Take me to Seattle!

I hopped on a plane at the start of this wedding season and made the trip across the country (and a bit south of the border) to attend the Sinclair and Moore Workshop at their beautiful studio in Seattle. Sinclair and Moore is one of the event design companies whose work I truly admire (I’ve been known to get lost in their project gallery for like, hours…). So, when I heard of the Sinclair and Moore Workshop it seemed like a great opportunity to go and learn for a few days.

My floral design style has been primarily self taught and, being new to the industry, I didn’t really have any ‘florist friends’ (I say didn’t because I have some now! yay!) to talk to, bounce ideas off of etc. I thought that the workshop would be a great opportunity to see how another company works and learn from someone in the industry who is really really good at what they do. It sure was! 

But I Didn’t Go Alone! No, No!

I attended the Sinclair and Moore Workshop with my sister-in-law, Maria. I had suggested to Maria that she would be a great event designer just a couple of months prior. Not much to my surprise (because it’s seriously just an obvious job for her!), she was interested! This was Maria’s first introduction to the industry. She has since worked with me on a few weddings – it is sooo great having her help! Maria, my brother (her husband), their 2 twin girls, Maria’s parents and Dan and I shared a charming house near where the workshop was located in Ballard, Seattle. It was a full and fun house!

The Sinclair and Moore Workshop

SO, the workshop! Let’s talk about it! The Sinclair and Moore Workshop was so seamless. It’s evident that this team is very well versed in putting on smooth events! The workshop was 3 days long and these days were filled with so much floral beauty I can’t even begin to explain. Luckily, I have lots of photos below, so I’ll let those do most of the talking!

Sinclair and Moore offers a few different workshops and the one that we attended had a focus on event design. I would like to offer full event design services for my Clients, so this felt like the perfect fit for me. On the first day of the workshop a lovely customized box filled with thoughtful gifts and necessary tools for us as florists welcomes us at our seats. That first day we focused a bit on theory and sourcing – I felt like I was in school all over again taking notes! We talked about developing a design for an event and how that starts, sourcing materials, and pulling all the details together.

Putting Together Our Portfolio Project

The final project of the workshop was to separate into 3 groups and work on putting together a distinct design. This included a tablescape, bridal bouquets, and an installation piece. In doing so we would get to recognize all of the components that go into creating a cohesive event. Steve developed the 3 themes and we worked to pull the pieces together; creating the florals and setting up the tables. On the final day we were on site at Manchester State Park where each group put together their schemes. Our group also had the opportunity to make an installation – the incredible archway pictured below. I can’t wait to make an arch of this scale for a client of mine – it was quite the piece!

Attending the Sinclair and Moore workshop was a great experience. I learned new floral arranging skills that I put into practice immediately with my wedding season this year. Thank you to Steve, Jamie, and the whole Sinclair and Moore team for a wonderful experience at your workshop!