fluffy pampas 🤍@rushpool_hall
Becki’s bouquet was filled with scented sweet peas, beautiful o’hara and mentha roses, super sweet peonies, and so many more varieties to create this truly countryside, wild vibe bouquet! #peonies #peony #roses #wedding #weddingbouquet #bridalbouquet #bridalflowers #weddingflorist #weddingflowers #northeastwedding #northyorkshirewedding
The hottest day of the year, and the biggest arch installation of the year too! Such a bloody hot set up, but the end result is something I’m so proud of. Congratulations to Becki and Jimbob, and thank you for choosing me for your special day 🤍
A little light in our darkness at the moment 💛🌼
Totally thought I’d asked Jonathan to wiggle the bouquet in videos before. Turns out it was his first rodeo 😂 it definitely caught me off guard! I gave up trying to get the right wiggle and thought we’d stick with the outtakes 🙈
Hannah and Abel chose such a beautiful colour scheme, so full of spring! They were such a joy to work with and Hannah’s reaction on the day was everything I could hope for! Lots more photos to come 💛
Spring is on it’s way 🐣🌸💛
We chose and collected the flowers this morning for our Mother’s Day orders, and I’m so chuffed with the selection and quality! Lots of flower varieties and beautiful different colour shades!
Still some availability on the website but not for very long! 💛🌼
One whole year of marriage ♥️
I made Jonathan a photo book as a Paper anniversary present, with everything we have done, seen, accomplished this last year, so I thought I’d share the highlights with you too ♥️
We got married, had an amazing honeymoon, had an offer accepted on a holiday let property, did a Croatia road trip, renovated the property from the absolute pits to a fantastic place, renovated our own bedroom, did a California, Arizona and Nevada road trip, Jonathan started a new job, and we have almost finished the house, all alongside me running my amazing business. It has been an incredible year. We haven’t quite achieved everything we wanted to this year, and there has been plenty of blood, sweat and tears along the way, but we have achieved a hell of a lot and I’m so proud of us.
I’ve never met someone like you, my loving husband. You are the epitome of a caring and doting partner in life, you are the best friend I could ever wish for and you make me feel so cherished, so loved and so safe. You are so funny, you are so handsome, and you are so generous. I’ve never known someone to be so infuriating one minute and cute and hilarious the next. We tackle everything in our life as a team, and you are the best teammate I could ever have. I’m so incredibly lucky to have found you and I’ll continue to love and appreciate you for the rest of my days.
Thank you for being my safe haven, wherever we are in the world. Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes and for choosing to do this thing called life with me.
I hope you all enjoy a watching snippet of our last year, as much as we have enjoyed living it ♥️
A hundred thank yous to our incredible wedding suppliers:
Pinchinthorpe Hall
Steven McDonald Photography
Love is Lovely
Gabriella Grace Cakes
Ambience Venue Styling Teesside
Joanne Kay Bridal Boutique
DandyThreads
Jessica Flinn Jewellery
Laura Mac Make Up
Studio M Molly, Hair
Not flowery content but I thought it was fun to see!
When you travel all the way to the Grand Canyon and can’t actually see it because of dense fog, what do you do? You make a snowman bigger than yourself that’s what!
#grandcanyon #grandcanyonsnowman2022
And that’s a wrap!
It’s been a crazy year once again, starting off with us getting married ourselves! So many beautiful weddings and clients as always this year, too many photos to include in this round up!
If you’d like to talk to me about flowers for your special day, please go to the link in bio and fill out our online wedding enquiry form - if we’re available for your date, we can organise a Zoom call for when I return from holiday in January!
Thank you ALL for your support once again, no like, share and comment goes unnoticed and every single one of you supporters whether client or social admirer, are so appreciated.
Thank you to all of the venues who are so accommodating and helpful, and we love transforming your spaces!
Have a wonderful festive season! ♥️
(Photos include:
Pinchinthorpe Hall Sneaton Castle Whitby Rushpool Hall Middleton Lodge Estate Ambience Venue Styling Teesside Gabriella Grace Cakes)
11 years 🧡
So I may be almost a week late to this, but on Saturday 12th November, The Countryside Florist turned 11. ELEVEN!
