‘I never thought a black florist could give me what I wanted.’

‘I never thought a black florist could give me what I wanted.’ These were the exact words one of my brides said to me recently. I wasn’t offended and I guess when I dug a little deeper I wasn’t surprised but I was curious to know why she felt this way. 

For me RJ was an absolute dream client, her wedding was one of the best, exciting and fun experiences. Her flowers were stunning and she was so warm and welcoming but for RJ, she never expected that a black florist could take her wedding floral vision and bring it to life. 

It’s a telling time, when a black bride can think this of a black vendor but this is far from RJ’s fault. Not that it is a fault but it’s expected when within the wedding industry we are kind of conditioned to only see white. We see white brides on the cover of magazines, we see white florists being showcased in magazines, on blogs and across social media. So why would she think or believe any different?

Being the person I am, I really wanted to have an open and honest conversation to find out more, so after RJ's wedding, we jumped on the phone to have a chat….

When you think of a florist, what was your original idea of what they would look like?

I think fun, flair, seasonal, tasteful and well-travelled English women. 

On the contrary I also used to think of it being overpriced until you get into the real details of what goes on behind the scenes you realise it’s a unique and very challenging craft.

What brought about this assumption, that a black florist couldn’t give you what you wanted? 

It was down to experience. My job is in sales and marketing, and whenever we have flowers delivered it is always by boutique florists that are generally owned by white women.

How confident were you when you realised, I was a black florist?

It was your work that I saw first, and that spoke for itself, so I was confident that you would be a great florist but my initial assumption was you were white, until I saw your pictures and they said otherwise.

Did you ever have a concern that I was a black florist?

I don’t think it’s a case where if you have a black florist is it a concern, I think it’s more to do with how to find you guys, it’s really difficult to find women of colour within this fields on the usual wedding directory. You have to go the unconventional route by speaking to a friend and that’s when you find out that there’s other black boutique florists out there. It’s just the case of being able to find you guys and once we find you, I think the hard work is then over, because your work does the talking.

Were you happy with your flowers?

Yep, more than happy, they were beautiful. I had a vision in mind, a secret garden and the colour that was explained in the initial brief exceeded my expectations. All my guests loved it to the extent, some of them sent images of the flowers in their living room a week after the wedding, they could not believe that they were real. It’s also an additional activity on your wedding day which I didn’t even think of in terms of giving your guests something to do and it was a nice addition to the day. We loved the fact that you captured that as a moment on social media. 

What would you say to others about working with me? 

I can only best describe my experience as a magical journey. From the conception of my personal mood board, wonderful chats and endless WhatsApp calls to the delivery on our special day. You were an absolute force. Multi-faceted in your approach as you combine your background in events with floristry.

This two fold approach helped with the various ideas I had along the way and where they would be best placed.

Delightful in character, punctual, someone who possesses a natural flair and is highly supportive in nature. You are a true asset to any bride. Your team are so warm natured, and friendly from the time I arrived, I wasn’t expecting that, because I thought they would be rushed off their feet and wouldn’t be able to greet me and the family. It was a pleasant greeting, and you can tell they were a team and were going to work hard which then made me relax. 

The one thing that sets you apart from the rest is that you really get to know each one of your clients alongside their chosen venue to really get the best out of the day.

Excellence through detail should be your strapline and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you Jennifer!

For RJ, her thoughts came from her life experiences, only ever seeing and interacting with white florists, which led her to believe that a black florist could never give her what she wanted. The real fact of the matter is that black florists are not showcased enough within our industry, but is it just florists? Has this been the reaction for other black vendors within the wedding industry?

Credits:

Photography: Gyan Gurung

Venue: Hedsor House

Flowers: Debrah J Flowers