SPOTLIGHT ON

Selina Godsal

Those who regularly keep up to date with our Instagram feed and our Iscoyd blog know that running Iscoyd is very much a team effort. In fact, we shared a recent post on the blog where the very subject of the article was that ‘teamwork makes the dream work‘ and it really does. Without the mammoth efforts that our lovely team makes every single day, Iscoyd would not be the prizewinning wedding venue it is today. We consider every single individual – from the maintenance team to the gardeners, front of house to housekeepers, our wedding fairy godmothers, the chef team, the bar staff, waiting staff, comperes, our office team and everyone besides – a member of the wider Iscoyd family.

But perhaps what is less well known is that every member of the Godsal family – who own Iscoyd Park – contributes to the team effort too. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Iscoyd’s history then it’s worth mentioning that Iscoyd Park has been in the Godsal family since 1843. Phil and Susie Godsal took over the running of the house from Phil’s father (also called Philip!) in 2009 and began the exhilarating journey that has led us to where we are right here in 2023.

 

Top Images: Ann Kathrin Koch Photography | Bottom Image: The Little Paper Shop

 

Phil’s father is still very much involved with Iscoyd and his wife Selina is no exception. Selina is an accomplished florist, (we like to refer to her as a floral aficionado),  and is responsible for the wonderful whimsical arrangements you see dotted around the house. And that’s not all! When Selina has finished creating floral perfection in the house, you’ll find her in her studio producing the most decadent wedding flowers too. All of the flowery creations accompanying this post were produced by Selina’s green fingers for weddings held here at Iscoyd. We thought it was only right to shine the spotlight on Selina this month and take a little bit of time to introduce her to you, ask her about her favourite things about Iscoyd and if she has any tips and tricks to boot…

Images: Ann Kathrin Koch Photography

 

So Selina how did you first dip your toe into floristry? I suppose it began by doing flowers for friends and it developed from there. My first proper ‘gig’ so to speak was creating the flowers for the wedding of Boris Johnson to Allegra Mostyn-Owen.

Wonderful! Which season would you say is your favourite for creating flowers? It would have to be Spring!

Which part of Iscoyd is your favourite to dress? Definitely the main hall and staircase.

Which is your favourite bedroom in the house? I love the Day Nursery with its cool blue colour scheme.

What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? Oh it would be my three lovely talented daughters!

Top Left Image: Claire Penn Photography | Top Right: Leah Lombardi Photography | Bottom Image: Ann Kathrin Koch Photography

 

What skill would you like to learn? I would love to be an incredibly good painter. I collect so many pictures!

What is the strangest food combination you enjoy? Oh that would be Olive tapenade on hot buttery toast. I’d have it for breakfast, lunch and supper if I could!

Lastly, what is the best advice you have received? Be kind and never judge. It’s stood me in good stead.

 

I think you’ll agree that we are so lucky to have such a talented member of the family here at Iscoyd, someone who knows the house and gardens intimately and with a heartfelt connection to the people that reside within it. We feel so incredibly grateful to Selina for the rather brilliant interpretations that she creates for the communal spaces. We’ve seen everything from naturalistic arrangements in the spirit of Piet Oudolf in the Coach House, to hanging floral bombs suspended from the ceiling in our marquee. Selina’s use of seasonal blooms to decorate, for example using berries and rosehips in Autumn, evergreens in Winter and of course the delicate perfumed flowers of Spring helps to support the wider sustainable net zero goals that Iscoyd strives for as well. It really is, as we say, a complete team effort!

Top Image: The Little Paper Shop | Bottom Image: Tobiah Tayo Photography

 

Whilst weddings have been our main focus along with private parties, we  have recently been developing a reputation for our program of in-house entertainments. Due to the popularity of our events, our floral team is now expanding to support Selina. The wonderful Charlie, one of our wedding planning gurus is returning from maternity leave at the end of August, and will be installing all of Iscoyd’s House florals and assisting the rest of the wedding planning Fairy Godmothers wherever she is needed. This will provide Selina with more time to create the breathtaking and beautiful flowery arrangements for weddings she is known for that take place at the house.

We hope you’ve enjoyed ‘meeting’ Selina and adored looking at the images of her boundless creativity as much as we experience them in the flesh. If you are interested in enlisting Selina’s help for your wedding day then please do contact the team here at Iscoyd and they will be more than happy to put you in touch. In the meantime keep your eye on our Instagram feed to see what she creates next…

All our Iscoyd love

xxx