And so it begins – welcome to my flower blog.
Hi it’s me, Bryony.
I’m Bryony from Bryony Mae Flowers, a florist based in Hassocks, Sussex at the foot of the beautiful South Downs.
Sussex florist – weddings, events, farewells and other flowers
I’m a studio florist and specialise in weddings, events and farewell flowers as well as the occasional workshop and ‘flower drop’ (aka special occasions that call for flowers – be it Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day or simply to celebrate an amazing flower during its short season – Mimosa and Peonies, I’m looking at you here!)
If you wish to hear about these flower drops and are local to BN6 please do join my Facebook group. Follow link here to join.
A brief recap, how I got here
I’ve always loved flowers since I was a child, their prettiness, fragrance, colour as well as mood enhancing abilities - it’s hard not to feel a bit brighter looking at beautiful flower.
Here I am aged 3, hugging a mighty Gladioli.
Although it was only after years of working in marketing and advertising and a surprise redundancy (is it ever NOT a surprise?) followed by a lost period, that I took a day introduction course in floristry. I LOVED it so much that I quickly signed up to retrain on amazing career course at The Sussex Flower School to become a florist and launched Bryony Mae Flowers in 2019. Something I never ever would have imagined a few years earlier!
Bryony Mae, named after flowers
A little something on the name, Bryony is my first name and also a climbing hedgerow plant with small pretty white flowers in spring and bright red (toxic) berries in Autumn, and Mae is my middle name (adjusted spelling but inspired by the May tree - i.e. Hawthorn) so although feels a little personal at times, it made sense to name after my flowery names! And provided a good basis for my logo by the wonderfully talented Emily Nazer which is based on the leaf of the plant.
It's in the genes, florist family
As it turns out, floristry is in my heritage too (something I’d not appreciated before - as you often don’t when you are younger). My Great Grandfather ran a florist and market garden in Wales in the early 1900s and my Dad can remember visiting as a child when his uncle took over the business in the 1950s and finding everywhere covered in spruce, moss and bits of foliage in the run up to Christmas.
Modern day wreath making via zoom
I recreate these chaotic scenes every wreath season, some things do not change - mess and wreath making still go hand in hand seventy years later!
A bit more about Bryony Mae Flowers
My floral style is best described as wild, romantic - inspired by nature, the seasons and the beautiful Sussex countryside around Hassocks. I love all flowers – fresh, wild, dried, pressed – and enjoy mixing them up, nothing is out of bounds – a luxury rose or a so-called weed, for me both have their beauty and their moment. I’m also a fan of using local British grown flowers whenever I can and luckily there are a number of growers and flower farms around me in Sussex as let’s just say, my own growing skills have yet to develop.
A few of my favourite wedding bouquets featuring a mix of British grown flowers and beautiful blooms from my wholesaler. Photo credits from left to right: Moments Captured, Lottie Topping Photography, Paul Fletcher Photography, AxL Photography, Rebecca Carpenter Photography & Lauren Beth Photography
To see more wedding inspo, view my portfolio here.
So that’s it for now – thank you for being here and reading so far, please check back here for real weddings, styled photoshoots full of inspo for your own wedding, tips for planning your day and a little about my take on farewell flowers, I’m an advocate for personal, meaningful and natural tributes and like all my designs - bespokely designed for the individual.
I’d love you to subscribe to my newsletter here to be the first to hear about workshops or any special flower drops.
