Q&A with Cambridgeshire Florist Feather and Ferns
I was lucky enough to spend some time with the gorgeous Becky from
Cambridgeshire Florist Feather and Ferns recently, when we collaborated on our Tribal themed styled shoot (check it out here!). I captured some shots of her preparing her incredible florals for the shoot, and she took the time to answer some questions for me, so I wanted to share them with you!
Hi Becky! Tell me a little bit about you and your business!
I’m a floral designer based in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, and I work all over the place and will happily travel to wherever people’s flowery needs take me! I love to create natural style floral pieces, and to focus on details like ribbons, lace and velvet, especially on the gathered style boutonnieres that I love to create (I think guys deserve nice flowers too!)
And tell me a little bit more about yourself – the lady behind the business!
I grew up in Shropshire and have always had green fingers! My first job was in a rose garden centre set in the most beautiful 16th century grounds of a monks retreat, and I worked there for many years in the summer holidays, and then full time when I returned from college.
I was brought up by my grandparents and was always outdoors, I used to fish with my granddad, (until I hooked his hand with a fishing hook, suffice to say he stopped taking me after that!) As well as floristry, my other passion in life is dancing. I have always danced my whole life, and at the age of 17 I was auditioning for top performing arts schools. I got into the professional pantomime in Shrewsbury dancing in “The Wizard of Oz” (I wasn’t a munchkin!)
What five words would you use to describe your business?
Elegant, Beautiful, Pretty, Natural, Different
What is your biggest business highlight to date?
In May 2017 I created part of the M&S garden at the RHS Chelsea flower show. It won Gold! possibly my biggest achievement in floristry to date! So far this year a huge highlight has been finding out that a styled shoot I took part in was getting featured by a wedding blog!
What sort of wedding do you love to work at? What inspires you?
When a bride comes along to meet me for their consultation, I always ask them to put together a board of ideas on Pinterest specifically for their wedding flowers. I think it is really important that I get to see their ideas – and get a tad excited when I start seeing oversized, textured and blousey blooms that they have pinned. That’s when I know they are my ideal client! It’s also really great when a couple is experimental and open to suggestions. Choosing a colour scheme is far better than being dead set on a particular variety of flower, as I can often find little floral gems at the wholesalers that would fit perfectly with the couples overall theme, potentially a flower that had not even been thought of yet is the one that often makes the whole design flow!
What top tips would you give a couple organising their big day?
My biggest tip for couples when choosing wedding flowers is to choose ones that are in season, and choose a colour theme rather than specific blooms. This way flowers in season on their wedding day will be of the best quality and price.
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
As well as all the gorgeous weddings that I have lined up this year, I’m looking forward to meeting lots more couples for 2019 any beyond! I’m also excited to collaborate more on styled shoots with other local suppliers which is a fab way of being creative and getting some gorgeous images! I’m also keen to keep learning and developing my floristry skills, so I am going to embark on some personal workshops with florists I admire too. It’s going to be a busy year!
Contact Cambridgeshire Florist Feather & Ferns
Website – http://www.featherandferns.com
Email – info@featherandferns.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/featherandferns/
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/featherandferns
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/featherandferns/pins/
Instagram – https://instagram.com/featherandferns/