Vintage Roses at The 20th Century Theatre

Want to see some spectacular English scented garden roses in October?

Photo by Danae Brook

Then come to the London Vintage Wedding Fair this Sunday, 23rd October!

We are preparing to show the last roses of our season at the 20th Century Theatre in Notting Hill, starting at 11.00 a.m.


OUR NEWS is that we have finally come up with a perfect Country Rose candle and we will have some early samples to sell at the fair (as well as online from our website or over the telephone) at a very special rate.

Chic and cutting edge as well as romantic nostalgic, the fare at this wonderful fair is always unique and covetable. We are arranging some splendid displays of our best autumnal roses - Warm Wishes, Pure Bliss, Royal William, Princess Alexandra, Liliana and William Shakespere to name a few - mixing them with rose hips and foliage from the hedgerows to transform the theatre.

This will show future brides how beautiful their rose weddings would be if and when Trisha (my design partner) and I create the perfect scented setting for their marriage ceremonies. As Lynn Walgrave said perceptively: 'Your roses will do the talking for you'.

It's a brilliant sunshiny day with the sky a startling sapphire and as well as beginning to pick roses for the fair, we are collecting rose petals for drying, to make our own winter rose petal confetti, and the hand-made pot- pourri we provide to order throughout the winter. The pot pourri is delicious to tip into open bowls for Christmas parties as the scents and oils are the essence of Christmas: cinnamon, orange, cloves threading through the natural scent of the roses. Our other recipe is an exquisite summery mix of lavender and rose petals if you like being reminded of summer. Perfect for refreshing your drawers and protecting silks and cashmeres from the dreaded clothes moth.


All of our special winter products will be available from our stall at the fair. We will have test samples of our rose candle - the scent is called Eve and has been formulated by the great French parfumiers Robertet - a fragrance unique to us, underlining the intoxicating fragrance of our roses, or bringing their scent into your rooms whether you are lucky enough to have the roses or not. Look for our silken sachets of pot pourri and our bags of scented dried petal confetti as well as cards and all the information you need for the next wedding in your family!

Photo by Veronika Lukasova

We work closely with dress designer Jane Bourvis, who is also showing at the fair, at the stand next to ours. She will be showing her exquisite vintage dresses and accessories, our beloved Flora - who wore Jane's dresses to such perfection at Hampton Court will be with us and I will attempt to recreate her head-dress, bouquet and real rose dress decorations (see pictures) as she sits at our table.

Although I will not have the divinely talented florist Shane Connolly to help me this time, it is a way of showing how pretty and original our bridal bouquets and corsages can be!

I am off to take pictures of candles now....candles and pot pourri sachets in a Christmas gift box. Don't you think that's a nice idea?