As the nights are drawing out, and lighter evenings are coming, we wanted to inject a little pop of colour into your wedding flowers inspiration and talk all things floral trends for 2024. We caught up with some of our lovely floristry partners for an insight into their world!

We asked Camilla Creations:

What is your favourite display to create?

I adore creating table flowers, specifically bowl arrangements. They work perfectly for both round and long tables, and are the perfect choice for impact without becoming over powering to the room, or impairing guests’ view and interaction.

Favourite flower?

This changes with most seasons, and it’s almost impossible to pick one! If I really had to choose, it would be sweet peas. They are so delicate, with the most divine scent. I use them as much as I can when they are with us between the Spring and Summer.

Any tips for couples looking to book a florist for their big day?

My first piece of advise would be not to enquire with too many florists, as it will quickly become overwhelming. Look through your venue’s recommended suppliers and chose no more than 3 florists whos style align with the vision you have with your date. My second piece of advise would be to not base your decision on the cheapest quote received, but on the proposal that has you the most excited, and the florist who you feel you can trust to not only deliver what you desire, but exceed your expectations!

We asked Hannah Berry Flowers:

What do you see being the biggest trend of 2024?

Colour! Clients are being braver and choosing bolder colours to work with which excites me a lot! Maybe inspired by the release of ‘Barbie’ last year or ‘Peach Fuzz’ – the Pantone colour for 2024. We have lots of  colourful weddings this year!

What is your favourite flower?

Now this is a hard one! It really depends on the season … I adore a delicate Galanthus Nivalis aka a Snow Drop. One of the first flowers to pop up after a long dark winter and there are so many different varieties. When you take the time to take a closer look at them, you really appreciate their delicate flower form and pure white colour.

A close second is a woodland Digitalis aka a Fox Glove. A tall, charming and some what magical flower form in pretty colours – I just adore them.

Do you have any tips for couples when they are choosing their florist?

Create a mood board of inspiration and have a list of desired floral items you can share with your floral `designer. This will really help them understand and develop personalised designs that reflect your ideas. If you have a budget in mind for florals, its important to share this information too. This will allow them to be honest with what they can achieve and help guide and suggest designs that will create the biggest impact on the day.

We asked Bloomantic:

Valentine’s day commemorates the season of love; what better way to celebrate than to reminisce with some of our gorgeous couples who truly felt the love on their wedding day.

Grab a cup of tea and join us as we wander back to some of those magical moments. No two weddings are the same at Millbridge Court, just as no two couples are the same, but the memories and joy will forever align.

From all of us at Millbridge Court, we hope you feel the love this Valentine’s Day, in whatever shape or form that may be.

 

T – VLA, L – Alice Cunliffe Photography, R – The Springles

S & M – Married at Millbridge December 2023

We held our wedding at Millbridge Court just before Christmas, and the team could not have been more accommodating, helpful, and generally wonderful from start to finish. It’s a beautiful venue and the team are genuinely so invested in you having the best day. Huge thank you to the Millbridge team for everything!

L –  Carrie Lavers, TR – Jonny MP, BR – Catherine Carter Weddings

N & A – Married at Millbridge September 2023

We recently married at Millbridge and in the words of every single guest – the best wedding they’d ever been to!

It’s easy to be biased at your own wedding but the team at Millbridge Court made everything run so smoothly. Their professionalism is second to none and they were so friendly and informative throughout the whole process from our first viewing to even the day after when I thought I’d lost my wedding shoes! I really couldn’t relate to anyone who said they were stressed during the planning phase because Millbridge had it so in hand, and the members area of the website made our lives so easy – even down to choosing suppliers like make-up artists and DJs.

The venue itself lends itself so beautifully to indoor or outdoor weddings and we got to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Arbour for our confetti toss despite having an indoor ceremony. We loved the close knit feel of Millbridge, even down to having our closest friends and family stay at Millbridge and breakfast the morning after, which was such a nice touch to be able to catch up and talk about everyone’s favourite moments of the day (and drink lots and lots of coffee).

I cannot thank Shelby, Chloe, Hayley, Caroline and all of the other wonderful members of staff who made our day so perfect enough for their hard work.

Whilst I could ramble on forever about how perfect our wedding day was, I’ll stop here but if you’re looking for a venue, Millbridge is the one.

