Lily & May ~ Romantic and Whimsical Wedding Flowers in Essex, London and Hertfordshire

Being married to a chap with very green fingers meant that we were able to supply many of our own florals for our wedding day, but I still turned to a professional florist when it came to my bouquet, flowers for my bridesmaids and buttonholes.  Since becoming a professional wedding blogger, I've learned so much more about the role of the professional florist, more than I ever thought I knew. 

These guys do so much – they aren't just the creative minds behind making a wedding day look super pretty, they're real grafters – up before the larks to visit flower markets, hours and hours spent on floral design and installations or crafting of pretty handheld  bouquets.

Over the past four years of blogging I've developed a real fondness
for florists.  I admire them hugely and am a secret fan girl of many. 
One of our favourite florists we'd like to share details with you of
today is Lily & May.

Lily & May
is a bespoke wedding floral design company, owned by Claire May Sankey
and based in Brentwood Essex.  Claire takes on commissions all over
Essex and parts of London and Hertfordshire.

Photography by Ellie Gillard – see the full wedding here on Love My Dress

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Claire tells us, ' Lily & May
started after I qualified in floristry – the seeds of the business had
already been planted whilst on my honeymoon in Italy.  I’m often asked
how the name came about. Lily was the name of my great grandmother and I
had always said that I would incorporate her name into my business. May
is my nickname (and also my maiden name) and when I put the two
together it just worked!'
 

'It was actually my mother in law (also a florist) that
inspired me to be a florist as, after assisting her one-day, she mentioned
that I had an eye for the craft.  So I made the step to give up my IT
career in London and spent two years retraining. It’s the best decision I
have ever made (besides marrying my husband).'

Photography – Claire Naylor Photography

lily and may

'I have a strong love for creating romantic, whimsical designs with colour and texture having a huge influence on my work.'

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'The best advice I can give for choosing your florist is to make
sure you meet with them, you are putting a lot of trust into your
florist interpreting your vision and making it a reality. If you feel
after this meeting that you click then this is most probably the florist
for you.'

'Also ensure you see their portfolio as every florist has their
own individual style so it’s important to ascertain that their style fits
with yours.'

lily and may

Images below by Lily & May

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lily and may

lily and may

lily and may

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Photography here onwards by Ellie Gillard

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I am really fortunate to work with some amazing clients that
have a strong sense of style and some fantastic ideas; I like to
think of what we do as a collaboration between us and the couple. 
Seeing the look on a bride’s face when I present them with the bouquet
on their wedding day is something I will never tire of!' 

'As all of our designs are bespoke we do not offer a price guide,
we are able to work within a budget.  As the entire day (and day
before) is booked out exclusively to the client,  there is a minimum
spend of £650.'

lily and may

To get in touch with Claire and learn more, please visit the Lily & May website, telephone 07866 – 718147 or email [email protected]

You can also visit the Lily & May blog and find Lily & May on Facebook and Twitter.

Annabel

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Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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