brecon-blooms-blog

Our flowers are featured on 100 Layer Cake's blog!

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:49:06 +0100

A big thank you to 100 Layer Cake and to the happy couple, Sophie and Gareth, for featuring us on their recent blog post.

Read the full post here, or visit 100 Layer Cake's website

Vintage inspired picnic wedding: Sophie + Gareth

June 2012 Newsletter

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:41:21 +0100

June 2012 Newsletter

It's been a busy few weeks full of weddings and of course 'Fair on the Square' at Hay on Wye over the Jubilee weekend

What a jam packed last few weeks it has been!

We had a really succesful time with our 'Fair on the Square' flower stall as part of 'The Flower Co-Operative' of which we are a member. Despite two out of the four days being quite rainy and cold, we had a wonderful time, sold lots of lovely seasonal, British and locally grown flowers. So a big thank you to the other lovely Co-Op members and noteably Chloe at BareBlooms for organising us and our little stall. A big thank you too for all the wonderful and positive feedback that we recieved over the four days.
If you'd like to see more pictures of the flower stall then please visit the Brecon Blooms Facebook page by clicking here.All pictures are courtesy of Sabina Ruber Garden Photographer and co-author of Painterly Plants

Here's a quick glimpse

At some of our recent wedding flower work.

More pictures will follow on the website over the coming weeks

New 'Jug of seasonal Blooms'

We're pleased to announce our new offering.A bumper bouquet of seasonal, locally grown flowers in a a super dooper traditional churn style jug.

Good News! Despite the cold, wet weather in April... we now have a plentiful supply of homegrown flowers for our British flower bouquets.

Please drop us a line if you would like to order. By email, phone, or through the website

Wedding Flower Chatter -Part 2 - How to Choose a Florist

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:23:37 +0100

Following on from Part 1 - What's my wedding flower style....

Late spring flower selection

Here's Part 2 - how to find a florist. Now that you've decided on your the overall style and theme of your wedding, trying to find a florist that is on the same wave length as you can seem like a daunting task. So here are a few tips to get you started on the right track....

Do some floral Miss Marple style investigation first!

Poirot style moustache - check!

Newspaper with eye holes cut out - check!

Columbo style cigar in hand - check!

Sherlock Holmes style hat complete with ear flaps - check!

Go and research and do a bit of investigation on florists in your area, look at their website, Pinterest boards/blog/facebook page etc, if they have a shop pop in and have a look around, go to local wedding fairs and meet local florists, get recommendations from friends and family and so on. Whichever way you go about being a 'flower dectective' you will instinctively know whether a florist has a similar style/vibe to you.

Florists are like artists - and all have different styles and tastes.

Start and look for a florist well in advance

Many florists are booked many months and even years in advance especially during popular times of year such as Christmas, Valentines and the summer wedding months.

Have a few flower ideas/inspiration

Flick through a few magazines, photos from friends weddings or draw some sketches of the sort of thing you're after for your wedding flowers. They say a picture says a thousand words... so when you meet a florist take along any photos of flower styles you like as they will help the florist understand your style and tastes and also give them an idea as to how 'flowery' you like things. It sounds obvious to state this but consider how flowery or foliagey you like things - the more flowers in a vase/jug/container, the more things may cost.

Don't be too set on certain ideas or flower types

When considering flower types it's best to bear in mind the time of year. Peonies are glorious, romantic flowers but alas they have a very short season and are unavailable at certain times of the year. A good florist will recommend flowers that are in season but will give you the same sort of bloom look. For example, if you're getting married in Spring but you have your heart set on Peony flowers, then you could have some wonderful Peony flowered Tulips instead. You'll achieve the same sort of look but with flowers that are in season.

Also consider your venue: hanging flowers from a high beamed ceiling may just not be possible, especially if your venue is a listed building.

Try and be flexible with your wedding flower ideas. It may be that things cost more than you had imagined: your idea of having flower garlands wound around the staircases, an archway of flowers or buttonholes for every guest may well blow your flower budget out of the water!

There will always be some compromises when turning your wedding day dreams into reality. A good florist will help and guide you as best they can so it's important to bear this in mind.

What's your budget?

Have a rough idea of your flower budget before you meet with any florist. Ask about any additional costs that may be involved such as delivery charges, set up costs, and things such as ribbons, container hire, etc.

Meeting a florist

Most importantly of all is that you get along with your florist! As in life in general, you'll know if you'll like and be able to get on well with a florist.

Ask about things such as how many weddings a year they cater for, how big the team is, will the person you have met be the one doing your flowers or will it be an assistant, are they local to you/your venue.

When considering seasonal flowers ask the florist what flowers will be in season at the time of your wedding and if you have a colour theme then ask if certain flowers will be available in your colours or not.

Once you've found a florist you get on with and who you think understands your wedding day dreams and ideas then ask the florist for a written quote based on the things you've discussed. This not only helps you with budgets etc but it also helps to make sure that you and your florist are 'singing off the same hymn sheet' so to speak.

TTFN

Cathy

www.breconblooms.com

Things are growing.... Slowly!

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:09:47 +0100

To say that the weather has been against us gardeners and growers in the UK is a bit of an understatement to say the least.

In March we had glorious sunshine and temperatures of 20c and above. April in contrast has been cold, windy and very very wet. The flower plots are sodden and struggling to hold any more water. Which considering they're on the side of a hill just goes to show how much rainfall we've had in the last few weeks.

