Well this is what they are known as! Finally I am able to share with you some beautiful photos by the fabulous Anna Hardy from a gorgeous wedding we did last September – I may run out of superlatives at this rate!!
I met the lovely Katie through another bride from a few years before and knew from Day One that this wedding was going to be a winner
Katie had very strong ideas about what she wanted but we did manage to include everything from the romantic personal flowers that would be teamed with her STUNNING Vera Wang, yes, Vera Wang dress to the meadowy, light and oh-so-pretty mix of bright summery flowers in the permanent marquee set up at Westwood Park in Essex
At our flower market visit just before the wedding date, Katie fell in love with just about every flower we looked and I almost had to tear her away from some!
But we finally decided on a palette of palest pink and ivory for the church flowers and bouquets using large overblown Hydrangea and pink blushed Snowberries for the bridesmaids with the addition of Sweet Avalanche Roses for Katie herself
The church was so pretty it hardly needed any flowers at all but we added just a touch of extra-pretty with a light Gyp garland and some white Hydrangea and Roses around the entrance arch and delicate Gyp pew ends tied with ribbons
We were blessed with an amazingly sunny hot day which really brought to life the bright mix of flowers on the tables in the marquee – Sunflowers (Katie’s favourite), Roseberry Roses, Blue Bee Delphinium, Astrantia, pale pink Freesia, Sedum, Alchemilla Mollis and a variety of fragrant herbs
Finally a mix of low and tall displays broke up the view across the tables, although the tall vases gave us a little challenge with the wind coming through the very necessary open side of the marquee!
We loved this wedding and are delighted to have come to know such a lovely couple and wish them un matrimonio felice x
Its that time of year when we start thinking of summer holidays, long evenings sipping wine out in the garden and lazy days off work. Well we would be doing that if the weather wasn’t so damn cold all the time!
Thank goodness wedding season has started as this will keep us good and warm as we rush around to all our Brides and Grooms, visiting old venues and checking out new ones, working on proposals and gathering up photographs from weddings that we’ve completed
It is this area that I’ve been rather remiss on recently. We were so busy at the end of last year and going into early 2013 that there was just no time to update the website with wedding photos from both recent and old weddings
So for now I’m going to add a few just to keep you interested and PROMISE that I will get this whole shebang website thingey up to date as soon as possible, pretty promise!
Okay that’s all for now folks! I’ll add some detail to each shot very soon along with information on each wedding. We have a very busy year ahead so plan to have a lot more to show over the coming months …
A BIG group thanks to any photographers who have shots included in this little round up – don’t worry I will be doing a proper link to their sites in due course so you can check them out
If you are newly engaged and planning your wedding but still looking for the perfect venue in London, then I have some good news for you. The time has come round again to be able to get a peak at the wonderful central London venue that is One Whitehall Place, in all its finery, dressed up for a wedding
Sunday March 3 is the date to get in your diary and 2pm is the time to rock up and be amazed at this beautiful, unique building. We will be dressing up the main rooms for a ceremony and reception and would love you to come along and have a look for yourselves. Laura Ramella ,the Wedding Co-ordinator will be on hand to show you around and talk about what they can do for you on your wedding day, there will be music, cake and wine. What more can you ask for?
If you think you may be interested in coming along, make contact with Laura, and put your name on the list for a show-round. If you would specifically like to see us and talk flowers then please email us to make an appointment, as it will get busy – hope to see you
there!
This is a big, heartfelt thank you to all my brides, clients – past and present – who took the time to vote for me in these recent Awards. I am delighted to say that Blue Sky Flowers were voted into 2nd place Best Flowers London – yes, we are a little chuffed!! But could only have done it with the help and support of a great team and a wonderful raft of clients – so THANK YOU VERY MUCH! XX
We are SOOOO excited to announce that Blue Sky Flowers are now official, pukka, 100% preferred suppliers at the fabulous Dartmouth House in London’s Mayfair!
We have been honoured to work there many times over the past 5-6 years and are regularly approached by couples looking at the venue but this summer we will be taking part in their Autumn Wedding Showcase on Friday 21 September from 3pm-8pm
So, heads up couples, if you’re still looking for that perfect wedding venue. If you would like to get married or have your reception in a gorgeous building in the heart of London, with stunning interiors, a lovely outdoor but totally private terrace, then please make contact with the super-efficient Sarah who co-ordinates the weddings in house and is usually there to help on your wedding day too
Sarah will need to know that you are coming on the day, so just drop her a line and you’ll go on the list!
