With over thirteen years’ experience Shanaz certainly knows her stuff and has arranged the flowers for countless weddings. So what are Shanaz’s top tips for a couple choosing their wedding flowers? “Come with some idea of what it is that you would like as this is very helpful for the florist. Even if it’s just a vague idea you have seen in a magazine or a list of some of your favourite flowers it’s best to have some thoughts and the florist can help you develop them. They should also know what it is they are wearing so that we can coordinate with the outfits. Some couples try to choose their flowers according to what the venue is like and this can be problematic. If the flowers and venue match, everything tends to blend in together and the tastes of the bride and groom are not really shown. I think it’s very important for the couple’s ideas to be reflected in their wedding flowers.”
Her stunning bridal bouquets and breathtaking arrangements are truly a sight to behold but how does Shanaz go about designing the flowers for a wedding: “Although it is best if the couple has an idea of what they want, often the couple has no clue what they are looking for so we can work together to create an idea. I can show them some wedding magazines to give them ideas and I’ll show them particular flowers to find out what they like.” She explains that she is often able to use a couple’s ideas as a starting point and then work from here, adding additional blooms “I always ask to make sure that there are no flowers or colours that they don’t like, many people associate lilies and carnations with funerals and so I like to make sure there is nothing I should avoid.” I ask how she ensures she doesn’t end up with a bridezilla on her hands: “some brides are quite easy going and you can add things and make suggestions while others are very particular and know exactly what it is that they want and in those cases I don’t add anything at all. I note down what they ask for and stick to it like a bible!”
Floral Trends for 2010
“Most of the summer wedding orders for the bride’s bouquets are red rose hand ties, there has been an influx of them! This was also popular last year and both Asian and Western brides want red roses. Hand ties are generally better for bouquets too as they sit better and stay fresher for longer and the bride is able to put the flowers in water when she isn’t using it” – a top tip for all you brides to be!
So how about winter? “Winter flowers are very expensive” says Shanaz, “Purples, yellows and blues are especially expensive in winter as they are not readily available Greens, reds, whites and golds are usually easier to get during the winter months and are often used in weddings around this time.”
Fusion Fashion
Given the recent trend for fusion weddings, I ask if Shanaz has noticed Asian and Western traditions coming together in her floral arrangements. “A couple had a lilac colour scheme and so I combined cream roses with thistles because her husband was wearing a kilt. I added some lilac ribbons to her bouquet to tie in with the colour scheme, the bride was absolutely ecstatic with what we created for her. For another wedding the bride asked for cream and red roses and I added diamantes to the bouquets for a little extra sparkle. I also did the centrepieces for that wedding. For something a little different I filled bowls with red dyed water and cream roses, it looked fantastic!”
A Blossoming Romance…
When asked how the business came about, Shanaz reveals that this is, in fact, a love story in itself as she actually co-owns Paradise of Flowers with her husband Muhammad, who is responsible for the deliveries. Shanaz and Muhammad met some six years ago when at a wedding in Pakistan: “He was the most gorgeous guy there, I couldn’t stop looking at him! I couldn’t believe it when he asked for my hand in marriage!”
Shanaz clearly adores her job and talks passionately about weddings she has been involved in previously. Shanaz became involved in floristry after attending a one-day course at Langside College: “I absolutely loved it! I came home with such a huge buzz. I immediately started cutting foliage from my mother’s garden and practising making my own bouquets and posies.” Having realised where her passion lay Shanaz began her business from home, primarily arranging flowers for Asian weddings before landing a major contract with Glasgow City Council. In the interim years Shanaz gravitated away from floristry until October 2009 when she and her husband decided to open Paradise of Flowers together. Although initially purely a florist, the couple soon realised the shop had further potential and began selling an array of cards and gifts, such as jewellery, perfume and chocolates as well as floral arrangements.
Shanaz works very hard to please all her customers and, by looking at the numerous positive testimonials on the website, she is clearly doing a good job. She also offers a number of services in order to make couples’ lives as easy as possible: “We recently began the ‘Flower Account’, this means that a couple can put down any deposit they like and then pay it up slowly up to the date of their wedding. This means that there is no big bill for the couple and that they can pay at their convenience.”
Shanaz’s passion and enthusiasm for flowers as well as her creative talent make it easy to see how she earned the accolade of Florist of the Year. To view some of her beautiful arrangements and organise a consultation with Paradise of Flowers visit their website at: www.paradiseofflowers.co.uk.
By Sophie MacGregor
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