Ace Suppliers #1: Horseshoe Flowers
Since moving to Derbyshire I’ve been lucky enough to meet some incredible wedding suppliers across the East Midlands. And in the strange times we’re living in right now, we’re all about showing solidarity for our small business sisters!
So here’s the first in our series profiling ace wedding suppliers. Over to the lovely Sarah from Horseshoe Flowers in Nottinghamshire!
Supplier Profile: Horseshoe Flowers, Nottinghamshire
Jess: Tell us a bit about you and your business? How did you get into it?
Sarah: I recently moved back to the UK from New York where I worked in fashion design for over 10 years. I got so disillusioned with the fast fashion world, the throwaway aspect and also the carbon footprint.
I wanted to move into something that was creative, used a lot of the skills I had already learned, and was more connected to nature. So I retrained at the prestigious New York Flower School and the rest is history!
Jess: During these odd times a lot of ladies are having to switch their wedding to a different season. How does this affect their wedding flowers?
Sarah: In this day and age, it’s possible to get most things shipped in from all over the world. But as I prefer to source locally where possible, it can be a bit difficult to have certain flowers at certain times of the year. But the wonderful thing about flowers is that there is always something amazing available. It’s how you put the combination together that’s important!
For example, some winter blooms are even more special than the usual summer flowers we all know and love. And it’s possible to create something more original and unique this way.
Jess: What’s your favourite type of wedding floral brief to work with? And why?
Sarah: For me, it’s more about creating that dream and bringing a bride’s vision to life than it is about specifics. Seeing a bride’s face when she sees her bouquet for the first time is what it’s all about!
Jess: How far in advance do brides need to plan when picking a wedding florist?
Sarah: It all depends on the scale of the work, but for the most part we can work within any timeframe. A year in advance gives us chance to review what’s in season at the same time, but as long as we have availability we can pull something fabulous together in as little as 6 weeks.
Jess: In the current climate, some couples are choosing to have smaller ceremonies asap, then a bigger party to follow. What would your advice be for someone wanting to link the two events visually in terms of flowers, especially if the two events fall at different times of year?
Sarah: I think flowers are a wonderful way of linking the two events together. We can work to create a strong colour palette that can be taken through to both events. I would also choose at least one main flower that can be central to both events for a continuous look.
Jess: Do you follow trends in floral arrangements? What are you seeing a lot of / predicting for next year?
Sarah: I find that most brides are looking for a more classic look but we adjust it slightly based on current trends.
Right now I’m really feeling for either simplicity – a bouquet made with all one flower type – or the complete opposite end of the scale by incorporating dried bohemian inspired grasses in with florals.
It’s an all or nothing kind of approach!