The wedding of Helen & Liam...

Helen and Liam's pretty palette of pale pastels, soft white and green made for a very romantic summer wedding last month. Blowsy seasonal blooms such as homegrown peonies and garden roses sat happily next to fluffy nigella and astilbe, and a touch of sweetly scented freesia (a favourite of the bride's), stock and sweetpea created a truly beautiful bridal bouquet. 

Helen wore a fresh flower comb, made to match her bouquet, in her hair and her four bridesmaids had delicate fresh flower corsages on their wrists. The groom and his groomsmen carried blush spray roses with white astilbe, whilst the ladies had a sprig of homegrown flowering thyme amongst their roses. 'Just picked from the garden' style clusters of jam jars in pretty pastels dressed the tables at Oh Me Oh My, full of blooms such as garden roses, sweetpea, lilac scabious, powder blue nigella and fresh green achemilla, and lots of fresh foliage added a natural touch...

Helen's blush, white and green natural style bouquet

Blush pink, white and greens sitting pretty together

Flowers for the bride

Flowers for the maids 

Flowers for the men

Flowers for the ladies

Wedding party blooms

Seasonal clusters for Oh Me Oh My

I still have a whole host of lovely June weddings to share with you, but for now I am signing off for a week in Cornwall with family, good food and hopefully more of this glorious weather!

Charlotte xx

The wedding of Estelle & John...

June, what a wonderful month! I have had my hands full of blooms every week with lots of happy summer weddings so the blog has had to wait a little, but I promise to share them all in the coming weeks...

We shall start with Estelle and John's big day at The Hope Street Hotel on the 12th. Having tied the knot in Thailand a few weeks before, the obvious choice for their wedding celebration flowers were striking purple Vanda orchids alongside palms and fountain grass, which were mixed with traditional English country garden flowers such as sweetpeas and stocks for their beautiful sweet scent. Lilac roses, lemon scented waxflower and homegrown mint made up the buttonholes and wrist corsages for loved ones, whilst lush green thlaspi and towering delphiniums and snapdragons made an impact in tall vases for Hope Street. Pretty little jam jars filled with lilac and white blooms were dotted around the room on the day to complement the bridal flowers and it was all set for the celebration!

Estelle's Bouquet

Flowers for the boys

Flowers for the ladies

Large vases for Hope Street

A happy yellow vase for Estelle's mum

Pretty little lilac jam jars for Hope Street

Flowers for the happy couple

As usual, I can't wait to share the professional photos with you as my amateur snaps hardly do them justice but in the meantime I shall be posting Helen and Liam's lovely day at Oh Me Oh My... watch this space!

Charlotte xx

Summer blues...

On the steps of the hut

Cornwall was amazing. I had planned to share a few photos from my old film camera with you but it decided to return a whole film blank to me (I needed a lot of cake to recover from this one), so instead I present you with a few polaroids and phone photos from my trip. They hardly do the sweet little shepherds hut and the valley views justice, but digging them out this evening has bought back many lovely memories - paddling in Padstow, gathering wildflowers from the bountiful hedgerows and a cream tea for breakfast to name a few.

The view from the window

It wouldn't be Cornwall without eating lemon meringue fudge by the sea

However, it was back to work last week with Ali & Euan's early summer wedding with a palette of pale blue, pink and white with lots of fresh textured foliage and grasses. I spent a sunny afternoon collecting bundles of soft lace and ribbon to bind Ali and her 8 bridesmaids summer bouquets, and added a touch of blush pink lace to the men's buttonholes and ladies corsages too. Ali's bouquet contained a handful of David Austen palest pink roses as well as blush peonies, highly scented sweetpeas and nigella amongst others. The tables at Oh Me Oh My were dressed with Kilner style jars full of scented blooms in happy summer shades, with soft blue delphiniums at the centre to tie in with the bridal bouquets. It was the perfect way to start the month of June and it was a pleasure to be part of Ali & Euan's big day...

Ali's bouquet

Flowers for the maids

Kilner jar table centres

Summer blooms and ribbons

Flowers for the ladies

Flowers for the boys

Ali and her maids by the wonderful Amy Faith Photography

Charlotte xx

The wedding of Jen & Morgan...

It was an absolute joy creating the flowers for Jen & Morgan's big day at Oh Me Oh My over the bank holiday weekend, and I was thrilled to be using a pretty palette of sorbet pinks, peaches and whites to bring a touch of early summer colour to the celebrations.

The start of May heralds the beginning of peony season and I was sure to include both Coral Charm and Shirley Temple peonies, the bride's favourite, into Jen's bouquet and the table flowers. The adult and baby bridesmaids wore wrist corsages in sorbet hues, whilst the men and mum's carried delicate buttonholes and corsages on their lapels made with complementary flowers and foliage to match the bride's natural bouquet. The beautiful old church was decorated with two large arrangements filled with seasonal blooms whilst the reception tables at Oh Me Oh My were dressed with varying sized jars filled with peach, coral and pink blooms to match the pretty pink bunting and lanterns strung around the room. It was the most wonderful way to start the month of May...

