Getting married is both wonderful and stressful so we have decided to interview the best to help you organise your wedding without collapsing. On today’s blog post we interviewed Nik Southern, founder of the amazing flower shop Grace & Thorn and author of How not to kill your plants, a plant enthusiast bible. Keep reading to get some flower inspiration for your wedding
1. What inspired you to start Grace & Thorn?
I started Grace & Thorn 5 years ago. At the time, there wasn’t anywhere great to buy houseplants and pots and I really wanted to expand on this, as well as having the creative freedom to make and design my own bouquets!
2. Was it hard to leave your 11 years job to adventure into the world of plants?
Plants have always been a big passion in my life and after taking a Pyschometric test that came up with florist it seemed perfect! It’s always daunting starting out something new but it was definitely the right decision.
3. Tell us a little bit about the book you wrote (How Not To Kill Your Plants - £12.74 Amazon ). How was the process of writing it? Why did you decide to do it? What can we find in it?
The inspiration for this book came from all of our lovely customers who over the years have asked some pretty insane questions. I took the most commonly asked questions and set about to answer them in my own way! It’s basically your new plant bible and hopefully, will put people’s mind at rest when buying new plants! There’s a little bit of everything, care tips/styling ideas/recipes/interviews and illustrations.
4. What do you think it makes you different from other florists?
Our style definitely sets us apart from other florists. We have a very distinctive free-flowing style that focuses on textures, layers of colours and tones and plays with asymmetric shapes.
5. Do you have a favourite piece of work?
One of our my favourite projects that we’ve done was the ‘Jungle is massive’ takeover at Town Hall Hotel last year. We filled the space with plants and designed this incredible contemporary structure that offset against the more traditional space.
6. How did your relationship with fashion start?
I’ve always loved fashion and find constant inspiration from it. My first few jobs starting off were through friends that worked for fashion brands and I built on these relationships to the point where LK Bennet asked me to dress their 6 windows for the Chelsea in Bloom competition. Flowers and fashion just sit very naturally together.
7. Now, let’s talk about weddings. I'm getting married, how far in advance do I have to start thinking about flowers?
We’ve had couples come to us 2 years in advance, and also couples who have ordered from our Ready to Wear collection 2 days before the wedding. It just depends on how organised you want to be!
8. How do I choose the right flowers for me?
Do a bit of research (Pinterest is always a winner) and get a rough idea of the type of flowers and arrangements you like. If you’ve picked your venue, your colour palette and have an idea about your dress, then bring all these pictures to your florist and let them make suggestions to fit your vibe.
9. If you had to choose a flower arrangement for a couple that is about to get married and wants to have a unique wedding, which one would it be?
If you want to step away from traditional bridal flowers, have a look at our ‘Keep it Green’ ready to wear range. Think luscious greens in a multitude of textures that really celebrates foliage!
10. What kinds of flowers are on trend for weddings right now?
As flowers are so seasonal, it really depends on the time of year and the individual wedding but we do love dusky pastel roses with a pop of dark jewel tone astrantia.
11. Flowers and diamonds have been the perfect pair for proposals for a long time, which flowers do you think say ‘Would you marry me?’ best?
Think about who you’re proposing to first! For a traditional bouquet, roses will always be romantic. For something a bit more unusual, why not use ranunculus and anemones in deep rich burgundy jewel tones for a lux romantic look.
12. If you had to choose one flower for each of the following brides, which one would it be?
-Rocker Bride: Dark chocolate Cosmos
-Classic Bride: Garden Rose
-Romantic Bride: Soft pink blush double Peony
-Modern Bride: Foliage
-Fashionista Bride: Bright coloured Dahlias
A huge thanks to Nik for this interview. Aren't her flower arrangements incredible? We think so! Also, if you liked this post, don't forget to follow us on Instagram or Facebook to stay up-to-date with our upcoming blog posts!
Getting married is both wonderful and stressful so we have decided to interview the best to help you organise your wedding without collapsing. On today’s blog post we interviewed Nik Southern, founder of the amazing flower shop Grace & Thorn and author of How not to kill your plants, a plant enthusiast bible. Keep reading to get some flower inspiration for your wedding
1. What inspired you to start Grace & Thorn?
I started Grace & Thorn 5 years ago. At the time, there wasn’t anywhere great to buy houseplants and pots and I really wanted to expand on this, as well as having the creative freedom to make and design my own bouquets!
2. Was it hard to leave your 11 years job to adventure into the world of plants?
Plants have always been a big passion in my life and after taking a Pyschometric test that came up with florist it seemed perfect! It’s always daunting starting out something new but it was definitely the right decision.
3. Tell us a little bit about the book you wrote (How Not To Kill Your Plants - £12.74 Amazon ). How was the process of writing it? Why did you decide to do it? What can we find in it?
The inspiration for this book came from all of our lovely customers who over the years have asked some pretty insane questions. I took the most commonly asked questions and set about to answer them in my own way! It’s basically your new plant bible and hopefully, will put people’s mind at rest when buying new plants! There’s a little bit of everything, care tips/styling ideas/recipes/interviews and illustrations.
4. What do you think it makes you different from other florists?
Our style definitely sets us apart from other florists. We have a very distinctive free-flowing style that focuses on textures, layers of colours and tones and plays with asymmetric shapes.
5. Do you have a favourite piece of work?
One of our my favourite projects that we’ve done was the ‘Jungle is massive’ takeover at Town Hall Hotel last year. We filled the space with plants and designed this incredible contemporary structure that offset against the more traditional space.
6. How did your relationship with fashion start?
I’ve always loved fashion and find constant inspiration from it. My first few jobs starting off were through friends that worked for fashion brands and I built on these relationships to the point where LK Bennet asked me to dress their 6 windows for the Chelsea in Bloom competition. Flowers and fashion just sit very naturally together.
7. Now, let’s talk about weddings. I'm getting married, how far in advance do I have to start thinking about flowers?
We’ve had couples come to us 2 years in advance, and also couples who have ordered from our Ready to Wear collection 2 days before the wedding. It just depends on how organised you want to be!
8. How do I choose the right flowers for me?
Do a bit of research (Pinterest is always a winner) and get a rough idea of the type of flowers and arrangements you like. If you’ve picked your venue, your colour palette and have an idea about your dress, then bring all these pictures to your florist and let them make suggestions to fit your vibe.
9. If you had to choose a flower arrangement for a couple that is about to get married and wants to have a unique wedding, which one would it be?
If you want to step away from traditional bridal flowers, have a look at our ‘Keep it Green’ ready to wear range. Think luscious greens in a multitude of textures that really celebrates foliage!
10. What kinds of flowers are on trend for weddings right now?
As flowers are so seasonal, it really depends on the time of year and the individual wedding but we do love dusky pastel roses with a pop of dark jewel tone astrantia.
11. Flowers and diamonds have been the perfect pair for proposals for a long time, which flowers do you think say ‘Would you marry me?’ best?
Think about who you’re proposing to first! For a traditional bouquet, roses will always be romantic. For something a bit more unusual, why not use ranunculus and anemones in deep rich burgundy jewel tones for a lux romantic look.
12. If you had to choose one flower for each of the following brides, which one would it be?
-Rocker Bride: Dark chocolate Cosmos
-Classic Bride: Garden Rose
-Romantic Bride: Soft pink blush double Peony
-Modern Bride: Foliage
-Fashionista Bride: Bright coloured Dahlias
A huge thanks to Nik for this interview. Aren't her flower arrangements incredible? We think so! Also, if you liked this post, don't forget to follow us on Instagram or Facebook to stay up-to-date with our upcoming blog posts!