Question 1

What is your advice on planning a sustainable wedding?

Accepted Answer

Choose flowers that're in season and locally-sourced. Flower farms are all over the country growing an abundance of seasonal blooms. Ask your florist to source from them or pick them up yourselves. We're very fortunate to have lots of Yorkshire-based flower farms right on our doorstep. Head to charity shops for some great finds such as vintage china and glassware. You'd be giving something to a good cause when you buy, then you can donate the items back afterwards. Make your own confetti. If you have bunches of flowers around the home past their best, pick off the petals and dry them. You can also ask your family and friends to do the same. In no time, you'll have plenty of natural confetti ready to be thrown on the big day, and the bonus is the petals smell amazing even when dried. If you're giving favours to your guests, then gift something homemade such as jams and gins, or be really eco-friendly with a packet of seeds to plant at home.

Question 2

What should we look out for in the world of weddings in 2024?

Accepted Answer

Following on from the success of my brides choosing the most colourful bouquets in 2023, I'm going to say the bolder and brighter the better! Muted colours have been around too long so let's have a change and go wow. Let's make 2024 a bright floral boom filled with the colours of the rainbow in your bridal bouquets! Show off your colourful personality by having a floral, colourful wedding. Why not bring back those hippy days with any colour goes? On that note, sunflowers along with other brightly coloured blooms will give you a wedding to impress.

Question 3

What is your advice on creating an elegant winter wedding?

Accepted Answer

To infuse an elegant winter vibe into your wedding flowers, first consider some key elements. Embrace rich, regal colours such as burgundy, deep greens, navy, and plum for a cosy winter feel. Incorporate textural elements too, for example velvet ribbons, faux fur wraps or metallic accents for added luxury. Meanwhile, include evergreen foliage like pine, cedar, and eucalyptus to achieve a winter forest vibe, complete with a touch of gold or silver metallic accents to create a sense of opulence. Alternatively, to mimic the glistening frost of winter, incorporate crystal elements or sparkling accessories. You might even consider a light dusting of artificial snow or iridescent glitter for a frosty touch. If a rustic vibe is more your thing, go ultra seasonal with red berries and pine cones. Finally, candlelit décor is a must when creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, so combine with your floral arrangements to achieve the full effect. By blending any of these elements you and your floral designer can create wedding flower arrangements that exude the elegance and magic of a winter wonderland, making your special day one to remember.

Question 4

I keep reading about the importance of using seasonal flowers for our wedding. Why is this – and what flowers should we consider for our August day?

Accepted Answer

Being a sustainable florist, I agree wholeheartedly! The varieties in season will be in abundance, so are more likely to offer better value for money. I also work with local growers which means the distance from field to bouquet is limited, making the flowers more environmentally friendly with a lower carbon footprint to boot. Some of my favourites for a summer wedding would include Butterfly Ranunculus, Cosmos in several varieties, Achillea in various tones, Sweet Peas, Larkspur, Cornflower, Nigella, Scabiosa and Clematis, to name a few. Almost all varieties come in a wide choice of colours and tones, so anything is achievable.

Question 5

Large floral display hoops and arches are currently very on trend. I'm planning my wedding for 2024, will the trend be here to stay? How do I approach this with my florist?

Accepted Answer

Yes! This trend is here to stay! Statement pieces really bring that wow factor to your day, especially if your budget isn't huge and you need to know where to focus the funds. Pair back all the little extras and the unnecessary and go all out with one big floral explosion, that'll have your guests talking long after your big day is over. I'm a huge lover of a flower cloud, I mean who doesn't love a giant burst of romantic drama and you don't get more dramatic than a floating piece of art in the sky. My biggest advice when talking to my couples is to reuse your florals throughout the day, if you have a big floral arch for your ceremony, why not move this to your top table afterwards for that luxe vibe or use it as a backdrop for guests to take snaps in front of. Money discussions always seem a bit of a taboo subject but being open and honest with your florist from the beginning of your discussions will really help them to get the most out of your budget and focus on the aspects that you really want and not the things that get lost and unnoticed on the day.

Question 6

We're getting married in November and would like our flowers to reflect the season. Do you have any suggestions?

Accepted Answer

To reflect the changing season from autumn to winter we would suggest working with darker tones and plenty of textures. Using different winter foliage, berries, dahlias and roses would create a beautiful seasonal feel to your special day.

Question 7

What bouquet designs are currently on trend?

Accepted Answer

The wedding bouquet style I'm finding on trend for this season is a very natural, organic handtied style. A number of my brides for this year are championing sustainability and are requesting British flowers. This is fantastic for our industry as we have such a fabulous array of seasonal British flowers available during our summer wedding season. The brides that have requested British flowers are leaving the flower selection up to me as we're dependent on the weather and availability so on the wedding morning there's an element of surprise as the bride doesn't know what to expect, which can be very nerve-wracking as I hope when I arrive my bride is happy with the finished bouquet.

Question 8

Myself and my partner are passionate about sustainability. I want my wedding to be absolutely stunning but am unsure about what flowers to choose without them all being from overseas.  Any advice?

Accepted Answer

Sustainability in the wedding industry is a hot topic. The great news is that making positive changes with a conscience doesn't mean compromising on style. Whether you feel that a small bouquet of wildflowers or having lots of flowers is important to your wedding day then we have many ways of creating incredible designs in a more sustainable way using these simple techniques: Floral foam free designs: Traditional floristry foam isn't biodegradable, so we never use this in our designs. Use more seasonal flowers: Seasonal flowers provide incredible quality, freshness, scent and style making designs that reflect the season of your wedding. Re-use designs: We love to make designs work hard by moving them throughout the day from the wedding ceremony to the reception. Grown not flown: With incredible British flower growers we don't need to use imported flowers. In the winter months it's more challenging, so we use fair trade imported flowers wherever possible. Recycling flowers: If you can't re-use your flowers after the wedding then gift them on to a charity for someone else to reuse and enjoy them.

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