Elder & Wild shares all of their insights for 2024 couples, from how to decorate a smaller venue to this season’s biggest trends.
There are lots of things to love about being a Nottingham wedding venue but push us for a favourite, and there’s one word that’ll keep coming back: community. We’re lucky to be surrounded by not only incredibly talented and creative suppliers, from fashion designers to textile artists, who help make our client’s weddings all the more beautiful, but to be at the heart of a collaborative community, too.
If you’re in the midst of planning your special day we’re sure you’ve researched high and low to find the right suppliers for you. But, while the likes of Instagram, Tik Tok and Pinterest can give you an insight into their work and introduction to who they are, it’s not quite the same as sitting down and having a chat, is it? That’s why we’re so excited to start a new interview series where we’ll be sharing more about the people who make the magic happen behind the scenes. You can expect to hear about business journeys, career highlights, trend forecasting and even advice from their own weddings - it’s a chance to get to know them a little better, and get the goods on inspiration and expert know-how for your day, too.
Our first feature is with Becky, founder of Elder & Wild who works exclusively with seasonal, British-grown flowers, plucked from her very own cutting garden in Nottinghamshire. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Becky’s arrangements feel reminiscent of an English country garden in high summer, full of whimsy, texture and scent, with a natural but elegant feel. We’ve long-admired Becky and her partner, Sam, for their pioneering spirit in the sustainable wedding industry, as well as their unique style. We are thrilled to find out more about her falling into floristry and advice from her own wedding and why she ditched champagne at her own ‘I dos’!
What brought you to Nottingham originally?
“I grew up in a little village outside of Warrington in the middle of nowhere and came to Nottingham for university to study Fine Art. I specialised in architectural sculptures and immersive spaces - something I think comes through in my large-scale work today - and met my now-husband, Sam, who was studying architecture. He’s from Stoke-on-Trent and we both fell in love with Nottingham and decided to stay here, which must be 15 years ago now. It was definitely the right decision; I love the floristry scene in Nottingham, we all recommend each other and it feels more like collaboration than competition.”
How did you go from fine art to floristry?
“I’ve always been green-fingered but when I stumbled across a blog written by an American grower I started to imagine having my own flower farm. Up until then, I didn’t even realise this could be a job! Of course, I knew flowers for events and weddings had to come from somewhere, but thinking about supplying on a local scale with British-grown flowers, instead of imported ones, really inspired me. As I wasn’t happy with my current job, it wasn’t long until we took this idea seriously and looked for houses to buy based on their land or an extensive garden. The plan was to grow a cutting garden first and move onto a farm later, which still hasn’t happened. It seems like a big decision to have made but we’re very like that - we just do ‘stuff’ and think about the logistics later. So, when we found an ex-council house from the 30s with its own land, we jumped straight in.”
Had you always imagined working in the wedding industry?
“Actually, no, not necessarily! In fact, initially my plan was to be a grower and just supply for events but as happens sometimes, life had other ideas. We hadn’t even started prepping the garden and a friend announced, in the January, that they’d like us to do their wedding flowers that August. I had six-ish months to turn this uncared-for land into a professional cutting garden, and during that time another friend added their wedding to the list, too. Before we’d really figured out what Elder & Wild would be, we organically started working on these events for friends and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It allowed us to feel out the process in a supportive environment.”
What’s the most important thing couples need to know about Elder & Wild?
“That we’re seasonal. Some couples have a vision that includes exact flower varieties but we can only work with people who have an appreciation for the beauty of British grown flowers and what comes with the seasons. We see this as a benefit - it allows us to create arrangements that feel really personal and authentic, and use unexpected elements like strawberry flowers, orchard branches or even long grasses, if they inspire us. That’s why I’m grateful we started the business in the way we did because we didn’t feel rushed to take the first jobs that came along, we worked with friends as we continued to develop our style and values.”
Speaking of style, how would you describe your work?
“I’d say ‘garden style’. I’m inspired by an English country garden and connect to a natural aesthetic, but in a considered way. I love big, blousy David Austin roses which feel classically English and use playful materials like edibles, such as Alpine strawberry plants with their tiny, white flowers or apple tree branches with little fruits dangling from them. Informed by my background as an artist, I also lean into large-scale installations and love looking at different textures and shapes and how I can experiment with it all.”
What does an average day in the life of Becky look like?
“There isn’t one! People think working with flowers sounds idyllic and right now, while the roses are blooming, there are moments of beauty and calm, but generally it’s extremely hard work. It all depends on the time of the year - between October and March we don’t take on weddings as there aren’t enough flowers, so I concentrate on updating the website and our marketing strategy, weeding and working the garden and coming up with new ideas. Through summer, I’m balancing weddings with weeding, seeding and planting, as well as prepping flowers and vessels, and building installations and arrangements - hopefully with a day off in there somewhere, too!”
What are your favourite wedding trends for 2024, going into 2025?
“I think in general there’s a big movement to integrate set design into the wedding world which makes me really excited as we’re being more influenced by art, fashion and design. I’m enjoying seeing this coming into the mainstream and not only for the really high end weddings. This might look like using artworks in your tablescape or instead of a table number, using objects to decorate like pearls, shells, sculptures or textiles like bows and ribbons, and essentially getting lost in the details with all of these smaller moments.
“I think the ‘dinner party atmosphere’ is really big right now, too, which is all about concentrating on spending quality time with a smaller about of guests around a table - which relates to why we’re putting all this emphasis on table decoration and scaping. If you like the idea of this, The Vicarage is ideal, because it feels like hosting the best dinner party ever, in an intimate space.”
Indulge us; if given free reign at The Old Vicarage, how would you use the space?
“Haha! So, The Vicarage is the perfect space because of its versatility. It’s small enough to feel intimate, but there’s enough room to experiment with flowering the staircase, adding plinths and some slightly larger pieces, too. The key to creating a floral scheme is first understanding what you’re working with and key points to note here - which might be helpful for couples! - is that the light in the dining room is beautiful, so I’d want to highlight that, as well as addressing the different zones: lounge, bar and dining area.
“We offer two types of service: buckets, button holes and bouquet, which allows couples with a lower budget to decorate themselves with a selection of our freshly-cut, seasonal flowers. The Vicarage is so well designed, you don’t have to overwhelm it, and so creative couples could do a gorgeous job of spreading flowers around themselves. My advice would be focus on the tables (an overload of bud vases always looks good) and make a moment of the mantlepiece.
“Personally, I like the idea of repeating the same concept but in different ways across the venue. I’d use a large footed bowl on a plinth at the foot of the stairs, with a medium-sized, natural-style arrangement, and then similar arrangements in smaller footed bowls around the mantle piece. When it comes to the tables, I’d create a dinner party feel and try some of the tablescaping trends we’re seeing, introducing different elements such as pearls, shells and fruits.”
Finally, do you have any advice from your own wedding to share?
“I think this is an obvious one - but do it your way! I don’t love champagne so for our toasts we used dessert wine instead, which I can drink by the goblet full! Truth be told, some people thought it was a bit weird and not everyone finished theirs, but I hoovered it up and it’s a fun memory for us. I also didn’t want to invest in a cake so we asked guests to bring a pudding and created a dessert table. The best part was that this became competitive and brought a really engaged, interactive, hilarious element to the day, where the guests felt very part of it all. For me, creating a dinner party feel where everyone brings something and has fun was more important than feeling staged or removed from our guests.”
Florist Elder & Wild
Roses David Austin Roses
Ceramics Kat Major James
Comments