'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.'

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.

'My strength is that I truly believe in the floral profession'

Ivan Bergh also combines nature and art when working with flowers. As a teacher, the Italian floral designer has developed a personal teaching approach for his renowned floral design training in Italy. This incorporates the principles of German floral design as well as Northern European traditions. 'The process of idea, concept and development is crucial to guide students toward their own personal vision as florists.'

Flower still lifes then and now

Flowers have provided color, fragrance and meaning at Palace Het Loo for centuries. The Bloom exhibition is about 17th-century still lifes and Princess Mary's influence on the use of flowers. Contemporary artists, designers and the palace's garden service bring history to life. They admired the historical works, but also asked critical questions. How did those flowers get here? Who paid the price for the beauty and wealth? Behind every flower and every work of art lies a story.

'Enjoying the sunshine and colors in the garden'

In her flower shop in Apeldoorn, florist Erika Oldenhof creates beautiful, colorful arrangements in various themes every day. 'Every season is unique with the beautiful materials,
that makes our profession so extra beautiful!'

'For inspiration, I look around me carefully; what is happening in fashion, architecture, shop windows and home magazines, and from that I often get ideas for materials, shapes and colors. The many floral prints in fashion are also striking now.'

'Summer, for me, is being outside as much as possible and spending time in the garden with friends, BBQ, drinks, enjoying the sun and the colors in the garden. I like to use materials from the season, beautiful peonies, Passiflora, Ginkgo, Delphinium, Lathyrus, et cetera. The trend is flowers from the picking garden. There is also
in the store more demand for (organic) field flowers.'

'Striving to balance sustainability, uniqueness creativity'

Student florist Gerrit van Aalst won a gold medal at Skills The Finals for the second year in a row. The new Dutch Student Champion in Floral Design will represent the Netherlands at the Worldskills in France.

‘I lovingly work with beautiful materials directly from the nursery – this enables me to always find that one special flower with a unique color, length, or a special variety that distinguishes and embellishes my work.’

‘I strive for a balance between sustainability and maintaining uniqueness and creativity. I am currently focusing on designing frames and surfaces that can be reused multiple times – but each time in a different way so that the flower arrangements always have a unique character. I am also working on creating large constructions that take up little space for storage after disassembly. That also makes it easier to transport or store the frames.’