Transcending time and trends, Lavender Green Flowers create floral stories that last far beyond the life-span of their stems. And when it comes to weddings, this leading botanical studio delivers on all levels. No seriously, with the fairy godmother of florals Sue Barnes at the helm of Lavender Green Flowers, your wish is simply her command.
No brief is too wild or too wacky. In fact Lavender Green Flowers welcome “left of field” visions with an eager zest. As such, their wedding portfolio is ablaze with creativity and diversity – each love story entirely unique and captured through considered arrangements where colour and scents tease the senses and set the scene. Yet despite the florist’s commitment to a “signature” look and feel for every couple they work with, there is one trademark this studio can’t help but inject into each project; an unwavering dedication to adhering to sustainable practices. Catching up on all things wedding florals for 2022, Sue Barnes reveals what’s on trend, what to avoid and tells us all about an edible brief from a celebrity chef! Read on for our full chat…
#1 Take us back to the beginning, what’s the story behind Lavender Green Flowers?
Being a new mum, 33 years ago, was brilliant… but I needed more! We lived in a gorgeous area surrounded by nature and I wanted to start a business, so the outdoors kind of spoke to me. I started by studying with my favourite florist in London before employing the very best florists – as the world renowned Constance Spry School of Floristry was closing down and their tutors needed work. Opening as a retail florist, a potential client appeared in the shop one day asking if we would decorate his client’s family wedding in London… the only snag being that he did not want to pay more than £32,000 for the flowers. 31 years ago this was a staggering amount of money (and is still a big budget!), and so, with this experience under our belt, Lavender Green Flowers diversified into weddings and events.
#2 How would you describe your ethos?
Our mantra is that you are only as good as your last event. This keeps us on our toes and ensures we never take anything for granted.
#3 How does the process unfold once a couple approaches you for their wedding florals?
We firmly believe that we can make anything look good, but making it feel exactly right, and individual to each couple, needs a lot more thought. We do this by starting with a few words that our couples feel encapsulates how they want their dream day, and flowers, to feel. Following this, we generally design and sketch the bridal dress and bouquet (after all, the bride is pretty key to the floral landscape!). Next we walk through the route of the wedding. This starts from the ceremony through to drinks, dinner and then party time. We sketch everything we cannot show examples of and follow all of this with an itemised quotation which we suggest that couples regard as a shopping list.
#4 What design elements would you say are signature to Lavender Green Flowers?
We aim to achieve timeless flowers and hate the thought of couples looking back at their photos and not liking the designs that seemed like a great idea at the time! Naturally beautiful but impressive designs are what we are all about at Lavender Green.
#5 What’s your favourite part of a wedding to dress?
No one part of the wedding takes priority, so creating a wonderfully cohesive signature look that exceeds expectations at every turn is the aim.
#6 What kick-starts your creative juices when it comes to working on a new floral project?
The wedding outfits are pretty key as we, in essence, provide back drops for the couple throughout the day. Brides also love to incorporate really meaningful flowers, foliage or items and we love to be given a left of centre brief. A good example of this was when we worked on behalf of a celebrity chef. Our brief was that every element should be edible – the table centres even included garden scissors and watering cans, with guests invited to cut herbs from the tablescape to add to each course. At the end of the wedding, each guest had a plant to take home and plant in their garden – it looked like the last day of Chelsea Flower Show as guests departed with prized plants!
#7 What design requests are proving particularly popular this 2022?
Impressive and sustainable, soft and romantic and yet also vibrant.
#8 Do you find a lot of couples are requesting greenery and foliage?
Foliage is ever popular with the eucalyptus varieties coming out on top for their scent, soft colour palette and classic beauty. Flowers en masse are back in but not just domes of the same type of flower (boring even when it was on trend), but thoughtfully mixed designs of interesting shapes and textures. Colour is definitely back but the timelessly chic white and green is still relevant. That is the beauty of creating signature looks… each one is individual and, however much there might be a look and colour that is on trend, if it doesn’t suit you don’t go there!
