Anne Geddes

Anyone remember her?  90's.  Peach jeans were in.  They've come back round I believe. 

One day I shall show you a picture of our baby girl who I carried for nine months and brought into the World in August 2012. I will naturally style the photo to reflect that she is a florists daughter.  This gives us options.

Option A - Anne Geddes style.  Baby dressed as a flower sat in a flower.
Option B - In a flowerpot. 
Option C - Wiring buttonholes.  We have to wait 16 years for this option.

Votes on a postcard please.

Blog updating will resume shortly.  In the meantime, you'll have to have a nosey at what's here.  This is useful is you're planning a spring wedding.  That was the last time I updated it.  Bad blogger.

Laura x

Blue, red. Whatever. This wedding was perfect purple.

OK, so the Groom would say it has to be red this season. I have no idea. The weekly updates on whether it's going to be red or blue are beyond what my mental arithmetic on points, games in hand (whatever that means) and goal difference mathematics can muster.

I'm not from Manchester originally. I have no allegiance to the blues nor the reds. If I had to say there is a family loyalty to any team. It would be Swindon Town FC I suppose. You can see my passion is with flowers.

So, as promised. Here is a few pictures from a purple wedding. I thought I'd keep it neutral. Colour wheel combinations and all that.

Such a beautiful day. Sun shone. Team out in force. Delphinium. Lilac. Tulips. Roses. Many, many others.  All at St John's Church in lovely Chorlton and then at Great John Street Hotel, Manchester.

One of my favourite flowers featured.  Lilac.  In all manor of shades.  Also, one can't forget the tuberose.  It's scented.  One can't go wrong with scented.

  

Afternoon Tea and the blooms. A new story in the book of Laura Coleman Flowers

For this one, I didn't need to do the writing.  It's all there in the pic.

Was it raining when this picture was taken?  There's a 50/50 chance you'll get it right.  Guesses in the comments box please.

Green. It's the new black.

Every now and then you get a request for green.  Green and white.  And Lily of the Valley.  Lily of the Valley is my Mum's favourite.  Thank goodness for old fashioned soaps like this.  Timeless.  I miss the wooden crate that the lemon shaped soap used to come in.  Now it's on a rope.  Never mind.

Anyway.

There was indeed Lily of the Valley.  There was bark. There were green roses.  There was The Monastery.

All in all a fabulous floral display.

PS The Lily of the Valley arrives like this. I plant the roots after they are cut.  You never know your luck.

Presenting.......Afternoon Tea Days with a Little Curiosity Class for Bloom Lovers

Coming to a pop up tea room near you.........And The Dish Ran Away With the Spoon and For the Love of Vintage present to you an Afternoon Tea well, afternoons. 

The first one is taking place just before the Jubilee Celebrations embrace good old Blighty, on Saturday 19th May 2012 at Dean Row Village Hall, Wilmslow.

We'll be there too, naturellement, and after you've filled-up on yummy finger sandwiches, mini scones, cake and tea, all served on china from a bye gone age, you can indulge your floral curiosities in an hour long 'Class for the Florally Curious Tea Drinker'. We'll be sharing secrets from the floral world and providing quirky containers and all the bits and bobs you'll need to create your very own Jubilee inspired arrangement.  It'll look every so delightful on your kitchen table.

Tea + cake + floral indulgence = no better way can there be to while away 3 hours on a Saturday!

Where: Dean Row Village Hall, Wilmslow
When: Saturday 19 May 2012
Time: 2.30pm until 5.30pm
Price: £44 per person

Bookings being taken now, please visit the tea room or call And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon on 0161 637 5517 to secure your place or email thebaker@dishandspoonfood.co.uk.

Get a taste for being a Florally Curious Bride at the Wedding Carnival

This weekend there will be hay bales, there will be frocks, hopefully there will be a chocolate fountain.  There will be flowers, there will be a watering can (possibly), maybe even a bird bath.

Most certainly there will be the launch of 'Classes for the Florally Curious Bride' at the Wedding Carnival, this Saturday at Salford City Reds Stadium.  There is a video for this wedding carnival and everything.  Our flowers are in it.  This delighful and colourful number, cleverly shot by Craig of Unforgettable Memories. Clever stuff.

