Would it be strange to have a hanging bridal bouquet instead of one that you can hold in your hands? Why not?! Opposite to a regular bouquet, A pendulous form is not static yet full of life and energy. This may be exactly what you're looking for in a wedding arrangement.
Being at Fleuramour
It was already the second time I was participating in the Fleuramour festival at the Belgian castle of Alden Biesen. The first time in 2019 I was on Anna Popova's team. This time in 2022 I was on Dmitry Turcan’s team. Currently, I’m curating his online course at the Turcan Flower School. I'm supporting students and helping them to do their homework. The remote format allows worldwide studies. That’s why during Fleuramour we were having both florists from Russia and other countries in our crew.
The name of our installation at Fleuramour was 'Labyrinth of Wishes'. We created it in the cathedral, and it turned into a very emotional project. When people entered the cathedral, with music playing in the background, meanwhile admiring the flowers around them, they were plunged into their dreams, thoughts, and introspections. Grins, tears of joy, hugs, and words of encouragement surrounded us. It was exactly the kind of ambiance that everyone needed, regardless of their nationality.
Wedding Bouquet Contest
During the festival, I was invited to participate in a wedding bouquet contest. Unlike other participants, I, unfortunately, had only one day of preparation and I only had the materials that were at hand right there.
The assignment directed participants to place their bouquets on a standard floristic foam. However, I decided to make a pendulous sphere form - not static, that would appear to be full of life and energy. I love using soft shades and dry materials in hand with fresh flowers. “Lively seems to be even more lively when there’s dry nearby”, said one famous florist artisan and I absolutely agree with him.
So, please enjoy my design.
This Is Me
I have loved flowers since my childhood and have always dreamed of working with them. My grandfather used to take me to the forest with him to gather mushrooms. I would return from these expeditions without a single mushroom, but instead holding a little bouquet of flowers. Granny would tell me that I place flowers in a special way, only many years after I learned that it’s called a 'spiral technique'.
My parents were very supportive of my hobby. My mother was always thinking up unusual ideas for my flowers. We made artwork using threads and grains, and my father would collect for us natural materials from the park. In those days in Russia, and especially in Siberia, there were no schools to study to become a florist. Also, there was no such profession.
So I decided to pursue a career path that was well respected in society and enrolled in engineering. After graduating from university, I worked for the Russian Railways. But all the while, I dreamt of flowers and making bouquets for my friends and family.
In 2014 I finally decided to change everything and pursue my childhood dream. I quit my job, moved from Siberia to Moscow, and started to work at a flower shop. I began attending workshops of famous Russian and European florist artisans and became acquainted with many of them. In time they invited me to work on projects with them, and ultimately I have made many friends this way. I had the pleasure to work with Natalia Zhizhko, Olga Sharova, and Andrey Filonenco. And for the Landart festivals with Roman Stengauer and Vadim Kasanskiy,
