In Full Bloom! Supplier Showcase: I Heart Flowers

Bloomin’ gorgeous! This morning, I talk all things flora with friendly florist Sophie Wilson of I Heart Flowers. This girl turns simple blooms into masterpieces. A veritable floral artiste! Brides Up North loves her work. Prepare to be very, very inspired…

Lillian & Leonard

How did I Heart Flowers begin?

I’ve always had a bit of an artistic streak in me, but I didn’t imagine myself being a florist until a few years ago. I studied Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art after leaving school, originally planning to become
an art teacher after I’d finished my degree. However after four years of art school I didn’t want to study any more, so I started working. For a few years I worked my way through various jobs, with varying degrees of success and enjoyment, but none of them felt like something I could do in the long term. Then I heard of a friend who was doing a course in floristry, and I thought I might enjoy it so I signed up when the next year long course started at the end of the summer. After the first week I knew I had the floristry bug and soon I’d finished the course and was a proper, certified, qualified florist! I went on to work in three different shops in Scotland, picking up different ideas and skills, and learning that it was much harder working in a florist’s shop than it had been at college!

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I Heart Flowers was born early in 2010, when I steeled myself and started advertising as an independent freelance florist after being made redundant from the florist I was working at. I wasn’t sure what it would become when I started out but I decided I wanted to concentrate on bespoke designs for people, any excuse to use my sculptural skills! I also wanted to avoid working in a shop and constantly reproducing the same relay order bouquets each day. Creating wedding flowers for people seemed like the perfect avenue
for my creativity, so I went with it. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else!

Lillian & Leonard

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What services do you offer?

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I Heart Flowers will create beautiful flowers for your wedding day, or any other special event. I can provide everything from bouquets and buttonholes to decorations for your venue. I’m happy to make up pretty much anything you could imagine, floral archways, wild and organic pedestal designs, or even hanging arrangements – the sky’s the limit! As your florist, I will work with you to design something special that reflects your personality. I’m based in Glasgow but I can work on location anywhere in the UK, or worldwide.

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What is your favourite bouquet design and why?

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I love the simplicity of a rounded hand tied posy. Its really versatile as there are so many combinations of flowers you can use and it works well with most dress styles and body shapes. I like to make them a little looser and less structured, giving a more natural and less rounded look. Because you see the handle of a posy style bouquet you can also have a bit of fun decorating the stems with ribbon, pearls or decorative wire; or simply tie on a bow and leave the stems showing.

Emma Case Photography

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What are the floral trends for weddings in 2011?

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Blue seems to be really popular for wedding flowers this year, particularly teamed with hot pink for a contrasting look. Antique pinks and creams are still really sought after too. A lot of couples are going for a luxurious, retro look combining simple colours, seasonal flowers and vintage finds like milk glass and old books on their tables. I’ve also been seeing a lot of heavy fabrics used like velvets and damasks which give a luxurious feel to a wedding.

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Any really memorable weddings that you have provided your services for?

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I was lucky enough to be able to do the flowers for the lovely Anna of wedding blog Anna and the Ring at her wedding to Bean. Anna had loads of great ideas and wanted everything in shades of pink and purple, which are my favourite colours. I loved Anna’s chic, vintage style too. My favourite on that day has to be Anna’s bouquet – we used amazing scented roses from the Real Flower Company and I tied on a locket given to Anna which was a really sweet personal touch. I also loved the purple orchids we suspended above the aisle, hanging between two chandeliers. Anna was kind enough to let me stay and enjoy the wedding with all her lovely guests, and helped me dig my car out of the snow the next morning!

Emma Case Photography

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I also did a wonderful, wild wedding in House for an Art Lover in Glasgow which was special to me because it was like creating a fairytale landscape. I was so nervous about the flowers being just right because I hadn’t met the couple, Kristen and Paul before the wedding. They travelled over from America just before the wedding so we’d only been able to chat on the phone and via email. Kristen was great and gave me a free reign on the designs, simply sending me pictures of the kind of flowers she liked and letting me use my imagination on the rest. We used loads of moss, ferns and branches to give a feeling of being lost in the woods, and stuck to whites and creams with hints of purple. I also happened across some beautiful, purple flowering mint when I went to collect the flowers from the wholesaler, which I included in the designs along with some lovely scented lavender.