On Saturday at 12.45pm and 2.45pm we will be running a little taster session to introduce you to what it might me like to be a florally curious bride.  I'll keep what you'll be learning a surprise, don't worry, no frogs, fireworks or fire breathing aparatus is involved.  Twelve lovely brides are welcome to attend each session, so, if you fancy dabbling in floral curiosities email All Wrapped Up (they're the wedding carnival organisers you see) to book yourself a spot on info@allwrappedupevents.co.uk <info@allwrappedupevents.co.uk>.  Please, one place per bridal party due to limited spaces.

The big class is set to run on Monday 23 April 2012 and if you like, you can book onto it with me, Laura, the Flower Lady.  Here's the spiffing new artwork that we've just had done.  (We being And the Dish Ran Away With The Spoon and For the Love of Vintage that is.)

There was the scent of tuberose

Where there is tuberose there is scent.  They are one of my favourites.  Delicate pink buds that flower into well, a lovely cream colour with pretty edges.  The smell is quite lovely.  Some may say charming, others say delightful, one could even say the smell is darling, but one is not the Queen, so lovely it is.

This was the weekend of Mother's Day.  There were many, many tulips.  I also made a Victoria Sponge.  It was for the boys. They were taking up the decking.  I burnt the edges (of the sponge, not the decking.)  They seemed to worry not.  I think that when there's crow bars, drills and mallets involved in a project, one worries not about burnt edges.

The Irish Stew I made also went down a treat.

In other news, the additional flowers for the wedding included hyacinth, tulips, waxflower, eucalyptus, roses, freesia, muscari and hellebore.  Prize of a Sherbert Dip Dab available for first person to submit the name that is more commonly used to refer to a hellebore. 

Answers can be submitted by pigeon, email or snail mail.  I would suggest email....the other two are slower and could cost you a Sherbert Dip Dab.

There's a Wedding Carnival on 24th March and there will be blooms

Don't fear, no lions will be present.  No elephants either.  There will be blooms.  There will be cake (one is always happy when there is cake) and there will be bright colours. Naturally.

On Saturday 24th March 2012 at the Salford City Reds Stadium.....you know, the one you can see from the Barton Bridge on your way to the Trafford Centre. 

We'll be there, not only with a stand designed with a garden in mind (more on that later) but also two sessions where we'll be demonsrating simple ideas to add a personal touch to your wedding.  You see, when we're involved, we don't like to just say 'roll up, roll up, come and see a flower demo'....we say 'sleeves up, sleeves up, your're going to have a go.'   That's just the way we do things round here.

We'll be releasing more information on the timings and the detail for that next week. 

 

Click for more information

So, if you haven't already guessed it, be there or be square.  Come dressed as a clown if you fancy, or a ringmaster, or a trapeze artist (if I could carry off head to toe diamante encrusted Lycra I would) or a Brazilian dance artist or possibly a hip hop street performer and come along to have a right good nose at what the clever people exhibiting have got to offer.  Those wearing normal attire also most welcome.

See you there!

The ribbon inspired me for Mother's Day

I'm a florist with a penchant for ribbon.  I have equal penchant for shoes, but commercially they don't work on bouquets. 

This year is was the Best Of British ribbon that did it.  There were two to choose from, I went for the one you see below.  Next year I might use the other. We'll see.

Price range from £4.50 for a bunch of fives (tulips, not the other sort of bunch of fives) to £22.00 for 100 of the finest British grown mixed daffy's and narcissus all wrapped in brown paper and delicate white tissue and finished with a length of shoes ribbon.

To order these sort of blooms or a bespoke bouquet including flowers of your liking, contact me on 07941 888654 or email laura@lauracolemanflower.co.uk by Thursday (or Friday if you're running a bit late) and I'll give you the delivery lowdown.

and in other news.......here's a picture of Eleanor and Phill out and about delivering spring.  They are a member of the gold star brigade.  This will be explained in a later blog entry.

Classes for the Florally Curious Bride*

Drum roll please! 

A one day Class for the Florally Curious Bride

Laura Coleman Flowers are proud to present one day classes for brides (*or frankly anyone who wants to immerse themselves in all things bloom, cake, tea and chatter) with For the Love of Vintage and at the ...home of all things cakey, the tea rooms of And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon, Burton Road, West Didsbury.

The first one is taking place on Monday 23 April 2012.

