Wedding flowers in the time of Coronavirus
Coronavirus lockdowns had a huge effect on weddings and wedding floristry businesses throughout the UK. Here’s an account of what I did to adapt my business model during those tricky months when movements and social gatherings were severely limited.
Photo right (pre-Covid): The Gribbons
Tomorrow (4th July 2020) marks the start of lockdown easing, and the return, in a small way, of weddings and wedding flowers. Ceremonies with up to 30 guests will now be possible – and while that isn’t necessarily as we imagine them, for those who want to go ahead with their plans and actually get wed this year, at least they will able to take their vows in front of some of their friends and family.
As wedding floristry is one of the key aspects of my business, the Coronavirus lockdown has obviously had an impact on Tuckshop Flowers, but my thoughts, nonetheless, have been with all of the couples who had big plans for 2020 and had booked me for their weddings this spring and summer.
I’ve been lucky so far in that I’ve been able to accommodate all the revised dates and postponements to 2021, and I’ve been happy to do this as I realise that the wedding flowers are just one element of the planning and supply networks which couples have had to renegotiate during the crisis. I’m already seeing the new phenomenon of Thursday weddings as venues work to find availability for next year – and where I’d normally start to think about ‘the next wedding year’ in about October when the nights draw in and couples start to make plans for forthcoming long summer days, this year I’ve been thinking about 2021 wedding season since March, when lockdown began, and before the current wedding flowers season even managed to get properly off the ground.
During lockdown, I’ve restarted my local flower delivery service to at least share the enjoyment of the flowers I grow and love. Usually, I hoard them like treasure as the icing on the cake ingredients for wedding bouquets and table centrepieces, guarding them jealously for my brides and grooms-to-be. But this season I’m just happy to be picking them for local deliveries and to find them new homes where they’ll be smiled at as they sit on kitchen tables saying hellos from friends, sending birthday greetings, sympathy and long distance floral hugs. It’s brightened my days to be ‘normal’ and still working with flowers, and I hope that the flowers have had a similar effect on those who have sent and received them.
But as I picked the palest pink fluffy plumes of unfurling Astilbes yesterday, they really made me think of all the bridal bouquets that I’m missing making, and the creative challenge and adrenalin of wedding work. I do love that rush, the thinking, planning and frantic behind the scenes pedalling that makes the flowers glide serenely into view on the big day, without betraying a whisper of the mess and mayhem that goes into making them!
As I write, one of my couples is waiting with bated breath to see if the wedding licence they applied for before lockdown will be approved in time for their early August wedding – if it is, they plan to go ahead come what may – and I’m so looking forward to getting my teeth into bouquets and buttonholes once again that I may burst in shared anticipation. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them, and for everyone else with plans for late summer. (THEY GOT IT!!)
In the meantime, I’m going to do lots of thinking about winter weddings – as a flower grower, ’til now, I’ve always focussed on the growing season (April-October) for my wedding work, but I’ve a feeling that this winter may be busier than usual, and that Narnia inspired weddings could be quite the new thing. Better get drying any spare flowers because they can be gorgeous…
More information about wedding flowers
If you are planning a wedding and would like more information about wedding flowers, please see my wedding page and price guides. If you’d like to book an online consultation for bespoke flowers or a package, please get in touch.