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What can Brides Up North do to achieve a stunning floral look on a budget?

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My advice to all brides, especially those on a budget is to go for local, seasonal flowers. Not only are they the best quality when they are in season, but they are also more reasonably priced than imports like orchids and flowers grown out of season in heated glasshouses.

You can achieve a simple yet effective look by using only one type of flower but showcasing it using just a few stems in some interesting glassware. Parrot tulips can be particularly effective in the spring as they come in a variety of unusual colour combinations and have wonderful frilled and textured petals. To keep bouquet costs down, you can hold a single stem of hydrangea instead of a small bouquet. This works well as hydrangeas are a large, statement flower and also come in loads of great colours, including two tone varieties.

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Another great tip is to give your bridesmaids flowers to wear in their hair, or wrist corsages instead of a bouquet.

Lillian & Leonard

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Are flowers really that important at a wedding?

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I think flowers are a very personal thing, and are evocative of special times in people’s lives. Its great to include some of the same flowers that your mother carried on her wedding day, or the flower that symbolises the month of your birth. Flowers are a luxury, and you don’t get married every day so I think its nice to have a bit of a treat and go for flowers to mark the occasion as special. Having a specific flower at your wedding is also a good excuse for your husband to buy them again for you on your anniversary if he’s the romantic type!

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What sets your service apart from other florists?

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I always try to make each wedding unique, and provide truly personal designs for each couple rather than letting them choose a set design from a portfolio. I don’t have the ties of running a shop so I can focus my energy on weddings alone and have more time to work with my clients. I’m fussy when it comes to what I would choose in a supplier so I try and give the kind of service I would expect myself. My time at art school also sets me apart from the average florist, I may not get to use my experience every day but its great to have some technical know how for creating bigger, more adventurous pieces.

Lillian & Leonard

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What flowers would you choose for your own wedding?

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I’m a single lady right now, but I’d definitely take my own advice and go for seasonal flowers. I love the autumn for its gorgeous dahlias, oak leaves and large, sculptural varieties of chrysanthemum. I’d also use berries in abundance like snowberries (symphoricarpos), wild raspberries and blackberries, and berried ivy along with moss and branches for a wild and unstructured look. I would definitely wear flowers in my hair too!

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

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Every wedding is different so I don’t have a set price list as I like to provide a personalised quote for each couple depending on their requirements for flowers. As a rough guide bouquets start from around 25 for bridesmaids and from 50 for brides, buttonholes and corsages start from 4, venue decoration can start from just a few pounds per arrangement for simple bud vases and range upwards from there depending on the size and style of the arrangements.

Lillian & Leonard

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Can you do a discount for Brides Up North readers?

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I Heart Flowers is delighted to be able to offer a 10% discount for all Brides Up North Readers – just get in touch and let me know you read Brides Up North!

Lillian and Leonard

Any thing else that Brides Up North should know?

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I only ever take on one wedding per day, so when you book me as your florist you’ve got me all to yourself. I deal with everything personally, from the initial email and consultation right through to delivering and installing your flowers on the day of the wedding. I love getting emails so get in touch for a chat even if you don’t need any flowers – I’m always happy to hear from people!

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

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You can see more examples of my work on my blog, follow me on twitter @weheartflowers and find
me on facebook.

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If you want to get in touch with any questions or to arrange a consultation for your flowers just email me at sophie@iheartflowers.co.uk – I’d be happy to hear from you.

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Why do you read Brides Up North?

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I like the variety of different wedding styles on Brides up North, from vintage cool to traditional chic and funky modern glamour. Its good to have a wedding blog resource for brides that aren’t based in London – there’s plenty of Northern gals who need wedding inspiration too!

Dawn Martim Photography

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