Tammy's is just a beautiful little florist situated along the main shopping street of Horsforth…read more The difficulty with being a florist anywhere, let alone Leeds, is that there are so many to compete with. To some extent you can rely on local trade but to drum up customers, from further afield, I imagine is a pretty tricky thing. I thing that standing out from the crowd would be the first trick, and Tammy's is one that does this for sure. Not only do they sell all the usual suspects, beautiful pre-arranged bouquets and custom made, but they also sell some gorgeous potted plants. Not so unusual, I hear you say? Well, perhaps not but I haven't told you about the display yet! These aren't just your standard hyacinths stuffed into a plastic brown pot, oh no! You can get little wooden wheelbarrow arrangements, bright pink bowls and (my favourite) tea cup and saucer arrangements! They also had some really cool felt flower pot arrangements too. I was really impressed at how imaginative their window display was and can imagine that a gift of a potted wheelbarrow would be so much nicer than the plain alternative. For some thoughtful gifts Tammy's is worth travelling just a little bit further than the city centre!

I half expect a florist in this well-to-do part of town to be all £100 single lilies and artfully…read morestructured displays, but Tammy's is a traditional florists and all the better for it. You can buy one of the 'off the peg' colourful, seasonal bouquets that are on display, or get the helpful, smiley assistants to make one up to your own specifications. They also stock a variety of potted plants and shrubs that you can take home and plant, although it would be a lot cheaper to make a trip to your local garden centre. For flowers though, prices are about average - more than a garage forecourt, less than a designer florist - and not much to pay for the smile they'll bring to their recipient's face.

This is a beautiful little florists in the heart of Ilkley. From the mere outside you can tell the…read morekind of love and care taken with their displays and craft, with beautifully lit little trees snipped into lollypop type shapes, which immediately reminded me of visiting Disney Land Paris, where they had fairly tale square and round shaped trees, which I in particular found to be very exciting! Inside it is somewhat like a sort of beautifully scented meditation room, with some lovely water features splishing away in the corner. The lady who served me was very friendly and helped me to choose a lovely bunch of flowers as a gift for a friend, who was very pleased - I'm told they lasted over two weeks, which is quite good value for money! As a lovely alternative to supermarket flowers, which are hit and miss at best, try Amity Rose if you're in Ilkley Town!

Amity Rose is essentially a florists with lavish and decadent extras thrown in. Two bay trees stand…read moreoutside, framing the doorway and the window display was very attractive with a large 'distressed' mirror and bird cages surrounded by plants and flowers. Inside, I particularly liked the bold decoration that would bring a subtle effect to a home or garden - like the large stones with small indents just big enough to fit a tea light in. Even though it was a small shop everything was quite grand. There was a vase nearly as tall as me filled with lemons! I fantasied about one day having a house suitable for any of this but if you're looking for some extras for your home maybe take a look here for something a bit different.

I use this florist when I need something special and something special is what I always get. The…read morearrangements and bouquets are very stylish and they are particularly skillful at combining colours and variety. You can also buy beautifully potted bulbs and orchids and the wrappings and ribbons they use make it all the more luxurious and glam. It's a small shop but the variety is brilliant and I have always found them very helpful.

Excellent service and flowers were beautiful. The lady in shop who assisted us, clearly knew her…read morebusiness and was very helpful, patient and friendly. Thank you!

The best flower shop in Baildon…read more No more needed to say

My favourite shop in Baildon, and a breath of fresh air for this small Yorkshire town just outside…read morethe clutches of Bradford city and happily nestled on the edges of Baildon and Ilkley moor, proper countryside. This shop is a treasure trove of wonder It started off less than a year ago in tiny premises just big enough to hold the sweet smelling array of floral blooms they specialised in. But around the edges were original and exciting selections of cards, gifts and things for the home. In August 2008 they extended into the shop next door and suddenly seemed to have room to breathe and shine brightly, a glistening gem contrasting gloriously with Baildon's rough Yorkshire stone buildings. They now have an even more impressive selection of cut flowers and plants, gifts, wrapping paper, cards, jewellry, baby things, bowls and more. The prices are very reasonable. The flowers seem pricey compared to supermarkets, but they're nicer and the service is 100% better and don't forget that flowers are a loss-leader for the big supermarkets, meaning they sell them at a loss to get you in the store, pushing local businesses out of the market - support local businesses! And the wonderful smell that hits you when you just walk past the shop so beautiful, floral, gorgeous. I think two women run the shop and they are both very friendly and happy! They obviously love what they do, they always have big beaming smiles and the shop is often still open at 6-6:30pm, they say they forget to close up because the day just flies by. It's the kind of shop that gives you a warm feeling inside, maybe that's a girl-thing?! I bought my Mum a lovely plant for Mother's day from here

Leeds House of Flowers is an Interflora Florist. There are two shops, one on Otley Road and this…read moreone on Commercial Road. I don't know why but for some reason the Commercial Road shop is called 'Event Leeds House of Flowers'...what the 'Event' means I'm not sure. It is a petite shop with just enough space to display some rather gorgeous bunches of flowers! I know Interflora is a giant chain but the flowers here really are beautiful! Very natural and not too OTT looking, like a posy picked straight from a secret garden! But whatever style of bouquet you like you can have one made specially to your requirements. Leeds House of Flowers also sells fair-trade flowers, including roses and sunflowers, for anyone concerned about the treatment of workers in the flower industry.

