Beamsley Arch Hire

01/04/2023

15/10/2022

It was lovely to be back at yesterday, assisting Rachel () with the creation of this amazing cloud of dried and fresh flowers and grasses along with Jan of .

It was very light for such a large structure and turned gently in the breeze.

21/07/2022

Welcome back Koko loko! So happy that one of my favourite roses is flowering again.

08/07/2022

It was a great privilege to be asked to create the florals for Kurun and Bradley's wedding at today.

This is the mandap created with my brilliant freelancers, Sonja and Vanessa.

07/07/2022

'Hydrangea trees' from last weekend's wedding at Denton Hall - complete with ribbons! 🎉

05/07/2022

Hello, Petal!

I have been disappointed in the past by how the coral peonies responded to being put on chill compared to the other peonies I grow. I store some of them in the fridge out of water and wrapped in newspaper for a couple of weeks in order to extend their flowering season. However, this specimen seems to have survived the treatment pretty well. Maybe she was more closed when she was picked. In any case, I will be definitely be trying it again in future.

03/07/2022

Urn arrangement for the reception at on Saturday. Jessica asked for something dramatic. I think I hit the brief...

01/07/2022

I love it when I can source beautiful, scented British flowers for my weddings. They don't come much more beautiful or more scented than these David Austin roses, grown in Linton by Natasha of .

22/06/2022

As promised, the mechanics I used for supporting separate hand-tied bouquets to make a punch bowl arrangement that can be taken apart and given as favours after the wedding:

1) Take one wire coat hanger, a plastic seal from the lid of a coffee jar lid and some floral fix;

2-3) Cut three sections of coat hanger;

4) Pierce holes in the lid and push the sections of wire through;

5) Pull the bases of the outer wire sections together with a piece of thin wire to make the ends splay out and apply florist' fix round the base of the plastic seal;

6) Press firmly into base of container and fill vessel with water.

If you tie string or ribbon around the stems of the bouquets in two places low on the stems and push the base of the bouquet onto a spike, it anchors the base of the bouquet preventing it from toppling out of the container. The spikes also help to keep the bouquets evenly spaced. The last bouquet can be dropped down into the middle, where it will be held in place by the ring of bouquets around the edge (see yesterday's post).

There will of course be other ways of securing the bouquets, but I thought this simplified flower frog was a quick and easily made gadget from materials I have lying around anyway.

21/06/2022

One of today's task (in addition to getting daughter to her exam on time, remembering to collect her again and moving the sheep in readiness for shearing this week) was to work out how to create a punch bowl arrangement that can be divided up after the wedding so that bunches of flowers can be taken away as favours.

I worked out some mechanics that will do the job (wire hangers, plastic coffee jar lid covers and florists' fix - I will try to get a picture of the solution tomorrow) and at the same time (using left-over flowers) counted up how many stems I need per bowl.

Result!

weddingflowermechanics

19/06/2022

The last couple of weeks have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to mark this year. To make amends, I rushed out just now on the last evening to capture some of my favourite flowers of the moment (or joint-favourite with peonies).

Who doesn't love a sweetly-scented rose?

18/06/2022

Classic green-and-white wedding flowers for Lisa and Michael, who were married at the Tithe Barn this week.

Wishing them all the best for the future!

Thanks go to my free-lancers, Rachel and Vanessa, whose help was invaluable.

09/06/2022

Loving the return of the rose season!

01/06/2022

I hope you are all going to enjoy a few days of festive frivolity celebrating the !

To mark the occasion, I have filled a crown with : blue perennial cornflowers and aqueligia, white cowparsley and Choiseya and red peonies.

Have a great long weekend, everyone!

26/05/2022

More blush and pink blooms from Jennifer and Alasdair's wedding last weekend at the .

22/05/2022

A flowery arch for Jennifer and Alasdair at the today.

Wishing them all the best for their future together!

21/05/2022

Just because it is cheery and colourful and flowering right now. 😁

17/05/2022

The tree peony in full flower with the bank of bluebells in the background. It is just a shame I haven't any yellow or very colourful weddings coming up! 💛

16/05/2022

Seasonal and locally grown flowers for table centres at with a few imports to complement.

Aqueligia, anemone, ranunculus, lily-of-the-valley, hesperis, alliums, and pink bluebells are all locally grown, courtesy of , , and yours truly.

Supporting acts of the floral kind supplied by the ever reliable . Of the practical kind, I couldn't have done it without the help of Julia .floraldesign. 🙏

15/05/2022

Saturday morning in May and the wedding season is in full swing.

Here is the line-up of Lucy's bridesmaids' bouquets ready to be delivered.

11/05/2022

OK - this is going to mess up the colour scheme on my grid, but I just had to share this tree peony, which is flowering for the first time this year. The plant has been growing bigger and bigger each year but had never, until now, shown any signs of wanting to produce buds. This year there are lots. I only wish I remembered where I got the plant from originally... 🤔

08/05/2022

I am really savouring the profusion of blooms and blossoms after the cold and wet winter.

I am so glad I chose to grow a rosemary with lavender coloured flowers (second photo).

07/05/2022

Hannah and her sweet flower girl in bright spring sunlight at the .

The moment was captured beautifully by .

03/05/2022

Each year I am excited to welcome the first peony. This year it is one of the Paeonia officinalis - a really good doer. Unlike its more delicate and refined cousins, P. lactiflora, it doesn't sulk after being moved, but will happily flower in the first season after the move. As far as I know it only comes in this dark pink and in white, but being so early and being very low maintenance, it is worth giving it room in your garden.

01/05/2022

One bonus of setting up at wedding venues is listening to the musicians warming up while you work. I loved the mellow tones of at this morning.

03/04/2022

Loved the colour scheme from Hannah and Darrian's wedding at the end of March at . Lilacs,roses, Alstromeria, lisianthus, fresias and plenty of eucalyptus not only looked good but also smelt gorgeous!

I can't wait to see more from !

02/04/2022

Caitlin and Sam, who got married last month at the after several postponements, beautifully captured by .

27/03/2022

Another glorious March wedding day - this time for Hannah and Darrian.

Here is the flower girl's crown with dainty lavender spray roses before ribbons were added.

27/02/2022

Dried flowers. I don't produce them on a commercial scale as I just don't have the space to store them. Rather, I dry any surplus for future use. Some of these were sold yesterday to a fellow florist and as it was an un-planned sale, it only seems appropriate to donate the equivalent amount to a charity offering humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

26/02/2022