Penny&Petals

What do you offer?

Penny&Petals is the creation of Becca, a Manchester-based alternative florist and artist, offering unique, sustainable, foam-free floristry inspired by nature, a garden in North Yorkshire, and a little cat called Penny. Everything I do reflects the natural world around us, and it's my aim to always keep that in mind, give back to the earth and celebrate all the unique and quirky parts of it.

Why do you want to work with the LGBTQ+ community?

Everyone deserves their perfect day. And if I can help make someone's wedding experience everything they've dreamed of without fear of judgment, then that's all I can really ask for. My aim is always to create a space that is safe and respectful, and every single person should have access to that. Flowers are so representative of a couple, and the details and personality they can portray are something really unique and special. So why shouldn't everyone be able to have that on their wedding day?

Allyship

I generally hate referring to myself as an ally, mainly because I don't believe it's my place to call myself that. You can only be an ally if you act on it, and it's not up to me to say whether I am or not. I'll always continue to educate myself and do everything I can, but if my actions aren't reflective of that, then I'm not doing my job right. I only ever have my own experience I have to go off.

I will always ask for pronouns and never make assumptions, and use gender neutral language throughout. If I mess up, I own up to it and do better next time. I've worked with the LGBTQ+ community for the last fourteen years, mostly through my main job in events, and previously within Student Unions. I've implemented strategy at festivals to put measures into place to protect attendees from discrimination and abuse, and focused my post-graduate research into gender representation in music festival lineups, which included trans musicians and intersectionality. I'm vocal about the issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community and use everything I've learnt over the years to make my arguments stronger. Education is key, so I'll never stop taking the time to understand things better and trying to help others understand why diversity isn't something to be afraid of, but celebrated.

As a new business (I started taking wedding bookings in 2024), my portfolio is limited. It isn't representative, and it's something I knew would be an issue from day one. Which is why the directory is an important step for me so early on. I don't want to be building a portfolio that is just full of "traditional" wedding couples and then find myself outside of a community that needs suppliers that care and understand the most. Whilst my portfolio and socials may not be there yet, I supplement it by shouting about LGBTQ+ suppliers and promoting them through my business, because we're not in competition with each other. If I can show my support in other ways, then I hope that it will help couples understand that I can be for them.