Speak to the expert: Philippa Craddock

Today we introduce a new type of post on this blog; an interview with a master in their field. We’re honoured to be speaking to Philippa Craddock who has been described as the ‘must know florist’ by leading designers, stylists and magazine editors. We certainly think so, which is why we invited her to create our floral displays at the Designer Wedding Show, earlier this year.

Snapdragon: Hello Philippa and thank you for making time to speak to us here at your lovely studio at Pheasant’s Hatch in Sussex. What a fabulous environment to work in! Do you invite your clients here?

Philippa: Yes, we very much like to hold our initial meetings here, in the gardens on warm days or beside a wood burning stove on cooler days. Often our brides live and work in London and being only an hour away, Pheasants Hatch offers the perfect, relaxed space to really get to know each of our brides and in turn design their perfect wedding flowers. As most of our clients are London based I am often in town and occasionally do hold consultations there.

Photo credits: Philippa Craddock’s Portfolio

Snapdragon: So when you meet a client for the first time, how do you draw out their vision and how do you guide them in that initial consultation?

Philippa: Before each consultation I send a small amount of (fun!) homework to complete, which helps start the design process. I then spend a large portion of the meeting talking through each and every element of the wedding, which allows me to really get to know the bride, the day she is looking to create and helps me to guide her through her flower designs and overall styling.

Snapdragon: What is the most unusual or challenging floral design that you have been asked for?

Philippa: The most challenging floral design – for a wedding with 800 guests, an incredibly generous friend of the family gave the couple 40,000 roses from his farm in Kenya and only three weeks before the wedding we were asked to manage the transport, design and installation process of the roses – with a team of twenty over seven days, we took delivery of the roses and created a giant sweeping staircase design, a huge ceremony canopy, 80 dramatic table designs, 5m tall free standing designs and numerous smaller vases for the two day event.

Photo credits: Philippa Craddock’s Portfolio

Snapdragon: That sounds fabulous and the photo speaks for itself. After your initial consultation, how do you then work with a client to finalise their floral designs?

Philippa: We follow up with a complete design document, summarising everything we discussed during our consultation and talking through each flower design, with supporting imagery. From here we usually meet again during a site visit, often finalising the designs at this point. We then continue to remain in contact with the bride and/or her wedding planner ensuring we are made aware of any changes leading up to the big day. Each wedding is different and as we offer a completely bespoke service, we offer as much or as little support as our brides like and/or need.

Snapdragon: If you could give one piece of advice to a bride about her flowers, what would it be?

Philippa: Be true to yourself, yes be inspired by other designs you have seen and loved, but work closely with your florist to ensure your final designs reflect you, your groom and the day you are looking to create.

Snapdragon: Thank you Philippa for taking time out to speak with us and allowing us to join you at Pheasant’s Hatch.

Photo credits: Philippa Craddock’s Portfolio