What really goes into a £40 bouquet at Townend Florist?

Apparently, being a florist these days isn't quite enough.

You're also supposed to be a photographer, videographer, presenter, social media expert, content creator and goodness knows what else.

Well, I've got some news for you.

We're florists. And while we're pretty bloody good at that bit, the rest is questionable at best. 😂

Take one of our little filming adventures from last October. Some things never change!

Kathy, the ultimate professional, calmly showing off a beautiful £40 bouquet like she's been doing it for television all her life.

Chloè, announcing she's camera shy.

CHLOÈ?! CAMERA SHY?!

Give over! 🤣

And then there's me.

Absolutely no problem being in front of a camera. Absolutely no idea what to do once I'm there.

I bend down, stand up, hold the bouquet too high, too low, wave it about like I'm directing traffic. Honestly, you'd think I'd never held a bunch of flowers in my life.

And yes, that really is me, practically folded in half, trying to show you a bouquet. 🤣

Why? Because apparently, after all these years of being a florist, I've still not worked out that you can just hold the bloody thing up.

I've no idea what I thought I was achieving, but I'm fairly certain a career in professional bouquet modelling is off the cards. 😂

Exhibit A: A perfectly good bouquet being presented by a woman who has absolutely no business being in front of a camera. 🤣

And if you think I'm exaggerating, here's the actual evidence.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1611777583966737 

Three florists attempting to become influencers. Kathy's doing brilliantly. The rest of us could do with some training.

But put me behind a floristry bench with a pile of beautiful flowers?

Now you're talking.

So, what does £40 actually get you at Townend Florist?

First of all, a proper bouquet.

Not a consolation prize because you haven't spent £100.

Not something we've thrown together with whatever's left at the bottom of a bucket.

A beautiful, hand-tied bouquet, made by one of us in our Sheffield flower shop, with the same care and attention we'd give something costing considerably more.

£40 is one of our most popular prices, and I completely understand why.

Sometimes you want to send someone flowers just because. Sometimes it's a birthday, a thank you, a little pick-me-up or simply because somebody deserves something lovely.

You shouldn't have to spend a fortune to make someone smile.

And that's where a good florist earns their money.                                                                      

Yes, that's a £40 bouquet. And yes, Kathy is still considerably better at presenting them than I am.

You can have a nosey at our bouquet collection if you'd like to see more of what we create.

It's not just about how many flowers are in it

People sometimes assume that making a bouquet is simply a case of picking up a few flowers, tying them together and popping a bow on.

I wish it were that easy. 😂

There are colours to consider, shapes, textures, proportions and which flowers actually look beautiful together.

A flower can be absolutely gorgeous on its own and completely wrong next to another one.

Equally, something quite ordinary-looking can suddenly become spectacular when it's paired with the right flowers.

That's the bit I love.

We don't stand at the bench following a rigid recipe, counting out exactly three of this and five of that.

We look at what we've got, what's looking particularly gorgeous, and how we can make the very best bouquet for the money you've chosen to spend.

Sometimes a £40 bouquet is bright, bold and full of colour. Sometimes it's softer, prettier and a little more delicate.

The flowers will change with the seasons and what's available, but the care that goes into making them doesn't.

And if you give us a little creative freedom?

Oh, that's when the Townend magic happens. 💚

That's also why I love our Florist's Choice flowers. You tell us the sort of thing you'd like, and we get to do what we do best.

Real flowers, real florists, occasionally questionable filming

There are three of us at Townend. Kathy, Chloè and me.

We're not a big company with a marketing department, professional photographers and somebody whose entire job is making us look glamorous.

Believe me, if we had somebody like that, they'd have their work cut out. 🤣

We're three women who love flowers, have a laugh together and occasionally make complete fools of ourselves.

And I don't particularly want to polish all that away.

Because when you order from Townend, these are the actual people making your flowers.

The bouquets on our website are flowers we've made ourselves. The photographs are of our own work, not stock pictures or AI-generated arrangements.

They might not always be photographed like something out of a glossy magazine, but they're real.

And I'd much rather show you a real bouquet made by a real florist than a perfect picture of something that doesn't exist.

We're not trying to be good at everything

There's that old saying about being a jack of all trades and master of none.

Well, I've decided we're going to concentrate on mastering the flowers.

We'll still make the videos, take the photographs, have a laugh and show you what really goes on behind the scenes.

But I'm not about to start pretending we're professional influencers.

Kathy can carry on being the ultimate professional.

Chloè can carry on claiming she's camera shy.

And I'll carry on demonstrating seventeen different ways NOT to hold a bouquet in front of a camera.

Because, at the end of the day, you don't need us to be film stars.

You need us to be bloody good florists.

And thankfully, that's the bit we've got covered. 😂💚

A little Townend magic, delivered in Sheffield

Whether you're spending £40, £60, £100 or treating somebody to something absolutely enormous, our job is to make the most beautiful flowers we can for you.

We make our bouquets here in our shop in Gleadless, Sheffield, and deliver them ourselves.

And if you've suddenly remembered somebody's birthday, we also offer same-day flower delivery in Sheffield, subject to availability and our ordering cut-off.

So, if you fancy sending somebody something lovely, have a look at our handmade bouquets.

And if you happen to see us making fools of ourselves on Facebook or Instagram, do say hello.

Just don't ask me to model anything.

Lou 💚

Townend Florist, Sheffield