And watch this space for more Dartmouth House weddings this year
We were delighted recently to work on a private party celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Wigmore Street showroom for bulthaup, the uber contemporary German kitchen designers
At the entrance, we used perspex plinths topped with tall white column vases, magnolia branches with pure white Singapore Orchids in test tubes and a collar of creamy white hydrangea
Further into the showroom, we had groups of three white glass cubes with white roses or white hydrangea – can you see a theme developing!
Having known and worked with this company for almost all this time, in one way or another, I found it hard to believe that the showroom had been around for that long. Regularly refitted with new layouts, new kitchen systems and innovative new products, it has to be THE go to place for a contemporary kitchen
Their three incredibly stylish showrooms in London are Mayfair, Clerkenwell and the latest in Holland Park
So if you are in the market for an amazing kitchen that you won’t ever want to leave, pull up a chair and talk to the designers
This month’s Spotlight feature meets a very talented photographer who worked for years out of the limelight as a technician, stylist and prop buyer to name just a few talents. She then decided to get behind the camera and we are very glad she did. Let me introduce Karen Parker, owner of a very good eye (well two actually!), a sense of humour and the knowledge as to what makes a great picture …
When did you start in this business and what did you do before?
I started wedding, celebration and portrait photography four years ago. Before that I worked at a University for 10 years firstly as an AV technician and then Media Consultant, purchasing and looking after the lecture theatre equipment and training staff and students on how to use it effectively. Before that I was a photographer’s stylist, prop buyer and background artist and assistant working in commercial studios in London.
I studied photography full time for three years following a Foundation Art course
How would you describe your style?
‘Reportage’ – I like to take natural, unobtrusive photographs capturing the event as it happens, with no staged poses. I find that this enables me to photograph those spontaneous moments, relatives and friends meeting for the first time after perhaps many years, laughter during the reception, a loving smile from grandma or proud father during the ceremony. I can’t call myself a true ‘documentary’ photographer (people) because I like to photograph all the details as well, shoes, favours, flowers etc. I will of course take a few group shots if my clients would like them, but I do point out that if it is a long list,there will be little time for natural pictures of guests at the champagne reception. I find that about 6 group photos is all that couples choose to put in an album afterwards
What is your favourite flower?
I love all flowers, but I suppose my favourites are freesias because of the smell. I like what I can only describe as cottage garden flowers – tea roses, delphiniums, scabious, peonies. I also like the darker calla lillies
What sort of information do you need to know when meeting with a prospective client for the first time?
The most important thing to know is the date of the wedding, to make sure that I am free as I am often booked up to 18 months in advance. I then like to know if the couple have looked at my website and viewed the example pictures in the gallery. It is really important that they like my style of photography. If a couple want very posed photographs I can recommend other excellent photographers who may be more suitable. I then ask if they would like to meet with me to view my work in more detail and most importantly see if they like me
One of the most crucial things about picking your wedding photographer is whether you get along with them. They will be at your wedding all day, often with the bride in the morning whilst getting ready, so it is very important that you feel comfortable with them around. Once a couple have booked me, I like to meet with them nearer to their wedding date at their venue to discuss their favourite places and take some photographs so that the bride and groom can get used to my camera and the person behind it. We also discuss other information such as all the timings for the day as well as any issues I may need to know about the family dynamic, so that I don’t embarrass anyone during the day especially whilst taking any group photos
How many weddings do you have per year? Would you do more than one per weekend?
I handle 25 – 30 weddings a year. I spend approximately one week working on pictures and albums/books from each wedding and consider it to be more about quality than quantity
I do sometimes cover two weddings over one weekend, but tend not to accept two where I will be there for 8 – 10 hours or more, this would be unfair to the second couple as I would be getting tired towards the end of the day
I prefer to have at least two days between. Too many weddings would also mean that I would have to spend less time on each one as I also have to fit in venue visits, meetings, portraits and everything else that you need to do to run a business
Do you have fixed prices for shooting/albums/discs or can you tailor the package for each client?
I give outline example collections on my website as a guide so that clients have some idea of prices but can create tailor made collections. Many of my couples start with the number of hours they would like me to be there on the day, this price also includes all edited images on a disk with a ‘License to Use’ enabling them to copy, print and share images with friends and family. About 80% of my clients also order an album or coffee table book either before or after their wedding, there is no time limit. I offer a range of different styles and number of pages, hopefully providing something for all tastes and budgets
Is there anyone in the wedding industry that you particular respect or admire or have been influenced by?
At the moment I particularly like the work of Binky Nixon. But there are many great photographers out there. For many years I have admired the work of the Masters – Bill Brandt, Dorothea Lange, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paul Strand, Brassai, to name but a few. The very first exhibition I saw was by Josef Koudelka, depressing, but it made we want to make photography my career
The fun part?
