A Springtime Floral Dream ~ Reverdie Workshop
Earlier this spring, before wedding season kicked off, I travelled about an hour outside of Montreal to attend Reverdie, a floral design workshop. Hosted by Trille Floral (a Canadian designer) and Winsome Floral (an American designer), the experience was quite amazing.
I’ve always believed that hands-on floral design education, and inspiration, is of utmost importance. It’s been a few years since I’ve been able to attend a workshop, and it was worth every penny and every moment. Let me tell you about it.
Photos by Grace & Ardor Co
When I started working in flowers, I was quite apprehensive about actually designing. In fact, it was quite a long time before I was “allowed” to design. Despite that, I received some really wonderful hands-on design training and solid basics and mechanics from several of my colleagues, who I still consider to be some of the best designers in Canada. When I left that retail shop, and then eventually started Stone House Creative, I made it a priority to continue investing in hands-on and online design training. It’s really cost me quite a lot of money, but I don’t regret it at all.
A strong sense of basics, design elements, colour theory, and flower care are all of high importance in floral design. Without these, you can’t figure out your own style or create pieces that both look good and hold up. So to all of you who may be interested in floral design, please don’t hesitate to receive hands-on training. Yes, it’s an investment. But just as I wouldn’t trust a dentist who hasn’t gone to dental school, I wouldn’t be comfortable with a floral designer charging for their work without investing in any actual training (and yes, obviously I understand that there’s an enormous difference between a medical professional and floral design).
Reverdie was a 4 day experience, set at a beautiful European-inspired chateau and vineyard where we all were able to stay on-site. The first afternoon, we met and got to know each other, and then sat down for a welcome dinner that was absolutely incredible.
We sat at the long table above, with a simplistic and inspiring design of simple spirea arrangements and warm toned candles and linens.
On day 2, we sat for 2 design training sessions before letting loose into the flowers: centrepiece arrangements, and bouquet design.
Above is the arrangement I created. Trille and Winsome have a slightly different process for designing arrangements than I do, so it was cool to give that a shot and see the final product. The tulips were absolutely incredible, so I wanted to make them the real focal point and let them do their thing. I love the wonky lines that tulip stems create, and this cinnamon-and-butter palette was so lovely for spring.
Love these table designs? Let's talk about what makes them amazing.
1: Repetition of Elements
The overall tablescapes here are quite straightforward: a pairing of candles, a floral moment // A pairing of candles, a floral moment // A pairing of candles, a floral moment...you get the drill. If you're unsure how to design a great tablescape, keep it simple!
2: Florals en Masse
Our first two dinners had striking floral centrepieces, and possibly what's most striking is that we have just one ingredient, en masse. This is a design tactic that always feels clean and elevated to me. If this is something you're drawn to, be sure to tell your designer as most of us don't expect that you're wanting this.
3: Curated Colour Palette
You know I love colour -- and hopefully you've also heard me say that you don't need to go super vibrant to indulge in colour. Each of these dinners features a different palette, and different accent colours, and we can take inspiration from all of them: whites with warm neutrals, vibrant pink with complimentary mint tones, and saturated yellows. Take a look and decide what draws you in most: monochromatic, highly saturated, or complimentary tones!
On day 3, we took part in 2 different group installations: one outdoors at a chapel, and one indoors to create an incredible meadow.
Obviously I cannot choose a favourite, but I will say that the high volume of yellow forsythia branches that we use has me completely inspired. Clustering in pockets of varied pinks and creating height and depth made this feature come to life.
For our final dinner, we used each of our centrepieces down the length of the table, again paired with taper candles and also with the most exquisite handmade plates by Kels in the Studio, a New Brunswick potter. It was a really full table, making it slightly less practical but I’ll tell you what, it was SO nice to be able to be a guest at our own table instead of always setting it for someone else! We also repurposed many of the forsythia pieces that we used alongside the chapel into the window sills, as well as around the base of the cake table. This is the kind of oomph that goes a long way in creating an environment, rather than just designing pretty floral centrepieces, and if there’s opportunity to repurpose florals (read: there must be enough time to make it happen), then this is definitely a way to do it!
I’m so grateful to Courtney and Cara for this beautiful experience. It was restful, inspiring, and so peaceful. Many of us students were also moms of young kids, so the group was in need of some rest. It was such a wonderful respite! If you’re a floral designer looking for a workshop to attend, definitely consider Reverdie (or their annual fall workshop, Autumn in New York). It was magical.
Workshop Hosts: trille floral & winsome floral ~ grace and ardor ~ elegant productions ~ chateau ste agnes ~ pearle by katrina tuttle ~ kels in the studio~ paper chain stationery ~ scribble and script ~ ana capbatut ~ alexis burkhardt Hair ~ victoria roggio beauty ~ just iced custom cakes ~ glow the event store ~ the studio house~ native ribbon co
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Call me biased, but flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!