What actually happens at a Memento flower workshop

You have booked the workshop. You have arrived on the Ormeau. There are buckets of seasonal flowers, unfamiliar tools and a few people quietly wondering whether everybody else already knows what they are doing.

They do not. And that is exactly the point.

A Memento flower workshop is relaxed, hands-on and designed for people who want to make something brilliant without being tested on Latin names or expected to arrive with a carefully curated mood board. We will show you the techniques, talk you through the materials and give you enough room to make it your own.

Seasonal flowers ready for a Memento workshop.

Where are Memento floristry workshops held?

Our flower and plant workshops take place at Memento, 1A Haywood Avenue, Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 3EU. You will be surrounded by a working florist shop: flowers, foliage, tools, ribbons, offcuts and the odd idea halfway to becoming something useful.

Everything you need for the session is provided unless the individual workshop listing says otherwise. Just arrive about 10 minutes early, get settled and let us do the faffing about with the buckets.

Coming from the city centre? Metro routes 7A and 7 run regularly towards the Ormeau Road. Botanic Station is also a straightforward taxi ride away.

Then you meet the florist leading the session

We start with a simple introduction to what you are making, the flowers and materials in front of you, and the practical bits that will make the finished piece work. The point is not to copy a florist stem for stem; it is to understand what gives an arrangement shape, movement and personality.

We will look at:

• Shape, height and balance
• Colour, texture and contrast
• How flowers and foliage work together
• How a small change in angle or spacing can change the whole thing

No identical arrangements. No suspiciously silent judging panel. Just clear guidance from people who work with flowers every day.

A Memento workshop in full swing.

You get properly hands-on

This is not a sit-back-and-watch workshop. After the demonstration, you will handle the stems, test out combinations, make choices and gradually build your own arrangement. The florist leading the session will be nearby to answer questions, rescue anything that has gone a bit sideways and explain why a tweak works.

There is usually a stage where it looks too tall, too crowded or faintly baffling. That is normal. Flowers rarely travel in a neat straight line from pile of stems to that is actually rather gorgeous.

You learn techniques you can use again

A good floristry workshop in Belfast should leave you with more than a few decent photos and a nice thing for the kitchen table. Depending on the session, you may learn how to:

• Prepare and condition fresh flowers
• Combine flowers and foliage with confidence
• Arrange directly into a vase
• Build a hand-tied bouquet
• Work with height, movement and negative space
• Wrap or present a finished design
• Help fresh flowers last longer at home
• You are not expected to become a professional florist in an afternoon. You will leave with practical skills that make buying, choosing and arranging flowers feel much less mysterious.

 

A good table, fresh flowers and a little fizz never hurt.

Do I need floristry experience?

No. Our creative workshops in Belfast are built for beginners as well as people who have played around with flowers before. We demonstrate each stage, explain the why behind it and help as you go.

Come on your own, bring a mate, bring a parent who insists they are not creative and will inevitably leave with the best arrangement in the room. The atmosphere is social but never forced - you can chat, concentrate or do a bit of both.

Will mine look like everybody else’s?

It should not. You may start with a similar range of seasonal materials, but people make different choices. One person goes loose and full of movement; another makes something more compact and textural. That is the joy of it.

The most successful design is not the one that most closely copies the demonstration. It is the one you like, understand and would be happy to take home.

Every workshop design starts with the season’s best stems.

What should I wear and what do I take home?

Wear something comfortable that you do not mind getting a little messy. You will be dealing with water, stems, leaves and plant material, so this is probably not the day for sleeves that need their own personal assistant.

You take home what you make, along with care advice and a bit more confidence for the next bunch of flowers you bring through the door.

Book a flower workshop in Belfast

Whether you fancy a seasonal flower session, a Christmas wreath, a terrarium or a creative catch-up with friends, you can see all upcoming dates on our website. Workshops change with the season, so the best move is to check what is currently on the table.

Browse all Memento workshops and experiences

See The Ormeau Christmas Wreath Workshop

Try a tropical terrarium workshop

Read our guide to making fresh flowers last longer

 

Bring yourself. We will provide the flowers, the tools and enough direction to make sure nothing turns into a botanical hostage situation.

Fresh flowers, good company and something made by you.