Florist

Briefly explain what you do for a living. 

I work as a florist in a company called Mevent. Mevent is a company specialising in the planning, styling and implementation of festivities and events. In the summer, most of the celebrations and events we organise are weddings, and in the winter, our work focuses on corporate celebrations and private events. My responsibilities include ordering and pricing flowers, preparing flowers for storage, and designing and creating flower displays.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice? 

One of my relatives was a gardener, and I thought it might also be an interesting profession for me. I completed a vocational upper secondary qualification in gardening at AhlmanEdu as an adult student. During my gardening studies, I became interested in working as a florist, so I continued my studies in the field of floristry. I believe that my career choice was also influenced by the fact that I have always been fascinated by visual and artistic aspects.

Describe your typical working day or week. 

For example, my typical working week when organising a wedding in the summer could be as follows. On Monday, I often have a day off, or spend the day going through my e-mails. Flowers are usually ordered from the floral wholesale about 1.5 weeks before the event and they usually arrive on Tuesdays. When unloading the delivery, I prepare the flowers for storage. I cut the stems for better water uptake, remove the bad parts, put the flowers in water and move them to the cool room. 

Wednesday is spent on various preparations and packaging. Maybe we prepare some bases for the flower arrangements. On Thursday, we start working on the flower arrangements that can already be created at that stage. If the wedding is on Saturday, we spend Friday and Saturday creating the flower displays on the spot. Sunday is often a day for taking the arrangements down, but my job description usually does not include participating in this and I have a day off instead.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you work in? 

I work from home, at the office, our company’s warehouse and party venues. The work involves a lot of travelling, as we organise events and celebrations around Finland. In the summer, the events can also take place outside.

My working hours are irregular and differ from those of a typical florist working in a flower shop because my work involves a lot of travelling. The parties often take place in the evenings or at weekends, so my work includes a lot of evening and weekend work, particularly in the summer, when there are a lot of weddings. My working hours also depend on how many events or parties we have coming up. At busy times, you need to be prepared to be flexible. Occasionally, there may be situations when preparations for a large wedding continue until the early hours of the morning.

Florist’s work involves various health risks, such as allergies and sensitisation. These are caused by, among other things, exposure to pesticides that have been used to ensure a longer shelf-life of flowers. In addition, your hands are exposed to a lot of cold and wet. Your sense of smell may also change. After working in this field for many years, I no longer smell the different scents of flowers.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession? 

Creativity and the ability to come up with new ideas are important qualities in the work of a florist. You must have knowledge of different flower materials, as the flower displays are always created for a specific purpose and location. Different things must be taken into account in the flower material, depending on whether the flower arrangement is created outside in November, or whether it is a bridal bouquet for a wedding in July.  

A precondition for success in this job is an interest in trends in the flower sector and a desire to learn new things. It takes me a lot of time to follow florists in social media as I want to develop in my work. I have my personal idols both in Finland and abroad.

What is the best thing about your profession? 

Definitely the fact that I can use my creativity. You have an opportunity to plan and implement your own vision. There are always new trends and new materials that add variety to the work. I like brainstorming, although it doesn’t always seem easy. Sometimes it is difficult to come up with new ways of combining different flower materials.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging? 

I would be lying if I said that there is no stress involved with this work. For example, there are numerous details related to arranging a wedding, and the list of things to remember is long. Moreover, you cannot influence everything yourself, such as the fact that sometimes a flower delivery from the wholesaler does not live up to your expectations in terms of quality. The flowers only arrive a few days before the event, so there is usually little time left for corrective measures. The shelf-life of flowers also varies.

You could also say that florists often work when the others are on holiday. The occasionally hectic nature of my work and the irregular working hours also place a burden on family life, but I still feel that I am working in my dream job.

I also think about the ethical aspects related to flower materials, which are difficult to describe in short. In my own work, I strive to ensure that whatever we order is used as efficiently as possible to avoid losses. Sometimes we donate flower arrangements and bouquets after the event to places such as old people’s homes, so that the joy they bring lasts as long as possible.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a florist? 

I would say that attitude is everything, like in many other jobs. I remember that on my first day at school I wanted to go home halfway through the day because I did not know how to do the spiral (a hand-tying technique). If you have an open mind and you are ready to learn, you can also cope with this profession.

I would also recommend you learn how to wear protective gloves from the outset to avoid potential sensitisation and discomfort. It is worth paying attention to work ergonomics from the beginning of your career, as this work is particularly taxing on your hands.

The third thing I would recommend is to consider your personal attitude towards entrepreneurship. It is, after all, a very common way to employ yourself in this field.

How do you see the future of your profession? 

I feel that the traditional flower shop sector is currently undergoing a transformation. This is reflected in the fact that the traditional ways of doing things do not necessarily sell as well as before. The generation that has bought a bouquet of carnations or a Christmas basket out of habit for decades is getting smaller. We need to attract the new generations to flower products with different products and ideas. I believe, however, that people’s penchant for beautiful things will not disappear, which means that there will be demand for flowers also in the future.