Summer of Love Photo Shoot

Massively, hugely and ridiculously overdue, but here at last is a blog post for you to sink your teeth into.

Earlier in the year Tracey Campbell of Campbell’s Flowers asked me to style a Seventies shoot using bucket loads of daisies and bigging up on that much loved decade. Of course I nearly took her hand off, and after months of preparation by all involved the Summer of Love was born.

This was an amazing opportunity to do something a little bit different. As daisies were core to the theme, I worked on a palette of yellows, ochres and mustards – off set by shades of grey; the perfect complimentary colour.

Whilst we were aiming to create a sweet and endearing retro bubble  – we stayed well away from cliche’s to create a genuinely pretty, cool look that holds huge appeal for today’s discerning bride.

You won’t find garish glitter balls and fevered fonts, just whimsical, soft notes reminiscent of those heady, lazy hot summer days. 

For the stationery I chose an old typewriter font, and used undulating lines that reminds me somehow of buzzing bees.  I added rounded corners on some pieces, and old photograph corners on others, to hint at days gone by. Combined with a bold daisy graphic, we have a sweet design that sings with happiness.

For place settings we went for ultra organic, with a retro twist.  We used a fresh moss base, with a wooden platter and oodles of scatter buttons (many from the ubiquitous tin our mothers kept under the stairs!). Sprinkled with fresh daisies the result was fresh, original and super pretty.

A finally a few more flourishes and cute details, including Tracey's amazing flower curtain, and cutting edge fashion by Lauren Armstrong that incorporates fresh flowers into the fabric.

Thank you so much to Tracey for both inviting me and her gorgeous flowers, and to Jess Petrie for her simply amazing photography.

And to everyone else involved - who worked so hard and are just incredibly talented: Jenn Edwards (hair and make up), Claire Kemp (cake design), Hayley Neil (vintage dresses), Lauren Armstrong (dress designer, contactable at thebouquetcatcher@gmail.com), and of course to Losehill Hall for allowing us to use their beautiful venue and grounds.

Pleasure to work with...Campbell's Flowers

Once upon a time, a few moons ago, I met a lovely florist lady in my local pub.  A few moons after that, I got in touch with her again, as I thought her work was just brill.  I could see that Tracey Campbell knew her onions and had a fabulously creative mind. I wondered if there was a way we could work together.

I was so glad I did. When two like minds meet, exciting stuff happens.  Tracey is an inspiration. We've had lots of meetings since – and there’s all sorts of ideas bubbling away to be brought to you over the coming months.  But first and foremost, we have come up with a cunning plan to work collaboratively. A core element of my business is prop hire.  So – way to go. I order and store muchos floral container finery. Tracey hires said gorgeousness from me, and is thus able to offer brides far more choice. It also means that Tracey can compete better in the corporate market, as she now has access to the sort of mahoosive vases that venues like the Millenium Galleries require. But variety is the key. From pretty little votives to terracotta pots – all of it will be available.

I’d like to think of us as entrepreneurial women acting smart.

Not long ago, T and I worked together on a product shoot for my new web site. When the right props and the right flowers come together – beautiful is the result.

I am absolutely delighted to have started this venture with Tracey.  And as well as the business side of our venture, there are creative explosions on the horizon too. So keep watching. We plan to be one step ahead of the game, with a keen eye on fashion, trends and the NEXT BIG THING. We hope you’ll have seen it here first.

Great Products from Nkuku

I'm very proud to announce I'll be stocking some fabulous Nkuku products in my online shop (which is only inches away, I promise!)

Feast your eyes on some of these lovelies...

There will also be some Nkuku gorgeousness in the prop hire department:

So close to launch now...happy days! :) :) x

Gorgeous Go Glorious Product Shoot!

As I've been babbling on for a while - there really is a fab new shop on its way that will stock all things Glorious. Last week I had the best fun working with photographer extraordinaire Jess Petrie and the muchos talented Sheffield florist Tracey Campbell.

We braved the bitter, bitter cold (punctuated with life saving hot tea breaks) - and as a result got the the most amazing shots. Here is a taster batch...I'm not one to spill all the beans at once! :) 

Enormous thanks again to:

Photographer: Jess Petrie Photography

Florist: Campbell's Flowers

Carly & Dave, Chatsworth 2nd March 2013

One of the prettiest weddings EVER! Carly and Dave married at Chatsworth on Saturday - on undoubtedly the most glorious day of the year. The sun shone like the middle of August - and the estate looked absolutely beautiful.  Carly chose all tea cups and vintage lace for her styling - it really was to die for. Here are a few pics...