A WOMAN who quit school at 16 has revealed how she now owns a £450k Christmas decorating business that she started on Facebook – and her work has even featured on TV.
While many of us set about transforming our homes into a winter wonderland from December 1st, Sophie Marriott, 32, from Essex, starts getting into the Christmas spirit as early as summer.
That’s because the mum-of-one, whose company creates stunning bespoke displays for Christmas, as well as weddings, large-scale venue décor, private home styling, and bespoke event production, is so in-demand, she has clients booking her months in advance.
So far this year, Sophie’s biggest Christmas installation cost a whopping £10,000.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, the former accountant, who lives with her husband Lloyd and their 10-year-old son Alfie, says: “My earliest Christmas install this year was 16th November but we take bookings as early as summer.
“We’ve been nonstop ever since ordering and installing fresh pine arrangements and delivering large-scale festive setups.
“Our largest venue installation was a £10,000 bespoke festive setup at Stockbrook Manor, where we are the official supplier for all of their Christmas décor.
“The installation included fully fresh-pine arrangements created by hand, large-scale staircase garlands, ceiling features, entrance displays, and custom wreaths designed specifically for their venue.”
She’s also got an impressive celebrity fanbase – and counts Chloe Sims, Amy Childs and Jordan Brooks – who recently announced his pregnancy news with former Geordie Shore star Sophie Kasai – amongst her clients.
Sophie, who is supported by a team of eight staff members who handle logistics, setup and styling, says: “Earlier this year we planned and executed the full styling for Jordan’s Brooks’ BIG 30th Bash at Stockbrook Manor.
“Their brief was to create a bold and immersive party atmosphere, so we handled everything – from ceiling installations and balloon feature walls to a seamless bespoke dancefloor featuring Jordan’s branding.
“We also created the welcome signage and the full backdrop setup.
“Seeing our work appear on TOWIE was a surreal and exciting moment — it’s always special to watch something you’ve created be showcased on television.”
We reached 200 weddings, and we’re now regularly working with high-end clients, including producing full décor and production packages worth up to £24,000 for a single wedding
Sophie Marriott,
But it wasn’t her first TOWIE job – she’d previously been commissioned by the producers to create a Bridgerton-inspired set for the reality show and was asked to decorate Chloe Sims’ 40th birthday, which involved creating a floral wall, five gorgeous centrepieces and a balloon arch.
And Chloe was so pleased with the work that she asked Sophie to decorate her table that Christmas – with co-star Amy Childs also asking the same.
For Sophie, it’s wild to think that everything changed for her when she uploaded a single photo onto Facebook back in November 2021.
She’d spent two days creating a bespoke festive archway – complete with spray-painted metallic fir branches, 40 white baubles and a scattering of Instagrammable snowflakes, glittery pine cones and fairy lights.
Proud of her handiwork, she shared a snap on Sophie’s Boutique Bows, the Facebook page for her Christmas and wedding decoration business.
Within minutes, she was flooded with enquiries from customers willing to splash up to £1k for their own custom garlands – and Sophie ended up having to delete the post as it was getting too much attention.
Before she knew it, she’d made a whopping £10k from the garlands and was struggling to keep up with demand for her £50 handmade wreaths.
The stunning creation is a far-cry from the organza bows that kickstarted her decor company in 2016.
“I always knew I wanted to have my own business,” she says. “Back then, I was just making bows as a hobby. I’d see something I liked on Pinterest and recreate it with cheap ribbons I’d buy from wholesalers like Holstens. It was just for me and I was making it up as I went along.”
After leaving school at 16, Sophie completed a business management apprenticeship at an accountancy firm in Basildon – where she worked for seven years.
Then, in 2016, she welcomed her son Alfie, and decided to start selling her door ribbons around her local area to make some extra money ahead of the festive season.
Seeing our work appear on TOWIE was a surreal and exciting moment — it’s always special to watch something you’ve created be showcased on television
Sophie Marriott,
Recalling how she shared her products on Facebook and attended a local Christmas fayre, Sophie says: “I charged £30 to make and install them. I bought the organza and lights for £5 each from wholesale. The door bows were £30 so I was making a profit of £20.”
