Vintage Floral Teas - Vintage China Hire & Bespoke Floristry

Vintage Floral Teas is Amelia Barnes’ labour of love based in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. Vintage is the best kind of recycling - green and super-stylish too! We are excited to offer a bespoke service in vintage-inspired floral design - anything from small but perfectly-formed roses in tea cups to sumptuous pedestal displays; from gorgeous button holes to magnificent bouquets. More than this, we have an exquisite array of vintage crockery and old-fashioned props, all available to hire. We can supply flowers and china hire for any event, including weddings christenings , birthdays and even funerals.

Saturday, 9 April 2011

Thrifty Flowers

If you’re feeling the pinch of George Osborne in your bridal purse then why not think about ways in which you can save when planning your wedding flowers?
It’s perfectly possible to have a really stunning wedding and not spend the current average of £18,500.
£18,500? Wow! That’s a deposit on a house! Cutting cost on your flowers and styling on the day is a really good way of bring the total cost down. Here’s how to do it...
1) Go seasonal!
It’s common sense! If you want Peonies in November then they’re bound to be expensive! And they’ll have been flown halfway around the world. Think of your carbon footprint! In England we have such a good array of home grown blooms that you’ll always have an excellent range to choose from. Going seasonal will massively cut your costs. Just imagine huge displays of narcissus and tulips in spring, old English roses in summers and dahlias in autumn, without forgetting the lush dark greens and bright red berries of winter!
2) Think impact!
Quite often brides want lots and lots of different displays covering every surface. This is not necessarily the best way to decorate your venue and it can drive the cost up considerably. Each vessel comes with a hire charge, there’s the cost of the blooms in each one as well as labour time to consider. It’s often better to splash out on some really lovely impact items that take your guests’ breath away, such as large urns of flowers in the corners of the venue which can be combined with simpler table arrangements!
3) The Vessels!

Choose interesting vessels! At Vintage Floral Teas we have a massive range of gorgeous vessels to choose from and once flowers are added to them they are like individual works of art. Think of a teapot with masses of cow parsley and snapdragon flowers, surrounded by a stunning old milk jug and teacups. With contemporary vessels such as goldfish bowls you’ll often have to use a more expensive bloom to create visual impact on your tables. The right vessel can really set the tone for an event.
4) The hand-tied bouquet!
Wired bouquets are beautiful and look great for a really formal wedding with big skirted dresses. They are very reminiscent of bygone days. They are beautiful and I love them. But they are also expensive to produce. They have to be made on the morning of an event and each flower and leaf is wired by hand. You can pay anything from £100 - £150 for a wired bouquet. They also don’t last as long as a hand-tied bouquet as they can’t be placed in water! So why not opt for a hand-tied bouquet instead? Beautiful hand-tied bouquets are a far more budget friendly option.

So there we have it. The Vintage Floral Teas’ guide to keeping costs down! No need to let on to your guests that you’ve spent less than anyone else – especially since the flowers will look, at the very least, every bit as gorgeous as those dearer, less imaginative options! More soon!

Sunday, 3 April 2011

Pretty Mother's Day table wreaths!

For Mother's Day, a beautiful table wreath of blue Grape Hyacinths and pale pink Ranunculus.

Wow! An Amazing 10% Discount on China Hire Booked In April!

Vintage Floral Teas is delighted to announce that we shall be offering a 10% discount on all china hire* that is booked during April 2011. We still have some spaces to take bookings for summer 2011 and we are happy to take advanced orders for 2012 and 2013. If you would like to take advantage of this amazing offer do get in touch very soon and quote "April". Do take a look at our website (http://www.vintagefloralteas.co.uk/) for current prices and some lovely pictures of our collection!
amelia@vintagefloralteas.co.uk

*This offer is for china hire only and excludes all floral displays!

Monday, 21 February 2011

Vintage Floral Teas Facebook page!

Hi All,
Just to let you know that we now have a Facebook page. You can find new photos and more updates on stunning flowers and crockery hire. You can leave us a message and click to "like" us.
Take a look... http://tinyurl.com/6crletn

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Darling pink and gold teacups...newly acquired!



I'm so pleased with my new find this week. Stunning 1950's White teacups with pink insides. They would lovely with chocolate desserts poured into them, or just for a really nice cup of tea.

Saturday, 12 February 2011

Happy St Valentine's Day.......

It's Valentine's Day on Monday and I always feel that lovely sense of expectation around this time.  I wanted to do something that was a cut above the usual very dark red, almost sombre air-freighted "Grand Prix" rose arrangements. I think that using pinks and purples with lots of different texture creates something much softer and in tune with a vintage event. This feminine arrangement is to match my spring wedding bouquet from last week.




I used only British spring flowers and bright fuchsia organza to create this heart shaped wreath arrangement. It could be hung on a wall, propped on a gorgeous mantelpiece or laid flat on a table as a centrepiece with candles filling its centre.

Let's start investing in our own home grown English flowers as they really are fabulous! They are seasonal, have a much lower carbon footprint and buying them helps to keep an industry with so much heritage alive.
They also have a wonderful scent. The small white "Cheerfulness" Narcissus that I used in this arrangement has the most luxurious smell which fills a room in the way that other flowers don't.
I have been really impressed with Flowers By Clowance who always seem to have a really good supply of different varieties http://www.flowersbyclowance.co.uk/products/13-Cornish-Flowers/.

It would be lovely to know what you think. I hope you all have a very romantic St Valentine's Day!


Sunday, 6 February 2011

With a spring in my step.....

I'm so looking forward to spring and everything that it brings. Already we have lots of lovely bulb flowers on the market and I noticed today that the crocus flowers have poked their heads up. That always signals that start of spring.
To mark this on my blog I have made a beautiful spring hand-tied bouquet suitable for a spring wedding. It is made up of Paperwhites, Anenomies and Tulips. It's so fresh and exuberant and I love the vibrancy next to the cream silk of the dress. Let me know what you think? x