the bigger picture?

I was rather tired at the beginning of this week, then realised we have been quite busy, this is how the last ten days went:
Friday, Somerset wedding (Chloe and Tim, pix already on blog). Meg prepared much for one of the next day's weddings and when I got back I set to on buttonholes, bouquets and wrist corsages. Decided I just don't do wrist corsages as my flowers didn't seem to love them so I sent spare bouquets as well just in case. (In fact the bride loved the w.cs but I didn't think they were good enough.)
Saturday, Dianne took wedding flowers to Surrey and I did a lovely wildflower style local wedding (several better pics below from the wonderful Bill Tingey, and check out the jackdaw who was living in the church when we arrived!). The bride had been to the field on Monday and chosen delicate frilly edged shirley poppies to go in her bouquet. I warned here they were a bit delicate and I couldn't pick them if it rained much. It rained on Friday, but I still picked what I could and included them, warning her that they might turn to confetti as she walked down the (very short) aisle. I'm looking forward to a bridal picture because she loved them so much she took her bouquet with her to the airport the next day, and sent me an email telling me how it was three days later sitting on their table in Cyprus in a pint pot and four more of the poppies had opened. Not so fragile after all!

Sunday, wedding in Gloucestershire at the beautiful Barnsley House. I arrived quite late, about 10am but should have been earlier as it took every minute until the ceremony! Large arrangements plus groups of different "vintage" glassware on tables, peony bouquet, lots of different touches. The rain was torrential but the bride was very chilled and they held everything indoors despite months of planning. Photos will appear. The lovely wedding organiser at BH said they thought they were the most beautiful flowers they had ever had in the restaurant so I was pleased.
Monday, photoshoot in Glos.
Tuesday, home, organising gardens and admin and lots of picking in the rain, including 10 huge buckets of ferns.
Wednesday, picking and preparing for next wedding. Finding all the necessary hurricane vases for outdoor candles, 35 white assorted sized vases, jugs, sugar bowls, teapots, then sorting the flowers..... The bouquet had been worrying me a bit as I must have had many dozens of bouquet shots for reference. Help! Lara wanted something loose and delicate, all references were of spring bouquets including things like fritillaries and snowdrops, then white clematis but even that is over. So in the evening I set to on stage one and after several attempts with different possibilities including honeysuckles and trailing clematis stems I finally plumped for different orange blossoms, deleafed, to give the delicate arching shape, some ferns and roses and asparagus fern and bupleurum. It took me ages but I think it worked well.
Thursday. Wedding again at Barnsley House. Up at 5 to check and finish the bouquet. Arrived at 8.30am and somehow had a very busy day, arriving back home at 8.30pm. Meg had spent much of the day preparing church flowers for tomorrow.
Friday. Took church flowers to Shropshire and hung garland - thanks to the son of the family for a better ladder and better balance!
Saturday. Another wedding. This time as a guest. I only took bouquet, buttonholes and jugs for tables....

This week was meant to be rather quiet and peaceful with only a tiny wedding this weekend but still seems to have been quite busy. Sadly my mum has had a stroke and it has been hard not being able to dash straight down to Dorset to look after her but I have no wedding helpers around this week so just must do Saturday morning then I will be away for a few days. It's wonderful having Dianne and super part time helpers here so things keep going, though mail order will be an unknown quantity next week.