EST. 2011
I thought I would rewind a bit and start this off with a little backstory since this trip meant a lot to me! I’ve been a loyal Jo Malone London fan and admirer for a handful of years now and have been lucky enough to get to know a couple members of their team over the last few years. I truly believe in the brand, their story, and amazing products–and use them religiously.
They’ve always inspired me on so many levels. Beyond my affinity for their range of products (which always reign supreme on my beauty shelf and coffee table), I will always admire the creativity behind every product they launch, and the fun they have along the way. I come from a marketing background and have always felt passionate about discerning design, meticulous attention to detail, and impeccably dialed in branding. They always exceed down to every last detail. So thank you, JML, for inspiring me endlessly and for letting me be a part of your world.
Side note: I also want to thank you, guys! When I met with my friends at JML this spring and went into the Union Street location in San Francisco, I heard something that made me really happy. They told me that people come in all the time asking to learn about their products after learning about them via BoC. One thing I’ve learned about working for myself is to soak up those moments when you hear feedback like that and to relish and celebrate the small successes. I’m sure this spreading-of-JML-love played a role in my invite to London, so thank you again for your interest in keeping up with my life and inspirations, and continued loyalty to BoC!
We found out about the trip a few months back (Matt got to come along with me!) and were so excited to be taken on this adventure to celebrate the launch of Honeysuckle & Davana. Which, by the way, has become one of my new favorites. A top contender scent for our wedding day! The first night of events, we had cocktails at the Jo Malone Townhouse… the most stunning flat as I’m sure you could imagine. Flowers bloomed in every corner, crawling up walls, and covering mantles. Handsome JML gentlemen in bowties sweeping the room with trays of champagne and hors-d’oeuvres, candles flickering throughout, loud and lively tunes from the DJ in the main living room, and I bet you can imagine how delicious it smelled…
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Katie (Jo Malone… coolest job ever), me, Erica, and Marissa–so lovely meeting these inspiring ladies!
After the cocktail party, we walked over to Chiltern Firehouse, as I mentioned here, and had dinner before calling it a night. We had a very early morning wakeup call–5:50 am the next day, so I took a quick bubble bath and headed to sleep…
As soon as we arrived at the Denham Aerodrome, energy and excitement took over! It’s not every day you get whisked away to England’s countryside on a helicopter… (it was my first time in a helicopter, too, so pretty dreamy overall!)
Coffee and tea as we watched our rides arrive. We all hopped in for takeoff, admired all of the mansions and the city below along the way, and made our way over to Walled Nursery in Kent for the afternoon…
You know I live for gardens, scenes of green, and candles all day every day… this place was pure magic. Always on point, Jo Malone had honeysuckle flowers blooming throughout the venue and a few workshops that tied in the inspiration behind their newest fragrance…
Workshop No.01
Botanical dye, a new found hobby. This greenhouse was filled to the brim with fresh blooms which we used to create beautiful scarves from flower petals, which end up looking like a tie-dye work of art. We picked petals and designed our own color stories and patterns. This workshop might have been my favorite because it was so unique…
Workshop No.02
A little spritz on a Thursday at 11 am never hurt anybody…
For this workshop, we got to put on our mixology hats and create our own cocktails. A bevy of ingredients to choose from like homemade honeysuckle syrup, champagne, juices, gin, and flower and herb serums (Davana is an herb, FYI!). And then topped off our sparkling beverages with the most beautiful garnishes from the garden…
I called mine the “The Gardener”
1 shot honeysuckle syrup
1 shot gin
5 drops of elderflower
splash of grapefruit juice
a lemon peel
top off of champagne
Workshop No.03
Flower arranging! This was another favorite, as you may guess. We used freshly picked farm flowers and herbs (never thought to use mint… genius) to create wild and unruly bouquets. I’m always up for taking a stab at making an effortless arrangement, my kind of afternoon activity. Matt said I was smiling from ear to ear the entirety of this one, haha…
And then brunch was served…
(Read: meticulous attention to detail!) This setting was breathtaking and gave me major inspiration for our wedding. We sat down and got to hear about the story behind Honeysuckle & Davana. A complex floral that changes throughout the day, warm and summery during the daytime, but really comes alive at night.
“The wildness of honeysuckle, winding through the English countryside. Climbing. Twisting. Ever more alluring after dark. Fresh with rose and the aromatic, fruity twist of davana. Woody with moss. Warmed by sunshine.
Ah, such a fun week to look back on. A very big thank you to the JML team for such an incredibly cool experience… one I will always remember (and my first time to London!).
Be sure to check out their newest scent, Honeysuckle & Davana– you’ll love it.
