Wedding Flowers at Cantley House Hotel

​

Cantley House Hotel is a lovely setting for a wedding, combining the character of an old country house with a relaxed barn, beautiful gardens and an outdoor pavilion. It's a venue that feels welcoming rather than formal, and one of the things I particularly like about Cantley is how much scope there is to make the flowers feel completely personal to you.

The panelled ceremony room has all the character you'd expect from a country house, while the barn provides a cosy setting for the reception. Outside, the pavilion gives you another option for your ceremony and creates a wonderful opportunity to bring your own style into the garden.

​

And because the spaces are relatively light and neutral, there's no particular colour palette or style that works best. Whether you love soft pastels, vibrant colour, classic whites or something more unusual, the setting gives you plenty of freedom.

​

Flowers that suit the setting

Cantley works particularly well with natural, garden-style flowers. The combination of the country house, relaxed barn and lovely gardens lends itself beautifully to flowers that have movement, texture and a slightly informal feel. You could embrace the country setting with meadow-style flowers, milk churns and natural, just-picked bouquets, or take the look in a more elegant and contemporary direction with stronger shapes, refined colour palettes and more sculptural designs. There's room for both.

​

The ceremony room is quite narrow, particularly if you have a larger wedding, so I tend to keep aisle flowers relatively simple. Small posies or bottles placed along the aisle can add a lovely romantic touch without making the space feel crowded. It's a good example of where sometimes less really is more.

​

Outside, the pavilion is one of my favourite opportunities for flowers. Decorating it helps to frame the ceremony, but it also brings your personal style into the garden and creates a beautiful connection between the flowers and the setting. An arch can make a real statement here, while for an indoor ceremony or reception, arches, pedestal designs and urns all work beautifully. They have enough presence to make an impact in the larger spaces, while their structure works particularly well with the character of the house and barn.

​

Making the most of your flowers

One of the lovely things about Cantley is that your flowers don't need to feel confined to one part of the day. Larger statement pieces such as an arch, urns or pedestal arrangements can become part of the overall design of your wedding rather than simply decorating the ceremony.

​

It's also a venue where smaller details can make a big difference. Bud vases, little posies and individual bottles can bring colour and personality to tables without making the overall look feel too formal. Used alongside a few larger floral moments, they create a sense of luxury while still allowing the character of the venue to show through.

 

A few Cantley weddings

I've created flowers for a number of very different weddings at Cantley, and they really show just how versatile the venue can be.

​

One summer wedding embraced the joy of sunflower season, with bright yellow flowers bringing an instant sense of happiness and celebration. Milk churns filled with natural, country-style flowers complemented the setting beautifully, while relaxed bouquets kept the overall look feeling effortless and seasonal.

​

Another couple wanted something much more individual. Their moody botanical colour palette created a wonderfully personal and eclectic feel, combining vintage details with a touch of old Hollywood glamour. Orchids, copper pots and antique vases brought a sense of sophistication, while stacked books and smaller compote bowls added layers of personality. A long, low arrangement filled with an abundance of beautiful blooms brought everything together without making the design feel too formal.

​

For a light and airy summer wedding, we took a softer approach, using pastel flowers, loose bouquets and delicate bud vases. An arch framed the ceremony and created a beautiful focal point, while the smaller arrangements carried the floral story through into the reception.

​

I love that these weddings look completely different from one another. Cantley can embrace relaxed country flowers and joyful colour, but it can just as easily become more elegant, eclectic or contemporary.

For me, that's what makes it such a lovely venue for garden-style wedding flowers. You can take inspiration from the gardens and countryside around you, while still creating something that feels unmistakably yours.