For the last 11 years I’ve truly worked harder than I think anyone on the outside will realise, and I think more of us (in every profession), need to learn to not be so British about things 🙈 and actually acknowledge how hard we work and take some bloody credit for it!! My Mam has also worked her little socks off and I’m forever thankful. I think it’s easy sometimes to brush it off and hide how long something takes or how back breaking the work can be. I know a lot of people think this job is “playing with flowers” all day 😂 (I know there will be people reading this thinking “well it is isn’t it?!”)🙈 But it’s so much more than that. It’s dirty, it’s heavy lifting, late nights, early mornings, long shifts, sore feet, itching eyes, greenery down your knickers and petals in your bra, stressful, pressurised - the lot. It is so much responsibility to create flowers for the biggest days in people’s lives, whether it be the happiest or the saddest occasion of a wedding or a funeral. But, it is so so rewarding.
It is worth it when we hear such amazing feedback time after time. My heart does a little somersault and my eyes tear up and I just fill with glee. Everything I do, I do to make a difference to people’s days in even the smallest way, and I feel so incredibly proud that I get the opportunity to do that for so many people.
A client said to me just the other day, that it is obvious how passionate I am about my business just from talking to me. And that it really came across to them how it isn’t just a job to me. That meant so much, as it is so true.
This 11th year has been full of heart warming moments, and I’ve put together a small collection of a few of the pieces I’ve made in 2022, and I can’t wait for this time next year to see what another year has thrown at us!
Thank you all for another
I feel like I struck lucky with the music for this one! 😍
Katherine’s bouquet is what dreams are made of. She told me I was “a queen” and that she loved it so much. The brief was a loose and relaxed bouquet, with flowy, wispy ferns and velvet ribbons; colours to be dark and moody with some hints of the golden mustard roses and scented freesia. I LOVE it!! 🧡
Danby Castle Barn
Ps. If you don’t already, please go follow us on Instagram so you can see more reels and videos like this! 😍
(I don’t own the rights to this music)
I’m so so so incredibly proud of this 🤍🤍 hours and hours of work, but it was so worth it. It was so lovely to be amongst Ruth and James’ family the night before their wedding, creating this beauty. They treated us to a beautiful buffet, kept us hydrated, and chatted to us throughout the night to keep us going. It was a lovely atmosphere and a pleasure to be part of. Massive thanks to Mam and Jonathan for all of the fetching, carrying and pep talks 😂
We then set up the rest of the wedding yesterday, and it all looked incredible - can’t wait to share pics!
Huge huge thanks to Ruth and James for sticking with us throughout venue changes and numerous covid postponements. After booking back in 2019, to when their day finally arrived, they put so much trust in me and it has been so appreciated. Ruth, you said to me on Friday night you appreciate me so much, but the feeling is mutual.
I’ve had a huge nap today, it has been an absolutely mammoth week and I have just started to feel more human, and very grateful 🤍
Thanks to Rushpool Hall for being so accommodating all weekend, and for all of the compliments on this beauty!!
We worked alongside Ambience Venue Styling Teesside on this wedding too, so the whole place looked so beautiful with our flowers literally everywhere, and Emma’s styling touches of candles, sashes and more 🤍
Amy chose soft blues, whites and ivory shades for her flowers and wow how beautiful did her bouquet turn out?!
Sneaton Castle Whitby
(I don’t own the rights to this music)
I can’t believe it’s been a year since our biggest wedding ever. I had to share it again as I’m still so very proud of what we created.
Venue: Rudby Hall
#wedding #luxurywedding #luxuryflorist #weddingflorist #weddingflowers #venueflowers #centrepieces #staircase #staircaseflowers #bride #bridalflowers #ceremony
When I walked into the room with this bridal bouquet, Rebecca exclaimed “oh my goodness it’s everything I ever hoped it would be”. And that, my friends, is the BEST feeling!! 🤍 lots of pictures to follow but for now here is a lil vid!
Venue: Rushpool Hall
#wedding #weddingflowers #flowers #weddingflorist #florist #luxuryflowers #rushpoolhallweddings
A huge thanks to Olivia and Dan for being such amazing clients from beginning to end 🧡 it was such a pleasure to create allllll of this and so lovely to see you looking so beautiful on the day too 🍊
Venue: Middleton Lodge Estate
Florals: @thecountrysideflorist
Stylist: Ambience Venue Styling Teesside
(I don’t own the rights to this music)
Our day was filled with love, and so much laughter. Including when we were cutting our cake and Jonathan decided he wanted to count down from 7 and everyone went along with it 😂
Pinchinthorpe Hall
Gabriella Grace Cakes
Ambience Venue Styling Teesside
@lauramacmakeup
@studio_m_molly
Joanne Kay Bridal Boutique
DandyThreads