On a happier note.... things are ever so slowly starting to grow and come into flower. Thankfully the Peonies are just starting to break open their buds. They're such beautiful flowers it's a shame that they have such a short flowering season.

Peony flowers in bud - bit wet and droopy because of the rain

Euphorbia

So whilst the weather is wet, we're busy getting things in order for all the lovely summer weddings we have and dreaming of sunshine and a flower plot full of flowers.

Bye for now!

Cathy

Wedding flower chatter - Part 1, What's my style?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:14:15 +0100

With all the decisions that need to be made when it comes to planning your wedding it can feel as though you've stepped into a strange world where everyone speaks a different language. Especially when it comes to wedding flowers!

Words such as candelabra, pedestal, hand tied, vintage, sheath, rustic, exotic and so on, are bandied about by those of us in the know, which regularly leaves brides and grooms thinking.... "What are they on about?!"

So to help all the couples out there that are trying to decide on what sort of wedding flowers they want, here's part 1 of my guide on choosing your wedding flowers....

Autumnal hand tied wedding bouquets

First of all you need to decide on what your wedding flower style is. Think about the overall style and theme that you want to achieve and go from there. Are you having a country garden style wedding or exotic and elegant? Your choice of flowers will vary depending the theme you've chosen and what flowers are in season:

Compliment and match your theme

Country garden or exotic and elegant? Your choice of flowers will vary depending on the theme you've chosen and will generally fall into one of these categories:

Classic Romantic - pretty in pink, pastel shades and softer colours and candle light will help create a celebration of romance.
Glamour all the way - flowers of just one colour will bring a sophisticated touch to your wedding day flowers. Choose your colour and then compliment with a touch of sparkle or a contrasting ribbon or container.
Bold and bright - the bolder and brighter the flowers the better. Go for vibrant and exotic colours such as cerise pink, orange and lime greens to achieve a wedding that will stand out from the crowd
English country garden - a mix of colours and flower types will create a natural country garden 'just picked' wild flower feel. Add some chintzy china, bunting and floral fabric to your venue decorations for that laid back mid summer country fete effect.
Vintage nostalgia - combine your flowers with antique jewellery and retro touches from the era you've chosen. 1950s tea party? 1920s art deco sophistication? Consider the era and match your flowers to keep the look.

Consider the venue and the time of year

When thinking of how to decorate the venue think about the venue's own style. Is it a marquee on the lawn of a country house? A chic and modern hotel? A barn? Or an historic tudor building? Go with the venue's style rather than against it. Orange barn walls, as an example, will clash with bright pink or deep red flowers.

Think about what the weather could be like on your wedding. In the UK it could be anything from cold and snowy to hot and humid so bear this in mind too. For example, Sweet peas on a boiling hot summer day wont last long once cut so try and be flexible on your flower choices when choosing British grown, seasonal flowers for your wedding.

Most importantly of all

And don't forget this bit.... think about your own style and personality. If you love skydiving then try and incorporate this into your flower style by, for example, wrapping a piece of parachute cord or parachute silk around the bouquets or flower containers. If you're into gardening then you could use some old wellies as containers. Like stamp collecting? Then glue stamps onto the vases or containers. Use your imagination and inject your personality and character into the day. A good florist will come up with ideas and help you to add your personaility to your flowers.

The possibilities are endless and after all it's your wedding!

Part 2 on 'How to chose a wedding florist' will follow shortly.

TTFN

Cathy
Brecon Blooms

6 weeks and counting till The Jubilee

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:55:42 +0100

It dawned on me this morning that there are only 6 weeks until The Queen's Jubilee weekend and our stall at Hay on Wye's 'Jubilee Fair on the Square' as part of the Hay Festival.. Eeek!

Following on from the stall's success last year, we will be there with the lovely Chloe from BareBlooms with a stall full of lots of flowers and flowery related things. Exciting stuff, especially as it's another outing for us as member of The Flower CoOperative which was set up to help and support local flower growers and to 'bang the drum' about how wonderful British grown flowers are.

Some of Chloe at BareBlooms' super flowers

Now it's a time of growing and fingers cross(ing) that all our flowers will be in bloom in time and that the weather will be kinder to us than it was last year during the 'Fair on the Square.'

If you're going to the Hay Festival over the Jubilee weekend (June 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc) then please stop by and say hello. We'll be right in the middle of Hay on Wye at the Market Square. You won't be able to miss us from the festival site if you walk into town. We'll be the ones with a big colourful stall full of flowers.

The Flower CoOperative

Meanwhile there's still a mountain of work to do such as potting on, sowing yet more seeds, weeding and maintaining the plots not to mention lots of wedding flowers too.

Oh, and the apple and pear blossom is out at last. Which is great news as we're hoping to use blossom and Lily of the Valley in a Bride's bouquet this weekend.

Pear blossom

Now the sun is trying it's best to make an appearance and the flower plots are a calling me.

Toodleoooo

Cathy

Our new website

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:13:45 +0100

Hello,

Welcome to our new website.

If you would like to read our old blog posts then please visit http://breconblooms.blogspot.co.uk/ whilst we try and work out how to add old blog posts to our new blog.

Check back regularly to read about all the goings ons at Brecon Blooms.

Happy Reading