This week in my Florist Friday blog post series, I’m delighted to feature a florist who is involved in creating wedding flowers for beach weddings in the UK (!)…Emma Newson Smith of Arcade Flowers.
How long have you been a recommended supplier for Beach Weddings Bournemouth?
We’ve been a recommended supplier since Beach Weddings Bournemouth started in 2011. The first ever beach wedding in the UK was televised live on Daybreak.
Which months of the year & what days of the week do beach weddings generally take place?
The beach wedding season starts in April and ends in September. Weddings can take place any day of the week, but Saturdays are the most popular.
Could you tell us about the set-up with regards to floral designs for a typical beach wedding ?
A typical set-up would include decorating the gorgeous driftwood arch, an arrangement for the registrar’s table in the beach hut, lovely bucket pew ends to hang along the aisle often incorporating a seaside theme, pedestals either side of the beach hut entrance and tablecentres for the reception in the marquee. Every wedding has different requirements and working together with the lovely ladies at Beach Weddings Bournemouth, we love to make every one special for the bride and groom.
Are there any particular types of flowers and foliage that brides-to-be at beach weddings favour?
Every wedding at the beach has been different but hydrangeas, peonies, roses and astilbe and other flowers that create a loose ‘beachy’ feel have been popular. Soft peaches, pinks and corals seem to be the trend for this year. We’re really looking forward to all of our diverse weddings this season. Let’s hope the sun shines!
Could you tell us about Arcade Flowers?
Arcade Flowers is based in Ringwood in the beautiful New Forest. I own the shop and have been trading for 6 years. The Arcade team consists of full and part-time staff members, plus our shop dog! We all come from different backgrounds in floristry, with different previous lives. But one thing we all have in common is that we’re madly deeply in love with flowers!
Emma – Trained as a florist after a career in marketing and events, constantly having ideas and never stop working! I love getting creative and mooching around charity shops.
Emzie – A florist through and through, she has been with Emma since the start. Emzie loves the first lilac of the season and Radio 2.
Jo – Trained as a florist after many years as a mental health practitioner…any problems ask Jo! Jo loves designing events and a good cleaning session.
Sue – Trained as a florist after a career in design, she now works part-time with Arcade and spends the rest of her week training budding florists at a local horticultural college. Sue loves weddings and dancing in the shop.
Alice – Our newbie member of staff, after a false start as a fine artist, has found her true passion…floristry. Alice loves all flowers and coffee mochas.
Butler – The dog. He thinks he’s a florist and often joins in with the wedding consultations. Butler loves lunch leftovers and Boneo.
Thank you so much to Emma and Sue for all their help in compiling today’s blog post. To see more of their beautiful work, please do visit the Arcade Flowers website.
Social Media
To keep up-to-date with news from Arcade Flowers, here’s where you can find them on social media:
Facebook: Arcade Flowers
Twitter: Arcade Flowers
Pinterest: Arcade Flowers
(Images : 2. Fiona Moorey Photography, 3. & 4. Ian H Photography, 5. Murakami Photography, 7., 8. & 9. Anna Morgan Photography)
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