#Boho and Ballgowns
If you want to get a feel for what’s in, what’s out and what’s trending on the wedding scene, then The National Wedding Show is a great place to start.
Held at Birmingham’s NEC earlier this month it was reassuring that, after the recent panic to fit in rescheduled weddings following the pandemic, things feel very much like they are getting back to normal, with brides finally having more time and leisure to plan their big day.
#To have and to hold
The good news is that the core of a wedding is still the same, a gorgeous dress for the bride, a snazzy suit for the groom, good food and, of course, beautiful flowers. When it comes to where to celebrate the wedding, the choice is wide and fascinating, anything from a traditional hotel and sit-down wedding breakfast to straw bales in a tepee or, for the animal lover, a trip to Twycross Zoo!
#Booted and Suited
The fashion for Groomsmen continues; once they used to simply be ushers but have now been elevated to the same status as bridesmaids, so a bride’s budget has to cover suits not just for dad, groom and best man, but all the groom’s best friends too. This explained the number of men’s outfitters which almost (but not quite) rivalled the number of bridal dress exhibitors.
#Flower Styles
The informal, ‘just picked from the garden’ look is still in, as is the demand for seasonal, British grown flowers. There was only one florist there, Steph Gormley-Wilcox of Love Flowers, Wolverhampton who was flying the flag for the wedding florist, with a colourful display of beautiful blooms, from bridal bouquets to party flowers. Everything else at the show was faux, dried or pressed. Not surprising really, given the cost of exhibiting.
If you want wedding bookings, you have got to be on Instagram
#And finally.....#Instagram
If you want wedding bookings, you have got to be on Instagram, this was the message not just from the show but from browsing the pages of Confetti magazine, the show’s sponsor. Instagram is so important that suppliers list their Instagram handle as well as their website, in fact, some don’t bother with their website address at all. Being visual on social media is what it is all about and for florists that can only be a good thing, as being visual is what we are good at! So, get that camera out, brush up your social media skills and grab a slice of the wedding market.
Su Whale
