Ask the Boss (me!)

We’ve only recently starting writing blogs. We just felt it was the perfect platform for us to talk to all of the wedding work we are doing, feature some amazing weddings, showcase some of our work, support some of our fellow industry professionals and honestly, we wanted to capture the memories.

We (I) thought it would be a good idea to have a little Q+A (with myself) to tell you a little about me, where I’ve come from and where I’m planning to go! A little behind the scenes to give you a feel of the ethos and the drive behind the business.

What made you decide to become a florist?

I was coming up to a few big life changes all at once, I was about to have my second child, I was planning to leave the country I’d called home for 13 years and I was leaving my career. So, it seemed like a good idea to take a moment, think about what I really wanted to do and to grab a brand new life for myself.

The fashion design company I worked for decided to move its offices from New York to San Fransisco, and not wanting to move even further from the UK, I decided to take voluntary redundancy.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my career. I decided I wanted to leave the fashion world and I had never got the idea of being a wedding florist out of my mind. Ever since doing my own wedding flowers, I had just had this niggling idea that it was what I wanted to do.

So, I retrained at the New York Flower School (whilst 36 weeks pregnant!) and got the basics down.

After moving back to the UK, I saw a new and excited emerging trend was happening. Dried and Preserved Flowers. I got stuck in… and got hooked!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I’m obsessed with the flowers. The most exciting thing for me about running this business is when I place an order for my stock. I just love looking at all the options, getting carried away with the options, thinking up new colour groupings (using my fashion training for colour combinations) and seeing what new things I want to invest in.

So, the flowers drive my inspiration. The colours.

What do you like best about your job?

Honestly, it doesn’t feel like a job for me. I love it so much that I happily work in the evenings or when I have some time to myself.

The best, most amazing thing about running this business is getting to know the couples. I love that I am working together with them on one of the happiest days of their lives. They are always so happy and so full of excitement over their special day and its so wonderful to be part if it.

What does a normal day look like for you?

I usually start off the day by catching up with emails, getting back to people with quotes and inspiration boards.

Then I head on over to the studio with a large cuppa where I’ll either be making up orders, meeting clients in the studio or making up trial bouquets for couples to see before their wedding.

I might be taking photos in and about my studio (its a gorgeous 18th century mill building so super photogenic and the perfect backdrop for some good solid instagram fodder!).

The studio gets very messy and I spend a lot of time sweeping up pampas fluff!

I head home about 2.30pm to go and pick my kids up from school. I love how flexible I can be, taking a day to myself here and there and being about to collect my kids from nursery and school. I’m really lucky.

I continue on with instagram and email after the kids are in bed. Instagram is a job in itself!!

What’s been the biggest challenge of running your business so far?

I think the hardest thing has been getting the business to look like a company I want to work for. It sounds weird to say that but the first couple of years I was reacting to the consumer. Putting the consumer at the centre of the business and it became a real slog. After I decided to reshape the business into what I wanted it to be, for me, to make it work for me, and be a business I wanted to work in, it has completely transformed into something I love to do, all the time! And I think it shows in the product, that there has been real joy in creating it.

Where do you want to business to be in 5 years time?

I just want to keep doing more of this, more of what I love and working with more and more happy couples!

I’d love to expand and take on more staff members and really share the happiness!