Your East Midlands Wedding - October/November 2019 (Issue 34)

Have the perfect winter wedding with our expert advice HOT TOPIC FESTIVE BUNCH For my winter wedding I want flowers that look festive but I need a bouquet to withstand the weather, what blooms can you suggest? Laura says: If you want that festive look, we recommend red roses as your main flower! Not only the ultimate symbol of love and romance but they also look beautiful against a white or ivory wedding dress. We favour red Naomi roses for winter weddings as they stay fresh for longer in the cold and they have a sweet scent. Complement the Naomi roses by teaming them with hypericum ‘Tomato Flair’, an evergreen plant which produces beautiful red berries in the autumn, and skimmia ‘Rubella’, also evergreen, which has clusters of burgundy-coloured buds in the winter. If you wanted a wider variety of flowers, we recommend red spray roses ‘Mirabel’ and red tulips ‘Ile De France’. For your foliage, use eucalyptus ‘Cinerea’ and Scots Pine because they both smell amazing, and the pine especially evoke festive feelings. Laura Peltell | Florist flowersbysuzanne.co.uk A WINTER FEAST I’m having my big day in winter and would love to have a festive menu. What would you suggest? Karen says: There’s nothing quite like a winter wedding, none of the concerns that often accompanies a spring or summer do where you’re worrying about the weather! Seasonal nuptials mean roaring log fires, candlelight, dark atmospheric afternoons and best of all being able to serve your guests rib sticking, warming, utterly delicious food! Here’s a winter wedding Kemp and Kemp-style: You could set the scene with a warming shot of pumpkin soup with toasted sunflower seeds and parsley puree. The following choices will all make pretty perfect starters: game terrines with spiced fruit relish, roasted butternut squash and sage ravioli, potted shrimp, cheese scones with sage and onion butter or wild mushroom and tarragon tart. For a deeply warming main course, there’s multiple choices to pick from including bouef bourgignon, game casserole with dumplings, pot roast chicken with cheese mash and garlic gravy, good old bangers and mash, or a steak and ale pie with deep rich gravy. Then you just have to have the damson and sloe gin crumble (it’s the law) with oodles of vanilla custard. Your guests will thank you for this meal, believe me… though there may have to be some pretty energetic dancing afterwards. Karen Kemp | Catering kempandkempcatering.co.uk HBAphotography.com EXPERT ADVICE 85