Event Styling

It’s a (Wedding) Jungle Out There! Supplier Showcase: Real Oasis

Julia Smith

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After Wills and Kate lined the aisle at Westminster Abbey with real trees, it seems that bringing the outside in may just be en vogue.  Stay ahead of the trend with Real Oasis.

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Fancy a countryside wedding in the heart of the city or a jungle in your back garden?  Real Oasis can bring nature to you when saying I do! Brides Up North chats to this Featured Supplier about topiary, all things flora and breaking with tradition…

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Real Oasis

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What services does Real Oasis offer?

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Greenery hire for special events, i.e. Palm trees, bamboos, olive trees, topiary, artificial grass, shrubs, floral displays, wedding arches, trees…the list is endless. From providing a pair of matched topiary lollipops through to creating a wedding jungle.

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Real Oasis

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What is your favourite "look" that Real Oasis has created and why?

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Wow, that’s a difficult one. From a personal point of view I always like the challenges when someone says “We’d like to do X or how can we achieve Y?”! Creating the first wedding jungle was exciting – two hours to get 400 plants into place and no time to snag and twiddle but it went really well. Another memorable one was creating a circle of large birch trees with fairy lights in them as a meeting spot at midnight, the photos we were sent were all blurred but you could tell it was a special time with everyone sitting, chatting and laughing, it looked like it went on until dawn.

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What are the plant trends for weddings in 2011?

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“Experimental” seems to be this years growing trend. Topiary is always in demand for weddings but we are seeing more and more people are starting to experiment with the look of their weddings, especially for couples over 30. Creating a themed wedding using plants is on the rise and people are definitely getting more experimental with what they can achieve.

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Real Oasis

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What "themes" can you cater for and how would this work?

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If it’s greenery related we can probably do it. In the past we have done jungles, bamboo forests, tree walkways and bespoke creations like using greenery to create a certain effect. This area is probably the most interesting from Real Oasis’s point-of-view because we get to be creative, rather than just placing specimen plants.

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Are plants and flowers really that important at a wedding?  Why?

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Not at all. Plants and flowers have to mean something to the individuals concerned, just because having flowers at a wedding is a tradition that does not mean that a wedding has to have them. We hate it when the bride or groom calls and they are obviously not particularly interested but are just going through the motions.

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On the other hand, when the couple are excited about what is possible and want to achieve something special that’s great and it makes working towards their event a pleasure.

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Real Oasis

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What sets your service apart from other similar companies?

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There are only three companies in the UK doing what we do. The other two are based near London, one of them specialises in film work rather than weddings.  However, there are quite a few companies that supply topiary.

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When we compare ourselves to these competitors I think we come out pretty well. We constantly strive to come up with new ideas and products, we don’t just supply topiary. We are always experimenting in order to make a real impact.

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On the floral side, we work with a number of fantastic floral companies and individual florists. In addition, we refer work on if a client is not having any plants.  This arrangement works well as the florists tend to reciprocate when they need plants.

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Real Oasis

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What flowers or plants would you choose for your own wedding?

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Cheeky, I’m already married. 😉

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I think a lot would depend on the venue we booked. I might have to get married quite a few times to have all the different options that are available, that would be expensive but it would be fun.

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Can you give Brides Up North an idea on prices for your services?

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Every event we do is bespoke, no two weddings are the same and everyone has a different vision of what they would like to achieve. Price wise our plants range from cheap and cheerful items like small table top lavenders or olive plants at around £5 through to seriously large palm trees and bamboos some costing hundreds.

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Real Oasis

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How can Brides Up North get in touch with you/ see more examples of your work?

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Most people find us through referrals or the website www.realoasis.com and get in touch to chat through their requirements. If anyone wants to visit, they are welcome but they must make an appointment, as the plants are located on a number of working nurseries.

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Real Oasis

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Any thing else that Brides Up North should know?

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There’s more secret sauce!

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At this point, we are not giving much away apart from saying that we are calling it the ultimate wedding arch. It’s a fantastic product, which hotels, marquee companies, wedding planners, everyone in the wedding industry whom we have discussed the idea with has been very enthusiastic about. The ultimate wedding arch will go live in June 2011.

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We think there will be a huge demand for weddings and will not only look great but will also solve a number of problems for weddings using outdoor spaces.

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We also offer a design service which is free of charge, especially useful for clients that are not used to working with plants as inexperience can lead to hiring completely the wrong type or size of plants.

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Real Oasis

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Can you do a discount for Brides Up North readers?

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We think our prices are very fair, but we do offer a discount based on quantity. We also have trade accounts for wedding professionals.

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Why do you read and like Brides Up North?

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Huh? Doesn’t everyone? 😉

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The approach is really fresh, passionate and very exciting.

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Real Oasis is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier

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