Definitely a sunshine wedding.

I'm so excited to share these photos with you. In Feburary this year, we looked after the flowers for a beautiful wedding that I can't help but describe as sunshiney.

Miss V. married Mr R. at Gunners Barracks in Mosman, and the colour palette of their day was black and grey and yellow.



Miss V. carried a bouquet of white roses, bouvardia, silver dusty miller foliage and yellow billy buttons. The bridesmaids carried yellow and white roses, yellow freesias, white bouvardia, silver dusty miller foliage and yellow billy buttons.

I love the way the bouvardia sits just above the other flowers - they have great movement (and look to me like little kisses!). Between the bouvardia and the freesias in the bridesmaids bouquets, they smelled amazing!



The ceremony was held outside in the courtyard, and we made a little curtain of yellow daisies for the backdrop. It was such a cheery, almost whimsical decoration, and I think it creates a lovely fresh feeling, particularly against the neutral tones of the sandstone building.



Yep, definitely a sunshine wedding.

Congratulations Miss V. and Mr R. (or should I be saying Mr and Mrs R...?! Either way, Congrats!) and thank you for sharing your day with us.

x.

Mr and Mrs at Sergeants Mess

We've just received some LOVELY photos of a wedding we were a part of in February this year.

Kate carried a bouquet of white david austin roses, akito roses, white lisianthus and single tuberoses, with a little bit of lush camellia scattered throughout. Her bridesmaids carried very similar bouquets using the same flowers, but we included blush and pale pink for contrast.



























The venue for both the ceremony and reception was Sergeants Mess (gorgeous venue, amazing view!). We wanted to continue the floral theme inside the reception without taking away from the beautiful space and spectacular view, so these elegant fishbowl designs were called for.


























Congratulations Kate and Adrian, and thank you for sharing your photos with us!

(If you're wondering who took these gorgeous photos,
they're the work of Summerton Photography).

Melissa and Grant

I can't believe how long it's taken me to share this wedding with you!

In March last year, I had the absolute privilege of creating the bouquets for the wedding of one of my very dearest friends.

A very relaxed bride, Melissa gave me one of the most open briefs I have ever worked to!
"Oh, you know what I like! I'm thinking white and green. Surprise me on the day, I know they'll be gorgeous!". Brilliant!

The only challenge? Melissa and Grant were married in Melbourne! The day before the wedding, I carefully packed all her flowers, fresh from the markets in Sydney, into cooler bags and carefull carried them on my flight to Melbourne! All the bouquets were made once I got there.



Three bridesmaids each carried a slightly different bouquet. They included white lisianthus, white hyacinths, white dendrobium orchids, vibernum flowers and magnolia foliage, but each had it's own focal flower. I used green anthuriums for one, white anthuriums for another, and green lotus pods in the third.




Melissa's quite the flower lover, and wanted to make the most of an opportunity to be accompanied by them all day!

She carried a bouquet to match her bridesmaids through her ceremony, but opted to wear a feature corsage at the reception so she didn't have to hold her flowers as she celebrated! I love this idea - how fabulous to have your ceremony and photos with your bouquet, then have another "bouquet" on your wrist throughout the celebrations!







A belated congrats to Melissa and Grant - and thanks for letting me share your photos!

x.

A very bright bouquet!

Colour and texture? Absolutely!

This bouquet was carried by one of our lovely brides who had her wedding in a garden in Autumn this year. Surrounded by lush green plants, and set against her ivory dress, the intense colours and contrasting textures really made a statement!

I love that this bouquet is so bold and cheery! Being so delicate and sitting just above most of the other flowers, the dancing lady orchids (those lovely little yellow flowers) had beautiful movement to them as well, capturing any breeze and dancing with every step taken.

(Thanks for sending a photo from your big day Sharon!)

A March Wedding in the Mountains

Lovely! I recently received some gorgeous photos from a wedding we looked after in March this year, and I just had to share them with you. Sarah and Andreas had a very elegant wedding in the Blue Mountains, and we were thrilled to be a part of it!



To complement the elegant theme of the day, we created bouquets of peachy-cream David Austin roses, cream lisianthus, white single tuberoses, shiny green hypericum berries and magnolia foliage, with whisps of doddervine scattered throughout.

The setting for the wedding was just surrounded by beautiful gardens, and I quite like to think we could have borrowed some of the flowers form the garden to create the bouquets!








(Don't worry - we didn't do any borrowing!).










We decorated the long tables at the reception with little vases of white hyacinths and magnolia foliage - very simple and elegant, but so effective (and deliciously fragrant!) en masse.

Thank you to Sarah and Andreas for sharing their photos with us, and to Something Blue Photography, who captured the day so beautifully!

One exquisute bloom.

I have the very great pleasure of spending my days working with some amazing pieces of nature - beautiful flowers, lush foliage and sculptural branches are just some of the things I have used today.

It's a bit of a tired old saying, but (and be honest with me), when was the last time you stopped to smell the roses? Or stopped to look at the hypnotising swirl of seeds in a sunflower? Or look at a stem of orchids and be amazed at how such a little bud at the very end can turn into such a big, gorgeous flower?

It's very easy to get caught up in the busy activity that consumes our lives, but it's surely good for the soul to just stop and absorb something's gorgeous-ness, don't you think?

My new favourite thing for this week is "One Exquisite Bloom".

I'm absolutely delighted with the clear glass bottles that arrived at Red Fragrance on Monday, because they are a perfect vessel for (you guessed it...) One Exquisite Bloom. Something so intensely beauiful and special that sometimes one is enough; sometimes one is perfect.

Just having one stem in a lovely glass bottle lets us stop and really look at it - it's no less wonderful when surrounded by other flowers, but we might neglect to give it the attention it might in fact deserve.

I'm so excited. Today I put amazing purple slipper orchids, light magenta miniature phalaenopsis orchids and chunky purple vanda orchids in the bottles. Beautiful. Don't you think?

x.

Fragrant wedding flowers...

Hello there!

We had a lovely time creating these beautiful bouquets for Katarina's wedding.

A selection of white avalanche roses, peach and cream David Austin roses, white lisianthus, white freesias and magnolia foliage were used in all of the bouquets, but we added beautiful beige Julia roses to the bridal bouquet.

To complement an nautical inspired theme, the stems were bound in navy and white striped grosgrain ribbon. While white or ivory ribbons always look lovely and elegant, I love using textured or patterned ribbons. They are one of those cheeky little details that can really be a personal finishing touch on a bouquet to further complement the theme of the day.

When you work with flowers all day every day, you tend not to notice all the gorgeous fragrance that surrounds you... it's very easy just to get used to it! Which is a bit sad - especially when you're making stunning bouquets of deliciously fragrant flowers like David Austin roses and freesias!

BUT, a particularly nice thing happened to me on Saturday morning. As I was delivering Katarina's flowers, nestled nicely in their box on the passenger seat of the van, all the little freesias started to open up - perfect timing! - and all of a sudden I could smell freesias! And they were LOVELY.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

x.

A long weekend

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom".
- Marcel Proust

Hello there!

MY what a long time it's been since I typed here! (I must have been very busy, or having lots of fun* - you know what they say about time flying...)

It's getting dark outside, which means the end of our deliciously long weekend must be looming.

I was lucky to spend some of my weekend with old friends, and some of it with my wonderful family. It can be challenging to find oneself in the same room with the important people in our lives (sometimes even the same state or country is a challenge!!!), and five days off was a great opportunity to make that happen. What a luxury!

Our kitchen was decorated with some amazing pink water lilies, and I took great delight in watching them open... and close... and open... and close... all weekend. If you've popped into the shop and walked out with a bunch of these gorgeous flowers, you will have heard me tell you that they have attitude. Total attitude. To the extent that they seem to open and close on a whim: some days they open, some days they close, some days some will open, some days they'll only open 'til 4... yep, these are flowers with an attitude problem. It was a bit lovely to be able to watch them do their thing!