L – Kit Myers, R- The Soul of my Lens

R & E – Married at Millbridge August 2023

WOW! We had the most incredible wedding day at Millbridge Court and cannot fault the staff throughout our planning process and on the day. Everyone was so friendly, helpful, and made sure that we didn’t have to lift a finger on the actual day – they made us feel so calm. The food was incredible (thank you Kalm Kitchen!!) and our suppliers were fantastic. Although they do this daily, we felt so special and like we were the only wedding that week. Everything was so personal, and they thought about every little finishing touch. Without a doubt the best day of our lives!

T – Alice Cunliffe, B – Frankee Victoria

I & D – Married at Millbridge August 2023

Having our wedding at Millbridge Court was the best decision ever!! All our guests were full of compliments about how beautiful the venue was and how smoothly the day ran. Throughout the planning of our wedding, they were always really helpful and quick at responding. On the day and the morning after they were so kind, supportive and helpful. Thank you!

T – VLA, BL – Catherine Carter Weddings, BR – Kit Myers

C & B – Married at Millbridge June 2023

Millbridge Court was actually the first venue we looked at and we fell in love with it instantly. From the gorgeous green outside space to the wonderful bridal loft, it feels like you’re stepping into a gorgeous warm welcoming country home. Our guests couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful this venue was and how it perfectly complimented us as a couple. The pictures speak for themselves!

The Millbridge team are incredibly attentive and helpful, even though they are communicating with hundreds of couples they made us feel so special and as if we had their undivided attention at all times – all the way from the open day through to our wedding day. Same goes for their caterers Kalm Kitchen – their food is as beautiful as it is delicious, and they helped us so much through all the selection processes and overall set up of our special day.

We can’t thank the Millbridge team and Kalm Kitchen enough for all of their help.

TL – Kerry Ann Duffy, TR – Rebecca Searle, BL – Catherine Carter Weddings, BR – Kerry Ann Duffy

S & D – Married at Millbridge April 2023

Millbridge Court is such a stunning venue, and we are so lucky we were able to host our wedding there. The grounds are so beautiful and colourful, it didn’t do the pictures justice! Everything has such a personal touch it really makes you feel at home. To the entire team at Millbridge Court we want to thank you for being so friendly and helpful throughout the entire process and as well to the team on the day. You really made it special, and we wish we could repeat the day all over again. We truly were sad to leave the following day (especially the gorgeous hideaway cabin) and hope we can visit again very soon!

M – Alice Cunliffe

Rachel and Fiyin’s Spring wedding day was so full of love and laughter!  Surrounded by family and friends, they created so many beautiful memories that will be cherished forever.

We caught up with them to relive their special day and give you a glimpse into just how much fun was had, from those loud “Yam Seng” to the incredible traditional wedding attires…

How did you meet and what’s the proposal story?

We met for the first time through mutual friends who invited a bunch of us to a pizza night in Shoreditch. We didn’t actually speak after that until the same friends invited us to a karaoke event, they hosted a year later. Honestly, if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be together!

The proposal happened on our bucket list trip to Iceland. We had just polished off dinner at a restaurant in Reykjavik and before heading back to the hotel we decided to go for a walk around the stunning Harpan concert hall to take some pictures. It was at this time that Fiyin, being the opportunist that he is, decided to get down on one knee and propose!

Why did you choose Millbridge Court?

Initially we didn’t really have an idea of what kind of wedding we wanted, but we came across Millbridge Court online and were really impressed by the aesthetic and how it seemed both modern and classic at the same time. The location also suited us well as we were London-based and wanted it to be easily accessible for our friends and family, but at the same time it was remote enough to feel like a countryside escape. With Rachel being a passionate foodie, the catering was also something that caught our eye from the get-go with impressive menu options offered by Kalm Kitchen.

Ultimately, we are so glad that we went with Millbridge given that from the moment we reached out, they had been really responsive, personable and eager to help which meant a great deal to us, especially throughout the planning process.

What did you love about having a Spring wedding?

Having a Spring wedding was one thing we were set on from the start of the planning process. It’s that time of year when the skies start to get brighter, but it doesn’t get overwhelmingly hot during the day and the sun sets later in the evening. Of course, with Spring comes the blossoming of nature and wildlife, and there was just something so beautiful about the symbolism of new beginnings at springtime which made the idea of having a spring wedding all the more special.

Tell us more about your suppliers and why you chose them.

We chose Philipa Day as our florist as we loved her organic style using a combination of flowers and colours that perfectly suited the fresh spring theme we were going for.

From the moment we came across Emma Jane Lewis’ portfolio online, we knew that we wanted her to photograph our wedding. Her photos are romantic, candid, and editorial all at the same time and there were so many key moments throughout the day that we’ll always be able to look back on thanks to her.

