How did you become a florist?
Photo by Christina Kim
One of my most asked questions ever is “how did you become a florist?” or, “how do I become a florist?”. 2026 marks 13 years since I started working in the floral industry and while I kinda fell into it somewhat by accident, I’ve learned a lot about what to do/not to do when building a career in floristry. I wanted to dispel a bit of the mystery – I’ll walk you through a timeline of my career journey and then give my personal recommendations on how to get into the industry!
In 2013, I was 17 and desperate to leave my restaurant serving job, and I happened to apply for an admin/studio assistant position at a small, family-owned flower shop in my hometown. I knew literally nothing about flowers, but I vibed well with the owner, and had a ton of customer service experience so I was hired! My job was to answer phones, help customers, and otherwise keep the shop and cooler clean. I washed a lot of buckets, but I was also taught how to make hand-tied bouquets really early on, and this was my first taste of design. From there I learned how to make rose bowls and bud vases, and was able to play with designing if I had any free time at the shop. I had a background in art already, so I got interested in learning how to design pretty quickly. I also just wanted to feel more useful at work!
Being vulnerable and brave and showing you a rose bowl I made in 2013.
Very early hand-tied bouquet from 2014.
Bridal bouquet from 2017. Way squishier than I would make now but I love the colours and textures still!
I continued to work at that same shop throughout university, while I was working on my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in visual art. During this time, I discovered that there was a Floral Design certificate program at Mount Royal College in Calgary, so I decided to attend the accelerated version (as I was still working on my BFA). The designs and techniques taught were pretty old school (and I think still are…), with lots of geometric designs and floral foam, but the opportunity to learn from 3 talented, and very different, designers was amazing. While I undoubtedly gained the most practical and valuable experience from working in retail flower shops, I acquired additional skills and new perspectives on design from this program.
After this, I continued to work my way up, eventually managing that shop’s weddings, and building up a portfolio of my designs. I finished my BFA at the end of 2019, and ended up hopping to a different shop in 2020, then leaving that one soon after in 2021. I started working at a small arts nonprofit and I was so happy to feel reconnected with the arts community! I still loved flowers, but I knew that I definitely didn’t want to go back to retail. I had flowered my first solo wedding for a friend that summer, working in my rented art studio space that I shared with 4 other artists, and it went really well! After some encouraging words from that friend, and not wanting to miss out on the 2022 wedding season, I decided to set up a business license and website and see what happened.
From there I’ve been lucky enough to be able to build my business slowly and with intention. I booked 3 weddings in 2022, one of them was even a stranger! I’ve kept other part time jobs, said yes to things I wasn’t sure I could do (and succeeded!), said no to things that were out of my capacity (and felt amazing about it tbh), and built a lot of relationships with other incredible wedding vendors and florists. I moved out of the shared studio and into my own space in 2023, and have essentially been doubling my bookings each year. I also rediscovered teaching! I used to help out at workshops at the flower shops I worked at and loved it, and it’s become a big part of my business and practice. It’s so rewarding to get to share my love of flowers and art, and get to mentor new designers.
First solo wedding in 2021 - forever grateful to K + G! I also ended up doing flowers for one of her bridesmaids and SIL’s weddings.
Photos by Katelynn Anne Photography
That feels like a good segue into my recommendations on how to get into the floral industry. I think floristry is a lot more blue collar than people might think, and while we do get to play with pretty flowers, we’re also doing a lot of manual labour. I love comparing the floral industry to the food industry; perishable product, long hours, weird hours, on your feet all day, knives, always cleaning, among many other parallels. It’s a challenging industry to work in, but also a rewarding one! Here’s what I would do if I was looking to become a florist, starting from 0:
Take a floral design workshop with a professional florist to gain a little bit of hands-on experience and guidance. I’m sure there’s also some great resources on youtube and social media, you’ll just have to do some digging!
Buy flowers and play with designing on your own to practice. Buy a cheap grocery store bouquet and re-design it in a vase. Take photos and videos of your work in natural light with a neutral background to start building a portfolio and tracking your progress. KEEP PRACTICING! Like, for the entirety of your career.
Seek out an entry-level position at a retail flower shop or grocery store. Be open to doing the less glamorous parts of the job like bucket washing, cleaning, admin work, packaging, running deliveries etc, as these are incredibly important, just like a restaurant can’t function without a dishwasher! If you’re cold calling, the best time to reach out is a few weeks before major floral holidays: Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, and Christmas.
Freelancing for studio-based florists (like me!) is also a great option. It can also offer a bit more flexibility with the hours, though there may be less opportunity to design and less hours overall.
Knowing how to garden isn’t the same as being a florist, just like growing veggies on my balcony doesn’t make me a chef, but if you’re able to grow your own flowers you’ll have lots of free-ish blooms to practice with, and is a great way to learn about flower varieties and what’s in season! It’s also great for the environment to use locally-grown flowers :-)
Photo by Christina Kim
I stress retail flower shops as a starting point because it’s a great way to learn about the industry in a hands-on way. The challenge of creating designs for other people (often at the drop of a hat), working efficiently under time constraints, and having a solid understanding of industry practices and workflows are essential skills for every florist, especially if you want to start your own business.
Of course, there is no one path to breaking into the industry! But for myself and most other professional florists, it’s not a quick one. I feel like I’ve spent most of the past 5 years of HQS FLORAL working at building up my portfolio into something that really reflects me and my values, and the 8 years before that learning as much as I could from experienced, career florists. And I’m still learning! I’m always going to evolve as I gain more experience and skills, and that’s the most exciting part of being a florist for me.
I hope this was helpful for you if you’re interested in getting into the industry, or at least an interesting read! If you’re in the Edmonton area, I teach a ton of beginner friendly public classes that are a great way to get your hands on some flowers and learn basic design skills! I also offer 1:1 mentorship for folks with a little bit more experience. Read more about my education opportunities here. Wishing you all the best on your floral journey!
About HQS FLORAL
Photo by Evangeline Belzile
Hey! I’m Hannah, owner, lead designer, and the hqs in HQS FLORAL. I’ve been working in the floral industry since 2013, mainly in retail flower shops before starting my own business in 2021. My focus is on creating artfully arranged florals for weddings and special events in Edmonton, Alberta and beyond, specializing in elevated colour palettes and texture-forward details, always with sustainability in mind. I also love sharing my skills and the joy of floral design through workshops! Read more about me here <3
Just a little disclaimer that I don’t use generative AI on my website, socials, or blog. So please disregard any typos :-)