Join us on a journey of sights, sounds, scents and surrounds as we take you along for the ride during a busy morning at the market.
There’s nothing quite like the hustle and bustle of a (very) early start at the flower market. Before a recent big event, we flew down to Sydney to source a range of beautiful blooms for our clients. Not only did this provide us with more variety of flowers and foliage but allowed us to work with blooms that aren’t always readily available back home. Here’s how the morning went…
Bright beginnings
The early morning start is worth it once you realise you have access to the best flowers in the country. Rare and unique blooms always fly out the door quickly, which is why we always make an effort to get to the market as early as possible. We wake up at 4am, prep the van and get going long before the sun comes up. While the market is always cold, the atmosphere is warm – infused with fragrant blooms (think luscious garden roses) and vivid colourings as far as the eye can see.
Behind the curtain
While it may appear quiet on the outside, on the inside, the market is always filled with eager florists all hoping to find the most premium flowers for their clients. We’re lucky that we’re often granted early access thanks to one of our big wholesalers, and that’s when the real fun begins. The magical art of selecting each flower is such a special undertaking for us and is how we’re able to make sure only the best blooms come home with us. Once we’ve source our favourites, we then pack the van and send everything back home via refrigerated transport.
The prize collection
On this particular day we were able to source a number of gorgeous blue-headed hydrangea, as well as incredible cosmos, dahlia and delphinium. Shades of white, blue, mauve and pink were our inspiration and guided our selections. Some of the other pieces we sourced for a large wedding included a stunning weeping magnolia. This was all made possible thanks to our amazing collaborator, Mark at B&B who always has the most incredible foliage and interesting branches for us to work into our designs. We find these are the elements that can really elevate any atmosphere and we love being able to work with them regularly. We were also lucky enough to get our hands on some Australian-grown white roses from the team at Bagala Brothers, which continue to be as divine as you would imagine.
More for the store
Beyond sourcing items for our event clients, we also were able to find a number of beautiful blooms for the store, including slipper orchids. The team at Harry’s Wholesale source the best orchids for us time and time again, and always look after us. It’s in these acts that we’re then able to look after our customers – both instore and during events.
All good things must come to an end
Once our time at the flower market is over, we transport all of our purchases back to TFBC headquarters where we begin to condition our new blooms. This means we cut the stems, strip away any unwanted foliage, and place them into fresh water. We’ll then start allocating flowers for weddings as well as our store, and begin the creation of each arrangement. Importantly, we separate our waste during this time, ensuring regular recycling of soft plastics and green waste. Once we’re finished, our beautiful blooms are ready for their new homes.
