'Creativity gives meaning to loss'

Belgian floral designer Sören van Laer considers making funeral arrangements a very important part of his work as a florist. ‘Flowers not only bring comfort, they also express appreciation for the deceased. It is therefore very important to create very personal and creative funeral work because creativity gives meaning to loss.’

‘I am noticing that the demand for urn decorations is increasing. This requires a separate approach but also offers opportunities to create very refined funeral work. For farewell flower arrangements, I prefer to use colorful flowers. Colors soften the grief.’

Working with symbolism also generates many possibilities. 'For example, lavender has the properties of being soothing, calming, softening, uplifting, and balancing. The flower symbolizes balance, dedication, friendly love, admiration, and beauty. Lavender has a subtle color and scent and thus connects body, mind, and soul, making it an excellent flower for farewell floral arrangements.'

Tilting perspectives

The motto for the zeitgeist is Tilting Perspectives. The call for change creates even greater contradictions in society: which way are we going? And what are we willing to give up? We are looking for new perspectives: a hopeful view of the future.

'Bridal work remains my favorite!'

'It's not a question,' says floral designer Hanneke Frankema, 'bridal work remains my favorite! With bridal work you go just that step further and you can really dive into the techniques and go for refinement, perfection and details. The bridal flower arrangement is almost in every photo so there is no room for mistakes.'

'I myself am very fond of a strong, pronounced shape; to show it off well, I glue many of the flowers. This is, by the way, a technique with many possibilities, and much stronger than you might think. Many types of flowers hold up fine for a while after gluing. I glue the sensitive, most vulnerable flower types on the day itself, but strong flowers and greenery often a day in advance.'

'Many florists find that very exciting, but test the gluing with some old leftover flowers. This way you build more and more confidence and you know better what you can ask of certain types of flowers. I always use Smithers Oasis cold glue for gluing.'

'Achieving the pure with few different materials'

Floral artist Philippe Bas tries to do everything in life with passion and dedication. At nineteen he was a professional football player. But because flowers also had his attention, he started his own flower shop in Hasselt (B) at the age of twenty. 'The common thread through my floral work is to try to achieve the pure with few different materials – with a fairytale touch.'

'Likewise with bridal floral work, in which he elaborates on the theme of Bohemian wedding. 'Bohemian, to me, means a very natural style with mostly natural materials such as wood, bark, fresh and dried grasses, and wool, felt, paper. The colors range from orange to brown to burgundy and from pastel to beige to taupe.'

‘Bridal bouquets for a Bohemian wedding party may be larger and fuller than other bridal work, with a beautiful mix of larger flowers such as Dahlia, chrysanthemum, sunflower, peony, Protea in combination with smaller flowers such as spray rose, ranunculus and lisianthus.’

Floral Boho Bridal Party

Mention a bridal party, wedding, or marriage, and a beautiful, festive, and dreamy image appears: a stylish, rural event location, a lush green environment, and excellent decoration with the most beautiful flowers and greenery. The bridal bouquet is elegant, carefully made in a
distinctive shape with special materials and flowers. There are so many possibilities; it is not without reason that creating bridal floral work is and remains a favorite for many floral designers.

An exhibition that pops

An exhibition of impressive floral creations. The flower students of Aeres mbo Velp were allowed to show their creativity on Thursday, April 25, 2024. This exhibition coincided with the fifth edition of the trendy and sustainable Festival Goed Groen in and around the school.