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As you have read, I’m a flower junkie! I loved my experience at Team Flower with Kelly Perry and 6 months passed before I was itching for more. When I saw an Instagram post from Amy Osaba Events about their winter floral workshop, I was in! I emailed them instantly and secured one of the last spots…but what a surprise I was in for!
You’ve heard me talk about my flower friend, Deedie, my adorable roommate from “flower camp” and a constant source of encouragement and inspiration along this path. Less than 30 minutes after I emailed AOE, I saw Deedie’s excited Instagram post talking about how SHE was attending the workshop too! I was beyond excited. Not only was I was going to learn from one of the country’s most notable floral designers and one of Martha Stewart’s top picks, but I was going to do so with my sweet flower muse! We made plans to room together (obvs) and started planning for our Atlanta trip.
I planned to travel down early in the day (Ikea, of course) and allow my self a bit of spare time to freshen up for the cocktail party that was planned for our arrival. THIS is what we walked into:
It was stunning. The candlelight, the detail and the team’s incredible workspace just blew me away. It was so nice to sit and enjoy dinner together, as we tend to be the group setting up the dinner details for others. The meal was outstanding and we left so energized for the next day.
We walked into the studio the next morning to a beautiful set up of blooms and incredible swag. We took a moment to check out the flowers and play with our personalized velvet pressed flower book, admire Meredith’s hand drawn floral print and test out our foraging bag (squeal!).
The lessons on day one began with flower crowns, bouquets and bouts. Deedie and I were paired at a table and worked well together…I hope she thinks so too! From constructive criticism to gasps of delight, we worked through our creations and I LOVED our finished products, photographed exquisitely by Megan Sadler. (The sweet lady in pink is our new flower friend Rachel, from Australia and the one just behind her is our new friend Heather Page, from Canada!) We were encouraged to choose blooms that paired well together to enhance our portfolio and were to choose one of three photography vignettes for our pieces/images.
I love this shot of Deedie working her magic with moody shades of plum and purple. Her tones were dark and she chose to have her pieces photographed on the deep, sultry background. I fell in love with the gold pheasant, copper hues and marble top table and decided upon lighter blooms to better compliment that setup.
The top two creations are mine and the bottom is Deedie’s. (The blush colored Rose Story Farm blooms below were stunning! I had to have them!)
Our bouquet lesson was such fun. We were a bit hurried, as we spent too much time on crowns (oops!) but everyone’s final product was stunning. Personally, I create smaller bouquets, (Deedie refers to them as “sweet, little Emily bouquets”!), so to watch Amy create one of her signature-styled, larger bouquets and the girls surrounding me to work their magic was truly inspiring. I was pleased with my final creation, pictured below:
After lunch we started our large arrangements. This made me so nervous, as I had not done an arrangement in this style, of this size before. Thank heavens for my sweet support system! I had been eyeing these bright orange poppies but they weren’t very cohesive with my other creations. Deedie kept saying “just go for it!” and I’m so thankful I listened! This is my favorite floral creation to date. I didn’t think too hard. I didn’t stress myself out. I just did it. I focused on the lessons I learned from Amy, from Kelly and from all of my other sweet flower friends and I was shocked at my final product. I can’t believe *I* made this. It’s out of my comfort zone; every aspect of it and yet, I love it. Those poppies!
Our second day focused on a large install that would be featured with a model, professional hair and makeup and a styling team. We foraged on our way to the site to gather our greens for the arbors, unloaded the vans and were ready to get started. We divided into teams and got busy! I had never created an arbor before and learned quickly how much fun this was.
After several images alone to capture details, our model stepped in and showcased our team members’ bouquets in a STUNNING Emily Riggs gown! This sweet ballerina was the most gorgeous model for this shoot!
And then of course I HAVE to show off Deedie’s creation!
We had a great time meeting new flower friends and learning new tricks (zip ties are life-changing!). Amy and her crew were such gracious hosts and showered us with incredible gifts and great praise. I’m so thankful for the learning experiences offered by their team of talented ladies and can’t wait to see how they influence my designs in the future.
Photography: M.K. Sadler | Flower Wholesalers: Cut Flower, Mayesh, Rosestory Farms | Dinner + Lunch: Kenan Hill of Kitchen 1204 | Lighting: Unique Event Elements | Custom Gold Pedestals : Andy Flage of St. Udio | Venue: AO Studio | Paper Goods: Brown Linen Design | Linens: Nuage | Place Settings + Furniture: 12th Table | Ghost Stools and Work Tables: Goodwin Events | Workshop Vessels: Accent Decor | Ribbon: Frou Frou Chic | Leather Tags: Paper Birch Designs | Gown: Emily Riggs | Hair and Makeup: Claudia Mejerle Rogers | Model: Carlton of Factor Women | Velvet Books: Blue Sky Papers | Floral Print: Meredith Mejerle | Magazine : Flutter Magazine
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