In defence of (real) flowers

Before I begin, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who's taken the time to contact me about Pocketful - and especially for all the words of encouragement, suggestions of fabulous suppliers, and 'I know exactly what you mean' - type thoughts. It's so nice to know there are others out there searching for a more personal, meaningful day, and I'm so excited about finding and celebrating some of the suppliers who can help us do just that.

Wriggly Posy

Now, onto the good stuff. Firstly - I love flowers. Plants of all kinds in fact, and especially those that smell luscious, look stunning and / or do great things in the kitchen. And at the moment, the abundance of spring and the promise of summer (despite the rain) makes me realise that British flowers aren't just good enough; they're absolutely amongst the best in the world. In direct contrast to imported, impersonal, overpriced bouquets, as sold by too many wedding florists, British flowers offer seasonal, fresh, casual elegance. Fortunately then, there's loads of beautiful suppliers specialising in home-grown, local and sustainable flowers, and also those creating such amazing alternatives to flowers, you may even be tempted away from them altogether. This is what weddings should be made of....

Wriggly dried posy

Herefordshire-based Wriggly Wigglers is exactly what I wanted this blog to be about - seasonal, sensibly-priced, British produce, supplied by people who love what they do (and are extremely good at it), and who get rave reviews from brides who've used them. And yet - as they're not wedding specialists (they actually started out selling - of all things - wormeries for garden composting, and now do all kinds of useful gardening products and gifts), get missed by much of the wedding industry.

If you want to simplify the whole thing. If flower miles are important to you. If you want British Flowers and foliage, then wedding flowers the Wiggly Way may just be for you. In fact, if you want to look as if you have just gathered up some garden flowers on the way to your big day then Wiggly Flowers are definitely for you - Wriggly's website

Wriggly wheat sheaf

As well lovely natural-looking bridal and bridesmaids' bouquets, I especially liked the dried flower posy, and wheat sheaves. They'd be so perfect for an Autumn wedding, when British flowers aren't always at their best, and remind me of long countryside walks ending in front of a roaring fire at a country pub.

What I love about Wriggly is that they're disarmingly honest about what they do - and don't do. They recognise that they're not for everyone, and are happy to offer specialised products for people in tune with their ethos. In doing so, they're able to offer something properly interesting to the lucky couples who choose them. May they prosper for ever.

Very Green, and very Gorgeous

I first discovered Green and Gorgeous, a lovely little company run by Rachel and Jo - two gardener / event-designer friends - in Country Homes magazine (I know, sorry). They stuck in my head to such an extent that they were one of the first on my list of organisations who fitted Pocketful's ethos. Begun from a desire to 'put the romance back into flowers' by growing proper, English kitchen garden-style flowers, free from airmiles, pesticides and other nasties, they supply wonderful, informal posies and arrangements to the lucky people of Oxfordshire.

They don't travel far (to keep the flowers fresh), but offer a refreshingly flexible wedding service, including courses where you can learn to arrange the flowers yourself, a 'buckets and bouquets' service where they provide the flowers for  you to sort and arrange, and a rental service for all kinds of vases, china, cake stands and other bits and bobs. Lucky Oxfordshire, I say.

On that note, I recently discovered Pathhead Nursery, up in Fife, Scotland (no website, but speak to the lovely Phylis on 01333 310 407). They must be one of the most relaxed and friendly plant nurseries ever, offering a venue decoration service where, for a (very reasonable) set fee, they load up their van with plants, herbs, ivy and all kinds of seasonal greens, trundle on over to your venue, and set it all up. Then the day after your wedding, they come back and take it all away again. In contrast to the waste associated with lots of weddings, they're sensibly ethical, quite astonishingly low maintenance, and really very good at what they do.

HairBowsWonderWorld, via Etsy

In the spirit of reducing the waste from weddings, I do love the idea of finding a more permanent alternative to fresh flowers. Dried flowers are one alternative, but Etsy - in particular - is showcasing some really creative non-floral bouquets and boutonniere.

HairBowsWonderWorld, via Etsy

 Manchester-based Etsy seller HairBowsWonderWorld has an incredibly varied range of bouquets, made from vintage broaches, feather, ribbons, lace and all kinds of pretty bits and pieces. The fab thing about Etsy, too, is that the sellers are usually able to customise their stock to suit you, so if you've got a very specific colour scheme in mind, or if you particularly wanted to incorporate your granny's collection of vintage jewellery - say, there's almost certainly someone out there on Etsy who specialises in exactly that. You can sort sellers and search results by location, too, if you want to deal with someone local.

 Feather & Leather Boutonniere

Finally, for now, these feather and leather boutonnieres (ah, 'boutonniere'. Used to be called buttonholes, until they got so damn pricey) by Kent-based Atelier Rousseau. These caught my eye, partly for their creative use of materials, but also because they've got a nice masculine look and feel - perfect for the groom and ushers. It's nice to see non-wedding textures and fabrics used so effectively, especially when Atelier Rousseau make an effort to source materials locally, and use vintage and end-of-roll materials too - good stuff.

Phew, a long one today, but it's nice to have so many wonderful local suppliers to share! Please keep in touch with all your thoughts, ideas and inspiration.