It's always nice to get to know the faces behind a small business so here's a little Q&A with Julie from Lincoln Wedding Florist, Violet & Vine.
Tell us a little bit about where you live
I live 5 miles from Lincoln city centre in a converted farm building. I live with my husband Dave and our two dogs, Charlie (a golden retriever) and Betsy (a cockapoo).
How did you get into floristry? Where did your love for flowers begin?
I've always loved flowers and one of my earliest memories was seeing an illustration of a garden in the nursery rhyme Mary Mary Quite Contrary. I must have only been about 6 years old.
In 1983, my husband and I moved into a flat in East London which had a garden - this was where my passion for growing flowers began but I didn't do any formal floristry training until 2008 when I took a year-long floristry course.
Why did you start Violet & Vine?
Flowers and gardening have always been a big part of my life and in 2017 I had the opportunity to do my daughter's wedding flowers. It was something I really enjoyed and it gave me the confidence to set up a business.
What do you enjoy most about working on wedding flowers?
Getting to work with so many beautiful flowers feels like such a privilege; I love it when they arrive and the house is filled with them. I also enjoy the variety of the work - no wedding or bouquet is the same and it gives you the chance to try floral arrangements that you haven't done before. It really doesn't feel like work to me!
What are your top 3 favourite flowers
That's a very tricky one. I do like roses as they have lots of meaning and some have the most gorgeous scent. They are also a great flower to work with as are beautiful and long lasting. I love Sweet peas as they are so delicate and smell divine, and then I'd have to say lavender as it's lovely either dried or fresh and comes in lots of different tones. And of course, the scent is amazing!
What is your favourite style of wedding flower to create?
I like an English cottage garden style so jam jars, handtied bouquets and a just picked from the garden look.
What do you enjoy doing when you're not gardening or working on flowers?
Reading, cooking, spending time with my family and visiting historic houses and gardens
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