A greener approach to decoration

We’re very excited about the development of the Village Farm Events arm of our services, which has now expanded its portfolio to include the green-fingered talents of one of our very own family members, Lisa Rogers.

VFE Foliage Styling by Lisa creates simply stunning bespoke foliage designs for clients wishing to wow their guests with foliage and lighting boxes, greenery garlands and backdrops.

The look could be charmingly rustic or coolly sophisticated, depending on the chosen theme, and absolutely everything is tailor-made.

Lisa, who is the sister of Village Farm Co-director Tony Newman, moved up to Yorkshire from London in 2018 and has more than 20 years of experience running floristry businesses. Here she explains more about this growing new trend in the events – and particularly weddings – market.

Loving the Yorkshire lifestyle

In early 2018, after a career spanning more than 30 years working in garden centres and running a floristry business in Kent, Lisa decided the time was right to leave southern England behind and bring her considerable expertise to Yorkshire.

“I suppose I was at a point in life where I was feeling a little bit lost, I’d had a bereavement and my brother Tony, who runs Village Farm Marquees with his wife Chrysta, suggested I think about coming to live near them in East Yorkshire,” Lisa explained.

She made the move in May last year and is now settled in the rural village of Beeford on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and believes this fresh start has done her a world of good.

“It was a bit of a leap of faith for me to take, but I absolutely love living here. The people are so friendly, it feels very different to living in the south. I’ve met a new partner, am near family, have a new line of work and can honestly say I can’t remember ever feeling so relaxed and happy,” she said.

Now Lisa is bestowing all her years of staying ahead of the trend curve to Village Farm Events’ clients here in Yorkshire. She added: “This is a very exciting time for me, I’m really enjoying working alongside Chrysta and Tony. Foliage is very much a developing trend at the moment thanks to its ability to transform the look and feel of a room or marquee, and I have lots of fresh ideas that I can bring to the table for our clients.”

Versatile way to add interest

Foliage has long been used to frame flower arrangements and wedding bouquets, but over the past year or so it has really come into its own. A surge in the popularity of ‘back to nature’ style celebrations with woodland settings, barns, and rustic themes has seen a growth in the amount of greenery used for decoration, accessorising, bouquets, headwear and buttonholes – pretty much anything that can go green, has!

“Used imaginatively, greenery can not only be a fabulous foil for the beauty of flowers, adding interest and depth and setting off the striking colours, but by itself it can create layers of different textures, shades and shapes,” Lisa said.

“The overall effect of well-arranged foliage can be equally as stunning as a floral display. It can be gentle, wispy, and delicate, firm, glossy, furry or even spiky. And it’s far from just ‘green’. Variegated plants possess all manner of colour palettes, and ‘plain’ leaves are often far from it – they can range from purplish-black to bright reds, and pale greys to blues.”

She added: “It’s incredibly versatile and works brilliantly with rustic-themed events. More and more people are wanting to ‘bring the outside in’ at their celebrations and this is a beautiful way of achieving that vibe.”

Stunning collection

Lisa’s suite of hand-crafted decorations includes table accessories, hoops and garlands, foliage and lighting boxes. All can be used throughout the marquee or room in a multitude of ways to create a visually stunning effect.

“I source all my greenery from local suppliers, and even grow some of my own. The exact content of each arrangement will depend on what’s in season, but there’s always lots of choice,” she said.

Tables can be adorned with vases, jars or bottles, and Lisa sometimes adds twisted willow for a touch of texture. Hoops can vary in size and be half or fully covered, and the lighting boxes are perhaps the most dramatic feature Lisa creates. “Usually the boxes are positioned down the centreline of the marquee, with lighting installed underneath and foliage spilling out over the top and down the sides of the box. It’s quite simple really but it looks amazing,” she added.

Each product is entirely hand-made by Lisa, and If clients have any special requests or ideas, she’ll do her best to incorporate them.

Chrysta Newman, Village Farm’s Co-director, said: “Launching VFE Foliage Styling by Lisa feels like such a natural progression, Lisa’s experience and knowledge is unrivalled and she’s going to be a huge asset to us.

“Greenery is so on point at the moment, we’re getting lots of orders for foliage styling and it’s wonderful to see clients are so happy with the results.”

For more information about VFE Foliage Styling by Lisa, email info@villagefarmmarquees.co.uk or call 01262 468160.