Intimate Mirfield wedding venue behind secret door is set to open

Florist Cate Wood, 50, has invested £30,000 turning two floors above her shop in Mirfield town centre into The Workshop and Loft.

Cate, who runs Flowers at 180, ripped out the old 1980s-style offices upstairs and stripped it back to the original brick and wood.

She then used her creative flair to design a rustic space with dining facilities and a bar and couples love what she’s done.

“Creating it has been a really positive experience,” said Cate. “The response has been amazing.

“The natural light is wonderful and candlelight makes it intimate and romantic. The building is so beautiful it speaks for itself.”

Cate took over what was originally Nancy’s Flowerbox – a shop established for 40 years – in 2014 and later got the idea for workshop space when she organised wreath-making classes at St Paul’s Church.

Instead of taking everything across the road she decided it would be easier to do it all on the premises.

Backed by her parents Maureen Wood and Martin Hellewell, Cate followed her dream and took over the upper floors.

Cate turned the space into a wreath-making workshop and one bride-to-be even asked if she could get married there.

Cate admits she laughed at the thought but later supplied flowers to the Craven Arms and Cruck Barn wedding venue in Appletreewick in the Yorkshire Dales. That rustic venue opened her eyes to what was possible.

With the help of local tradesmen including John Osborne, of JWO home Improvements, and MAC Air Conditioning, Cate transformed the two floors, even using reclaimed wood from the building to create the bar. She also did a lot of the labouring herself.

The venue was finally ready to open just a week before the first lockdown in March 2020. Three weddings were in the diary but all have been re-booked.

Cate will have a launch party on August 6 with her first wedding booked for the following day. The venue is also available for birthdays, baby showers and other celebrations.

“We can’t wait to start making memories for people,” said Cate.