With love from me to you

My first Valentine’s Day as a florist felt like one of those moments where you step forward without quite knowing what to expect. As with all firsts, it was a leap into the unknown and following the trend that has formed since I retrained, I learned something new along the way (I’m looking at you last minute requests!)

From the beginning, I knew I wanted it to be about more than romantic love. Of course, love between partners matters, but so does friendship, kindness and the people who hold us up when we need it most. The friends we rely on and the people who mean a lot to us but who we don’t always stop to tell.

Sometimes, it’s just really nice to say: I love you.

I’ve never been a “dozen red roses” kind of person so when it came to creating flowers for Wild Soul Flowers, I wanted to do it my way, in a way that felt true to my values.

Using British flowers as much as possible is really important to me and at this time of year that means working with what’s available rather than forcing what isn’t. Instead of bold statements, I leaned into a gentler approach: British foliage, seasonal textures and as many British-grown blooms as I could source, thoughtfully paired with a few carefully chosen supplements.

Each bouquet was made with so much love and I loved playing cupid delivering flowers, it was the best feeling seeing smiles at the door knowing that each bunch was carrying a message from one person to another.

Competing with a supermarket on price or scale is not an option for an independent florist and even if it was I wouldn't want to! I do wonder how much waste is created in those systems, especially around days like Valentine’s Day.

What I can offer is time.

Time spent choosing the flowers.

Time spent caring for them.

Time spent wrapping each bouquet by hand.

Time spent delivering them personally.

And I’m really proud to say that I had no waste at all.

My first Valentine’s Day really did feel like a celebration of love in all its forms and if you trusted me with your flowers, thank you - it truly meant the world.

With love,

Tracey 💐