January Moments at Mindenwood

Hello, it’s great to be back! We’ve made it through January, Chapter One of 2023.

How was it for you? I hope you’ve had the best start to the year.

It’s generally a quieter month for wedding flowers, making it a welcome time to reflect, regroup and plan for the year ahead.

From wedding enquiries to the dreaded tax return, and of course quality time with Maude Mindenwood, there’s been no time for the January blues here at Mindenwood.

Read on to find out what else has kept me busy.

WEDDING ENQUIRIES

With Christmas and New Year engagements, there’s always a flurry of excitement when enquiries for weddings arrive in my Inbox.

These initial enquiries will be followed up with face-to-face or Zoom consultations. It’s an opportunity to find out more about each happy couple and their wedding hopes and dreams.

Then beautiful proposals, mood boards and quotes can be drafted and sent.

Fabulous wedding florals to look forward to!

WEDDING FAIR

Wedding Fair season has started. On Sunday 15th, I spent the day at Redworth Hall Hotel. It was the first North East Brides’ wedding fair of 2023 and it was brilliant!

I loved talking to the brides and couples-to-be as they start of their adventure.

The Fairs are also a great way to get to know and connect with other local wedding suppliers, so important for us small, independent businesses.

I chose classic and seasonal whites and greens with a hint of blush, and an unexpected flash of Poppy red.

All arrangements were foam free and filled with gorgeous natural, fresh flowers and foliage ~ Mindenwood’s signature style. So many favourites - Roses, Poppies, Narcissus, Orchids, Ranunculus and Anenomes - were sourced from local floral wholesalers Bon Bloemen and Van Vliet.

Two busy prep days on Friday and Saturday were definitely worth it and appreciated.

My next Fair is Sunday 12th February in Darlington. If you’re local, come and see me. Click on the link to register with North East Brides. I have something fabulous planned that I’ll let you know all about it in my next post.

SHARING THE FLORAL LOVE

Hands on floral love has included monthly subscription, special birthday, ‘thinking of you’ and farewell flowers.

I was also commissioned to create a seasonal Winter wreath for Coarse, an excellent independent restaurant in Durham City. Within seven weeks of opening, they gained a place in the Michelin Guide.

FREELANCING

January’s a great month to touch base with other wedding florists about future freelancing opportunities.

It’s a brilliant way to build professional relationships and friendships. Plus, you’ll always be at a fabulous wedding venue.

On the 6th, I found myself back at Middleton Lodge (left) in North Yorkshire. I also freelanced there on New Year’s Eve. And last week, I was at Walwick Hall (right) in Northumberland. Both are such stunning venues for weddings.

ALWAYS LEARNING

I made sure there was time for some virtual and in person professional and business development.

Networking

Do you network? I went to the Durham MIB (Women & Mums in Business) International Network get together for the first time.

Having a home studio/workshop base, you can work alone a lot of the time so it’s great to meet other entrepreneurs. Even though our service or products may be different, we have a lot in common as small businesses.

It was a morning well spent - good company, new contacts and connections with delicious refreshments. Yes, I’ll be at the next one in February!

Wedding Pod Graduates

Our Wedding Pod Graduates virtual catch up started the month. It’s a brilliant group of wedding florists, hosted by our mentor, Kate Avery.

Kate’s wedding floristry knowledge and expertise brought us together on her mentoring programme. Being part of a community is important and I’m very grateful to be part of this very lovely supportive and creative one.

We keep in touch across the month in our private Facebook group, on Instagram etc but once a month we Zoom live. Kate records so if we can’t make it we can still catch up.

Blogging Brilliance

I enrolled on Laura Charles’ The Business of Weddings Blogging Brilliance six week programme. So much to know and action but Laura breaks it down in manageable steps.

Fingers crossed I’ve put her excellent training into practice with this post.

The programme also includes how to develop your SEO and Pinterest business account, which I’ll definitely be working on.

Wedding Business Bootcamp

This week, I joined Faye Cornhill’s Wedding Business Bootcamp. Faye’s passion and energy are incredible as she motivates and shares her excellent advice and insights.

She covered Mindset, Branding, Business and Marketing. I now have a (longer) list of actions to work through. All good things that will help Mindenwood be a stronger, more successful business.

Who can really make the difference to my business in 2023? Well, first it’s down to me and of course, your help would be most welcome too. I’m only ever an email or enquiry form away.

On that note, February is calling and I’d better make a start on that long list.

Until next time,