text: Patois for Flower Girl, Fille à Flleur is a new floristry and homewares business set up by Lara Todd, who stumbled across the floristry industry and decided to carve out a more creative and a slower pace of life for herself. Little did she know how hectic life as a florist can be. She gives us a glimpse behind the scenes and, with workshops and weddings on the horizon - including her own - she admits she wouldn't change a thing.
  Read Lara’s story here.
  I live in the beautiful area of the Forest near Le Gouffre with my fiancé and our two rescue dogs. I did my degree in international business management with creativity, something I saw as more of a hobby than a potential job.
  I then worked in marketing for a local company for a few years before craving something with a more flexible lifestyle and more creativity. I kind of stumbled across the florist industry after working in an office and craving a slower pace of life - little did I realise how crazy life as a florist can be! I started working as a part time florist while doing an online interior design course and fell in love with the job. I find it to be the perfect outlet for creativity for me.
  I’ve always wanted to run my own business so I could have the flexibility of being my own boss. I’ve always had ideas of what this could be; running a cafe, a homewares shop, interior design or even running a B&B. My brother and I used to try to sell our toys at the end of our driveway so running my own business in some shape or form has always been a dream of mine.
  After working in floristry locally and realising how much I love it, and with some encouragement from friends and family, I took the plunge to set up a floristry and homewares store named Fille à Flleur, which is Guernsey French for Flower Girl. I decided to go on a course in Devon with ‘The Good Florist’ where I learnt lots of business and floristry skills to give me the confidence I needed. I learnt lots of skills for big wedding installations and met some lovely like-minded people.
  It’s still early days, but I’ve loved meeting lots of new faces and seeing familiar faces at the various Christmas markets I’ve been at. I also did a dried wreath workshop for the girls at Panache which was great fun. I’m looking forward to our Christmas wreath workshop in a few weeks and working on some beautiful weddings next year too. It’s been so great to meet some lovely brides to talk through their wedding requirements.
  I think the wedding industry can be quite daunting if you don’t know much about flowers, so I’ve loved helping couples get the most out of their budget and talk through different ideas. No question is a silly question and whether you have a vision of what you want your wedding to look like or simply need some suggestions, I’m always happy to help!
  I think for me personally so far the biggest challenge has been having the confidence to go through with it. With our own wedding next year, and good old imposter syndrome, I wasn’t sure when the right time was to start up on my own - but I’m so glad I took the plunge.
  It can be quite overwhelming setting up a new business, there are so many different things you need to know, but everyone has been very helpful and kind - especially my fiancé, Remy who helped to build my studio for me.
  Behind the pretty pictures and flowers is a much more unglamorous reality in the world of floristry. I spend a lot of time on my laptop doing admin, and a lot of time moving buckets around and trying to keep my little studio tidy. And then there’s the risk of getting poked by thorns and just generally always being in need of a manicure.
  I love the sense of community, the beautiful scenery and the great local food we have here in Guernsey. And I’ve loved having stalls at various local Christmas markets and I really enjoy sharing my skills through workshops. And I have hopes to bring the joy of flowers to people who need this in the future by supporting local causes.
  I must admit, running a floristry business on an island can be tricky when you’re reliant on the ferry and the weather to deliver your flowers. But I wouldn’t change it, and I’ve found some amazing local growers and hope to grow some more myself next year.
  My go-to fun fact has always been that I’m a twin and I was born on Christmas Day. And yes, there are a lot of different cakes in our house on Christmas Day!
  Lara's love for all things pretty, be it home interiors or in the outdoors with her curation of floral bouquets led her to launch her business earlier this year. We love the fact that her love of floristry was born out of a need to get off a screen. And that she now embraces a calmer pace of life by creating a business that works for her with elements of self care and wellbeing at the heart - the ultimate goal for a small business owner! We wish Lara every success in the future of Fille à Flleur.