I hope you had a wonderful break, celebrating what the first half of the break means to you and yours, and of course remembering those who gave (and those who give) so much for our country.

Enjoy what's left of this long weekend, and have a fabulous (short) week! Looking forward to typing soon (I have some exciting news from the shop to come in a few days! Yay!).

Charlie. x.




* I've been very busy, and I've been having lots of fun too!

Daisies for Miss Harri.

My little sister is VERY clever. And, she's actually very grown up and brave too. She's only just a grown up, but in February this year, she packed up her world and went to live in New Zealand so she can go to college there. (When I went to college and uni, I just packed my bag every day and caught the train to class). I think she's very brave.

Anyway, we all missed her LOTS.

BUT, last week, she came home for a visit - HOORAY!

I was so excited to see her that I bought a big armful of daisies at the markets, and wrapped them up with a black and white striped ribbon, and took them to the airport to meet her. Daisies are a particular favourite of Miss Harri's.


On a final point of excitement, she did tell me in the car on the way home that she's been buying sunflowers every week to have in her room! I'm quite excited that sunflowers have made her weekly shopping list (this is big news, that the sunflowers are taking precedent over "perky na-nas"* and other such luxuries). It's rather nice to have flowers in one's room - makes SUCH a difference!

*Perky Na-na. What is this ridiculous THING, I hear you ask. Well, those crazy Kiwis have actually given this bizarre name to a chocolate bar. I think it's got banana lolly inside. Harri hasn't eaten one yet (probably because she's been buying sunflowers instead? Or because they have a ridiculous name... I'm not sure). But I've seen a photo of one. And they really are called Perky Na-nas. Which is crazy.

x.

A February Wedding, Part Two!

I know I've already had an excited little type about Alex's weddding, but then she sent me this gorgeous photo and I just wanted to share it!

x.

A February Wedding

It's been a little while since I shared some wedding photos with you, so here we go!






I had a lovely time looking after the flowers for Alex and Mike's wedding earlier this year. Alex chose a bouquet that had lots of fabulous texture to it, without being too dramatic, to complement her garden party wedding. We carried the textured theme on to the stems also, which were bound in satin ribbon and a natural seagrassy wrap.


















I just love the combination of flowers... and not flowers(!) Alex ands her bridesmaid carried: roses, dendrobium orchids, cymbidium orchids, tiger orchids, bouvardia, brunia, snow berries and baby succulents!





Alex and Mike, congratulations! (And thank you for letting us share your special day with our friends too!)
x

I love hycainths.

Isn't it incredible how a fragrance can instantly trigger a memory?

The week of high school work experience that led me to a career in flowers smelled of hyacinths. My task each morning was to arrange the vases of posy flowers on their table in the display, and being that the week was in the cooler months of the year, the hyacinths were abundant.

I couldn't think of anything more wonderful to do with my life than spend it surrounded by such gorgeousness. Every time I have hyacinths in the shop, I'm taken straight back to that week, and it's another reminder of why I do what I do.

I love the slow drop of temperature as we descend into winter and my world smells again of hyacinths... Brilliant!

Curing Monday-itis

Oh, aren't they just sublime?

WHAT a long time it's been since I've stopped to write! It's been a VERY busy month at Red Fragrance. But here I am... hello!

And it's Monday. Happy Monday! ... which could very well be a contradiction in terms. (It was a little bit for me this morning..)

I don't often suffer Monday-itis (starting bright and early with the delicious mayhem that is the flower market usually prevents it), but I hear it's dreadfully common. And this morning, when I woke up at 3.45, I knew I had been hit. After a very busy month, a battle with technology last night was the final straw - I should have seen it coming!

The markets were reliably bustling, which helped the situation a little. How could they not? But then I spied them: beautiful stems of phalaenopsis orchids, nestled in their fluffy packing, quietly calling my name. My all time favourite flower - what a perfect remedy.

