About 7 years ago, I was going to the Vintage Wedding Fair at Fremont Abbey to enjoy the vendor displays but never expected to meet anybody like Botanique’s Owner, Kelly Sullivan. Her floral arrangements were the most enchanting I had ever seen in my life. They were rich in lush quality and had such a depth that I couldn’t stop gazing. The longer I looked, the more there was to see in them. They dripped with freshness and stunning pairings of colors and textures. Botanique Flowers is a Seattle Floral Design Studio and urban flower mini farm. Wildshoot Forest & Farm was a rough little gathering spot, seemingly about as opposite as could be, except for our shared love of raw beauty and sense of nature.
Time passed, then came a magical day last May when Botanique held a bridal bouquet workshop at Wildshoot Forest & Farm. It was a most inspiring day energized by a team of highly talented florists working raw material into visual living art. Kelly brought voluptuous armloads of local grown blooms in shades of wonderful beauty and she lead a forage here through forest and field and garden. She demonstrated and taught advanced level art and mechanics of a lasting beautiful bridal bouquet. Kelly’s personal history in ballet is a strong element in her disciplined yet fluid approach as an artist. Her expression designing floral pieces has movement and is ever-creative, but stronger than steel (just about). Her instruction is intensely complex and she pours generous insight and thoroughness into every detail. To learn a little more, see the article by Debra Prinzing, called Wild-Gathered from the magazine, Florists’ Review.
Last summer, I was lucky enough to get into the Botanique Flowers Field Day Workshop at Kelly’s Seattle studio. This class was open to beginner/intermediate people like me, but me being the least. I just have a lot of experience dueling with misbehaving stems and chasing them around the vase. Kelly answered to all this and more. She walked us through the basics of floral design and generously shared her tips for success. See here to find more about Kelly’s wedding and floral design services, www.botaniqueflowers.com
