In search of colour

Life in Stamford and Rutland is lived in hues of the Farrow and Ball paint chart. Everywhere you go, walls are painted in String or Lamp room grey. It is all very beautiful and tasteful....

and so on a grey day, colour is required.

I didn't get a tattoo, buy the hooker shoes, or go to the sex shop.

But I did buy ribbon. Obvs.

Stars fading but i linger on dear

Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger til dawn dear
Just saying this...

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
But in your dreams, whatever they be,
Dream a little dream of me.

We opted for The Mama's and The Papa's version.

Wedding flowers from last week, maybe by next week, I will have caught up and bring you today's and yesterday's. Hard to say.

and my new business cards, made with photographs from the blog.

Quite a bit excited about them.

Small things.

Party like it's 1999

Wednesday night saw the opening party of the William Cecil. We filled suitcases with hydrangeas and roses, filled urns at the end of the staircases with flowers, dressed tables in the marquee and tweaked the arrangements from the weekend.

Then we actually went to the party, where champagne flowed and deep fried oysters and rare steak were feasted upon.

In all my time in previous careers in food, PR and food PR i have never known a more generous opening party.

A speech was made by the owner, a modern day Mr Darcy, good suit, public school hair, you know the sort of thing. The entire audience fluttered their eyelashes and swooned. Even those with botox.

Every time i see said owner i am carrying a piece of taxidermy.

"I carried a stuffed Impala head"

Quirky.

Then as we strolled down the hill home we called in at The George and had a glass of the good stuff with Mary and Chris.
We find ourselves with another weekend. Marvellous. Do you have plans? The Mother Hen and The Captain are at sea, currently tied up on Dartmouth Town quay, pop down and see hello if you are in the area. The Stamford Hen and her Gentleman husband are off to the High Voltage festival in Victoria Park.

I am doing weddings.....

Do not forget there is a Grand Prix. Where have Ferrari found their form from? Will McLaren pick up the bat phone and call Ron Dennis? I wish they would.

We will be back tomorrow with weddings and other beguiling things.

Secret question

Just after the extravaganza that was the wedding of Emily and Stef, when we were still marvelling at the beauty of it all, and marvelling about how we actually did camping...an email came through.

The subject heading was SECRET QUESTION, and it read

Dear Miss P.


So, top top secret, a secret someone may be sneaking away with her special someone else to tie an official knot next week, likely wearing this little frock.
And she is wondering if Miss P might have a suggestion of what kind of bouquet would suit it? It’s going to be in a different country, not sure of available floral resources, might need to use my hand-tied skills.


Any and all thoughts are welcome, only if you have a moment. No need for an answer before Monday!


Big thanks!
P

and so i replied with squeals of excitement, and floral suggestions and fond wishes.

Then a few days later came this email, which is the one that had me in tears for many many hours.

Good morning!


She’s back and she’s a real Mrs. now! And a PMS, like your mum (that is something else!).


A flight got diverted to Malaga and included a two hour wait on board followed by a two hour drive to the sea, so the spinster missed the florist’s opening hours. So on the morning of the wedding, the Mr. had a lovely bright orange/red geranium for her at their First Look, and one in his buttonhole already. And then on the way to the ceremony, he pulled the car off the road and took out a kitchen knife to cut her some bougainvillea. Even though it didn’t exactly pull in the colors of her dress like she had planned, it was perfect and sweet and there was one just the right size for his buttonhole, too (those geraniums don’t seem to have much of a shelf life). She had bought a yellow scarf the day before just in case something like this happened, so she tied it around for another splash of color.


And then they had they longest procession imaginable across the airport runway into Gibraltar, followed by the quickest ceremony in the (very least attractive) registry office, but it was perfect and joyful and they celebrated all day long with cava and sangria and all the freshest local specialties, and even frolicked with horses in a field while the sun was setting at the end of the day. They felt really lucky to have their photographer take them around for four hours in the perfect late afternoon/evening sunlight.


Their photographer left these photos at check-out this morning, so here is a fuzzy scan of them.


The secret isn’t out yet, but an announcement is in the works and will be ready soon.


The new Mrs. Sieh (pronounced the way Americans say the last letter of the alphabet) sends her heartfelt hugs and gratitude for all the advice she sadly didn’t get to even use, and would recommend this idea to anyone who wants an intimate, adventurous wedding day.


She’ll share more photos as they’re released!


For now, she’s walking on air.


X O X O


PMS

I think a groom stopping to cut wild bougainvillea for his bride, might be quite the most romantic thing. Ever.

Currently

1. Dahlia Tom Pearce i have fallen under their spell
2. Chamomile
3. Leather
4. Why oh why? put pikey babies on rose wrapping?
5. This is Jenson, he looks exactly like The Hound did..........he is reserved, but i am thinking of gazumping.

I am a good 2 hours behind, the installation is at 3pm. Yikes.

Tomorrow i bring you the story of a True Romance.

Adieu
x

Quirky Luxury

The tag line for the new William Cecil hotel.

The first of the parties. This one for the chap that owns the chain.

The Natural History museum meets the Science museum meets The William Cecil.

The first time you do anything for a new client is always a bit daunting, and as we put the microscopes and acid bottles on the tables, there was that thought............

Should we have put calas and bear grass in lily vases instead?

The table settings will be moved to various fireplaces as tomorrow night there is a party for people who don't own a hotel chain,and then Thursday a bridal day. Pop up gawp at the marquee, marvel on how much it has changed, or how we used to use their car park when we were at school.

Also cacti are prickly. Very prickly.

Set fire to the rain

Apparently it is July, although it feels like October. I have been seduced by new items for the pencil case a good 5 weeks early. And the annual shall i dye my hair red? conversation is already going on. Should I? I am thinking Julianne Moore but with more a hint of the strawberry blonde of Nicole Kidman.

British weather living up to it's stereotype. How other nations must laugh.

Eating,sleeping, and reevaluating the plant pots have been the activities. Pizzas have been made with the remnants of goats cheese and char grilled artichokes,the freezer emptied of all the novelty items. Mini pain au raisin. Eaten.

Other conversations have been around the phone hacking/ New of the World saga.  Many people appear to be fed up of hearing about it, but now is it when it gets good, now is when we wonder if it can bring down an entire government.

and we reached down the bottle of Cointreau to toast a friend lost.

and then HRH Polly blogged the photographs everybody has been waiting for.

Mind blowingly beautiful.

Dancing on the ceiling

Lionel Richie is providing the soundtrack to today. Weddings, parties, liaisons, laughter, too too much caffeine.

The petals are of David Austin roses, i would have photographed the roses but.....a rep came to pay a visit. she was lovely, had done her homework, knew my views...I remain unconvinced that these Ecuadorian and Kenyan roses are worth the hassle. Am i wrong?, brides, florists, i would really appreciate your opinions.

Sweet peas from Bryony, one of the coolest ladies i have ever met.

The new window is taking shape, native Americans and cacti. I will reveal all.

Coconut water has arrived on our shores of Stamford. It doesn't taste of coconut or water, but i feel a little LA.

The Boy Wonder keeping an eye on proceedings.

Plans for the weekend? Do you have some? Are you doing weddings and events, gin drinking, pizza eating and sleeping?

Me too
xx

p.s. vegetable chips are the new jaffa cakes