Karen Tran Floral Masterclass in London | March 2018

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful Gala Dinner hosted by floral designer Karen Tran (pictured above) at The Lanesborough in London. It took place on the final evening of The 3-Day Floral Experience course and showcased the amazing flower installations created by Karen and her students, with support florist Leanne Roberts-Hewitt and her team at Wildabout.

Presented by Elizabeth Solaru of Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium and Jane Riddell of Planned for Perfection, the bloom-filled event was a beautiful kaleidoscope of pastels, whites and gold. Karen had envisioned a grand wedding breakfast fit for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Miss Meghan Markle. And the outcome was a wonderful blend of outstanding American floral design in a quintessential English Regency style setting.

The Belgravia Room at the hotel was transformed into a floral wonderland featuring a tunnel and tablescape laden with exquisite flowers supplied by Piet Van Kampen from G Fresh. Karen used a combination of blush, peach and ivory roses, white hydrangeas, seasonal tulips in white and pinks, hyacinths, phalaenopsis and cymbidium orchids to create her signature tall cascading table arrangements. In between the tall designs were gold Baroque candelabras. And along the length of the tables were low groupings of flowers in hand-cut vases.

Feast your eyes on the stunning photos in today’s blog post captured by fine art wedding photographer Roberta Facchini.

The food and drink were served on charger plates supplied by Whitehouse Event Crockery, who also provided the china, crystal and gold flatware. The tables were dressed with linen from Over The Top Rentals and Great Hire provided the white and caramel CKC chairs. The opulent gold foil stamped menus and place cards in Wedgwood blue were by The Grosvenor Stationery Company, who also created the invitations and thank you cards.

Pictured below from left to right are Elizabeth Solaru from Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, Karen Tran from The Floral Experience, Leanne Roberts-Hewitt from Wildabout and Jane Riddell of Planned for Perfection.

The floral tunnel that framed the entrance to The Belgravia Room stood at an impressive 12 feet tall and 14 feet wide and was a sight to behold. Decorated with thousands of roses, hydrangeas and orchids, it featured a white tulip canopy and was topped off by branches of cherry blossom.

In the centre of the room, the focal point was the impressive six foot tall cake in Wedgwood blue and peach designed by Elizabeth of Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium. Inspired by the room’s ceiling, it featured hand-painted clouds, the signature mouldings of the Baroque design of the ceiling, hand-made peach and pink sugar roses and piped scroll work. And it sat on a table completely covered with a ‘cloth’ of ivory, peach and pink roses.

Immediately below, you can see The Great Hall at The Lanesborough, where the evening began with a cocktail reception. Its grand staircase had been decorated with thousands of blooms and the scent was heavenly!

Now back to The Belgravia Room…

It was such a wonderful evening! Thank you very much to Karen, Elizabeth and Jane for inviting me. During the meal, I so enjoyed spending time chatting with Jade Beer, editor of Brides magazine, and Kelly from Wildabout, in such a spectacular floral setting. And many thanks too to Phase Eight for the loan of my incredibly beautiful Matia Beaded Cape Maxi Dress. Definitely a night to remember!

SUPPLIER CREDITS

Florist: Karen Tran
Venue: The Lanesborough
Wedding & Event Planner: Planned for Perfection
Cake: Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium
Support Florist: Wildabout 
Stationery: The Grosvenor Stationery Company
Photographer: Roberta Facchini
Videographer: Vogue Wedding Films
Hair /Make up: Diana McDonald
Entertainment: Niche Quartet
Candles: Wick & Tallow
Crockery, Cutlery & Glassware: Whitehouse Event Crockery
Magician: Richard Parsons
Chair Hire: Great Hire
Linen: Over The Top Rentals
Illustrator: Poppy Waddilove
Karen Tran’s Dress: The Wedding Club
Flower Supplier: Piet Van Kampen/G Fresh
Opera Singers: Fiona Haynes & Atinuke Koyejo
Master of Ceremonies: Lanesborough Butler

P.S. If you’d like to see some Instagram Stories from the event, both videos and photos, simply head over to the highlights on my Flowerona Instagram account.