Honeymoon’s still business for florist

A new bride spent her honeymoon opening the doors of her new florist shop.

Stephanie Murray tied the knot with husband Greg two days before opening Ivy Lane, a boutique floral and handmade goods store in New Plymouth.

‘‘We had all the family in here for the reception,’’ she said. ‘‘We’ll have our honeymoon at some point.’’

Murray has always loved piecing together flowers, but Monday’s official opening of the South Rd shop, in Spotswood, was the unfolding of her dreams.

Shelves are stocked with Taranaki-sourced goods, including body products from Urenui, jewellery from Inglewood, and coffee from New Plymouth.

Murray said the idea was to become a one-stop shop.

‘‘We don’t want to say ‘no’ to anything,’’ she said.

‘‘People remember when you go out of the way for them. They also remember when you say no.’’

The couple are also selling gift baskets that will stock everything from Manuka honey fudge to hand-crafted cards.

‘‘And being right next to the supermarket, it gives us a chance to offer fresh fruit.’’

Murray’s new husband said the space was about giving people a warm welcome.

‘‘When people come in, the first thing they say isn’t, ‘hello’, it’s ‘wow’.’’ he said.

Every day, the shop receives a fresh bunch of flowers sourced from an auction floor in Auckland, Murray said.

‘‘We have a broker who bids on flowers at 4am for us,’’ she said.

‘‘We get the freshest product for our customers.

‘‘And, we affordability.’’

Her unique talent was evident in her own wedding’s arrangements, which involved a small cage of Monarch butterflies released from her bouquet. hopefully offer

‘‘I had to think outside the box. You can’t have a florist’s wedding be the typical round bouquet.’’

The butterfly wasn’t a one-time thing though.

The orange and yellow-winged insect was pasted on the shop windows.

‘‘When my first granddad died 11-years-ago, there was a butterfly outside his room.

‘‘Yesterday was his birthday and there was a butterfly with me all day.’’

And it was the final touch to her product, with butterfly ornaments ready to place in an arrangement’s centre.

‘‘It’s a little bit of our signature.’’