The bride's natural style May bouquet

Adult Bridesmaid corsages on soft peach satin ribbon with vintage lace

Delicate baby Bridesmaids corsages on soft pink satin ribbon with vintage lace

The beautiful old church where Jen & Morgan said 'I Do', complete with blooming blossom tree

Seasonal flowers for the church

Seasonal flowers for the church

Coral Charm peonies just about to pop in the sunlight

Flowers for the men and mums

Flowers for the Groom

Top table blooms at Oh Me Oh My

Sorbet shades for the reception tables

Charlotte xx

Spring Bake

It is no secret that I love flowers. I love arranging them, growing them, eating and drinking them. Nothing makes me more excited than a cake piled high with fresh blooms or a drink laced with floral syrup. Whilst planting up my old tin bath tubs this weekend, I made a promise to myself as I bedded in some violas and primrose - to start using them in my kitchen more. I picked up a mini cake mould earlier on in the week and was desperate to try it out, so I made the simplest of rose flavoured sponges topped with seasonal edible blooms for a weekend treat. It couldn't have been easier, as you can see below...

Mini rose sponges topped with edible flowers (makes 10 mini cakes):

Equipment:

Mini cake mould, picked up from any good cook shop (mine is made from silicone)

Ingredients:

225g unsalted butter, very soft

225g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract (or if you are feeling really fancy, the seed from one vanilla pod)

225g golden caster suger

2 tsp rose essence

For the icing:

250g icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon of rose essence

Cold water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190c/fan 170c/gas mark 5. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, and then add the eggs, vanilla, rose essence, sugar and butter. Cream together thoroughly by hand or with an electric hand-held whisk, but not too enthusiastically as you are looking for a light sponge. Divide the mixture between the moulds, careful to only half fill them as they rise quite dramatically. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes until they are golden brown on the base. Leave the cakes in the mould for a couple of minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack. To make the simple icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl (trying not to cover yourself in it as you do so) and add the rose essence. Then add in cold water a little at a time to form a stiff paste. Once the cakes are cool, turn them right side up and use a teaspoon or piping bag to gently drizzle over the top of the cakes. Decorate with edible flowers (violas and primrose here) and leave to set. Serve on a pretty plate with a vintage cake fork and a pot of tea. 

Enjoy...

The wedding of Dani & Ben...

With rain, hail and snow threatening the north west last week, I have to admit I was a rather nervous the night before Dani and Ben's big day on Saturday. Delicate ranunculus, baby daffodils and paper thin anemones were no match for this wintery weather and the fear of frost overnight was enough to tip the most laid back of floral designers over the edge. It must have been Dani's Caribbean heritage that bought the sunshine and took the edge off the chill as by the time I was delivering the bridal party flowers I couldn't believe the change in weather, and as I arrived to decorate the church it was positively spring-like.

Luckily that was the inspiration behind all the flowers for Dani & Ben's wedding day, with soft pastel hues in yellow and pink sitting with fresh green foliage to celebrate Easter and this lovely time of year. Palest pink tropical anthuriums featured in the bride's bouquet and the large church arrangements to honour the bride and her Caribbean family, which set the tone of the day (guests later enjoyed a live steel band and a LOT of dancing - lucky things!). The little flower girls carried toy bunnies down the aisle adorned with fresh flower necklaces tied with vintage lace, and the pew ends were decorated with fresh flower posies which were later taken to the reception to be dotted around the room. Large pedestal arrangements framed the wedding ceremony and the wedding breakfast and the men, mums and bridesmaids all carried/wore fresh spring flowers in palest pastel hues.

The bride's sweetly scented spring bouquet

Pretty flowers for the maids

Large springtime pedestal arrangements for the church

Pretty pew end posies for the church

Sweetly scented long and low arrangement for the church

Bunnies with floral necklaces for the little flower girls (I don't think it gets more Easter-y than this!)

Flowers for the boys

The beautiful bride Dani and her groom Ben

I can't wait to see more of the professional photos from the day, which I will be sure to show you as soon as I can.

Happy Easter...

Charlotte xx

Old English Romance...

One Tuesday morning not so long ago, the wonderful Amy Faith Photography and I met at one of our favourite venues to take some photographs. Amy provided a keen eye, her camera and a lot of laughs, and I set about tweaking the flowers, fabrics and candles for the shoot you see below.

This shoot has been brewing for a long time, and the beginning of spring seemed the perfect time to show you what Verity & Thyme is all about. Beautiful flowers in romantic hues set the scene, placed on a backdrop of slubby muslin and vintage napkins with soft candlelight and a scattering of petals adding to the ambience. It is relaxed romance, inviting you to sit and eat and enjoy your surroundings with good friends and family - how I believe a wedding celebration should be.

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Image - Amy Faith Photography

Everything you see in these photos is available from Verity & Thyme, so don't hesitate to drop me an email if you are interested in the flowers, textiles and table styling for your big day. You will find me at verityandthyme@gmail.com.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the staff at Oh Me Oh My for, once again, being the most helpful, attentive and wonderful group of people I know.