If you’ve ever scrolled Instagram or searched online for fabulous wedding floristy, you may well have landed upon award-winning Lucy Vail’s divine and original floral designs. Lucy set up her business, Lucy Vail Floristry, in 2015 and specialises in weddings, from the very lavish to the quietly intimate, as well as private and corporate events in the UK and beyond. The company works closely with a number of top London venues, including Saatchi gallery, Claridge’s, Banqueting House and Guildhall, and is best known for pushing the boundaries of floral design, incorporating British flowers and natural architectural lines. From high impact installations to beauteous floral ceilings, Lucy Vail is justifiably proud of the fact that no two projects are ever the same, each one interpreted with a fresh perspective.
Events are always bespoke, and Lucy and her team work closely with clients to choose the perfect seasonal flowers, vases, candleholders and floral props. Using contemporary and traditional methods, Lucy Vail then ensures that the flowers for every occasion it undertakes are nothing less than perfect.
The past few years have, of course, thrown up a few challenges. For Lucy it was important to stay focused and maintain the development and creativity of the business.
‘Like many, we are still managing the pandemic,’ says Lucy. ‘Pushing the boundaries with our designs and installations was key for us last year. A pivotal moment was an installation we did for one of our brides at the Saatchi Gallery in London. When you’re working somewhere that’s so renowned and culturally exciting, it’s only right to meet that head on and live up to the space. So, for this installation we used more than 3,000 dahlias grown from British growers up and down the country. The wedding was unique and, for us, creating a stand-out moment for the bridal party and their guests was such a joy.’
The home-grown dahlias were something of a stand-out moment for Lucy herself. She has only recently turned her hand to floriculture, collaborating with her mother to create a flower farm, specialising in a wide range of flowers and foliage.
As Lucy points out though, it’s not just about having a supply of magnificent blooms. ‘In 2021, we also took meaningful strides to begin offsetting our carbon footprint. We use solely British flowers during the months of March to November. Firstly, we’re able to avoid using freight to get our flowers from overseas into the UK and, secondly, we now use our own eco-bike system to deliver all our London-based orders. Family-run Floriston flower farm has also been an incredible way for us to develop local relationships, as well as relationships with fellow British growers.’
The pandemic did serve one useful purpose: it reminded Lucy and her team just how much they adore designing for weddings. ‘Weddings are at our core and it has brought us immeasurable joy to be able to work on them again,’ says Lucy. ‘The events may have been more intimate last year but that didn’t mean the drama and joy of the flowers had to be dampened – if anything we found that our brides and grooms have been more open to innovation, to sustainability, to British grown produce – all elements that are key to who we are.’