That first year, Sophie sold 30 door bows, which brought home £600.
Delighted with their popularity, she started researching how she could branch out into wedding decorations.
Sophie used £25k of the inheritance money her grandparents Ruby and Fred Northfield, who sadly passed away from Alzheimer’s and dementia, had left her in their will to launch her business properly.
“Building this business in their memory has been a huge source of motivation for me,” she says.
She also spent £4k on a professional website designer and £1k on a Corel Draw software programme, which allowed her to design her own logo and leaflets. The vast majority of her investment went on the decorations themselves.
In order to get the word out, Sophie attended fairs through Main Wedding Event Shows, which travels around Essex, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Kent, Oxfordshire and Suffolk.
As the months passed, Sophie started getting clients mostly through word of mouth.
Then, in December 2018, she moved into her first warehouse in Wickford, which was 1200sqft and housed everything from 15 different types of centrepieces to photo booths, sweet carts and bespoke mirrors.
Since then, her business has continued to go from strength to strength – and she now charges from £800 up to £2000 per door arch installation depending on design, and from £100 per wreath.
“We’ve now expanded significantly, moving into a 3,000 sq ft warehouse, which has allowed us to scale up production and take on larger, more complex installs,” she explains.
How to avoid having a tacky Christmas, according to etiquette expert William Hanson
ETIQUETTE expert William Hanson tells Joel Cooper the dos and don’ts of festive decorating.
ANYTHING FAKE IS NAFF: Fake trees are naff because they never have the allure or quality of the real deal. If you’re worried about pine needles dropping, get a good-quality tree and put it in water — it will drop less. And don’t get me started on pre-lit trees. The fun part is having this blank, green canvas and building it up.
PUT UNSIGHTLY DECOR AT BACK: A tree will normally go in the corner of the room so you could always keep unsightly sentimental baubles hidden. It’s what my parents would do with decorations we’d made at school.
USING NATURAL DECOR SHOWS YOU’RE CREATIVE: Decorating your living room using holly, mistletoe and berries is good, and usually compostable too. A poinsettia is the traditional flower at Christmas, while holly in a vase will look good. Mistletoe is nice, but not hung from a doorway, so put it in a vase and make sure it’s facing upwards. Arranging a centrepiece with ivy and berries is smart and shows you’re creative.
OUTDOOR LIGHTS MEAN PEOPLE ARE LAUGHING AT YOU: LIGHTS outside houses are almost always seen in non-desirable neighbourhoods. If you love them, it’s probably because you are from such a neighbourhood. However, lighting a tree outdoors if it’s particularly old or grand can look smart. But use clear lights, not multi-coloured.
FAIRIES AREN’T FIT FOR A TREE: A winged fairy is simply not the done thing in discerning households. Dame Joan Collins previously had a fairy atop her tree — let’s hope it’s a family heirloom, because if not, it’s very common. A fairy did not lead the Wise Men to Bethlehem, it was a star. A star should be silver or gold.
SAY TA-TA TO TINSEL: Tinsel remains the antichrist of decorations. Even though some trees — even royal trees in the 1980s — have been seen with a touch of tinsel, it is the commonest of Christmas accessories. It never looks good, is horrid to touch and is a waste of money.
“Our wedding season has been our most successful yet with a record number of bookings this year – and next year already almost fully booked.
“We reached 200 weddings, and we’re now regularly working with high-end clients, including producing full décor and production packages worth up to £24,000 for a single wedding.
“Being trusted as the sole supplier for a couple’s entire wedding day is something I’m incredibly proud of.
“We were also honoured to win the Essex Wedding Awards 2025, a huge achievement for us.”
Speaking of the most popular colour scheme this year, she adds: “Silver, white, champagne tones and mirrored accents have been especially popular for both weddings and Christmas installs.”
As for Sophie’s biggest achievement to date…
“I have a family to provide for — my 10-year-old son and my husband, who I’ve been with since I was 14,” she says.
“Knowing that I’ve built something that supports us and gives my son a future is one of my proudest achievements.”
