Becoming a floral designer
There are numerous routes to becoming a flower designer.
Perhaps your love of flowers began in obscurity. You were grocery shopping and reached for a pre-made bouquet since it seemed so fresh and lovely! Then you started gathering individual stems at the farmer’s market and arranging them at home. Or your interest in flowers began as a child. You’ve always been drawn to nature, and your mother was a natural gardener. Or you spent a summer working in a flower store and learned the fundamentals.
Cameron, our Poppy founder, took her passion for flower design seriously in 2013 when she began volunteering as the Chief Floral Designer at The White House while pursuing her day job as a policy communications professional.
Cameron left her day job a few years later to focus on flowers, and she helped develop one of the country’s largest floral gifting companies. She founded Poppy after receiving inquiries from dozens of friends to assist them in comprehending their floral wedding proposals — and figuring out how they could afford it all — to bring technology, convenience, and affordability to the floral event sector.
You might be going through something similar. After a few years of effort, you’ve mastered making flower arrangements. Friends have begun to ask whether you would consider designing the flowers for their upcoming gatherings.
You consider how flowers make you feel. The lightweight you hold in your hand. The petals’ unbelievably delicate feel. The subtlety of their colors when held up to the light here and there. Around flowers, you feel rejuvenated. You suddenly wonder: may floral design be your calling?
What does a floral designer do?
A floral designer crafts one-of-a-kind flower arrangements. The designer creates a floral plan for the event based on the customer’s budget, occasion, location, seasonality, availability, and time constraints. She then prepares the recipes for the arrangements, sources the flowers and hardware, then makes and delivers the arrangements.
The designer completes the floral installation onsite at the venue for intricate arrangements, such as the elegant floral arches that are currently fashionable. Finding floral design inspiration can be as easy as going through Instagram or Pinterest or even flipping through collections of old floral specimen illustrations. In addition, attending floral-decorated events or visiting museums, galleries, and restaurants will give you an immersive education in floral trends and inspire your creativity.
Learning floral design skills
Let us now discuss execution. Look for a local florist ready to take on an intern to develop floral design skills. There are numerous options for entry into the industry if you are willing, interested, and dependable. You may start by sweeping the shop floors, processing flowers, and preparing the mechanics for arrangements. These are the natural talents that every flower designer requires.
Spending time with consumers and listening to their orders will allow you to get market insights and expand your floral knowledge.
Assume it’s a Monday in May, and you work at an Atlanta florist. Flowers have arrived from the wholesaler, and you open boxes to discover armfuls of fragrant peonies. The stems are processed by removing the leaves, giving them an angular cut, and placing them in buckets with clean water and flower food. You then go to the morning mechanics. For example, your duty could be to grid 5×5 glass vases with tape so that flowers stay in place and are secure for transit.
You overhear chats concerning orders for a house and garden tour in the city every summer while you’re taking care of these responsibilities. “Who is photographing these flowers on location?” you ask. We may utilize the photographs to attract new customers for next year’s tour.” You’re now thinking like a savvy floral designer. Without a regular supply of consumers, your firm is nothing!
Working on your first event as a designer
Your next challenge will be to apply your flower design skills to a real-world event. Think tiny and intimate instead of enormous stakes (like a wedding). Could you assist a family member or friend with a baby or bridal shower, an engagement party, or a dinner party?
Find the appropriate person and situation to experiment with. Prepare your designs and keep them as simple as possible. Tablescapes, centerpieces, and blossom vases will allow you to show off your skills while staying on schedule. Seek honest criticism and self-evaluation after the experience. Did every arrangement correspond to your vision? Did you meet your deadline? Did you stick to your budget? And, honestly, did you feel like you were a part of something truly unique?
Skills can be learned and refined, but your passion is your responsibility. Continue reading if you have a natural desire to satisfy your creative craving. Again, floral design could be your calling, so get some hands-on experience – this time with money on the line.
Finding the right floral design role for you
Even if it appears stunningly effortless, each arrangement represents crucial choices and excellent craftsmanship. The work required is considerable. On the backend, floral designers are logisticians. You can work as a floral designer for an established florist or freelancer, and there are strong reasons to examine both options.
In any industry, there are numerous trade-offs to freelance work. For example, you can manage your schedule and take on only customers that best match your experience and vision, or you can take on freelancing event work from other florists in your area.
The freedom of a freelance existence can provide obstacles. You are billing, logistics, delivery, marketing, and purchasing. Also, floral design. The main event. The reason you got into the business. When you take on a job, the front-end work of defining the scope can be an exhausting series of phone calls and emails – or there’s minimal communication upfront, and you arrive onsite the day of the event with a series of surprises that send you reeling through Plan B, Plan C, and even Plan D.
In a well-established floral design shop, you may have a hand in everything, and there is a system in place and a customer base. You’ll be given tasks to do in the correct order. You will undoubtedly gain a great deal of knowledge and skill. What are the disadvantages? If the company has a hallmark style or works with specific locations, you may need more time to learn various types.
Learn more: 10 Most Popular Wedding Flowers for a Bridal Bouquet