ELEVATING CLASSIC STRUCTURES
SKILLS TO HELP YOU BECOME A phenomenal FLORIST
INTRODUCTION
I believe one of the key skills in becoming a phenomenal florist, is the ability to see the potential of any space, specifically utilising existing structures and architectural detail, bringing them to life, highlighting them with carefully considered seasonal flowers and greenery, and by using practical, robust sustainable techniques, that can be applied to a multitude of different scenarios.
DESIGN CONCEPT
The images in this post, are from a new Gazebo Design that we have recently added to both Masterclasses - Create Your Own Wedding Flowers (specifically created for those starting out and in their first few years of floristry) and Professional Wedding Flowers (for those with a few years experience and/or looking to scale their floristry business quickly).
The overall design works from careful stem placement, taking both the structure itself and the entirety of the space into consideration. The overall feel is one of balance and belonging, as if the design is simply meant to be there.
I selected a mixture of late summer blooms, including garden roses, stocks, nigella seed pods, fragrant sweet peas and tumbling jasmine, plus a variety of delicate greenery. Created using a series of sustainable techniques - with all less-hardy stems placed in water - the design looks delicate, yet will remain fresh and will last for the duration of the wedding/event.
IDEAS & INSPIRATION
The mechanics behind creating this mini installation are hugely flexible; they can be applied to a number of different structures. For example, when I first taught the techniques behind this design, I focussed on creating a door surround - an elegant, loose design, with plenty of movement and texture.
Here, using a Garden Gazebo, I have applied exactly the same sustainable techniques, simply working with a different base structure.
Once you have mastered these techniques, fully understood how to select the best stems and ideal quantities (a surprising focus on as few stems as possible - I focus on clever placement, rather than relying on an unnecessary amount of blooms! - to ensure your clients are thrilled and you maintain healthy profits) you then have the ability to create almost any design, with your imagination being your only hinderance.
CREATING THE DESIGN
The gazebo is a classic structure, found in many gardens, and in turn can be sourced from larger garden centres and online stockists; you can also ask metal workers to create relatively inexpensive bespoke shapes for you. The design then comes to life through the combination of stem varieties and careful placement, to ensure the overall design looks like it is “simply meant to be there”.
FOLIAGE - with plenty of movement, is added to specific sections, to enhance and soften the shape of the structure and provide a grounding to the overall design.
WATER - the less hardy stems are all placed into water, to ensure you have plenty of time to set up and create, and so the design then lasts for the duration of the wedding/event.
COLOUR & SHAPE - the colour palette is diverse, from deep aubergines to the palest of blush tones, with a large mix of different shapes to add plenty of depth and movement. I love “bridging colours within design, to help create focus and synergy; it’s definitely a skill to master and I love teaching how to do it effortlessly.
This full step-by-step visual guide has just been added as a bonus to both Masterclasses, Create Your Own Wedding Flowers and Professional Wedding Flowers (available to both alumni and new 2023 students).
N.B. If you are an alumni of either Masterclass - just LOGIN and you will find the new step-by-step visual guide there for you.
TO LEARN MORE …
I would love to share all of my methods and techniques with you, to explain how to bridge colours beautifully, to understand how to enhance a space perfectly and to use architecture, nature and other elements as your inspiration.
Within the Masterclasses, I focus on teaching creatives how to see a space and to independently decide what will work best. I share every possible technique that I have mastered - I openly share all my learnings and discoveries from over a decade of work - to ensure you are confident to create wholly unique designs in any setting, whilst importantly, focussing on your own strengths and style.
The Professional Wedding Flowers Masterclass is an online, live Masterclass, which launches to everyone around the world just once a year. For 2023, we are launching on April 7th (with sign ups open from March 29th). We are now in our fourth year of hosting the Masterclass, with alumni returning year after year, to rejoin the Live Q&A’s and supportive community group, full of likeminded, big hearted creatives. The course runs for five weeks, with the combined flexibility of you being able to follow the tutorials at your own pace, and refer back to again and again - upon joining, you have access to all tutorials for the lifetime of the Masterclass.
Within the masterclass I teach you how to bring a space to life, to turn it into something extraordinary, through your knowledge, creativity and thoughtfulness … and I support you to ensure that not only are you excelling in doing what you love, you are being paid properly to do so, with a business behind you that you can confidently grow to achieve your goals and dreams.
Every tutorial has been carefully designed to empower you, rather than teach you to simply replicate. To succeed in your business, it’s important that you master practical and fail-safe techniques, alongside feeling completely confident, that you can bring your clients’ dreams to life, guiding them by using your expertise and unique creativity.
The Create Your Own Wedding Flowers Masterclass is open to everyone, to join anytime of the year, with the huge added benefit of you being able to apply to upgrade to the Professional Wedding Flowers Masterclass (by simply covering the cost difference).
If you have any questions at all about either Masterclass, you can find more information via the buttons below, or send an email to kate@philippacraddock.com.
You can join the Create Your Own Wedding Flowers Masterclass now (and receive the bonus Gazebo Design straightaway) and sign ups open for this year’s Professional Wedding Flowers Masterclass on March 29th, ahead of the Masterclass launching to everyone around the world on April 7th.
FINAL DESIGN
A mass of late summer blooms with garden roses, stocks, nigella pods, fragrant sweet peas and jasmine, and soft base of flowing greenery. Created using a series of sustainable techniques, with all less-hardy stems placed in water … the design looks delicate, yet will remain fresh and will last for the duration of the wedding/event.
The overall design works as a result of the careful placement of the stems, both taking the structure itself into consideration, alongside the entirety of the space, so the overall feel is one of balance and that it feels like it’s simply “mean to be there”. The end result is a very carefully considered design, that brings elegance, meaning and the perfect atmosphere to your own/your client’s day.
This step-by-step visual guide, has just been added as a bonus to the Create Your Own Wedding Flowers Masterclass, and will be included in the upcoming Professional Wedding Flowers Masterclass (links above to register and join waitlist).
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