 There will be:
- Tea on arrival, naturally, a day without tea is no day at all
- Lots and lots of blooms, lovely posh ones
- A proper, traditional afternoon tea with home made cake for lunch, all served on nostalgic vintage china
- Everything you'll need, right down to the pins and ribbon
- Pinnies and scissors, so that you look the part
- Unadulterated wedding natter

On the floral list is:
- A luxury bridal bouquet, finishing it so that it's top notch and camera ready
- A demonstration of cake toppers and napkin decoration, after lunch, whilst the cake goes down
- A tablecentre to be proud of, romantic candles to feature
- Buttonholes, two types. The 'phew, this can be done in advance' option, and the 'OK, I'll get my bridesmaid to do that option'

You leave with:
- All the things you make including your bouquet, tablecentre and buttonholes**
- Secrets from the floral magic circle
- Newly found floral confidence
- Skills you never knew you needed but that will be terribly handy
- Maybe, just maybe a little surprise, but that would be telling
**horse and cart may be required

All in all, we want it to be an enjoyable day and fun experience. Including absolutely everything, your flowers, the loan of scissors and a pinnie, afternoon tea, a morning drink, a lovely day, and maybe a little surprise or two it's £155 per person for the full day. Class runs from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Please contact us on 07941 888654 or laura@lauracolemanflowers.co.uk to book.

A clever chap is currently working on a fancy version of this here text, with pictures and everything, but just in case you were itching to know...... we thought we'd let the cat out of the bag.  The cat is called Milly by the way, and the bag is from Cath Kidston.  However, it must be said that no animals were actually in a bag at any point in the preparations for this blog entry.

Seeking OTF (One talented florist) with GSOH

We are looking to recruit a senior florist with experience of delivering large scale weddings.

This new opportunity will be a part time role and would suit someone looking for flexibility in their working hours whilst being dedicated to growing with our company.   Please note, this is a wedding focused role so availability late week and weekends is required.

Established in 2008 in West Didsbury, Manchester, Laura Coleman Flowers specialise in weddings and events and we are now looking to expand our dedicated team.  Working alongside the Creative Director and Studio Manager you'll be a key person within the organisation and we're looking for someone who is as committed to delivering the best quality weddings and floristry services as we are.

We are looking for:
- A talented florist with an eye for detail
- Wedding experience at all levels
- Ability to work towards a creative and bespoke brief
- A cheery disposition and a people person

In return we will offer:
- Good rates of pay
- Room to grow (excuse the pun)
- Being part of a lovely team

Initially the role would be for three to six months with a view to a longer term position.

If you think you'd fit in with us, then call Laura directly on 07941 888654 to learn more about the role, rates of pay, working hours and further details.

Like the sound of it - find out more about what we're about at www.lauracolemanflowers.co.uk or at http://lauracolemanflowers.blogspot.com

Dear Michaela

OK, it's been a while.  I met Michaela (when I write this name I have to say Mitch-a-eee-lah in my head to spell it correctly) on Saturday to talk weddings.  We also talked about Eddie Izzard, name swaps, and unwrapped gifts.  When her fiance arrived we also talked about Superman.  This story is most amusing.  I'll blog it when we feature their wedding flowers, which will be this year.
The last time I blogged was last year.  Shameful.  Michaela noted to be (from memory, I might add - impressive) that it was the 21 November 2011.  I love that my brides know such information.  I don't love that I've been busted.  I've not used the word busted since about 1991.  Retro.

There are many pictures. Many weddings.  Many tales to tell.  They require sorting and uploading.  There was Christmas, there were photoshoots, and weddings, and consultations, and other projects, including working on  the structure for an updated website.  The blog came second to riffling my way through half a tin of M&S Chocolates at my Grandmother's house also.   Sometimes in life you must prioritise.

This year so far there's been weddings, and weddings, and shortbread.

This coming Sunday the wonderful Eleanor will be at Heaton House Farm where we shall be exhibiting.  Don't expect a six foot trestle table uniformly set out with flowers.  You should know by now I can't abide by a table.  Unless it's for two at Albert's in Didsbury.  There will be a post box, a watering can, and other water holding vessels.  Do come and visit, we're terribly friendly.

On Friday I'm delighted to be expecting a visitor.  She's collecting a bouquet of flowers.  When the brief was circulated, it made me think of this.