In July, longtime friends of Accent Decor, Lauren Anderson and Rachel Bridgwood of Sweet Root Village, and Amy Balsters, The Floral Coach, teamed up to host The Floral Installation Workshop. This immersive, three-day event focused on building confidence with large-scale floral designs. It catered to both beginner and experienced floral designers who sought to improve their installation mechanics, gain fresh inspiration, and develop greater confidence in creating large-scale designs.

The workshop’s origin story was a result of the trio’s real-life need for improved floral education. “Over the years, we noticed that installation workshops often fall short, especially with large groups,” explained Amy Balsters. “Skill levels vary, teaching is usually high-level with mostly demos, and designers often work on one large project or a small part of it. This setup can leave some behind, as stronger leaders tend to dominate decision-making.”

Together, both parties concepted and developed The Floral Installation Workshop. “We aimed to offer a real-life learning experience where designers could create unique concepts based on their style,” shared Lauren Anderson and Rachel Bridgwood of Sweet Root Village. “While we provided some guidelines, students had the freedom to expand on them, applying what they learned, selecting materials, and executing their vision with support from a skilled team.”

Accent Decor was pleased to partner with and donate a selection of large-scale event decor products for use in the workshop demonstrations and lessons. The artistry and dedication both teams bring to floral education align perfectly with our core value of infusing passion into everything we do.

Featured Event Decor Products

The interactive design installation demos featured hand-selected Accent Decor event decor products. Chosen for their impactful size and unique blend of functionality wow-factor and compatibility with a variety of design styles, demonstrators and designers gained hands-on and provided some of their favorite features with the following products:

• Simile Stand – Students appreciated the arched decor, its clean design, allowing for intentional exposure of the structure.
• Arpeggio Stand – This versatile stand works well foam-free or with cages, and looks stunning when angled together or used as a standalone, arched decor piece.
• Tenuto Stand – A great alternative for venues where hanging installations aren’t possible, offering substantial visual impact.
• Conservatory Stand – Supports a range of foam-free mechanics like chicken wire or pre-bundled bouquets, which can be easily added onsite.
• Ovation Grid Hanger – The final design is polished, with the option to showcase parts of the structure as an intentional design element.
• Berkshire Archway – Students loved that uprights could be used individually or as a full arch
• Arbor Gateway – This impressive arched decor piece simplifies floral design—just add ground elements, and it’s complete.

If you’re interested in attending future workshops, please visit the official waitlist.

About Sweet Root Village

Sweet Root Village is an event floral design studio based in Alexandria, Virginia owned by Lauren Anderson and Rachel Bridgwood. Sweet Root is known for large installations, sharing openly about floral business, and creating a family friendly work environmentfor their team. Over the past 13 years, they have grown to an in-house team of eight who lead over 80 weddings and events a year, and have been featured in Martha Stewart, Modern Luxury, Once Wed, Brides, and dozens of wedding and event publications.

Connect with Sweet Root Village online or @sweetrootvillage on Instagram. Visit their Village Schoolhouse for excellent education resources including digital guides, courses, mentoring calls and more.

About Amy Balsters, The Floral Coach®

Amy Balsters is a classically trained, award winning floral design educator with vast industry experience spanning two decades in retail floristry, weddings and special events. She has taught all over the U.S. and has trained thousands of florists how to design more confidently and efficiently using professional design techniques through online courses, in person workshops and a national design tour in 2023 with Mayesh Wholesale. Amy has won multiple design awards including “Mastery in Principles of Design” chosen by the Senior Style Editor of Martha Stewart, Mayesh Design Star, “20 Florists to Follow on IG” by Design Sponge, Designer of the Year by Team Flower and many more. Her work has been featured and published in major national and international wedding publications including Martha Stewart Weddings, Once Wed, Florists Review and many more.

Connect with Amy Balsters online or @thefloralcoach on Instagram. Check out Amy’s educational resources and blog for additional and valuable learning.

To shop Accent Decor’s wholesale decor and wholesale event decor including all new and flower, plant and home products, visit accentdecor.com.

READY TO BECOME A CUSTOMER?

A quick and easy registration gives you access to design-forward wholesale decor, wholesale pricing, product details ordering options, and much more! Register now.

Photo Credit: Akbar Sayed // @akbarsayedphotography