We’re a large floral event company, therefore all our work comes directly through planners and event companies as we work on large scale weddings, events and installations. We’ve installed for many island destination weddings and events, including Minorca and Ibiza. Our head florist, who’s now based in Thailand, has also worked on many weddings and events across Asia. Being Thai herself, she has the required experience to organise and liaise with Western clients, venues, and suppliers…”
Ricky Paul, Creative Director, Ricky Paul Flowers
C&B: “Ricky, congratulations on your success at Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea In Bloom this year! It’s very exciting news that you’re extending your business out to Asia; what inspired the idea?”
RP: “I believe Thailand is becoming a hot location for weddings and events, with destination weddings gaining popularity. Therefore, we decided to set up a studio in Koh Lipe, Thailand, to offer flowers for celebrations across the islands and mainland Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. As a member of my team has relocated back to Thailand, this presented the perfect opportunity. We’ll be offering weekly hotel flowers and contracts, smaller weddings and events across the island, and larger-scale weddings and events throughout Asia that we’ll organise directly from our London studio…”
Ricky Paul Flowers will cover Koh Lipe, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Koh Samui, Phuket, Langkawi, and Koh Phi Phi, as well as large weddings around Malaysia including Bangkok, Singapore, and Mainland Thailand…”
Ricky Paul, Creative Director, Ricky Paul Flowers
C&B: “That’s incredibly good timing and also incredibly ambitious. What factors do you have to consider when selecting flowers for tropical island events?”
RP: “We must consider the heat, as Thailand is extremely hot during high season. Additionally, flowers play a significant role in weddings for clients in Asia, who also have a strong affinity for whimsical wedding arrangements. It can be a challenge to use roses and fresh flowers, which tend to wilt in very hot weather, so we’ll occasionally incorporate silk flowers when they’re required; they can also be repurposed. All our flowers for events in Asia are grown locally on the Thailand mainland or imported from nearby countries in Asia; we generally want to be as sustainable as possible so locally grown flowers will always be our preference…”
We want to be as sustainable as we can; we recently completed a sustainability course for Ricky Paul Flowers UK and want to ensure we are being as sustainable as possible in Asia. Using locally grown flowers and transporting them via long-tail boats across the islands means we are keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible…”
Ricky Paul, Creative Director, Ricky Paul Flowers
C&B: “Talking of heat and extreme weather conditions, how do you handle potential challenges, such as inclement weather or unexpected disruptions, during an outdoor event on a tropical island?”
RP: “We’re accustomed to working on events and taking every precaution, as unexpected issues can and do occur regardless of where the wedding or event is taking place. It’s vital for us to ensure that we have a competent team on hand and a trusted supplier available should we need to replace flowers. Additionally, assessing the weather prior to setup is essential…”
Team Ricky Paul is so excited about this venture and can’t wait to share some of the amazing weddings and events that we’ll we be working on as we expand across the globe…”
Ricky Paul, Creative Director, Ricky Paul Flowers
C&B: “Are you able to offer any additional services to enhance the overall experience when you’re working with overseas destination wedding planners ?”
RP: “Yes – as a trusted supplier with a member of our team based in Thailand, we can offer help and advice to planners on locations, make hotel recommendations and also help with finding additional suppliers from catering through to entertainment; having our reliable member of the team based in Thailand is vital to the success of our weddings across Asia…”
CONTACT: http://www.rickypaulflowers.co.uk
