Leanne's Blog

Leanne began working as a floral designer when she was just sixteen years old. She fell in love with flowers, floral design and floral design education. Leanne has never considered another career and truly feels blessed to be able to do what she loves every single day. In this Blog Leanne shares her passion for the career of floral design and encourages everyone to "Do Something You Love".

Leanne's Blog Search Results

Enter your keyword search above, or browse the library below.

Loading...

There were no search results for the search "". Please try using more general terms to get more results.

Results found for ""

Result pages:

Leanne Kesler Wins Prestigious Award

Leanne Kesler Wins Prestigious Award

August 8, 2024 - The Society of American Florists (SAF) presented the Tommy Bright award to Leanne Kesler, owner and education director of the Floral Design Institute.  This award is SAF’s most prestigious award signifying a lifetime of commitment to education excellence in the floral industry.

A beautiful Bespoke style hand tied bouquet mixes pink roses, white hydrangea, pink tulips, blue eryngium, purple freesia, seeded eucalyptus, and other foliages, and is tied off with a pale blue ribbon.

Choosing a Floral Design School

As you focus on your career, how do you decide which school will be best for you? Check out the Top 10 list for choosing a floral design school and learn why the Floral Design Institute should be YOUR Education Resource.

A gorgeous hand tied bouquet features pale pink peonies, cream roses, peach spray roses, white hydrangea, dusty miller, evergreens, and other foliages, all tied off with an ivory satin ribbon.

Celebrating Design Styles

I am loving, loving, loving the new generation of floral designers. Risk-takers, unconcerned about convention and willing to explore new styles, they are leading the floral industry into a new and wonderful era of floral design.

A lovely hand tied wedding bouquet mixes peach roses, white anemones, ivory callas, silver dusty miller, coral hypericum berries, baby's breath, and Israeli ruscus.

Floral Design as a Career

So often I get asked, "Can I make a living as a florist?". Good question! Working with flowers sounds like a fun and glamorous profession. It's no wonder many want to pursue floral design as a career. And, yes, to answer the question, you can make a living as a florist. The choice is yours and the earning potential is all in how you approach the career.

A beautiful wedding bouquet in jewel tones features pink roses, purple tulips, coral protea, orchid blossoms, blue eryngium, seeded eucalyptus, and salal.

Wedding Boot Camp Online

Have you ever dreamed of creating floral designs for your own or for a friend’s wedding? Perhaps you would like to explore the possibility of becoming a professional wedding floral designer. In this Online Boot Camp you will learn all of the basics for creating a complete wedding; how to source fresh flowers, care & handling, how to make a bridal bouquet, a bridesmaid’s bouquet, corsages, boutonnieres, a floral crown, a fresh garland and reception flowers.

A large easel spray consists of light blue hydrangeas, dark pink roses, blossoming spring branches, blush carnations, purple liatris, blue bells, and Italian ruscus.

Basic Floral Design Online

I was recently reminded of the importance of Basic Floral Design Training in a very sweet note that I received from a graduate of several years ago who today owns a beautiful and successful flower shop. This graduate had recently attended an advanced seminar featuring several master floral designers. Her note began "Thank you so much for the valuable training that I received in your Basic Floral Design Program."

This gold lapel pin with a tulip on it is awarded to Floral Design Institute graduates who achieve FDI certification.

Floral Design Certification and Accreditation

Is this the year you get serious about your floral career? For many, that means taking the step to become a Certified Floral Designer. At Floral Design Institute, we take career preparation seriously.

Closeup of chair back floral decor

Wedding Ceremony

Ceremony flowers have become an essential feature in today’s weddings. In this Wedding Ceremony Flowers workshop the focus will be on the mechanics, props, tools and techniques for creating large scale installations. We will demonstrate and create beautiful designs for a garden wedding, an urban studio wedding, and an over-the-top vineyard wedding.

Beautiful blue hydrangea blossoms

What's New in Care & Handling

Change is the constant in floral design.Trends, design styles, popular colors, and flowers are always shifting. It is critical for the professional floral designer stay aware of these changes. In this blog we are going to explore the equally important changes in the science of floristry.

