Favorite vendor: goldsmith Bram de Groot — jewelry

Wavy grey hair, a head to toe flowery print, kind eyes and an all round calm atmosphere. Goldsmith Bram de Groot gives off strong craftsmanship vibes. And a craftsman he is.

It all started with mom — a jeweler. “Hearing all about the techniques on how the refined pieces she sold were made, fascinated me.”

During his studies as a gold & silversmith, Bram made all kinds of varied creations. What was missing though, was meaning, story or concept behind it. After graduation, he enrolled in school of the arts ArtEz to further deepen the craft and hone in on the conceptual side of it. This is where he fully leaned into his artistry and started seeing forging as an art form.

“Told you I wanted you to be part of all important moments in my life?” Well, Laura was not playing. All important moments including maybe the most important of all: the birth of Nina. A moment so profound — where to begin?

Goodness gracious – we are in absolute awe over these photos of us by none other than LEGEND Oli Sansom / Briars Atlas.

For how all of this came to be, we have to rewind to 2018 when two wonderful things happened in one day. One: I met Oli for coffee and an impromptu photowalk in Melbourne and two: him introducing me to the wonderful world of Cinestill film. A staple for me ever since. Oli is an amazing photographer and that is an understatement. Over the years I have been following and admiring all that he does from afar, until one day… he posted an Instagram story asking who would be interested in joining a photography workshop in Belgium. Obviously a hell yes moment for me. In the meanwhile my love Noah Noël and I started photographing and combining our crafts more and more and so it happened that we drove to the lovely city of Ghent to join Ghent Bent together. A workshop by Oli, with special guest star: the fabulous Jackson Grant. Camera’s, notebooks AND fancy outfits packed, as we would also be modelling for them and the attendees. Very exciting, very new for us.

Master at work

Pim – florist, event stylist and owner of Plants in Paradise – is a bit of a work of art himself. An artistic soul, with his specific sense of style and signature stach, always dressed in black. Forming a contrast with his green, colorful, lush and living creations. Breathing life into to weddings & events, with carefully composed flower and plant arrangements by him and his trusted team.

As a green minded believer of the power of the flower and plant enthusiast myself, taking a peak inside his mind AND his home base and plant nursery was a true treat.

I asked him about his background, love for plants, decorating and what makes him bloom and blossom.

Enjoy!

“At 8 years old, I marvelled at the colorful and beautifully decorated window of our local florist. I instantly knew this is what I wanted to with my life.” A passion for plants was born and bloomed from there. Pim studied to be a florist for 7 years and proceeded to win many awards in the years that followed. To be able to create a base and home for his creations, he studied product design in Arnhem. During that time, he started organising events and ten years passed in a heartbeat. Covid put a halt to that fast paced train, and made Pim return to his roots: flowers. “I ended up spending a lot of my time in Italy, creating flamboyant flower arrangements for weddings and high end events. I love the freedom of going all out.”

Back in the Netherlands, Plants in Paradise took from. Combining past, present and future. Ten years of experience in the event industry and a solid background in flower arrangements and plant decorations all came together. “I decided to focus entirely on styling by flowers and plants. This is what I love most and excel in. By specialising and tailoring to that, my creativity flows best.

Why? “Because this is fucking amazing. It’s scientifically proven plants and flowers lift up the human spirit. Plants symbolise growth, development. Working with these materials is a gift. Especially when creating something meaningful and beautiful on important life events. I love to create a feeling of wonder.”

Style

Pim describes his style as natural and romantic, wild yet subtle. Natural also refers to a preference to working with nature and what’s in season. That means some flowers may not available during certain parts of the year.

Process

So you’re a couple that loves to incorporate natural elements into your wedding day. How does it go from there? “Couples usually reach out three months prior to their wedding, when I invite them to my green sanctuary. We discuss what package works best for them, always tailored and custom. A month prior to the wedding, I give them a sample of what they can expect by ordering a small selection of the chosen plants and flowers to show them. A preview of what’s to come on the big day: seeing it all come to life is so exciting.”

Plants in Paradise provides:

Plant styling
Flower decorations
Table arrangements
Bouquets
Backdrops
Hair flower styling
Car decorations
Arbours & pergola’s

See more of Plants in Paradise