Our decision to hire a photobooth was a pretty last minute call but might have been one of the best things we decided to do! Picture Blast provided a really easy booking experience and set up on the day without a hitch. Our guests loved taking photos with the fun accessories it came with – and the best part is, the photos were all saved digitally so it was very amusing looking through them all when the link was sent to us!

We made the conscious decision to get our friends and family involved in some parts of the day too. It made the day so much more meaningful knowing some of our nearest and dearest also had a part to play in our big day.

Were there any family traditions that featured in your day?

At the end of the meal, we went around to each table to toast our guests – a Chinese wedding tradition called ‘Yam Seng’ (equivalent meaning to ‘Cheers’ in Cantonese), Rachel’s dad encouraged everyone to raise their glasses and shout “Yam Seng” at the top of their lungs. It definitely brought plenty of laughter and even a little bit of competition between the tables as to who was the loudest!

Our first dance then featured the two of us in traditional Yoruba wedding attire which were custom made for us in Nigeria. We danced our way into the reception hall surrounded by friends and family before our Nigerian guests sprayed us with cash – talk about a grand entrance!

Tell us something that we wouldn’t know about your day from the pictures.

The food was absolutely incredible. It was one of the things our guests kept bringing up as a key highlight from the day; from the canapés to the bountiful sharing platters and the late-night snacks, it was all so delicious and beautifully plated. Hats off to the Kalm Kitchen team for doing such a fantastic job!

Favourite part of your wedding journey?

The day itself! The planning process was tough at times and there were days when we were both questioning “is this really worth all the stress?”, but when the day came, all of that faded away as we were surrounded by the ones we love and were reminded of what the day was really about.

Any words of wisdom for future couples?

Throw any expectations you have for the day out of the window and just focus on being present and making the most of it. Find five minutes for just the two of you together to take everything in and appreciate the moment. This might be the only time you’ll see all your loved ones under the same roof, and it flies by much quicker than you’d think!

1. Can you tell us a little bit about House of Lemon?  

House of Lemon (previously Lemon Entertainment), is a boutique agency based in Surrey, providing hand picked, high end entertainment to weddings and events worldwide. From a solo harpist to a 13-piece band, we have some of the best musicians in the UK on our books. House of Lemon offers a personal service – everything is managed under one roof, through one dedicated point of contact.

 

2. When and why did you setup House of Lemon?

I set up House of Lemon six years ago, after eight years of working in the music industry in various roles – mainly running live music and entertainment events such as festival stages and music venues. I worked with some fantastic artists and on some epic events including Ed Sheeran’s ‘Live At The Bedford’ EP recording, a secret Paolo Nutini show in Hammersmith, SXSW, Hop Farm Festival, Cornbury Festival and loads more. House of Lemon came about after realising how hard it is for people to book a high-quality band for their wedding or event. Other agencies offer hundreds of different bands but seem to have no filter when it comes to quality. 

 

3. How would you describe the artists that you represent and manage?

I pride myself in supplying my clients with fantastic musicians who make their living from recording and touring with established, well-known artists as well as playing at high-end events. Not only are our musicians the best that money can buy – they are all charming, lovely people who make my office one of my favourite places to be. Some of our musicians play and have toured with well known artists such as Florence & The Machine, The Spice Girls, James, Paloma Faith, Lulu, Sigala and Sam Smith.

 

4. How have you selected the artists and bands that have become a part of the House of Lemon Family over the years? 

Most of the musicians I work with I’ve known for years and worked with them previously when I worked in the commercial music industry. I only work with musicians and entertainers that I trust and know are at the top of their game. Quality is really important to me as is service and professionalism.

 

5. What can couples expect when they enquire with you regarding finding the perfect musicians for their Big Day? 

Initially I like to try to get to know the clients and what they have in mind entertainment wise for their Big Day. Once I get an idea of the kind of vibe they are going for, I send over some options for them to consider. I also offer ‘on the house’ phone consultations should clients request one. Once a decision has been made as to what entertainment they’d like to go with, I look after the logistics side of the booking, so everything from where the band needs to load in and power requirements to making sure they have any special song requests that the client has asked for.

We give each of our clients the most personal and attentive service, responding to their needs and any changes to the plan quickly and efficiently – and often recommending actions and ideas before they have had a chance to think of them. Our clients say what they love most (apart from our crowd-pleasing performers) is feeling in safe hands. 

 

6. What advice would you give to those couples who are about to embark on choosing their Wedding Entertainment but are unsure where to begin?

