School of Floral Design

Taught by expert faculty with years of experience in the floral industry, these comprehensive courses will increase your knowledge, hone your skills and help you advance your career. Select from one or more of the following classes:

• Basic Floral Design and Care and Handling on Friday, Jan. 9 — Construct several basic designs, learning how the best mechanics and proper balance, proportion and depth can help you create beauty, stability and lasting quality in arrangements that are traditional or contemporary, large or small, elaborate or simple. The constant guidelines of composition, harmony, focal point, balance, proportion, line, rhythm, texture and color govern floral design. You will learn the difference between the principles and elements of design, gain a deeper understanding of the function of color, and learn color terminology and harmony.
• Sympathy Design on Saturday, Jan. 10 — Funeral flowers are more than an expression of sympathy; they are symbols of faith and respect that express courage and love to those grieving. Learn to make the arrangements that will be the most appropriate for the personalized family tribute, including sprays, baskets, casket covers and wreaths.
• Floral Management on Saturday, Jan. 10 — To be a successful retail florist, you must be more than an excellent designer. You must also thoroughly understand the business side of owning a flower shop. Exceptional floral designs and mastery of basic business principles help ensure a successful and profitable retail flower shop. In this class, you will learn the process of opening a retail flower shop, how to read a monthly financial statement, ways to determine a breakeven point, how to calculate the cost of goods sold, marketing for the retail flower shop and inventory control.
• Wedding Design on Sunday, Jan. 11 — Wedding work can quickly make or break a florist's reputation because of the cost and emotional investment it carries. Great customer satisfaction requires good design, while greater profitability and efficiency come from good mechanics. Learn to construct basic wedding designs with the most efficient mechanics, including bridal and attendant bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages and hair pieces. Instructions for wedding aisle markers, arches and more are provided, and you will also review the mechanics for designing flowers to adorn wedding cakes.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.

Earn your Texas Master Florist^® (TMF) certification.

It is recommended that applicants have three to five years of floral experience. After completion of the TMF Application, a TSFA Education Committee member will administer the TMF qualifying exam, which is given to ensure your goal of becoming a successful florist.

You must be enrolled in the TMF program to attend these courses. The TMF Exam will only be given to those who have taken all three in-person and seven online courses within the program. TSFA membership is required to obtain and maintain this certification.

In-person classes and exams include:

• The Elements and Principles of Floral Design — This course could also be called “Tools of Design,” and it will equip you with essential design knowledge. Principles are more than arbitrary rules, they are constant guidelines to use throughout your career!
  • March 13 — 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $425.
  • Nonmember Rate: $525.
• Celebration of Life and Sympathy Design — Flowers are more than an expression of sympathy, they are symbols of faith and respect. In this workshop, you will learn to design sympathy arrangements in baskets and containers, standing sprays, wreaths, form pieces, casket sprays, cremation urn pieces, celebration of life arrangements and much more.
  • March 14 — 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $550.
  • Nonmember Rate: $650.
• Wedding Florals: From Consultation to Completion — Wedding flowers are some of the most exciting designs you will create. Learn how to wow your clients! A florist can make or break their reputation through their wedding flowers. This course will cover flowers to wear, hand-tied bouquets, ceremony and reception designs, consultation, pricing and more.
  • March 14 — 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. AND March 15 —8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $600.
  • Nonmember Rate: $700.
• TMF Exam — TSFA members who complete all seven online classes and three in-person labs and pass this exam are Texas Master Florists! After earning this designation, you may apply to take the American Institute of Floral Design Certified Floral Designer exam.
  • March 16 — 8:30 p.m.-10 a.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $125.
  • Nonmember Rate: $175.

Please brings layers to wear. The room temperature will be cool.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.

