The Parsons Wreath Company

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2023- What a Year!

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Let’s take a look back at 2023, it’s been a massive year for The Parsons Wreath Co with lots of exciting new challenges.

Sandringham in Bloom.

New for 2023 HRH King Charles, launched Sandringham in Bloom. A nine day event that saw the house and gardens host a variety of floral installations. With tours, music and a gin bar on the lawn, a few select companies were invited to hold stalls in the grounds. This was our first ever craft market and what a grand way to begin. The weather was glorious and we met lots of lovely customers.

We also had the privilege of decorating the iconic gates to St Mary’s Magdalene Church at Sandringham. Such a huge honour and we hope everyone who visited during the event enjoyed seeing the canopy enveloped in dried flowers.

Workshops At Congham Hall Hotel

It’s no secret we adore Congham Hall and stay/eat there regularly. The house is a beautiful Georgian building with extensive grounds and the spa is just amazing. Peaceful and relaxed, it’s the ideal setting for a dried flower workshop. The workshop begins in the private dining room for a couple of hours crafting with dried flowers. Then we move into the library for the most delicious afternoon tea.

Last year we hosted 4 workshops and we have our first three planned for 2024-

9th February Heart Wreath Workshop

16th March Wild Flower Box Workshop

12th April Spring Wreath Workshop.

Kings Lynn Minister

While at Sandringham in Bloom we met Kelly and her lovely daughter Holly. Kelly is the administrator for the Kings Lynn Minister. If you haven’t seen inside the Minister, it’s the most beautiful church. And a wonderful setting for a autumn wreath workshop. Obviously there was cake and chatting while we created our gorgeous wreaths, hopefully we’ll be back this year for another workshop.

Norfolk Magazine.

We didn’t need to think twice when Emma Lee (editor) invited us to feature in the December issue of Norfolk Magazine. Although we were nervous, the article was so well written it captured us and our ethos perfectly. The thrill of opening the magazine to see our wreath on the front cover was so exciting and a real ‘pinch me’ moment.

Christmas Wreath Workshop at Happy Valley.

Christmas is always a busy time of year, wreath kits to send out and a few winter wedding to fit in before we break for New Year. But this year we wanted to get everyone together for a festive wreath workshop. We found the perfect venue at Happy Valley, the log burner roaring away and festive cocktails to get us in the mood for Christmas crafting. The morning few by, many mince pies were eaten (a fair few by us!) and everyone left with something handmade to adorn their door for the festive season.

2022 A Year in Review

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What a year to look back on on, 2022 was a total rollercoaster of a year.

The highlight for us was working on Her Majesty, The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
We were delighted to be asked to create a centrepiece for the Jubilee display at Sandringham Gift Shop. Our brief was to design a floral arrangement inspired by artwork commissioned to celebrate the Jubilee featuring pink roses and soft sage.

Sandringham

Incorporating a old metal water tank found on the estate as the base was a great starting point. It was a pleasure to work on a brief so relaxed, that gave us creative freedom to make something extraordinary with no restrictions. To let the imagination run free and come up with something truly fitting for such a momentous occasion.

The size and scale of the installation was a little daunting at first but it’s one of those moments you need to stop thinking and get on with the task at hand or nerves will get the better of you. A commission like this is always special due to the high profile nature of the event and it was a huge honour to be part of Her Majesty’s Jubilee celebrations.

Sadly on the 8th September our beloved Queen passed away after a lifetime of devoted service to her country. We, like the rest of the nation were devastated at the Queen’s passing but thankful of the huge contribution she made to this country.

Rest in peace Ma’am.

A closer look at Sandringham

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We’ve been waiting until it felt right to promote our new range at Sandringham Estate Gift Shop. It didn’t seem ethical to be encouraging anyone to go out and about during a pandemic. But now feels like it might be time to properly introduce our Sandringham range.

Crowns at Sandringham

We worked with Estate Manager, Kelly Smith, guided by HRH Prince Charles to create a range that complimented all the other beautiful products in the gift shop. Recently refurbished with a reuse and refurbish ethos, the products in-store are a mix of items made on the Sandringham Estate or from other companies in Norfolk. Some of our items are available on our website but most are exclusive to Sandringham. There’s crowns, buttonholes, wreaths, mini wreaths, bouquets and corsages.

corsages at Sandringham

Sustainability is key at Sandringham which chimes with us as we grow and dry the vast majority of the flowers we use. There’s something wonderful about seeing a product you’ve grown, crafted into something beautiful.

SandringhamGift Shop

We’ve also had the privilege of creating dried flower displays for the restaurant and shop. You’ll be able to see these while you’re enjoying a Royal afternoon tea. Last year we added a small range of homeware items too, which we hope to expand this year.

Inside Sandringham Gift Shop

Two sides of the same business

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This month Instagram is all about roses, feed’s are full of #rose posts featuring beautiful blooms (22,119, 749 hastags to date, check out Jaclyn Craigs‘ feed for daily rose inspo). And last month we (and Insta) were obsessed with peonies- bold and beautiful in equal measure. These two flowers represent the two sides to our business.

We’re a small family owned buiness, we grow and dry most of the flowers we use to make our products. Our roses are cut from our garden in Norfolk (and sometimes the neighbours’ gardens too!). We have around 17 rose bushes- some new, some very old. We have white, pink, orange, peach, yellow and red. Some of the little buds are no bigger than a five pence piece and some as large as a golf ball. We dry them in small batches and use them throughout the year. They’re homegrown and small scale.

By contrast our peonies are grown by my brother in a village called Parsons Drove (hence the name). Still on a relatively small scale compared to some but approx 2000 peonies in white, light pink and deep berry. We dry and store enough peonies to keep us going for the coming year but the majority are sent to the flower markets as fresh flowers (Spitalfields, Covent Garden, Brimingham etc). So the next time you’re scrowling through Insta Stories admiring pretty peonies, they might just be ours!

Paris Fashion Week

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Paris Fashion Week closes another spectacular show season. Over the last four weeks we’ve watched the world’s finest designers and brands unveil their Spring/Summer 2020 collections. We take inspiration from the catwalk when we design our ranges for next season. For Spring/Summer 2020 expect to see these trends featuring alongside our existing collections.

– Roksanda killed it with colour. Cascading down the outdoor catwalk came rainbow hues and bold brights in crimson red, tangerine and bubblegum pink. Colour blocking is key, so think bold bouquets and eye-catching crowns.

– Sustainability was the over-arching theme this season. Environmental activists Extinction Rebellion demonstrated during London Fashion Week to persuade us to consider our purchases. The BFC announced earlier in the month the financial impact a no-deal BREXIT would have on the UK fashion industry. This might explain the absence of a number of big brands, including Vivienne Westwood, who shifted her show to Paris this season. We grow our products and dry them ourselves, suppling flowers in a sustainable way.

– A whiff of Victorian is in the air for S/S20. Erdem featured decadent brocades and classic florals. Molly Godard, made famous for clothing Killing Eve character Villanelle, went big with volume as only she can. Expect buoyant big bouquets with classic styling.

– Richard Quinn brought a tear to the eye, ending his show with a fairy-tale edit of bridal wear. Crystal encrusted gowns with a vintage vibe reminded us, sometimes ‘more is more’.

Welcome to our new look website!

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Welcome to our new look website…..

We’re so proud to share with you our new website. Alongside info on the brand we’ll be posting behind the scenes snapshots of new products and you’ll be able to purchase items direct from our new online shop. Take a look around and if you have any questions please use the contact form to get in touch.

@parsonswreaths

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