I always think personal recommendations are a great way to start. Perhaps asking friends and family if they have seen any great live acts recently at weddings or events. It’s also a great starting point to watch some videos of wedding bands online so you get an idea of the kind of thing you want/do not want – so when you contact an agency or ask for advice you have narrowed down the type of entertainment that you’d like. You can see videos of our bands, DJ’s and entertainers on our website.

 

7. What do you love most about what you do?

Being able to go to some absolutely stunning venues, listen to some of the best musicians in the country perform whilst watching our clients and their guests having the time of their lives. I love doing what I do because I can actually see the memories being made whilst the service that I provide is happening – it’s a great feeling.

 

8. What do you love the most about Millbridge Court? 

I absolutely love the décor at Millbridge. Every time I visit it makes me want to redo my whole home in the style of the venue. The breakfast room is definitely one of my favourite rooms as well as the garden, which is breathtaking in the summer for outdoor weddings.

I also think the atmosphere at the venue is lovely – the staff are friendly and details are important to them (it’s all in the details!)

 

9. What are your three favourite industry professionals/ brands to follow on Instagram?

@Dostiemposuk – these guys are one of my acts and are brilliant – they are massive characters and always bring such energy to events they perform at. Their stories always make me laugh and dance at the same time.

 

@Confetti_and_silk_films – Stu and Dan are AMAZING videographers who I work with a lot. They are lovely chaps and make stunning visuals. I love looking at the videos on their page.

 

@Veronikaward – Veronika has to be one of my favourite ever photographers. She works on a lot of weddings but also lifestyle and travel. Her shots are absolutely stunning. I often get her in to my events to take live shots of my musicians and I’m always thrilled with her work.

 

10. What are you seeing as the trends in wedding entertainment at the moment?

It’s really refreshing to see that people are starting to place more importance on the entertainment for their big day. They are spending more time considering the type of entertainment they would like for various points throughout the day. More people are now booking live music for their ceremony – there really is nothing like walking down the aisle to a live performance.

We are also seeing people considering their guests during the drinks reception part of the the day. I think this can be the longest part of the day for guests and having some live entertainment gets them in the mood for the evening reception.  Our roaming bands have been very popular for daytime entertainment this year – they are versatile and can move around the drinks reception interacting with guests and bringing some fun to this part of the day. I’ve also seen a rise in people looking for something a little different for their evening reception. For example, instead of going for just a DJ they want that live music element in there too – so might go for a DJ/Drum duo or a band that is totally different from the standard party band that their guests may have never seen before. We have an amazing act called Contempo who has to be seen to be believed. If you want to see something truly impressive and different head to the website to check him out!

To find out more about House of Lemon & their talented acts, head to: www.houseoflemon.co.uk

As we move in to this chilly time of year, we thought we would take a look back at J+D’s wonderful August Wedding Day; a Wedding Day which involved a sunny Arbor Ceremony with most romantic blooms, a gorgeous Patisserie Bar, a show stopping balloon installation & so many happy, smiling faces.

J+D had a really beautiful vision for their day with an elegant colour palette of whites, greys, soft greens & peaches. Creating the floral arrangements that would help to bring their vision to life was the super talented Bloomin Gayles who adorned the Arbor with a sensational cascading eucalyptus & foliage installation, along with two pillar arrangements bursting with delphiniums, roses & white hydrangeas. The beautiful floralising continued within the Dining Barn with Gayle creating gorgeous alternating centrepieces which were complimented perfectly by the soft grey table linens & white napkins chosen by the couple. And adding even more wow factor to the Wedding Breakfast setup was Bubblegum Balloons who created a phenomenal hanging installation along the beams using peach & metallic pink giant balloons.

The Bride & Groom chose to make the most of the interactive menu options that the fabulous Kalm Kitchen offer to Millbridge Court couples & had carve at the table Lamb as their Main Course & a rather gorgeous looking Patisserie Bar, made all the more beautiful by Gayle’s flowers, for dessert. The perfect menu choices to allow guests to mingle & interact throughout the Wedding Breakfast.

Capturing every styling detail, personal touch, spectacular floral arrangement, gorgeous couples shots & all of the happy moments in-between was the wonderful Philippa Sian; a photographer that we have had the pleasure of working with on multiple occasions over the course of the past year & who always brings the most wonderful energy to any Wedding Day.

Thank you to Philippa for letting us to share a selection of her beautiful images & thank you also to J+D for allowing us to play a part in what was such a beautiful celebration! We wish you both so much love & happiness in your married lives together.

Xx