My time at Tallulah Rose Flower School
When I first looked into how to find out more about floristry, more than 2 years ago in 2019, Tallulah Rose came up right at top of the Google search results. At that point, I was living over in Australia and really wasn’t sure how my journey was going to pan out, so I hit the ‘follow’ button on Instagram and left it at that…
Queue 2 years passing by, with lots of uncertain pathways and a pandemic, and after all that time I found myself back in the UK wondering how I could learn more about running my own successful & healthy floral business. During that time, I’d virtually seen Rachel at Tallulah Rose showcase such an original approach to teaching, both in Bath and then nearby to my hometown in Cumbria, and this recipe seemed like it was too good to be true.
For months, I toyed with the idea, I looked at my finances, I started to establish a business, and generally weighed up whether this would be a worthwhile investment into my own floral journey. Rachel really seemed to take the time to focus on both practical skills and business mentoring, which I felt were essential if I wanted to properly establish myself in the market. The School is also a champion of showcasing the best of British flowers and using eco friendly mechanics, which are at the heart of my ethos too. Plus Tallulah Rose has an incredible cohort of ex-Tallulahs such as Liberty Lane, Vervain & Wolves Lane Flower Company, all of which continue to be massive inspirations to me and are doing incredible things.
In the end, I decided that the 2 week intensive career change course was the one to be the best fit for me. This covered a whole heap of topics, skills and I also thought that an in person immersive experience would allow me the head space to properly plan where I wanted Bryonia to go.
So in May 2021 - I set off to Cumbria for day one of my Tallulah Rose Workshop…
Hand tied bouquets, eco friendly sympathy flowers & wild meadows
Let’s get stuck in
Oh my days, we were really thrown in and started creating the most incredible pieces right from day one!
The space, the flowers, the setting, the company - it was just the most incredible medley of ingredients. I couldn’t believe how Rachel had perfected the set up, it all seemed so effortless and really helped me to feel at ease creating from the get go.
In terms of the itinerary, we honestly covered off so many floral creations during week one, and I felt like we were all allowed to express our own creative styles through all of them. Hand tied bouquets were a particular favourite of mine and I’ve included a picture of my seasonal spring posey lounging in the famous duck egg blue doorways.
The highlights of Week One, there’s so much to show so they’re a bit easier to digest in a quick video:
The local blooms
There’s a few extra special mentions that need to be made!
Whilst Rachel does an incredible job of teaching and running the School, my experience wouldn’t be the amazing time it was without the help of a few other extra-talented people. So I needed to call out all of these guys with a special mention:
I have to give a huge thank you to Becky at Erda Botanicals, what a woman! She supported and taught us on a few of the days, and I’ve got to say she was so helpful in building confidence in each of us. Her seasonal, eco friendly ethos and general charisma was so uplifting, and I do hope we cross paths again soon.
The local flower growers, Suzie at Picked at Dawn & Hannah at Ixia Botanicals, who supplied us with the most beautiful blooms. I was in a daze every time they dropped off, purely at the standard of the flowers and it made choosing which to use that day the hardest task! These glorious photographed poppies were from Suzie’s farm.
Martin who spent the day with us coaching and educating us on the importance of having business goals and objectives. Whilst a lot of people think being a florist is all fun and flowers (which it is), you also need to have a business hat on a lot of the time or you won’t be able to sustain your business.
Jess who taught us some incredible photography and editing tips! I loved the attention to detail she gave each and every one of us, the tips are now cemented in my brain to help me capture photos to the best of my abilities.
Plus the last one, meeting both the pups Wilma and Lemmy during the week made the whole environment feel relaxed, welcoming and inclusive (plus who doesn’t like a dog cuddle during their lunch break).
My Bridal Bouquet
Back for more?!
I was totally shattered, but also weirdly energised from the first week, processing everything was whirring around in my brain, and it’s still ongoing now! But by the time Monday rolled around, I was so excited to see what the second week had in store.
This week had more of a wider business focus, alongside creating for weddings, installations and my favourite flower crowns.
The highlights from Week Two:
The Gang
No one needs to be an island
One of the key take aways for me, was that I honestly don’t have to do it all alone. The other women on the workshop were so brave, inspiring, and generally the best cheerleaders you could hope for.
I have always struggled with asking for help, and doing this workshop helped me to realise it’s not a failure to want to rely on people. You don’t need to be overly independent all the time Jenna!!
I am still in contact with them all now, and I hope to be for many floral experiences to come. We can share all our thoughts, ideas, solutions, work and generally be our own #tallulahrosehypesquad
To you all - a humongous thank you!!
To conclude…
Wow what a whirlwind two weeks, they flew by in such a rush, I kind wish I could go back and do them all over again. This was such an inspiring place to learn and I would hand on heart recommend Tallulah Rose Flower School to all growers, florists and flower lovers. I would say to do some research, attend an open day or even speak with Rachel herself to work out what is the best pathway for you.
Personally, this experience has helped to shape what I want to achieve with my floristry journey, and how best to get there. Now I just have to make it happen!
A very big thank you to Rachel, and the rest of the team for making the two weeks so unforgettable.
Chat to you all soon,
Jenna x
