Guest Interview with Zuzanna of Bloomantic

It’s been a while since I published one of these lovely interviews. I’ve invited Zuzanna to take part because I absolutely love her style. Her arrangements and bouquets feel unstructured and often have a wildness to them. She is such a lovely, caring human too and I feel so honoured to have worked with her and am really looking forward to our weddings together next year, which we’re doing with some super lovely couples! Zuzanna was a 2020 bride who got affected by Covid and the UK lockdown in Spring. Zuzanna and her partner have handled it all with such a positive approach and for those of you who might be in the same boat, I hope you can find some comfort in her inspiring tale.

Hi Zuzanna, thank you so much for taking part in this guest interview series. So tell me, have you always loved flowers? And what made you decide to become a florist?

Thank you so much for having me Vaani! I have always loved flowers, but I never used to think of floristry as something I’d like to do. One day a friend of mine told me about a flower arranging course they were taking. I’ve always really enjoyed making things and getting creative, and I loved flowers, so without hesitating, I signed up, just for fun. And that’s when it all started. I was really enjoying learning about flowers and creating my arrangements! One course followed another, and the more I was learning the more I was loving it. Blessing people was also an exciting part of it all. I would gift my bouquets to family and friends, and I really loved seeing how happy it made them. Flowers can really put big smiles on people’s faces, and I love that! I kept playing with blooms and learning on my own until one day it became pretty clear that combining work and passion is the way to go. So here I am.

Have you always been a florist, or did you do something else before?

It took me a little while before I figured out floristry was what I really loved and wanted to do. Up until then I was working in customer service which was actually great because it taught me a lot about myself and others, and in a way, it prepared me for certain aspects of what I do now. To me, being a wedding florist is not just about creating beautiful bouquets and installations. It’s playing my part in one of the most significant days in my couples’ lives. That’s so precious! Building good relationships with them is key and it’s important for me that there is an element of trust. I want my clients to feel relaxed and at ease, knowing that as far as the flowers go, I’ve got it covered.

Would you say you have a signature style? And are there particular flowers that you love to use in your creations?

I absolutely love all things wild and untamed, often quite bold and dramatic, and I think it probably shows through my work. I’m the happiest when I get to work with tonnes of beautiful, lush foliage. I’m also obsessed with pampas grass and dried floral elements, and I love incorporating them to create a fun, trendy, boho chic feel. When it comes to flowers, I think peonies will always be my favourite, I love all the gorgeous, earthy shades of roses, like Toffee, Quicksand and Cappuccino. There are so many flowers I love and often use in my creations but for me, the key is incorporating lots of different textures which creates so much beautiful depth.

Your florals feel very unique to me, where do you find your inspiration?

Thank you! I find a lot of inspiration in nature. I love the way every single element of creation is part of and lives for something bigger than itself. I’m in awe of God’s perfect design and it often inspires me to create my own.

Is there one aspect of your job that you love the most?

I just love my job altogether but if I had to pick one aspect of it, I guess it would be the fact that no two weddings are the same. I get to create something special and unique for each couple, and that’s really exciting!

How do you pass the time if you’re not making florals?

If I’m not making florals there is a good chance that I’m making something else! When I was a little girl, my mum, who is super creative, would always encourage me to make all kinds of stuff. I learnt a lot from her, which I believe helped to develop my creativity. I like expressing it in different ways, so you can easily catch me in the midst of scrapbooking, card making, or some DIY home décor projects. I recently got married and I’ve been really enjoying decorating and making our home pretty and cosy for us. So much so, that I decided to help others decorate their homes too. I recently opened my Etsy shop, Bloomantic Home, where you can find beautiful pampas grass wreaths, dried flower bouquets, and more.

What’s your favourite cake flavour?

Vanilla, any day! In my world, nothing beats a moist and fluffy vanilla sponge. But I do love all kinds of fruity flavours too!

I know you were unable to have your wedding earlier this year due to lockdown. How did you adapt, and do you have any advice to couples who are facing the same difficulty as yourselves?

Yes! Full lockdown was announced just a few days before our wedding date! It really hit us hard, and Covid-19 stopped us from having the big, beautiful wedding we spent eight months planning and preparing for, but we didn’t let it stop us from getting married! As much as we wanted our big day to be just as planned, celebrating with our loved ones in the room, our focus was always on getting married, not on the wedding day itself. We were just so ready to become husband and wife, and postponing was not an option for us, so we made it happen.

We had our amazing pastor, Benitho, come over, and it was literally just us two and him. We linked our family and friends in on Zoom and we had a beautiful, intimate blessing ceremony in the cosiness of our living room. Sam couldn’t get a trim because of course everything was shut, there was no hair and make-up artist for me, and not a single flower in my hand. I got ready in the bedroom, did my own make up the best I could, I put on my dress, called my girls for a little prayer, and I was ready to walk down to the living room to marry my best friend. Our corridor was my aisle! Haha. Our ceremony was wonderful, it was so much better than we anticipated. It was awesome seeing our guests on screen, all dressed up, raising a glass. We received so much love and such great feedback from them all. It was a really special day. We loved every single minute of it, and even though we obviously couldn’t go away, we’ve been blessed with so much time together right at the start of our marriage! It’s like we’ve been on a super extended lockdown themed honeymoon and it’s been really awesome! Hopefully when things get back to normal, we will still be able to gather with our loved ones in one room and celebrate our marriage together.

I know this season has been very frustrating for so many of us. I understand it very well, both as a bride and as a supplier. Trying to plan a wedding during these uncertain times or having to postpone it, (in some cases more than once) has been so difficult and heart-breaking! It’s not been easy, and I really feel for everyone having to go through it!

I think the only advice I could give to all the couples who are facing the same issues, is what helped us during this season. A lot of what’s happening right now really is out of our control, so as hard as it may be, try not to stress and worry too much about the things you can’t do anything about. Instead, assess your situation and try to make the most of where you’re at. 

Some of my lovely couples even managed to find some positives in their situation. Having to postpone their wedding allowed them some extra time to save up a bit more, so they will now be able to afford a lot more for their special day. There is always a silver lining.

Whatever you decide to do, just remember that at the end of the day it is all simply about the two of you coming together as one, and that’s all that really matters.

Whereabouts are you based and are you happy to travel? And how can couples find you to book you for their wedding?

I’m based in London but I’m very happy to travel to the surrounding areas.

And I would love for them to pop over to my website www.bloomantic.com, where I have a little contact form they can fill in to get in touch. Alternatively, they could check out my Instagram page @bloomantic_ and say hey over there.