This has to be meeting lots of lovely people. Many guests come and chat to me. I am still in contact with most of my brides and love it when they ask me to take portraits of their babies
And the most important part?
Creating beautiful timeless pictures of someone’s wedding day, in a professional, yet personal way, giving something that can be treasured forever and be passed down the generations.
What makes you laugh?
My son’s jokes. He is 9, so they are often very abstract!
So, there you go … we love Karen and she is very easy to work with. If time is slipping away and you are still looking for THE photographer for 2013 or beyond, she may just be THE one!
We are delighted to be entered into the prestigious Wedding Industry Awards 2012. If you think we deserve your vote, please just click the button to the left … and it is done.
Voting closes PM on August 31, so don’t hang around. You never know, you might find some other lovely wedding people on there that you can support too! Many thanks in advance x
Last September we were delighted to work on a wedding at one of our favourite venues, One Whitehall Place, with the lovely Holly and her Antipodean beau Simon. Holly had clear ideas about what she wanted and luckily we were able to succeed in making her dream come true
Gill Flett, who is an amazing wedding photographer, has kindly sent through these shots of the reception and I am very pleased to be able to share them with you here
Well, it has been a busy Spring so far but nothing compares to the miles we have covered around town this Jubilee Weekend!
Hampton Court House down in Kingston saw the wedding of the lovely Holly and Marvin – photos to follow soon, I hope. But many congrats to them in the meantime!
And then it was off to One Whitehall for the celebration of Rachel and Vinny’s big day – a day that was planned and booked over eighteen months ago, a little way before the events of the Jubilee Weekend were announced to the general public, so a little extra planning had to go into making their celebrations go smoothly – more to follow in a few weeks when we get the photographer’s shots through – but it was a little hair-raising to say the least and we made it by the skin of our teeth!
Finally, bright and early on Sunday morning, and I mean 4am early, we were off to central London to dress the glorious Ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge before the roads and bridges closed up in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee Thames’ Pageant!
Dianna and Rowland currently live in Hong Kong and have been planning their long distance wedding for over a year – photos have been flying back and forth via email and Pinterest for many months!
We were a little concerned that the very particular vision Dianna had in her mind wouldn’t be realised on the day. But we needn’t have worried as you can see by Dianna’s kind words here
The flowers were absolutely AMAZING and truly perfect in every way. I can not thank you enough for making my vision come true and beyond!!!! So many people commented that the flowers were just stunning. I am quite a picky person I fully admit! So thank you for your patience with me along the way
Thank you so much for letting us borrow the vases, I really appreciate it. Were you happy with the final result? You should be very proud!!! I will absolutely recommend you in the future
Dianna & Rowland
Dianna’s vision was a beautiful soft cream, ivory and taupe very upmarket palette with a slight vintage feel to reflect the beautiful interior of the Mandarin Oriental’s Ballroom. So we picked this up with large headed Vendella, Sahara and Quicksand Roses teamed with creamy Hydrangea and delicate Lydia spray Roses
The silvery tones of Senecio or Silver Suede were a perfect foil for the flowers and the finishing touch was the trailing blooms of white Phalaenopsis Orchid
The flowers sat on top of very tall silver candlesticks or, in the case of the top table, 5-armed candelabra to give a perfect view across the room from all the guests to the happy couple
Out in the Entrance Hall we created a Wishing Tree for Dianna and Rowland’s guests to leave messages of good luck and love. This 10ft tall ivory painted willow tree was dressed with ivory Singapore Orchids and more Phalaenopsis Orchids and lovely little D & R letters that Dianna had made in Hong Kong
We lined the aisle with Rose petals, creamy Vendella, taupe Sahara and coffee coloured Combo, leading to the marble topped Registrar’s table which was flanked by a pair of tall plinths and floaty balls of Baby’s Breath Gypsophilia
After the wedding reception, everything was packed up securely and made its way to Dianna’s parent’s house for a party the following day
With so much happening in London over this very important weekend, we are sure the wedding guests, many of whom flew in specially from far afield, had a truly memorable time among family, friends … and royalty!
But we finally decided on a palette of palest pink and ivory for the church flowers and bouquets using large overblown Hydrangea and pink blushed Snowberries for the bridesmaids with the addition of Sweet Avalanche Roses for Katie herself
The church was so pretty it hardly needed any flowers at all but we added just a touch of extra-pretty with a light Gyp garland and some white Hydrangea and Roses around the entrance arch and delicate Gyp pew ends tied with ribbons
