Wedding Tips: Floristry by Hortus Poeticus

Firstly, tell us a bit about your floristry style?

“Our raison d’être is quite simply to grow the most beautiful flowers we can, and we are fortunate to be renown for doing so. We grow many flowers that are not widely available and look for colour, character, charm and scent when selecting what to grow. This allows us to create with material that is extremely hard to source and make an extraordinarily joyful and distinctive magic.

We arrange in a loose and romantic manner that allows the flowers to be honoured and do the talking. Our creations are about the bridal couple and their story, articulated through the beauty and extraordinary grace of flowers.”

Why do couples choose you for their wedding floristry?

“Much of our work comes from Hortus Poeticus weddings that bridal couples have attended. We are known for our attention to detail, our creativity and our love to work at both ends of the scale. Our designs are always seasonal, romantic, atmospheric and scented whenever possible.

We never import flowers and sustainability is an absolute given. As much as possible we grow everything ourselves or use local growers to support us. We have our own ancient woods and hedgerows to forage for special cuts to enhance the story. Not only no air miles but often very few road miles too!

We start our bespoke weddings in Hampshire at our flower farm with a detailed design consultation in our beautiful Barn. This gives couples a sense of what we can do. Once a design brief is crystallised, we often tweak our growing schedule to grow some special stems just for that wedding.

There is then a visit back to the farm a few weeks before the wedding to see the flowers growing and fine tune any last details. This is a very special, often emotional occasion as all aspects of their wedding come together and is one of our favourite moments.”

What should couples consider when choosing a florist for such a personal and momentous day?

“Choosing a florist is a creative partnership. You will be working with them over many months, sharing your intimate stories and memories of who you are as a couple and how you want to celebrate that. Flowers add so much to the ambience and atmosphere you wish to create and how you want everyone to feel on your special day, so you need to choose someone who understands and can interpret your vision.”

What qualities should you look for in a florist to ensure a great fit?

“Look for a florist who really listens to you, who has an open creative mind and who manages their own creative spirit carefully so it can best serve you. Ask how many weddings they do and how they manage a long wedding season so you don’t get a burnt out florist – or someone who just cookie cutter stamps them out. Assess if flowers, colour, art, and design are genuine loves and interests as that will inform what they create for you. Listen to how they talk about flowers, their projects, and their couples – with love, with passion, with joy?

If all seems well, decide if you can trust them and then do so! The secret is a good brief and then let your florist run with it a little – as this is how the magic gets made. Trusted creatives, properly briefed, provide the best, most beautiful, unique work that sparkles with joy. Just what you want on your most joyful of days.

Finally, always meet a potential florist in person for something bespoke to you; seeing your florist on their home patch will give you a better sense of fit than any Instagram account.”

How should you allocate your budget for wedding flowers?

“When speaking with your florist, you need to feel a genuine sense of warmth and care. This connection allows you to be frank and honest about your floral dreams and desires – and more practically, your budget.

Your budget needs to be realistic and fair. A skilled designer will then work with you to maximise the impact of that spend. A good florist shouldn’t offer discounts but will be as accommodating as possible, adjusting designs where they can – and honest enough to say when they can’t.”

Do you have any tips to make a floristry budget stretch further?

“We always think carefully about where to allocate the budget, focusing on areas that provide the most impact – for ambiance, for creating and holding a mood, for the all-important photo moments and for pause points. Nothing is unconsidered.

Clients are much more conscious now that it makes sense from so many perspectives, including importantly environmentally, to repurpose flowers from the ceremony, be it church or specific area within the overall venue, to the reception spaces and we usually incorporate an element of this in our designs.

We can also make up posies from the flowers the next day. This is a lovely way to extend that magic beyond the wedding and to thank family and friends who have supported you. This approach fits with a growing recognition that whatever our spend, we should tread lightly upon this Earth and with consideration in all that we do. This fits with our ethos as a creative team and that of The Grange too.”

Many thanks to the Hortus Poeticus team who never fail to impress us with their creations in and around The Grange Hampshire and are always a total joy to work with! Tune in next week for more wedding tips…