Floral Installation Masterclass Recap!
A long overdue recap!
A few weeks ago, we hosted our Floral Installation Masterclass weekend at our studio, The Flower Cottage. Our goal was to share how we approach large-scale floral installations, from choosing the right mechanics and planning flower orders to organizing production schedules and, most importantly, actually creating the installations!
We wanted this to be a truly hands-on experience, with everyone having a part in bringing the designs to life. And that's exactly what happened!
We offered two days of learning, welcoming four attendees on Day 1 and two returning attendees for Day 2. The small group size gave us plenty of opportunities to ask questions, share stories, troubleshoot together, and get to know one another. It made the whole experience that much more meaningful.
Floral installation masterclass
a recap!
Day 1: Structures & Ground Installations
We kicked off the weekend by getting to know each other and learning a little about everyone's experience with floral design and installation mechanics. We wanted to meet each attendee where they were and make sure they walked away with information they could actually use in their own work. From there, we dug into our installation planning checklist. These are the questions we ask ourselves at the beginning of every installation project, covering everything that needs to be figured out before we even have a flower in our hands.
Then it was time to start designing!
We began with ground installations, demonstrating the mechanics and techniques while having each attendee create their own pieces. By the time we finished, we had eight ground arrangements to work with, which gave us plenty of flexibility for styling different ceremony setups later in the day.
After lunch, we moved on to the ceremony arch. We started with a quick tutorial on the mechanics, then let the attendees work through the design flower by flower, with our team providing guidance along the way. It was so rewarding to watch the arch come together and see everyone's confidence grow throughout the process!! We loved watching them collaborate, ask questions, troubleshoot, and step back to make adjustments until everything felt just right.
Once all the pieces were finished, we got to play around with the ceremony setups! We started with a more traditional arrangement, lining the aisle with our ground pieces and placing the arch at the end. Then we brought in urns and used the depth of the space to create a much larger, layered ceremony backdrop.
This was one of our favorite parts of the day because it showed just how versatile these installations can be. With a little creativity and thoughtful placement, the same pieces can create completely different looks.
And the colors were just so good! We were incredibly proud of what everyone created together!
Day 2: Hanging Florals and Table Drapes
The next morning, we met back at The Flower Cottage, and since we'd already spent an entire day working together, everyone was comfortable and ready to jump right in! We were especially excited about this day's big project: a 10-by-12-foot hanging floral canopy!
Now, The Flower Cottage is our space, so we have a little more freedom to experiment than we might at another venue. But even with that flexibility, we weren't about to start installing hooks in the ceiling! Part of the challenge was figuring out how to create this massive floral canopy, support the weight of all those flowers, and do it without attaching anything to the walls or ceiling. And that is just what we did!
Watching the canopy come together was pretty incredible, from the bare structure to adding the greenery (which we all agreed looked beautiful on its own!) and finally layering in the flowers. When we finished, we all just sat for about ten minutes, quietly looking and taking it all in. Every once in a while, someone would break the silence with a soft "wow," "stunning," or "that's so pretty," and then we'd go right back to admiring it.
There's something about being surrounded by flowers overhead that never gets old, no matter how many times we create an installation like this. Sharing that moment with people who truly appreciate the beauty of it, and knowing we had all just created it together, was one of the most memorable parts of the weekend!
After lunch, we moved a table underneath the canopy and chandelier and got started on our final project: floral table drapes. We talked through the mechanics together, and then each attendee took a side of the table to create their own cascading floral installation. At this point, we were ready to step back and let them take the lead! We became their floral sous chefs, passing along buckets, gathering materials, and tubing flowers while they worked through their designs. After a weekend of learning and creating together, it was so fulfilling to watch them take ownership of their installations and make their own creative decisions.
Once the drapes were finished, we pulled together a few pretties from around the cottage to complete the tablescape. Bud vases, candles from our inventory, chargers from the kitchenette, and a few other little details brought everything together. The final setup was pretty magical, especially with that huge floral canopy hanging overhead.
We even called our landlord over to see it! The Flower Cottage was once their home, and the room we'd just filled with flowers had been their bedroom as newlyweds. I'm not sure they ever imagined it would look quite like this someday, haha! It was such a fun way to end the weekend, and watching our attendees confidently take charge of those final designs was easily one of our proudest moments.
We couldn't have asked for a better group to join us for our first Floral Installation Masterclass!! Everyone came eager to learn, with open minds, thoughtful questions, and a willingness to share their own experiences and advice. Hearing attendees tell us that this was exactly the kind of education they'd been looking for, and that opportunities to learn large-scale installation mechanics hands-on are hard to find, meant so much. It's exactly why we wanted to create this experience in the first place!
Between all the conversations, questions, and time spent creating together, our wheels are already turning about what we could teach next.
If there's something you'd love to learn, sound off in the comments below!
We'd love to hear what you're interested in. And keep an eye out for our 2027 workshop lineup. We have some fun things in mind!
“I highly recommend the Masterclass to florists of all experience levels! The Sapphire and Lace team were professional and took my investment in the class seriously. They were organized and respectful of our professional time, transparent about all how-tos and in answering any questions asked, and were encouraging in wanting to see all florists grow their own business. Their mentorship was invaluable and I look forward to learning from them again!”