It always gets around to those times of the year, be it Valentine's, a special birthday, an…read moreanniversary, where flowers say it best. It might be a more predictable choice of celebratory gift but if you are like me, there is nothing quite like a fresh, beautifully arranged exotic bunch. And for that kind of reaction, Tranmere Flowers is certainly the one. It might not have a little chocolate shop attached to it like Academy Flowers nearby, but take one look at the exotic rain forest like array of leaves and petals inside and you'll know it's worth a look! They certainly seem to have that added extra choice on virtually all options, from pot plants to bunches on display. They are also on Interflora, which I'm sure you may know, means delivery is a certified easy option! As well as a vast amount of floral arrangements they also have gift items, such as teddy bears, and lovely staff to give you a hand choosing should you need some advice. I'm not saying it's definitely the best choice in Otley, but you won't regret it if you end up here.

Great flowers, made a difference to our event.read more

I've decided to be a little more classy for Valentine's Day this year, so I got my beautiful girl a…read morebig gorgeous bouquet from this place. You can't imagine how amazing it was. She couldn't say a word. Or breathe. The staff helped me so much! They're full with fresh new ideas, ready to fulfill your every wish!

If you're above a size 10 dont even attempt this store. This was so unprofessional and anyone who…read moreisnt as confident might leave in tears (as turns out many have, which I found out by speaking to other bridal stores who pick up the pieces of these poor brides after coming here) The shop is cramped and dirty! Multiple dresses were dirty or damaged! If im buying a new non second hand dress I expect it to be clean and not damanged! She will also request you take your shoes off and put on grotty slippers that match the grotty floors... No changing room youre just supposed to strip in the middle on the shop to try on. (I was mortified and so i kept my bra and vest top on) Not ideal. She quickly asked if we had the covid vaccine and told us we will die as a result, i thought she was going to refuse service because we are vaccinated. She also went on about 5 different conspiracy theory rants during the appointment (go put on your tinfoil hat my god) Back to the experience. She kept harping on about how her 30 something nephew would love me (im buying a wedding dress not speed dating so felt this was fairly in-appropriate). Anytime i mentioned my fiance she would pitch her nephew!!! This isnt speed dating im getting married! Anyways onto my size im 5,9/10 and broad, I used to power lift so have a decent amount of muscle. Im a uk 14/16 and was told she had very little that would fit me. I tried a few on, and the only one that fit have makeup stains and oil stains and had beads hanging off it, another dress had a massive 3/4 inch rip in it! I told her my high street size before arriving and at the appointment she told me she was sat their thinking about all my would be insecurities as a woman of my size would surely have and she was trying to plan how to hid the parts of me i hated about myself with a dress. She then kept commenting on how toned and not flabby i was! She was shocked a woman of my size wasnt fat apparently! She then referenced how plus sized brides tend to get bigger skirts to hide their bodies and it ends up making their a**es even bigger! She also spent so much time tearing down other women and went on a sizeable rant about girls being pumped with filler. (I feel bad for any women that feels she needs to pay to alter herself due to a lack of confidence but I dont not think tearing other women down to build yourself up is the right thing to do) She also couldnt be bothered to try and do the dresses up properly so when trying on they were all bunched up in weird places (is your job not to literally do that) In a dress i tried to test movability and dance-ability and one move she said 'Thats how those black women dance!' which again i thought was insanely in-appropriate. Her entire sales pitch is dont go to wed2b or wed4less as you wont find anything of quality. ... Well i went straight to those 'budget' stores as she called them found my dream dress and veil and had an amazing experience there! I went to 4 dress shops in total and this was by far the worst experience! I imagine shes bitter as she likely sees less foot fall due to them! She spent alot of time bashing how certain women dress, or what their bodies look like and spent even mpre time talking about how cheap her dresses were...i would not be paying 700/800 for a stained or ripped dress my god. Also we werent allowed to take any photos in store due to 'contracting issues' with designers?!

Abbey Wedding Warehouse has refrained from having a more grandiose name, such as 'Abbey Wedding…read morePalace', or anything that might evoke the sickly sweet Disney princess fantasy many brides to be seem keen to buy into...which I rather admire, as for most a wedding will not involve magical pumpkin-to-carriage transformation and fairy godmothers but instead may revolve around trying to scrape together sufficient cash to have a celebration to remember. That's where Abbey Wedding Warehouse comes in as they sell sample wedding dresses for a fraction of the price of non-sample equivalents. The shop has quite an old-fashioned look to it with a deep burgundy and cream exterior, a large door knocker and an archaic gold font for the sign. Dresses here appear to be a mix of simple traditional styles and notably vintage look pieces. They come in a very wide range of sizes and include bride's maid dresses for small children. If you're looking for a quality dress on a tight budget then you may just find a bargain here. Visits are by appointment only.