workshops

9 years ago when I started our business I was young, naive, scared, and pretty clueless about where to start, what to do and how to even get my foot in the door with this thing called the wedding industry.  I had very few connections, very little knowledge and only a few dollars to my name.  But… I had a lot of passion, drive and determination.  Even more… I had a dream, and I knew if I didn’t at least try to see it come to fruition I would wonder the rest of my life the nagging question ‘what if?” With just a few dimes to my name I set out on my journey to start what is now Sinclair & Moore.

I barely survived the first wedding where I arranged the flowers.  Everything kept falling apart on me, and I spent the entire night before that wedding re-arranging the flowers only to have them fall apart again.  I had looked at pictures of what I wanted to create and knew the vision, but I didn’t know the mechanics of design.  I got through that wedding and it looked like a smashing success…. but I knew things were hanging on by a thread and if some of the arrangements had been bumped they would have definitely come crashing down.  I needed to learn what I had done wrong and how to do it better the next time.

The problem was… I didn’t know who to ask or where to learn the mechanics and technique behind floral design.  Some books were helpful and I would go into flower shops and spy on their designers and try to get little glimpses into how they were working.  I would sometimes even go to hotels when I knew a wedding was happening and very quickly try to look inside the arrangements to see how they were constructed.  I just remember wishing there was someone I could learn from and ask a million questions to.

Nine years later I look back on my journey and I am so thankful for how my company has grown. I have a passion to make every event more than just putting a pretty centerpiece in the middle of a table. I love to really get to know my clients while exploring color, texture, shape, form, and pattern with them, all with the goal of designing each detail of the event to perfectly reflect their personality.  We design events that are cohesive from start to finish and take into consideration everything from the linen and chairs to the font on the stationery and the choice of ribbon on the bouquet.  We care about the smallest details including the packaging of the favors, the dish the meal is served on and the design of the cake and desserts.  All of these details help to tell the story of our clients while creating a perfect celebration for them. Event design is a lot of hard work and long hours, but it is so rewarding in the end.

Every day I receive e-mails from people who are in the same spot I was just nine years ago.  They are passionate about the event industry, but not sure how to get started or they just feel stuck with a business that isn’t growing. Some of these people follow us on Instagram and will ask how I created certain designs, where I find my resources and even simply, how did I build our business to what it is today.  I’ve learned so many things over the years through trial and error… a lot of error… and I want to pass on some of the lessons I’ve learned and the techniques I’ve developed. I’m excited to share some of my favorite resources. I’m ready to tell the story of our journey in business, the ups and the downs, in hopes of inspiring others who are trying to move their passion to the next level.  Mostly, I want to encourage other dreamers to keep dreaming big and to keep reaching for all of their goals that might seem unattainable.  This is the passion behind the two workshops we are teaching this spring.  

We are holding two workshops this spring in our Seattle design studio. Each workshop will be three days long and we will be focusing on event design, hands on floral arranging, where to source the things you need for your event and strategies for business and growing your company.  For those that want to stay for a fourth day, I am offering complimentary one hour one-on-one sessions to review your portfolio and talk through specific next step strategies for your business.  We are going to have a lot of fun, eat great food, learn from each other, make some beautiful centerpieces, bouquets and large arrangements and have everything photographed for your portfolio by Matthew Land.  The workshops will be small and intimate and we will only have room for twelve attendees so we can make sure each person has time to ask questions and receive personal attention and training.

 Wether you are an experienced designer looking to grow your business or you have never touched flowers before but want to learn how to design beautiful arrangements and events, these workshops will meet you where you are at.  It will be a friendly, comfortable learning environment for everyone no matter where your skill level is at.

For more information and for the financial investment please visit our workshop page here. Registration will go live on Friday morning, February 13th, 2015 so make sure to check back then to sign up.  We anticipate the limited spots to fill quickly, so don’t hesitate with registration.  Please message us with any questions that might come up.  We are looking forward to meeting those of you who are able to attend! 

Follow this link to find more details and register:  Workshop Details 

photos:  Matthew Land Studios