Interview of the florist in the Telegraph:
The six English field maples and two hornbeams, which are up to 20ft tall, arrived at the Abbey today as it prepared to close its doors to visitors for the wedding preparations to begin in earnest.
Shane Connolly, the florist chosen to decorate the Abbey, said he wanted to achieve a “wow” factor with the design, in which Miss Middleton played a hands-on role.
The aisle will be decked with native flowers filled with symbolism and grown on the royal estates after the bride-to-be told him: “It has to be British.”
He said: “Catherine is a dream client…like few other brides I've ever met. She has an incredibly good eye.
“Right from the beginning she wanted it to be English, natural, seasonal, ethical, and they're all my great keywords as well.”
Mr Connolly, 47, who is originally from Belfast and designed the bouquet and flowers for the Prince of Wales’s wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005, said he was told about the commission just before Christmas when St James’s Palace asked him to “pop in and discuss something”.
Since then he has held several meetings with Miss Middleton, who was joined at some of them by Prince William, who helped in “a nice and encouraging way”.
Mr Connolly said the bridal bouquet would remain a secret until the wedding day, but added that both he and the bride believed that "green is a very important thing".
The seasonal flowers being used in the displays include Solomon's seal, brought from Sandringham, which symbolises confirmation of love; azaleas, the Chinese symbol of femininity; lilacs, which represent first love, and blossoms, signifying spiritual beauty.
Other blooms being used include rhododendron, euphorbias, beech and wisteria, mostly from Windsor Great Park.
"One of the things that has been very important to Catherine and to me are the meanings of flowers and the language of flowers," Mr Connolly said.
"We've tried, especially in the wedding bouquets, which you'll see on the day, we've tried very much to make beautiful stories.
"The symbolism means a lot to her and also the sourcing has been hugely important.”
The English field maple symbolises humility and reserve, and was used to make loving cups in medieval times, while the hornbeam signifies resilience.
The trees will also evoke Miss Middleton’s home village of Bucklebury, Berks., where the family home lies on an avenue of oaks planted to commemorate a visit to the village by Queen Anne in the 17th century.
Mr Connolly said he hoped the Abbey would look "understated".
He added: "I think you can get wow in several ways and certainly it won't be 'wow, what an extravagance'. It will be 'how beautiful' and hopefully 'how perfectly suited to the day and the nature of the marriage'."
After the wedding, the flowers and trees will remain in situ for a week, where visitors to the Abbey will be able to enjoy them, before the trees are taken to the Prince of Wales’s Highgrove estate, where they will be planted as a permanent reminder of the day.
The team working alongside Mr Connolly includes the Middletons' local family florist, Emma Sampson, 27, who owns the florist Green Parlour in Bucklebury.
She said: "Catherine asked us herself and it was wonderful, I mean, what an honour to be asked to do such a fantastic event and use some amazing flowers hopefully as well."
The young florist said she would be assisting Mr Connolly with two large arrangements that are to be placed on either side of where the bride and groom will be sitting.
Yes the church is nice enough to stand by itself but I don't see anything wrong with spicing it up and putting her touches, her personality, on it. I love nature and I don't think it's an overkill at all.