I put them straight into a vase when I arrived at the shop, and they have been making me smile all morning.

My Monday-itis is long gone. I hope if you woke up feeling a bit grumpy about the week ahead, that you've found something to make you smile.

Happy Monday everyone!

x

Valentines Day... 3 sleeps to go

Just a quick one today, because it's very busy here, because it's neeeeearly Valentines Day!

Maybe it's not your thing... maybe it is. And either way, that's ok. Sometimes it's just a perfect excuse or a convenient reminder to tell your special someone just how special they are, and just how smiley they make you feel.

But I just had to share with you what a lovely place* Red Fragrance has been to be working in for the past week or so as people have come in to organise flowers for special someones. I can't help but smile every time I hear a story behind the flowers we'll be sending, and every time I write a card. Super sweet. Really.

GOSH you can all be a lovely bunch! Wish I were delivering every bunch myself so I could see all the twinkly smiles that are going to be happening!

x.

(*ok, it's always lovely... but especially around Valentines)

Alex and Ben tie the knot!

Oh I do love a lovely wedding!

In late spring of 2010, on a warm and sunny day, Alex married Ben. Congratulations!




Alex and her bridesmaids carried lovely seasonal posies of white peonies, white freesias, silver dusty miller foliage and little lime green brasilia scattered throughout.




Their reception was held at the beautiful Royal Yacht Squadron, overlooking Sydney Harbour. What a view!

We decorated the tables with posies of more white peonies and silver dusty miller, and we mixed these with bouvardia, which I can't decide looked like little stars or little kisses! (And even better, the fragrance was delicious - very delicate and fresh!)




Lots of tealight candles finished the tables, and the room was set!

What a gorgeous wedding to be involved in!

"THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH, your flowers were absolutely gorgeous. I could not ask for more! I was so thrilled with our bouquets and the table arrangements were stunning! Thank you again for being so fantastic. I am so in love with my flowers, I wish I could have them as an arrangement in my living room everyday!!! "

(Thank you to Alex and Ben for sharing photos of their special day with us, and letting us share them with our florally inclined friends!)
x.

Miss T marries Mr D!

I met the lovely Miss T last year to chat about her upcoming wedding to the handsome Mr D. We had a lovely time creating posies of mixed roses for their big day, with a little bit of a vintagey-sepia feel!

And now they are Mr and Mrs!

I was just delighted when Mrs T and Mr D for shared this gorgeous photo with me, and simply had to share it with you!

x.

A bit of summer reading...

Hello there, 2011!


I'm looking forward to opening the shop doors for 2011, but it was very lovely to take a bit of time out and recover from the craziness that was the end of 2010.


During this lovely break, I was lucky enough to be lent a particularly fabulous book, The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. I could tell you all about it, but then you might not read it (which would be an awful shame, because it's wonderful). But I simply had to share my favourite quote with you...

He had exasperated for a long half hour at the florist shop over what he should buy, until the exasperated store owner had simply opened the huge refrigerator full of roses and daisies and carnations, and shoved him inside.


"Choose for yourself", she said, and he had seen them at the back, resting quietly on a shelf above the white plastic buckets or red carnations and yellow daisies. Dusty dark purple tulips, their edges touched with black. They had cost him almost as much as the bottle of Cote du Rhone resting in the bottom of his shopping bag, but he didn't care.

I don't mind you being here for a long half hour, I won't even get exasperated. I probably wont have red carnations and yellow daisies...


But I hope the next time you come to visit me, you find that perfect thing; the flowers you cannot possibly leave behind because it would break you heart to do so. (And if you don't find them, maybe I can find them for you so you can take them home another day).


Hope to see you soon, and in the mean time, hope you find something else perfect - the perfect pair of heels (completely impractical, most probably), the perfect bottle of wine to take to someone spesh, or the perfect cake to take home for a visit. Whatever it is you simply cannot leave behind.

x