When you’re planning a brand activation, PR dinner or experiential launch, the details matter — and that includes your flowers. Not just because they’re pretty (though they should be), but because floral design tells a story.

At AFMENA, we specialise in creating florals that work for your brand — installations, tablescapes and visual moments that do more than decorate. They delight. They align. They get shared. They work.

And that’s exactly what we did for our recent floral collaboration with Nando’s for a deliciously bold activation at White Rabbit Studios, London.

In this post, we’re pulling back the curtain on that event — and giving you insider tips on what to look for when choosing a florist for your own brand project.

🌶️ The Brief: A Tasty, Talkable Experience for Nando’s

The event was all about bringing Nando’s signature sauces to life — not just as a product, but as a feeling. It featured:

A celebrity chef creating dishes live
Guests from press, PR and influencer circles
A gifted selection of Nando’s sauces to take home
An objective: to inspire people to use the sauces in their home cooking

Our job? To make the space feel unmistakably Nando’s — vibrant, flavourful, on-brand — all through floral styling.

🌺 Turning Brand Identity Into Floral Design

A branded floral installation isn’t just a colour match. It’s a full sensory and visual translation of your brand’s personality into the language of petals, textures and form.

Here’s how we translated Nando’s playful, spicy identity into florals:

🔥 1. Branded Vessels: Nando’s Bottles as Vases

We embraced the product itself as part of the design. Instead of traditional vases, we used actual Nando’s sauce bottles as bud vases across the tables.

The result was simple but striking — branding, repurposed beautifully. Guests instantly recognised the bottles and snapped photos of the clever detail. This reinforced the message: Nando’s sauce isn’t just for the kitchen cupboard — it belongs in the spotlight.

🌶️ 2. On-Brand Plant Life: Ornamental Peppers

To deepen the theme, we included ornamental chillies and peppers, most likely a variety of Serrano or Sambal plants — a cheeky, relevant nod to the ingredients behind the sauce.

These mini pepper plants added colour, texture and movement — as well as creating a bridge between the culinary world and the design world. It’s details like these that make a floral display feel genuinely tailored, not just generically ‘nice’.

🌴 3. Tropical Blooms in Bold, Hot Colours

We selected striking tropical flowers in fiery, flavour-forward tones: reds, oranges, golden yellows, and vibrant pinks. Think heliconia, ginger flower, anthuriums, and tropical foliage with dramatic shapes.

These blooms mirror the energy of the Nando’s brand: fun, bold, and full of character.

🫙 4. Understated Vessels: Simple Jars for Honest Charm

While the flowers were dramatic, the styling was grounded. We kept the arrangements simple and unfussy, using small jars and minimal filler. This reflected the authenticity of the brand — no pomp or pretension, just colour, joy and flavour.

📸 Why It Worked: Flowers as Part of the Experience

In a brand activation, every detail contributes to the guest experience — and flowers are no exception.

Here’s what this floral design helped achieve:

Visual storytelling: Every detail echoed the product and values of the brand.
On-brand photo opportunities: Guests were taking snaps of tablescapes — bottles, peppers, and all.
Emotional connection: The bold florals made the event feel vibrant, memorable, and rich in identity.
Integrated marketing: The florals weren’t an afterthought — they were part of the strategy.

The best part? Guests left not just with sauces in a tote bag, but with a visual memory of how the brand made them feel.

💼 What to Look for in a Florist for Brand Events

Whether you’re planning a PR dinner, influencer brunch, product showcase, or launch event, you need more than a “wedding florist who can do corporate.” You need someone who understands brands.

Here’s what to look for when hiring a florist for a branded event:

✅ 1. They Start with Your Brand, Not the Flower List

At AFMENA, we ask:

Who is this event for?
What are you trying to communicate?
What does your brand feel like?
How do you want guests to interact with the space?

These questions inform every design decision.

✅ 2. They Understand How Events Flow

Your florist should think practically and creatively. Will guests be seated? Standing? Taking selfies? Will the event be filmed? Photographed for press?

All of this affects how and where florals are placed.

✅ 3. They Collaborate with the Team

Floral styling should integrate seamlessly with catering, staging, props, and signage. We work alongside event producers, stylists, PR teams, and set builders to make sure the whole space feels cohesive — not like five separate ideas layered on top of each other.

✅ 4. They Use Unexpected Details to Elevate the Story

Branded floristry should surprise and delight. That might mean using your product as part of the installation (hello, Nando’s bottles), incorporating edible herbs or plants, or reflecting colour codes in more creative ways than just “red flowers, because your logo is red.”

Bold tropical tablescape with Nando’s sauce bottles used as vases, colourful blooms, and candlelit jars at a branded activation event in White Rabbit Studios, London.

💬 FAQ: Choosing a Florist for PR Events & Brand Activations

Q1: Can’t we just order flowers from a local florist and style them ourselves?

You can — but the difference between “nice flowers” and a branded experience is huge. A florist who specialises in brand work will think strategically, not just decoratively.

Q2: Do you work with brand agencies and PR firms?

Yes! In fact, we love it. We often collaborate directly with agencies on behalf of their clients, whether we’re brought in during concepting or closer to execution.

Q3: What if the venue has tricky restrictions (e.g. no open water, no live plants)?

We’re experienced in adapting to creative constraints and working closely with venue teams to find beautiful, compliant solutions.

Q4: Do you only work in London?

London is home, but we’re open to travel for the right brief — especially if the brand and concept feel like a good fit.

Q5: Do you offer installation and derig on-site?

Yes — we’ll handle the logistics, so you don’t have to worry about florals being forgotten in the clean-up. We make it easy for you to focus on guests and results.

✨ The Takeaway: Flowers That Work as Hard as You Do

Floral design for brand events should be more than “pretty decoration.” It should work as hard as your PR team, your brand strategist, and your content creators.

When done well, florals can:

Reinforce brand identity
Boost photo opportunities
Create immersive environments
Leave lasting impressions

That’s what we aim for at AFMENA — and if you’re a PR agent, event producer, or creative agency, we’d love to show you what’s possible.

📩 Planning an Activation? Let’s Chat.

If you’ve got a branded event on the horizon and want to explore floral storytelling that’s bold, beautiful, and strategic, we’d love to hear about it.

👉 Contact us to enquire about availability and custom proposals.
Or view our past branded installations here.

Let’s create something your guests won’t forget.

How to Choose the Right Florist for Brand Events – Featuring Our Bold Nando’s Activation