#9 Talk us through Lavender Green Flowers’ sustainable credentials as a business…
Lavender Green Flowers takes sustainability very seriously and it is at the core of what we do. We strive to ensure that every arrangement, floral suggestion and design is seasonal and we try to focus on British flowers whenever we can. We have strong links with flower farms in the UK. There is no better product than English peonies when they are in season.
Lavender Green Flowers also works closely with the FSI 2020, which is a floral sustainability initiative driven by Holland to ensure that all of our flowers come with sustainable credentials. This includes us working towards zero landfill, no single use plastic and a reduction of any floral foam. For example, we send all of our plastic back to Holland on the empty lorries to get recycled into road bricks.
#10 Where are you based? Do you have a store couples can visit?
The store is a lifestyle gem in the heart of the Kings Road (239 to be precise). It is a treasure trove of carefully curated lifestyle products, plants, gifts and, of course, fabulous flowers. Clients love the homeware, antiques and garden elements that we have selected, and the store allows us to showcase our favourite artists and makers of anything from ceramics and glassware to paintings and gorgeous gifts. Flower displays are ever-changing and our award winning shop window displays are epic. Flower masterclasses take place regularly at the store with clients experiencing the skills of the florist trade led by the very best in class.
#11 How far in advance should couples be looking to start their wedding flower journey? What should they have prepared when they start this?
Lavender Green can work with a client at any stage of their journey towards the big day. This could be from two years or two weeks! We generally work with clients for whom floral decor is a big element of the day. We have worked with so many couples over the years that we can easily extract a creative brief which will allow us to interpret the dream. However, just a bit of homework and a couple of photos of the desired look will short circuit this process. Often clients have no idea what they want nor what is available. Not having any conceived ideas really does allow us to suggest decor that ticks all of the boxes, is right in terms of style, considers all of the design elements and comes in on budget.
#12 Have there been any key defining moments for the business so far?
We’ve managed to accommodate and successfully work with brides over what has been the most tricky period for people getting married, and not had to ruin anybody’s special day by cancelling. This has been possible thanks to our incredible team of florists that have stuck with us to help deliver multiple weddings across multiple days.
#13 Tell us more about Lavender Green Flower’s latest venture – Lavender Green Gardens…
Lavender Green Flowers has been decorating the interiors of beautiful houses for 30 years. It felt like the right move to take this design process outside with Lavender Green Gardens, and to help clients achieve garden design that reflects their own style.
#14 What does a typical working day look like for you?
Meeting wonderful clients in person or via zoom and taking the worry out of the floral aspect of their wedding happens many times throughout the day. Finding new product ranges that will enhance the store and its appeal is always a highlight, and catching up with the ever-growing and hugely passionate members of the Lavender Green family occupies most of any normal working day. I could not ever imagine having a more interesting or varied job than this and I love every busy moment.
Rapid Fire Questions
#1 The last book you read? This Is Going To Hurt
#2 The most unusual request you’ve had? To create a huge floral poodle that was presented in an enormous hat box that was sent to Tom Ford as a welcome to London from Vanity Fair. The welcome to London message was engraved on the dog tag!
#3 An industry name you’d like to work with? It would be nice to work in conjunction with someone like Tom Stuart-Smith
#4 Perfect mini break destination? My old masia in Catalonia
#5 Favourite way to relax? Bottles of champagne with good friends
#6 Favourite artist? Renoir or Gainsborough
#7 Beverage of choice? Gin and tonic (Gordon’s obvs!) or champagne
#8 Favourite restaurant? The Sir Charles Napier in Oxfordshire where 8 hour lunches are not unheard of!
#9 The movie you can watch over and over? The Sound of Music
#10 Your favourite flowers to work with? Ranunculus in spring, peonies in summer, dahlias in autumn and hellebores in winter
Click here to discover the wonderful world of Lavender Green Flowers.
If you’re looking for more wedding inspo, head back to Your Day.
