FLORAL FANCY

www.sarahbartleetphotography.co.uk FLOWERS

Floral fancy Meet local florists

We love flowers here at Your West Midlands Wedding, but with so many talented suppliers to choose from it can be a bit overwhelming. To help, we’ve asked local companies more about their businesses.

MEET MEGAN BARRADELL FROM TWIGG FLORAL DESIGN LTD

www.instagram.com/twiggflowers | www.twiggflowers.co.uk

Q - Tell us about your background – how did you become a florist? I decided to do a City and Guilds Qualification in Floral Design after I was asked to do the flowers for my best friend’s wedding as her florist was taken ill last minute. I loved the creativity of it and working with such beautiful materials. At first, I became disillusioned with turning it into a fulltime career as the industry’s poor ecological track record/impact on the environment just didn’t sit well with my own moral viewpoint. It was only after coming across the wonderful Flowers from the Farm Organisation that I began to understand that it was possible to work with only British grown seasonal blooms and foliage, so last year after being offered some land to rent, I decided to sent up Twigg Floral Design Ltd. I now grow around 80 per cent of my stock without using chemicals or singleuse plastics and supplement when needed from other British growers.

Q - What should couples expect when booking your services? I have a very relaxed, natural style, working with seasonal British flowers and foliage as well as using seed heads, grasses and dried versions to add texture and interest to the designs. I love being able to reflect the couple’s personalities in the blooms I create, using colour and wild elements to make the arrangement unique to them.

Q - What’s your favourite wedding arrangement that you’ve made and why? My favourite arrangement to date has to be the eight-metre meadow scape I created for a top table a few years ago. The meadow style really appealed to me and created a talking point for the guests too. I had also been asked to provide some thank you bouquets, so I created the meadow in shorter sections, so each of the main bridal party got to take their very own slice of meadow home with them. Q - How long before the wedding should couples book? As early as possible. I already have bookings for 2023! For small weddings, I would usually need a minimum of one month’s notice, but it does depend on what the couple is looking for and my availability. It can be difficult organising everything, so I will always try to accommodate a last-minute request if I possibly can.

Q - What’s your favourite part of the job? I love delivering the bouquets to the bridal party and seeing the bride’s face as she sees her flowers for the first time. It’s such a privilege to play even a small part in their day. I really enjoy it when the couple are open to being more adventurous, and I can get creative. I also like incorporating herbs into my designs and adding layers of scent to the arrangement.

Q - Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist? Choose someone that reflects your style and understands the type of day you wish to create. Pinterest is great but don’t let those images dictate what you have – it’s your day, so let your flowers reflect that.

Q - Tell us about your background – how did you become a florist? We’re a Shropshire based florist who has been open for six years. We have recently moved from a retail shop to a large studio, giving us more space and flexibility to focus on weddings and workshops. My name is Anne, and I’m the co-owner of the business with my husband Jamie, who works full time separately and helps out when he can. We’re a small but experienced and passionate team. We all work well together and have a combined 25 years of experience.

We have contracts with several local wedding venues, and we travel all over the West Midlands delivering our wedding flowers. Anne Whysall Florists has won The Wedding Industry Awards West Midlands Prize twice now, and I’ve also been awarded a silver medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

I believe that our passion and love for what we do is translated into our work, meaning every wedding we work on is that bit more special.

Q - What should couples expect when booking your services? Couples should expect our guidance and support from the first meeting at the initial consultation right through to delivery on the day. Most of our clients only know a small amount about flowers, so they look to us to give sound, honest advice about what will make their vision become a reality. We have full transparency with our quotes and pride ourselves on the quality products that we work with. A couple can book as many appointments with us as they wish and can stay in correspondence via email or phone as much as they’d like to. We don’t have a minimum spend and offer a no-obligation quote following the consultation.

Q - How long before the wedding should couples book? I recommend a year. Couples can book the date before that following

www.jaycottphotography.co.uk

an initial consultation and then come for a follow-up meeting during the month/season of their wedding. That way, they can see and smell some of the flowers available.

Q - What’s your favourite part of the job? Creating different flower and foliage combinations and putting together colours, textures and fragrances. I love how different each wedding can be, even if two couples pick a similar colour palette, with a slight change, it can take on a whole new life.

Q - Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist? Try and talk to your florist with an open mind, take inspirational images, of course, but then let the professional make recommendations. We know what flowers are the best quality for your season and what designs will make the most impact within your budget.

