Florist Rowena Davies has always loved flowers and grew to love them even more when she worked for her parents as a Saturday girl in their fruit and veg shop in Baillieston, which also sold flowers.
“After trying other jobs in my late teens, I realised that floristry was my passion and at just 21, following in my parents’ footsteps, I opened my own shop – Showers of Flowers,” says Rowena.
“I was all set to open up in Coatbridge and was devastated when that fell through but obviously it was fate as the building my shop is in is next door to the shop where the family business was. I trained at Langside College in Glasgow but I gained most of my experience working in the shop using my creativity to not only problem-solve but constantly build on the foundations set through college learning.
“Once I ventured out alone, I was able to experiment with new, elaborate styles that were more in keeping with the younger crowd and this furthered my eye for design.”
As an avid magazine reader, Rowena would use them to keep up with the latest colour and style trends. “Styles are constantly moving and change but it’s exciting to try them all and evolve them into my own style,” she says, pointing out that a lot of brides now turn to Instagram and Pinterest for their inspiration.
Like flowers, Rowena’s business has evolved over the years. “I started as a one-man – or one-woman band – in a shop that didn’t even have any signage and here I am 26 years later, with a well-known brand and a great team of four in the store and a driver.
“Martha is our fabulous receptionist and she knows the business inside out, having been with me for over 10 years,” adds Rowena. “I am doubly lucky that my driver is her husband, Derek. Between the two of them there is nothing that can’t be sorted.
“One of my florists, Tracey, a local girl, has been with me the longest. As a team we have nearly 60 years’ experience!
Lindsey came to me last year and interestingly has almost an identical story to mine, opening her own floristry business at 21, but then eventually moving to Scotland so that her husband could move forward in his career. It’s good to have someone to bounce off that has similar experience and taste.
“My most recent hire is Kayleigh. After struggling to find a florist that suited my style, I reached out to the college where I studied and trialled a few students. Kayleigh really stood out and being at the beginning of her floristry journey she is a fresh set of eyes.”
We are creating bouquets that are immortalised in the photographs the couples have on their mantelpiece for life.
Showers of Flowers was an early pioneer of online ordering. “I was among the first floristry shops to trial it and I thought it would be a disaster but here I am in 2022 taking a good majority of orders online.”
The store itself, however, remains vitally important and was recently revamped. Rowena explains: “After having to close due to the pandemic and the struggles we all faced, I thought what better time for a fresh start? I wanted to create an inspiring atmosphere for my florists and for me. It’s important not to become stagnant.”
While the vast experience of Rowena and her team means that a bride will always been in safe hands, she admits that it can still be “nerve-racking” trying to bring to life the idea a bride has for her special day.
“The process is really rewarding, however, and seeing the end product is so satisfying,” she says. “We are creating bouquets that are immortalised in the photographs the couples have on their mantelpiece for life. You become a part of the couple’s life, welcoming their first child, their first anniversary, birthday with flowers and sometimes even their children’s weddings too.
“That’s something that’s really special for us at Showers of Flowers.”
www.showersofflowers.co.uk
Q&A
How long in advance should I book my florist?
“We never cater for more than two weddings each weekend which allows us to really focus on our brides. With all the backlog from coronavirus we are now doing wedding flowers throughout the week so we would always advise you to book as early as possible. It depends if you’re getting married at a popular time – summer weekends fill up fast – so our advice is always to book as early as you can.”
What is involved – do I have an in-store chat with you in the first instance?
“Since the pandemic it has actually been great to do consultations via email. It means that all the information, all the pictures, and all our discussions are in one place. You’re welcome in-store to see the flowers in the flesh and, of course, we do like to meet our brides!
What’s included in the price? And do you deliver to my home and the venue?
“Unless you choose one of our packages everything is individually priced and itemised on your quotation. We can deliver wherever and whenever.”
Do you create accessories such as hair slides?
“Hair circlets have been very popular. We can do hair slides or loose flowers that can be placed in your hair.”
Are there certain flowers that aren’t available at specific times of the year?
“As we get produce imported from all over the world you can get most flower varieties all year round these days although flowers in their natural season are always a better price and generally much better quality. Some, unfortunately, like my favourite peonies, are seasonal, generally late April to early June, although I managed to get them for my own September wedding.”
My winter wedding will have a white theme – what flowers would you recommend?
“Rose, lisianthus, gyp, calla and lots of beautiful natural grey/white foliage. Obviously, it depends on your style but these are all available.”
I’m on a budget. Help!
“We do lots of packages from our elopement package to our seasonal mix which means you give us a colour scheme and style – then let us do our magic!”
My wedding is taking place in a barn – is there a particular style of flowers you recommend?
“It depends on your style but I’m thinking rustic, lots of foliage, wooden crates filled with flowers, tree stumps, jugs for displaying flowers, containers in different sizes and shapes with loose flowers so it’s all less structured.”
Is there a minimum spend?
“Absolutely not! We cater for elopements and venues for 500 people.”
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