Tanya and James
Working alongside Tanya and James for their wedding at the very end of 2018 was an absolute joy! They had chosen to get married on New Years Eve at the very festive, cosy, and slightly spangly The George in Rye. There were a couple of unusual aspects for me, firstly, Tanya and I didn’t meet until I delivered the bride’s bouquet to her on the morning of their wedding, and secondly, she gave me almost complete creative control over floral choices and style for the day.
As Tanya and James are based in London we did not manage to meet before the date. However, Tanya and I worked worked really closely together over the phone and via email, discussing table settings, choices for candles, and many other details of the day. It was so easy to work together like this, and her open mind towards the flower design was a great help! Tanya had worked on a beautiful and quite broad palette for the day, combining lavender, quartz, mushroom, grey, and cream with a flash of metallic. These colours work so well in the Ballroom at The George where the intricate wallpaper combines all (and a few more!) of these colours in panels throughout the room. It is such a beautifully decorated room, I always love working here.
Tanya also really liked the thought of a bouquet with plenty of negative space – lots of open areas for the individual flowers and fresh elements to be seen and appreciated. I love working like this too and created a small nucleus of flowers, from which violet Anthuriums and twiggy Quince exploded.
Working together from afar can be fun, and I always make the effort to really build a good relationship with every couple I work with. I asked Tanya after their wedding how she felt when she first saw hers and her maids’ bouquets; “Excited! Not only was this the first time officially meeting you having been on such a creative journey together, but it was the first piece of the design puzzle to delight my eyes. I felt honoured to distribute the bouquets to my bridesmaids and couldn’t wait to see what the reception venue had in store for us and all our guests.”
Again, the designs for the tables were fairly small, though twiggy branches created impact alongside the burnished orange Ranunculus (tucked away to create a subtle hint of deep colour) and graceful line of the Anthuriums.
These designs worked from a low central point, sitting securely on hexagonal mirrors placed on the table. From here, the individual flowers were able to almost grow out of the arrangement. Apart from the very striking design aspect of these arrangements, the other benefits are that the flowers do not intrude too much on the tables ( which will become filled with glasses, bottles of wine, condiments, cutler, and crockery!) and without any really heft or bulk to the design, guests are able to talk across the tables and room without peering around leaves, flowers, and stems. I also created a hanging plank of foliage, which included beautiful glossy leaves of Magnolia and the soft, mottled grey of Eucalyptus – marrying in with the colours of the room so well.
All photos are by the incredible Dominique Bader, who has captured some of the best expressive group shots I’ve ever seen!
Getting married on a Monday is not a popular choice for couples, but Tanya and James created such a special, heartfelt celebration of their relationship that would’ve graced any day of any week.
