I love flowers.  In fact, if I was to get married again, I would have a beautiful archway of flowers as an alter and cover every surface with peonies, roses, tulips, anemones, freesias – you name it!  I think they add such amazing depth to the theme of your wedding day – not only through colour and meaning but smell and form.  I love that brides choose flowers based on tradition (what their mother’s bouquet was like), sentiment (the first bunch of flowers their fiance gave them – even if they were carnations), meaning (red roses symbolise love, yellow roses, friendship) and style (blowsy or structured, small or large).  We recently had the pleasure to work with Geraldine of BOUQUET Boutique and given the flowers were spectacular, I thought I would ask her some questions about her work.  BOUQUET Boutique is located in the heart of New Farm and specialises in wedding and event flowers.  Geraldine is truly passionate about working with you to design a theme for your wedding day and to realise it through bouquets, buttonholes, corsages, church arrangements and table decorations.

How did you get into floristry?

From early memories as a young girl I remember playing in the garden and admiring the intricacies in flowers and foliage.  That coupled with my studying art and design at school, I knew I was drawn to creative industries.  I also had a passion for alternative farming and in my late teens and twenties, I invested in growing rare native flowers on my parents’ farm that were exported around the world.  From here I naturally progressed to study the art of floristry and now have ended up in my little boutique in New Farm

What does your job entail?

Getting up early going to the markets on a daily basis, day-to-day running of the shop, designing bouquets for all occasions, getting to be creative and expressive by putting together floral arrangements for all of my clients.

What aspects are involved in floristry – is it just the bouquet or is it so much more like theming and styling?

Flowers for weddings are so much more than just the bouquets, they can create an amazing ambience to any event and are a crucial part of the styling.  They are a real focal point!

How do you work with brides?

When a bride comes into the shop I love to make the consultation an experience – most people don’t know too much about the names and types of flowers available to them so I also like to pass on a little knowledge from my experience. Most brides bring in images of flowers they love and I will use these for inspiration and usually tweak it a little to put my design stamp on it and give my bride something made just for her!

What information do you want to know before planning the flowers for a wedding?

It is best to have an idea of the look you want to achieve – colours, venues, seasons and other inspiration pieces are all used to conceptualise the floral design. For example I had a bride that planned her whole wedding around a gorgeous wooden and amber bangle that she loved and wanted to wear on the big day

What is the favourite part of your job?

Playing with flowers and colour and being a part of each bride’s wedding memories!

What is the worst part of your job?

Having ‘florist’ hands & giant thorns!