Taught by expert faculty with years of experience in the floral industry, these comprehensive courses will increase your knowledge, hone your skills and help you advance your career. Select from one or more of the following classes:

• Basic Floral Design and Care and Handling on Friday, July 31 — Construct several basic designs, learning how the best mechanics and proper balance, proportion and depth can help you create beauty, stability and lasting quality in arrangements that are traditional or contemporary, large or small, elaborate or simple. The constant guidelines of composition, harmony, focal point, balance, proportion, line, rhythm, texture and color govern floral design. You will learn the difference between the principles and elements of design, gain a deeper understanding of the function of color, and learn color terminology and harmony.
• Sympathy Design on Saturday, Aug. 1 — Funeral flowers are more than an expression of sympathy; they are symbols of faith and respect that express courage and love to those grieving. Learn to make the arrangements that will be the most appropriate for the personalized family tribute, including sprays, baskets, casket covers and wreaths.
• Floral Management on Saturday, Aug. 1 — To be a successful retail florist, you must be more than an excellent designer. You must also thoroughly understand the business side of owning a flower shop. Exceptional floral designs and mastery of basic business principles help ensure a successful and profitable retail flower shop. In this class, you will learn the process of opening a retail flower shop, how to read a monthly financial statement, ways to determine a breakeven point, how to calculate the cost of goods sold, marketing for the retail flower shop and inventory control.
• Wedding Design on Sunday, Aug. 2 — Wedding work can quickly make or break a florist's reputation because of the cost and emotional investment it carries. Great customer satisfaction requires good design, while greater profitability and efficiency come from good mechanics. Learn to construct basic wedding designs with the most efficient mechanics, including bridal and attendant bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages and hair pieces. Instructions for wedding aisle markers, arches and more are provided, and you will also review the mechanics for designing flowers to adorn wedding cakes.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.

Earn your Texas Master Florist^® (TMF) certification.

It is recommended that applicants have three to five years of floral experience. After completion of the TMF Application, a TSFA Education Committee member will administer the TMF qualifying exam, which is given to ensure your goal of becoming a successful florist.

You must be enrolled in the TMF program to attend these courses. The TMF Exam will only be given to those who have taken all three in-person and seven online courses within the program. TSFA membership is required to obtain and maintain this certification.

In-person classes and exams include:

• The Elements and Principles of Floral Design — This course could also be called “Tools of Design,” and it will equip you with essential design knowledge. Principles are more than arbitrary rules, they are constant guidelines to use throughout your career!
  • Aug. 28 — 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $425.
  • Nonmember Rate: $525.
• Celebration of Life and Sympathy Design — Flowers are more than an expression of sympathy, they are symbols of faith and respect. In this workshop, you will learn to design sympathy arrangements in baskets and containers, standing sprays, wreaths, form pieces, casket sprays, cremation urn pieces, celebration of life arrangements and much more.
  • Aug. 29 — 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $550.
  • Nonmember Rate: $650.
• Wedding Florals: From Consultation to Completion — Wedding flowers are some of the most exciting designs you will create. Learn how to wow your clients! A florist can make or break their reputation through their wedding flowers. This course will cover flowers to wear, hand-tied bouquets, ceremony and reception designs, consultation, pricing and more.
  • Aug. 29 — 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. AND Aug. 30 — 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $600.
  • Nonmember Rate: $700.
• TMF Exam — TSFA members who complete all seven online classes and three in-person labs and pass this exam are Texas Master Florists! After earning this designation, you may apply to take the American Institute of Floral Design Certified Floral Designer exam.
  • Aug. 31 — 8:30 p.m.-10 a.m.
  • TSFA Member Rate: $125.
  • Nonmember Rate: $175.

Please brings layers to wear. The room temperature will be cool.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.

Expand Your Sympathy Tribute Experience

Are you interested in further developing your sympathy floral design skills to set yourself apart from your competition? In this intermediate floral class, you will use established and modern methods to create a casket spray and an accessory piece, a standing spray and an arrangement for a cremation or celebration of life. Master the mechanics and design techniques needed to ensure stability for each piece. Learn from the TSFA Education team of seasoned florists, who will share lessons learned through their many years of sympathy design.

For best results, attendees must have taken TSFA’s fundamental sympathy class or have several years of experience in sympathy work.

Registration Rates

• Members: $575.
• Nonmembers: $675.

Students must bring the following tools:

• Knife.
• Wire Cutters.
• Scissors.
• Glue Gun.
• Glue Sticks.

Please brings layers to wear. The room temperature will be cool.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.