After spending the morning at Dora Flora (the floral supply store from the last blog post) we headed to Poelman & De Wilde flower shop. This shop is absolutely hopping with energy, customers, fabulous inventory and amazing designers.  In addition to the retail space there are at least 5 green houses. Here we learned the art of the hand tied bouquet.

Real egg shells were used to create this wreath.

The shop is full of the finest blooms.

The largest vases I have ever seen, and I so love the red.

One of the many green houses.

We had the pleasure of having coffee and treats in the private residence of the owner Ivan.

The house featured beautiful arrangements in orange.

I loved the cleanliness and simplicity of Ivan’s home. The reflecting pool out the window was stunning!!

A simple design of tulips woven through a bowl of willow.

The amazing Laura from Faith Flowers ( the leader of this European Flower Tower) and Evan of Poelman & De Wilde.

Lead designer Tom was our instructor. We discussed the correct way to make a European Hand Tied bouquet. If the bouquet is created properly it should be able to stand on its own.

These huge floral bundles are created and placed in the shop for retail sales.

I loved creating this type of bouquet, it almost made me long for a retail shop.

The unique containers and floral inspiration in this shop was very exciting!!

Next we dined at Meridiem, we enjoyed a typical and favorite Belgium dish of french fries, beef stew, and mayonnaise. This was surprisingly good, even though it may sound odd.

These lovely ladies are a part of the European Faith Flower tour.

Next we went on to a private design class with Monique Vanden Berghe.  Being able to attend a class with this internationally recognized designer was a huge thrill. I first heard about Monique from my friend David Beahm, meeting this legend in person was incredible. Only 7 of us took the class so we were blessed with lots of time for serious instruction. This was honestly the most intensive studying I have ever done. I had brain freeze in the class. The compositions, concepts, the art, was all mind boggling. I kept thinking this lady is so beyond a florist she is a true artists. Each of her designs begins with a piece of art, and then come the flowers.

The complexity of each of these designs is so hard to comprehend.

The very famous designer Monique Vanden Berghe and her assistant designer Elodie.

This structure would be the base of my bouquet. Weaving this took more time than I care to share. We all spent hours learning how to create bouquet platforms.

The prepared holder.

My finished design!!

I purchased one of Monique’s books and I now have an autographed book to remember this very special day. I can’t wait to try some of these ideas in my own flower shop. I truly think I will be able to create something very special and unique and pass along this art to my brides.

In addition to classes, and speaking engagements, Monique also designs containers, and she has written several books. She is also a internationally recognized stylist. I was so fortunate to have this time with her. Thank you Monique and thank you Faith Flowers.