Floral Quarter on Goldspink Lane has picked up a silver award in the florist category at the north east and Yorkshire heats of the Wedding Industry Awards at a ceremony in Durham. Owner Vicky Laffey, who won gold last year, told JesmondLocal: “I entered to win again, but these awards at this event are done with real integrity, so any recognition is extremely appreciated.”

According to Laffey, 2024 has been a good year. After winning the competition in 2023, Floral Quarter was approached to appear in the Netflix programme Love is Blind, which Laffey described as the “biggest opportunity yet” for Floral Quarter and “an absolute career highlight”.

Starting the business “was very difficult at the beginning”, admitted Laffey. While working for friends and running a stall at Tynemouth Market, she learned that in floristry “You have to get on with people, and people have to love what you do, especially if you’re doing weddings.” Floral Quarter launched as a wedding-only florist in Sandyford in 2017.

“We get a lot of local customers, but we are so lucky to have so many beautiful wedding venues here with a lot of variety, and the countryside draws in customers from all over. It’s no wonder people come up here to get married.”

Floral Quarter’s designs have been used in films and TV adaptations, including 28 Years Later, Night and Day and Virginia Woolf. Following this latest award, Laffey said she hopes to do more TV and film work, to increase the business’s reputation.

Whilst aiming to expand Floral Quarter as a business, Laffey said she is also conscious that “sustainability within floristry is a huge deal now”. She said the key was “finding the best techniques, making sure it works for me and the environment but also keeps the flowers in perfect condition to our keep our customers satisfied”. Customers, said Laffey, are the most important part of her business and that she loves “transforming people’s vague ideas into reality and wowing them on their special day”. She said that one delighted customer told her: “You knew what was in my head.”