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Memorable Moments for a Belgravia florist in 2015
Neill remembers the most special moments of 2015, from Valentine's Day to weddings at the Ritz and the reinterment of Richard III to Channel 4's The World's Most Expensive Christmas.
Neill remembers the most special moments of 2015, from Valentine's Day to weddings at the Ritz and the reinterment of Richard III to Channel 4's The World's Most Expensive Christmas.
Neill Strain's floral installation at The Flower Lounge, Belgravia, for Valentine's Day
After the celebrations of Christmas and New Year's Eve, we find ourselves all too quickly preparing for Valentine's Day. Our floral heart installation at The Flower Lounge has become a tradition in Belgravia and every year we enjoy the couples posing in front of our romantic setting while we prepare hundreds of stunning, long-stemmed red Roses for bespoke bouquets and awesome arrangements. In March 2015 we were very busy with International Women's Day (March 8), Mother's Day (March 15) and Norooz - Persian New Year (March 21) followed by Easter (April 5) when we collaborated with our Belgravia neighbour and acclaimed candle chandler, Rachel Vosper, for a candle wreath of ultimate beauty and luxury.
Neill Strain floral wreath cradles a Rachel Vosper luxury candle
The highlight of March 2015 was the reinterment of Richard III when we decorated the Holy Cross Church in Leicester with a symbolic Tree made of 2,000 Avalanche Roses and sprigs of Genista (Broom).
Floral Installation at the Holy Cross Church in Leicester for the reinterment of Richard III
The Chelsea Flower Show every May is the floral highlight of the year for many floral designers. At our Belgravia store, we have established an annual flower festival in conjunction with Chelsea Fringe and having featured tulips with "Tulipmania," in 2015 we celebrated the ROSE. In preparation for this, in April I travelled to Holland and visited Meijer, grower of the best Avalanche Roses (white, Sweet and Pearl), the top Dutch Rose breeders and the remarkable Flower Museum in Aalsmeer, in search of an outstanding selection of rare, exceptionally beautiful and century-old scented Roses.
Holland in April in the Daffodil fields
Neill Strain with John Meijer of Meijer Roses and Loek Van Eeden
Floral installation at The Flower Lounge for Neill Strain's Celebration of the Rose
The summer months in Belgravia and beyond are busy with home styling, parties, weddings and special events. In July, to share and showcase our wedding flowers, I introduced my wedding blog which is now a monthly feature.
Irish wedding in perfect pink
Luxury church wedding flowers by Neill Strain
Chic, elegance and glamour with Phalaenopsis Orchid designs
Neill Strain wedding flowers at the Ritz Hotel, London
Autumn seemed to pass quickly this year as preparations for Christmas and the filming of Channel 4's The World's Most Expensive Christmas were underway. We dressed the Belgravia boutique for Christmas late October, transformed the store interior into a wonderful world of festive cheer, walked through fields of Christmas trees at the farm in Berkshire and styled many gorgeous London homes for the season...
The Flower Lounge dressed for Christmas
Red, gold and glitz were the inspirations Neill brought back from a recent visit to New York
Home styling for Christmas by Neill Strain
Even the bathroom is decorated for Christmas!
It's been a fabulous year and I'm pleased to say we have some really exciting projects planned for 2016. So stay tuned !
In the meantime, happy new year and best wishes for 2016.
Florally yours,
Neill x