MEET KAMIE CHEYNE FROM THE FLORAL CHEYNE

07869 283 583 | www.thefloralcheyne.co.uk

Q - Tell us about your background – how did you become a florist? My floristry experience started when I worked on feature film sets for Disney and Warner Brothers in London as a horticultural set dresser. My love of flowers and plants grew, and when I moved back to the Midlands, I started The Floral Cheyne. I now have a luxury floral studio situated in the heart of Alvechurch.

Q - What should couples expect when booking your services? A memorable, stress-free floral journey from the initial enquiry and bespoke consultation at my studio to the delivery of exquisite luxury flowers, which will be presented in bespoke packaging along with additional special touches.

Q - What’s your favourite wedding arrangement that you’ve made and why? It would have to be my wedding bouquet as it was the first one I ever made before I took the leap into starting The Floral Cheyne professionally.

Q - How long before the wedding should couples book? Flowers can often be left until last, however, if you have a florist that you would like for your day, it is never too early to reach out. Especially in the current climate, diaries are getting very busy for 2022 and 2023 already.

www.ekrpictures.com www.laurajaynephotographer.co.uk

www.th-photography.co.uk www.sophiemayphoto.co.uk

Q - What’s your favourite part of the job? I genuinely love every aspect of the job, even down to the cleaning up, but nothing beats the moment you hand the bouquet to the bride.

Q - Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist? Do your research as every florist has a different style, and you need to love their work before booking!

Photography: @kimshawphotography Bridal wear: @jessicasbridalshrewsbury Menswear: @peterposhsuits Bridesmaid: @perlacocodesigns Florist: @annewhysallflorists Hair: @elegance_hair_design MUA: @emily.mulan.makeupartist

West Midlands’ Award Winning Florists 01743 792333 www.annewhysall.co.uk AnneWhysallFlorists AnneWhysallFlorist

Q - Tell us about your background – how did you become a florist? Before I became a florist, I was a teacher who had an obsession with gardening. That’s where my love of flowers began, and it was growing them for years that led me to think about trying to turn my passion into a job. I never intended to become a florist! I planned only to grow blooms and sell them at farmer’s markets, but people kept asking me if I did weddings, funerals etc, as they loved the natural, country look that I grew. I did my first wedding for Andrew and Kate of Urban Herbs, fellow market traders in 2015, and wedding floristry, funeral arrangements and teaching workshops are now the main strands of my business.

Q - What should couples expect when booking your services? The way I work is quite different to a traditional florist as I specialise in seasonal ingredients, many of which I grow myself. Rather than starting with a set design, I work with colour schemes and what looks loveliest at the time. This approach means that I don’t know exactly what I’m going to make until I’ve gathered up all my flowers and foliage and stand in front of them like a kid in a floral sweet shop. Anyone who works with me needs to be prepared to go with the flow, and this approach requires a high degree of trust from my clients. I offer two types of wedding service – budget packages or a fully bespoke service.

Q - What’s your favourite wedding arrangement that you’ve made and why? My favourite arrangement tends to be whatever I’m working on! The excitement of seeing the ingredients change with each passing week never gets old! At the time of writing, I’m prepping for a wedding at the weekend, and I’m working with scented garden roses, philadelphus (which smells amazing), frothy white Ammi, cornflowers and peonies. I love a creative challenge, so I really enjoy making installation pieces like a silver birch arch dressed in gauzy white muslin and floral accents, hanging hoops and ladders of flowers.

Q - How long before the wedding should couples book? Most of my bespoke clients book at least a year in advance, so my diary tends to fill up for summer weekends quite quickly. Right now, there is obviously a high demand for dates this summer once lockdown restrictions are eased, and 2022 is quite busy already with weddings that have been postponed. For package weddings, as I’m providing only bridal party arrangements (bouquets, buttonholes, corsages) and buckets of cut flowers and foliage for the couple to decorate the venue, I can organise these at relatively short notice depending on the size of the order and my availability.

Q - What’s your favourite part of the job? When all the flowers are gathered up and prepared and the moment arrives when you decide which are the blooms that the bride absolutely must have in her bouquet. It’s such a treat to pick up that bucket of gorgeousness and turn it into something unique and special. Every bouquet is a one-off because flowers never stay the same from one week to the next!

Q - Do you have any top tips for couples looking for a florist? I think it’s really important that you find a florist whose approach and style fits your own – whatever that may be. I realise that some couples may want to know exactly what their flowers will look like in advance and I definitely wouldn’t be the right company for them. Explore suppliers’ websites to see if their images have the look and feel you want for your big day. Don’t pick a natural wild florist if you want modern and geometric or vice versa! When you’ve found someone you’re interested in, make contact and have a chat. Weddings can have a long lead time, and you’re going to be working together for quite a while, so it’s important that you share the same attitude towards the details.

www.roostain.com