A beautiful corsage mixes lavender hyacinth with pink ranunculus and other delicate flowers and foliage.

Flowers to Wear

Flowers to wear are subject to changing trends and the styles change frequently. In this Flowers to Wear workshop we will focus on the popular and in-style flowers, colors and designs. We will also carefully detail the best mechanics and techniques for creating well constructed designs. We will review and update care & handling techniques, explore new tools and supplies, and discuss flowers to wear packaging and presentation

A gorgeous wedding bouquet in blush and pink hues is composed of garden roses, protea, peonies, and other beautiful blooms.

Bouquets to Carry

Wedding bouquets are the focal point of every wedding ceremony. They are the most viewed, most photographed and most remembered of all wedding flowers. Wedding professionals agree that the flowers-to-carry are the most important flowers in any wedding. In this wedding workshop we will focus on the popular and up-to-date styles for flowers to carry. We will also carefully detail the best mechanics and techniques for creating well constructed designs.

Creative Retreat Meditation Rocks

A Creative Retreat

This is a one-of-a-kind floral design experience featuring top trend-setting floral designers and artists. Participants will discover magnificent design styles and techniques in a relaxing, nurturing environment supported by highly qualified instructors. More than a collection of valuable workshops, this retreat is an opportunity to Relax - Rejuvenate - Explore - Dream - Create and Share. Each participant will have full access to the professional photography captured during the event for their professional portfolios. The event is open to all floral designers and artists from the novice to the veteran.

This lovely group photo of seven Floral Design Institute Instructors is taken outdoors under spring trees.

Spring Design Symposium

On Sunday April 28th as part of the 50th Anniversary for Floral Design Institute we are hosting a Spring Design Symposium. What is a design symposium? A small meeting in which several presenters demonstrate and discuss design before an audience, a conference between students and instructors for the purpose of learning, idea exchange, discussion and conversation.

This lush and elegant wedding bouquet mixes blush king protea, coral garden roses, marsala orchids, and three kinds of eucalyptus: seeded, gunni, and silver dollar.

Wedding Flower Boot Camp

Have you ever dreamed of creating floral designs for your own or for a friend’s wedding? Perhaps you would like to explore the possibility of becoming a professional wedding floral designer. In this Online Boot Camp you will learn all of the basics for creating a complete wedding; how to source fresh flowers, care & handling, how to make a bridal bouquet, a bridesmaid’s bouquet, corsages, boutonniere’s, a floral crown, a fresh garland and reception flowers.

FDI graduate Meagan prunes snapdragons in her cutting garden.

Poppy's Garden, a Graduate's Story

There is nothing that thrills all of us Floral Design Institute more than seeing the successes of our graduates. Often we are unaware of the personal struggles facing our students when they are in the classroom. This makes their successes, both in their careers and their personal lives even more rewarding. Congratulations Meagan!!! Thank you for letting us share your story.

A beautiful rustic wedding bouquet mixes a variety of flowers and foliage in a pink, purple, and red color palette.

Steps to an Exciting Floral Career

If you are reading this blog, you have already discovered that you love flowers and creating floral designs. As you move into floral design as a career it is important to keep your passion for flowers fun, exciting, fulfilling and financially rewarding. The elements for a satisfying floral career are education, certification, friendships, networking, participation and continued advanced training.

This gorgeous boho style wedding bouquet, creThis gorgeous wedding bouquet mixes cherry garden roses, pink spray roses, eryngium, red and purple tulips, silver dollar eucalyptus, and is finished with purple sheer and lavender satin ribbons.

Wedding Trends for 2018

The master word that describes wedding trends for 2018 is “Eclectic”. Thanks to Social Media, bridal couples are exposed to new flowers, colors and styles well beyond their local market area. This combined with an increasing confidence in their own abilities to choose wedding elements that they like and are important to them is resulting in a diverse range of trends. Eclectic and personalized, in a sense each couple is creating their own trends for their own weddings.