Amber Persia introduces ‘The Look’ for 2015

I am seriously excited about today’s post, not only do I get to introduce all of our new readers to Amber Persia, just one of our fabulous collaborators, but I also get to announce a new inspiration feature for 2015 – The Look!

Amber Persia is our in-house floral expert and she has worked at several of the wedding venues featured on Coco. I’ve also had the pleasure of working first-hand with this lady at River Cottage and she’s just incredible! Last year Amber guided us through the Floral Highlights series, a monthly collection of floral glossaries with helpful seasonal picks (you can read Amber’s Floral Highlights here!) but this year we’re going a step further on the inspiration front!

I’ll let Amber introduce you to The Look, inspired by her own ethos and style of working with Brides & Grooms-to-be…

Over the coming months Emma has asked me to put together some beautifully styled tables and design inspiration to accompany each of the six Coco Style Categories (starting in February with Coastal Cool!) But first, as an introduction, we thought we’d give you a peek behind the scenes of Amber Persia | Flowers & Events for an insight into our whole design process, from line drawings and floral mood boards, to the complete creative vision which goes into creating truly beautiful wedding flowers and ‘one of a kind’ events.

Image by Amber Persia.

So, where to start..? Each wedding is as unique as the two of you so we find out the things you love, which inspire you, and which are special to just the two of you; basically your story. In a Pinterest world it’s so easy to get completely overwhelmed by the possibilities, in terms of both florals and design. Don’t get me wrong, I think Pinterest is a wonderful tool, but whilst it offers a wealth of inspiration it’s also all too easy to get lost in the multitude of wonderful visions and forget what’s really ‘you’. So, once we’ve talked through your dreams and got to the bottom of your loves, likes, and equally important dislikes, then our design process starts. Whether you’re looking for just our florals, or our entire design service, we bring you visual inspiration in the form of beautiful mood boards and pen and ink line drawings to help you visualise our designs. Our imaginative and original design proposals take into consideration not only the look but equally the real ambience of the day; those elements, be they quirky or traditional, which are going to make it truly yours!

The fun of working with our couples is taking a spark of an idea and then developing it, weaving details throughout their day. Whilst flowers are at the heart of what we do, ultimately I feel that it’s the tiny details which make a wedding truly memorable. So whether that’s hand dyed trailing silk ribbons to finish the bridal bouquets (which we dye in house, one of the advantages of having a background in textiles), or the inclusion of bowls of ripe summer berries on the tables as a nod towards the bride’s Persian heritage, we always take the time to consider the minutiae, those seemingly trivial details which will bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye!

Images by Amber Persia.

Flowers are such an integral part of a wedding celebration so we put our heart and soul into ensuring your flowers are individual and unique to you. That means we put a great deal of time into their sourcing. We grow them, have a network of local and English growers, and seek out the very best continental blooms. We also feel the beauty of flowers is more than skin deep! Scent can transport you back to a place and time and for that reason we love to incorporate fragrant flowers into our arrangements. Not only scented blooms such as garden roses, lilac, jasmine and lily of the valley but also an abundance of herbs. Rosemary, mint, fennel, sage and purple ruffled basil are some of our favourites, and we grow masses of them in our cutting garden. So whether the flowers are to be the epitome of glamour, or an utterly laid-back ‘just-picked’ bouquet, we’ll work to ensure we capture the perfect look and style for you.

Images by Amber Persia.

Props can transform the whole look of a wedding table. Just the simple inclusion of masses of candles creates an entirely different ambience, adding romance and a real sense of occasion. Likewise, a beautiful and unusual water glass or bespoke napkin can completely transform a place setting from the ordinary to the exceptional. So we guide our clients through all the possibilities and, whilst we have an extensive and ever growing collection of props available to our couples (from original Art Deco cocktail trolleys, huge antique French mirrors, aged garden urns, ornate cast iron candlesticks, miniature cut glass hurricane lamps, tiny hand blown vases; the list goes on and on), if we haven’t got the perfect thing then we’ll go out and find it. Maybe one of these days we’ll give you a full guided tour…

Images by Amber Persia.

I hope that gives you a glimpse into our flowers, design and styling – the Amber Persia world. If you’d like to see more take a look at our Instagram and Pinterest, whilst if you’re planning a wedding we’d love to hear from you. We’re based on the beautiful Somerset Levels but travel the length and breadth of the country working on fabulous weddings and events, including the delicious Coco locations!

Finally, here’s a glimpse back at some of our favourite weddings from 2014 – can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store…

Top, Second and Third Row: Images by Amber Persia. Fourth and Fifth Row: Images by Empirical Photography. Sixth and Seventh Row: Images by Alicia Pollett Photography. Eighth and Ninth Row: Images by Amber Persia. Tenth Row: Images by Naomi Kenton Photography. Eleventh Row Left: Image by  Alicia Pollett Photography. Eleventh Row Right: Image by Kerry Bartlett Photography. Twelfth Row: Image by Amber Persia. Thirteenth Row: Images by Naomi Kenton Photography. Fourteenth and Fifteenth Row: Images by Amber Persia.

Lots of love…