Royal Wedding Flowers, Constance Spry & Sustainability With Shane Connolly

My Small Business & Me

#012 - Floral designer and writer Shane Connolly shares his small business journey, setting up his company Shane Connolly & Co, arranging flowers for royal weddings, recently guest curating a Constance Spry exhibition, together with his thoughts on sustainability.
Shane first started his floristry journey back in the 1980s working at an event floristry business. He then went on to work for Pulbrook & Gould, before leaving to set up his own small business. He arranged flowers for photoshoots for magazine publishers in London. And at one of the photoshoots with Country Living magazine he met David Austin. Shane's first book came about following a conversation with David.
Working with a caterer led Shane to creating the wedding flowers for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. A few years later, he was invited to create the floral designs for the wedding of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey. He discusses his thought process behind the trees lining the aisle and the story behind the Duchess of Cambridge's bridal bouquet.
Shane then discusses his work as a guest curator for the upcoming Constance Spry exhibition at the Garden Museum in London. He shares what you can expect to see, hear and experience when you visit the exhibition including photographs, letters, containers, furniture, paintings and tapestries.
Towards the end of the interview, he explains his thoughts on sustainability, seasonal and British flowers
Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Shane is about the floristry industry. Plus you'll discover some of his fondest memories during his time working as a floral designer. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover his practical tips, which I'm sure you'll be inspired by too!
Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode12