Attention to detail will be our mantra for the first morning as we practise the composition of graceful garden-gathered bouquets.

We will guide you through the magical ‘hand-vase’ technique that allows us to honour the natural shapes and the tendencies of the ingredients, gently but purposefully layering and grouping flowers and foliage before tying off and ribboning for an elegant hand-held bouquet.

Intricate buds, sprigs and offcuts will be used to construct dainty buttonholes.

Designing impactful floral tablescapes, particularly for long trestles and family-style sharing plates, means striving for harmonious balance between theatre and careful editing.

During this session we will design and style a number of table ‘scenarios’ with varying colour palettes and vessels.

At the end of the session we will demonstrate the best way to pack vases safely for travelling to events.

The floral centrepiece is a classic design for circular tables.

Moving away from the more traditional ‘dome’, we’ll explore how to use curving branches for outline shape.

We’ll then focus on layering and grouping flowers and foliage to create a generous arrangement with soft edges - beautiful from all angles.

Urns or large vases are frequently used to frame a ceremony setting, often on freestanding plinths.

Take the opportunity to embrace the idea of floral decoration as living sculpture, a chance to revel in the possibilities of the season and the setting you are designing for.

For height and impact we’ll be working with forked branches, spindling stems, tall spires and the intentional accommodation of negative space.

These techniques can be scaled down for small vases and up for extra large urns.

Composing naturalistic floral installations is perhaps the most challenging aspect of event design.

On the one hand there are the logistics - the where and how. A strong structural foundation, sustainable mechanics, weight, weather, safety and scale. On the other there is creating a design that is apparently effortless, that could convincingly be growing in-situ, undulating through areas of sparsity and abundance.

In our final session these questions will be our focus. As a group we will build an ethereal and romantic three-dimensional space that evokes the garden at this precise moment in the year.

We’ll talk through takedown and preparing materials to be composted - a vital part of the cycle.

An open group discussion is a way to share ideas and experience, to brainstorm, to express hopes and dreams, concerns and anxieties in a safe and encouraging environment.

You may come with a check-list of specific questions, or allow the discussion to unfold. This is a time dedicated to talking through any and all aspects of designing for weddings and events - how to find and attract the projects and clients you want, pitching and writing proposals, branding, social media and communication, managing a team, sourcing materials, working seasonally and sustainably, building a portfolio, photographing your work.

Let’s discuss!