Abby Griffiths runs The Little Wilde Bunch, an independent Bristol florist who has diversified her business during the pandemic is confident the Covid-19 vaccine will see the return of the wedding industry in 2021.

Abby Griffiths, a self-employed senior designer for Bristol-based wedding and event florist Wilde Bunch, launched her own off-shoot business – The Little Wilde Bunch – in 2020 after the Covid crisis hit the wedding sector and her workload was reduced.

She started selling gift bouquets, house plants and creating bespoke designs from her studio in Bristol. She also recently began producing DIY Christmas wreath-making kits and offering Zoom workshops.

“The wedding industry has taken a big hit due to the pandemic,” explained Abby. “Originally there was uncertainty around when, or if, weddings would be allowed to take place. Then the ever-changing rules regarding numbers allowed at ceremonies and receptions was a major concern.

“However, there was a definite sense that people still wanted to have flowers, whether it was a bunch delivered on their original wedding date or something to cheer them up during times of uncertainty.”

Abby says she is hopeful “things could start returning to normal” by late spring now a vaccine is being rolled out. She said the Wilde Bunch team had rescheduled around 200 weddings to new dates in 2021 and 2022.

“The Wilde Bunch has a full calendar of bookings for next year and we are ready and raring to go and have a dedicated team who can pick straight up where we left off.”

Abby, who also runs a Christmas stall every Tuesday and Thursday in Winterbourne, South Gloucestershire, is also hopeful any issues caused by Brexit will be ironed out by next spring too.

“With Brexit fast approaching this could have further impact due to possible uncertainty on the transportation of flowers from Europe’s largest suppliers in Holland,” she said. “Hopefully by the time the weddings come back in spring any teething issues will be sorted and all will be running smoothly again.”

Despite a difficult year, Abby says she is motivated to keep going because of the “joy” her work brings to people.

She said: “If one of my bouquets, Christmas wreaths or even house plants puts a smile on someone’s face and makes their day just that little bit better, I have done my job. I want to spread joy and happiness through the power of petals to one and all.”

Looking to the future, Abby says she is planning to grow The Little Wilde Bunch in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas.

She is also hoping to reduce the use of single-use plastic due to the environmental impact, which she says is “difficult at the moment” as flowers and plants are often transported in plastic wraps from Holland to the UK.“However, I am exploring UK companies who can offer similar products with less of an environmental impact,” she added.“I am also a part of a tree planting project Ecologi where for every bouquet, plant or bespoke design I sell I donate to Ecologi who plant a tree […]