Welcome Bo Boutique floral design + styling

Written by: louise

A very happy morning to you my loves! Before you head off for a weekend of sunshine and wedmin, I'm delighted to introduce you to another of our wonderful handpicked sponsors. Amy Bowley from Bo Boutique is a floral designer and stylist like no other, I can't even begin to put into words how incredibly creative and talented she is, so instead I've picked LOTS of inspirational images to do the talking for me. What I can say is this; Amy is the loveliest, friendliest person you could wish for to guide you on your floral wedding journey. If you're looking for creative floral designs that will wow, excite and inspire your guests then honestly, book her now! I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

How did you get started in the wedding industry? It's a long story!... I worked as a Saturday girl in a florist shop from the age of 16, and in my gap year before university I managed the shop, taking ownership of planning the weddings. I loved it, but my plan since the age of 11 of becoming a Barrister won over, and so off to university I went, studying Law in Bristol. The year after I graduated I decided that the law wasn't for me, and I couldn't deny the pull that I felt drawing me back to flowers and event styling. And so my 5 year plan was born, which went something like this... move to London, work as a legal negotiator for a US investment bank by day and develop Bo Boutique with every other waking moment until I was ready to turn my pashion into a full-time career. 5 years of hard work and leading a 'double life' corporate / creative existence ensued; developing the brand, working on events and weddings at the weekends, and studying in my spare time and holidays at Jane Packer School of Flowers in London. Bo Boutique was becoming a reality. In 2011 I left the corporate rat-race for good! I moved to Melbourne, Australia and worked as a senior Floral Designer at Flowers Vasette, the most prestigious florist in the city, and at the weekends I managed Flawless Flowers in Parhan Market.

I returned to the UK in June 2012 and Bo Boutique was officially launched on the day of my little sisters wedding; the 14 ^th July. I have never looked back!

How would you describe your style? I'd say that my style is pretty distinctive. It's voluptuous and evocative. My ethos in my floral design and styling work is to evoke feelings and invigorate the senses. I want people to have an experience when they see my work, and for them to see natural materials in a new and thought provoking way. I don't believe in going against nature, you'll never see me dying flowers or wiring them to within an inch of their lives! The beauty of floral design is that your materials come from the ground and will only last a few days. There is something so utterly beautiful in that concept, to me. So my style you could say enhances the natural movement of my materials and the shapes that they create. I take a lot of my inspiration from artists; painters such as Caravaggio who create depth with light and shade and the use of voluptuous shapes; and the photographer Tim Walker who shares a part of my brain, I'm sure! My work as a stylist also transcends into my floral design work, in a sense that I think 'more is more'! I like seeing flowers, foliage and fruits tumbling, sprawling and cascading, and using 'ugly', aggressive and warped props, shapes and textures with soft delicate materials, fabrics and colour palettes. Trend setter or trend follower? Definitely a setter! My favourite trend and one which I like to think I have something to do with setting (!) is the flower crown. I am passionate about these, in any shape or size. I just made a crown from a long flowering branch of willow that had a train of foliage that wrapped around the head, went over the shoulder and all the way down the back of my model, reaching her bum! It only lasted a couple of hours which, made it all the more precious. I'm also embracing the current trend of using more foliage in wedding scenescapes and florals - I've always been a huge advocate of using foliage as a feature rather than a filler. It is the material that allows certain pieces to transcend from one form into another, it compliments colours or even changes the appearance of flowers used alongside it. All hail foliage!Describe the process of working with your couples. What are they looking for? How do you work with your couples? At the initial outset I will meet with my clients for coffee / wine (their choice!) I like to keep the atmosphere informal, so that we get to know each other and see if we gel, and it allows me to get a sense of their personalities and their expectations and wants from their flowers and florist / stylist (depending on which hat I'm wearing). We discuss their wedding day including all of the minutia detail, which all helps me to get a feel for the atmosphere that they want to create for their big day. We'll then look through various ideas that they and I have, and I'll make suggestions to ensure that their budget is used in the best, making sure that style is never compromised. I'll then draw up a brief which explains all of the points that we discussed and an itemised quote. We then usually meet up again and arrange a site visit together where I'm able to point out focal areas to them that need dressing, and we do a more in-depth run through of the day. It's a great process and I often end up forming wonderful relationships and friendships with my couples. It's a very personal thing to be invited to be a part of their day and they are looking for inspiration, guidance and support from me, which I'm always on hand to give. I've always kept in touch with all of my brides and in some cases their family and friends too, and it's so lovely hearing from them after the wedding, and obviously hearing great things about the flowers too! What's your favourite wedding moment? I have a few favourite wedding moments - being a part of both of my sisters weddings was incredibly special, especially as I styled and did the florals for both. I also worked on a wedding last year that has been my biggest to date; it was at Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset and me and my team of 9 assistants were on site for 3 days before the wedding hand building archways out of twisted willow, moss, flowers and vintage lace, and creating a huge ceiling installation that spanned the entire length and width of the ceremony pavilion. As I mentioned before, I form wonderful bonds with my couples, and I was actually invited as a guest to their wedding. It was such hard work in the lead up to the big day, but there was something so satisfying being dressed up as a wedding guest and walking through the archways that I'd built previously while listening to the comments of all the other guests. It was a proud little moment! Being a part of Retreat Gatherings in Rome last year was also an incredible wedding experience, as I was a part of the team who put together a real life surprise elopement {which you can see here on b.loved}. There were only the few of us witnessing the wedding of this wonderful couple that I'd only known for a matter of days, and it was so powerful, just thinking about it know gives me goosebumps! What's your next challenge? Well this evening I'll be frolicking in Hampstead Heath curating a styled shoot for Illuminated Collective, and creating a floral crown for my model to wear! The bigger picture however, involves numerous weddings and events all over the world. I'm heading to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Iceland, Spain, Italy and New York within the next year to style events and do the florals too. I also have some Bo Boutique Floral Design workshops in the pipeline, which will be taking place later in the year and early next year. As well as this I am also in discussions with publishers who have asked to publish some of my work in a new book, which is extremely exciting! Since Bo Boutique launched two years ago I have met some incredible and inspiring people in the wedding and events industry, and I have been privileged to work with wonderful clients who have been so open to giving me creative license. I can't wait to share more Bo creations as the years go by! Such an inspiring lady! Want to know more? Visit www.boboutique.co.uk or see more Bo Boutique features on b.loved

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Categories: supplier spotlight · Tags: amy bowley, bo boutique, contemporary, floral design, florist, flowers, rustic, statement, stylist