Floral Design Career Course - 12 Weeks (Monday Evenings)

Come and discover the essentials of professional floristry with our twelve-week career programme, a comprehensive activity designed for aspiring floral designers. You can join at the start of any week, as the rolling syllabus ensures you will cover all modules over twelve weeks. This course is perfect for beginners looking to change careers or simply master the art of floral design.This hands-on programme will provide you with the capability and confidence to handle the majority of floral projects. You will learn everything from the fundamentals of flower care and creating luxurious hand-tied bouquets to designing stunning tablescapes with centrepieces, posies, and garlands. The workshop also covers how to construct impressive large-scale installations, such as floor-standing urns and a magnificent 2x2 metre floral arch as a final group project.A special focus is placed on bridal work, where you'll create everything from buttonholes and flower crowns to beautiful bridal bouquets. You will also explore sustainability in floristry, learning how to use eco-friendly materials and preserve flowers.Upon completing the twelve weeks, you'll be awarded a Certificate of Completion and a graduate gift bag with all the essential tools to begin your floral design journey.Please note that this course requires flexibility of movement, the ability to lift heavy buckets and arrangements, and some work on ladders.Curriculum:Weeks 1 and 2: Introduction To The EssentialsIn this introductory full-day lesson, you will learn the building blocks of professional floristry and master the essential techniques required to embark on a career as a commercial floral designer.Starting with the fundamentals of floral design, we will focus on:

• Floral conditioning: how to care for different types of flowers in various stages of development and how to assist different blooms in opening
• Hand-tied bouquet: the essential florists’ skill. You will learn how to create your own luxurious hand-tied bouquet using the spiral method used by florists around the world.
• Bouquet wrapping: You will learn how to wrap and package your arrangements for transport and delivery.

Weeks 3 and 4: Tablescapes and CentrepiecesWe spend the day exploring the art of planning and decorating dining tables for various events, including dinner parties, weddings, and corporate events. Starting with an inspiration board, you will learn how to follow your future client’s inspiration and create beautiful dining experiences for any event.In this module, we focus on:

• Table runners: We will create a long table runner garland composed of foliage and fresh flowers.
• Posies: using your new hand-tied skills, you will create multiple posies for various sized containers.
• Bud vase arranging: how to master the simplicity of this elegant design
• Centrepiece arranging: You will create your own long and low table centrepiece and learn different design styles for different events and motifs.
• Tablescaping: marrying your floral arrangements with candles, serving ware and other decor, we will embellish a banquet table with all the finished designs and discuss placement requirements for weddings, corporate parties, and other functions.

Weeks 5 and 6: Large Scale InstallationsDrawing on the previous week’s work, we move off the table and onto the floor with large scale installations. In this all-day course, you will create your own free-standing floor or pedestal arrangement in a large urn, as used in weddings, galas, and other important events.We will focus on:

• Preparing containers for large arrangements and ensuring their stability.
• Designing a large arrangement to be viewed at different heights.
• Design differences between modern and natural styles and how to achieve each look.
• Using foliage and branch ease for structural support
• Transport and placement of large arrangements

Weeks 7 and 8: Bridal IntensiveBridal design is the premier florist skill, and in this module, you will be hands-on in all elements of bridal floral design.Starting with inspiration photos, you will create beautiful and romantic arrangements for the bridal party, including:

• Flower crowns
• Wrist corsages
• Buttonholes
• Bridesmaid’s bouquets
• Hand-tied bridal bouquets
• Bridal party embellishments, including wrapping of bridal bouquet in ribbon

Weeks 9 and 10: Sustainability In FloristryWe explore the concept of sustainability in floristry in depth, focusing on environmentally friendly materials used in designing, as well as how to preserve and re-use your leftover flowers or used designs. You will utilise these skills to create an arrangement using dried flowers, foliage, and recycled materials using “green” methods.

• Sustainable methods of construction: how to replace floral foam in your designs with compostable or reusable materials
• How to reduce waste in a florist studio.
• How to disassemble floral arrangements to preserve the majority of flowers for later use.
• How to preserve and dry your leftover flowers and foliage.
• Using dried and preserved flowers in arrangements.

Weeks 11 and 12: Floral ArchThe final module in the programme sees the class creating a large floral arch as a group project. In this exercise, you will learn how to design, construct, and decorate a 2 x 2 metre floral arch commonly used at wedding altars.You will learn how to assemble, stabilise, decorate, and transport this masterpiece of floristry as well as:

• How to build an arch frame.
• Greening the base of the frame and creating asymmetric shapes.
• Working with other designers simultaneously to create a cohesive design.
• Securing flowers to the frame.

• Hands-on instruction on how to create a luxury floral centrepiece using fresh, seasonal flowers and foliage.
• Professional florist techniques
• Tips and tricks
• A fun, creative experience in a calming studio environment, suitable for beginners

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