Wreath making workshops have become one of the most reliable revenue streams a florist can add to their business. They fill a quiet period in the calendar, introduce new customers to your brand, and deliver strong margins with relatively little overhead.
If you have been thinking about running your first workshop or want to improve an existing programme, this guide covers everything from pricing and supplies to marketing and insurance.
Why Workshops Work for Florists
The economics are straightforward. A standard Christmas wreath workshop with 12 attendees at £60 per ticket generates £720 in revenue. Materials cost roughly £20 per person at wholesale, and refreshments add another £3-5 per head. After expenses, you are looking at £400-500 net profit from a single two-hour session.
Run eight sessions across November and December, and you have added £3,200-4,000 to your annual income during a period when many florists are winding down between wedding season and Christmas orders.
But the financial benefit is only part of it. Every workshop attendee is a potential long-term customer. They see your work up close, build a personal connection with you, and leave with something they made in your studio. Many will return for bouquets, wedding consultations, and gift orders long after their wreath has been composted.
Workshop Structure
Duration
Most successful workshops run between 1.5 and 2 hours. This gives enough time for a demonstration, hands-on work, and a relaxed finish without feeling rushed. Premium experiences can stretch to 2.5-3 hours, particularly if you include a seated lunch or afternoon tea, but two hours is the sweet spot for most formats.
Class Size
The ideal group is 12-15 people. Below eight, the atmosphere suffers and the economics weaken. Above 20, individual attention becomes difficult without additional staff. Each attendee needs roughly two feet of table space (three feet is more comfortable), so your venue will dictate your maximum capacity.
For groups over 12, have at least one assistant circulating the room. This person handles questions, helps anyone who falls behind, and keeps the session flowing while you focus on instruction.
Venue Options
Your own shop or studio is the most authentic setting and keeps costs lowest. It has the added benefit of showcasing your business, but capacity is usually limited.
Hotels and restaurants provide ready-made ambiance and can bundle the workshop with afternoon tea or a festive meal. Hotels like Boringdon Hall, Langley Castle, and Hotel Indigo Manchester all host florist-led wreath workshops. Some venues take a percentage of ticket revenue rather than charging a flat hire fee, so factor this into your pricing.
Pubs are an increasingly popular option. Fuller's pubs run wreath workshops from as little as £19.99 per head across multiple UK venues, demonstrating how the partnership model works at scale.
Corporate offices offer a different opportunity altogether. Mobile workshops where you travel to the client are in high demand for team-building events. Corporate bookings typically command higher per-head pricing and come in larger groups.
Pricing
Pricing varies enormously depending on your positioning and location. Here is a realistic breakdown of the UK market:
| Tier | Price Range | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / community | £20-£40 | Pub partnerships, charity workshops |
| Mid-range | £50-£70 | Independent florists in most areas |
| Premium | £75-£100 | London studios, established brands |
| Luxury | £125-£195 | High-end workshops with premium materials |
For corporate and private group bookings, pricing is typically per head with a minimum spend. Expect to charge £60-£70 per person with a minimum of £600-£800 per booking. Some providers offer tiered pricing: Botanique Workshop in London charges £67 per person for groups of 12-20, dropping to £61 per person for groups of 31-42.
What Drives the Price Up
- Premium materials (luxury velvet ribbon, David Austin roses, exotic dried flowers)
- Included food and drink (Prosecco and mince pies are standard; afternoon tea is premium)
- Venue prestige (a hotel ballroom commands more than a village hall)
- Brand reputation (established flower schools charge more than first-time workshop hosts)
Supplies and Costs
Materials Per Person (Christmas Wreath)
A standard Christmas wreath kit includes:
- Wire wreath ring (12" or 14")
- Sphagnum or carpet moss
- Reel wire and stub wires
- Twine
- Fresh conifer foliage (2-3 varieties: noble fir, blue spruce, pine)
- Accent foliage (eucalyptus, pistache, skimmia)
- Dried fruit slices (orange, apple)
- Cinnamon sticks and pine cones
- Ribbon (wired ribbon for bows)
Wholesale cost: approximately £15-20 per person. Triangle Nursery sells a pre-made wholesale wreath kit for £19.95 plus VAT per person, which includes a wire frame, moss, binding wire, floristry wires, conifer, blue spruce, pistache, twine, dried fruit, and cones. Buying components separately can bring the cost closer to £10-15 per person if you source foliage directly from your existing wholesale suppliers.
Profit Margins
At a £60 ticket price with £20 materials and £5 refreshments, your gross profit is £35 per attendee. With 12 people, that is £420 per session. At a premium £95 ticket, the same calculation gives you £70 per person or £840 per session of 12.
Factor in additional costs (venue hire if applicable, assistant wages, marketing) and your realistic net profit per session sits between £300 and £800, depending on your pricing tier and overheads.
Seasonal Calendar
Christmas dominates, but limiting workshops to November and December leaves money on the table.
Christmas (October to December)
This is the main event. "Christmas wreath making" carries strong search demand, and workshops typically run from late October through mid-December. November is the busiest booking month, with many florists running multiple sessions per week.
Autumn (September to November)
Autumn wreath workshops featuring seed heads, berries, dried flowers, and seasonal foliage work well as a warm-up to the Christmas season. Harvest and Halloween themes are popular, and the National Trust and country estates regularly host autumn wreath events.
Spring (March to May)
Easter wreath workshops using dried flowers, quail eggs, feathers, and mosses tap into the same craft market. Mother's Day timing works particularly well as a gift-experience booking. Living wreath workshops with spring bulbs and fresh foliage offer a distinctive seasonal twist.
Summer (May to September)
Dried flower wreaths work year-round and suit the summer period when fresh foliage is abundant but Christmas feels distant. Fresh herb wreaths using lavender, rosemary, and sage offer a seasonal alternative.
Year-Round Opportunities
- Dried flower wreaths (no seasonal limitation)
- Valentine's Day themed workshops
- Wedding season bridal party workshops
- Corporate team-building events (any time of year)
A florist running a full seasonal programme of 18-20 workshops per year can reasonably generate £9,000-12,000 in workshop income alone.
Running the Workshop
Demonstration
Start with a complete demonstration of the finished product. Show the beginning and the end, but do not finish your demo wreath completely. Attendees need to see what they are working towards without feeling intimidated by a perfect example.
Talk through each step before physically performing it. Demonstrate slowly and clearly. Then let attendees begin while you circulate.
Common Mistakes to Manage
Beginners consistently make the same mistakes, and knowing them in advance lets you head them off:
- Not using enough greenery. Provide generous quantities and encourage people to use them. Sparse wreaths are the number one disappointment.
- No focal point. Teach the principle of creating one main area of visual interest rather than scattering decorations evenly.
- Cheap ribbon. Always provide wired ribbon that holds its shape. It makes the difference between a professional-looking wreath and a homemade one.
- Decorations falling off. Spend time on proper wiring technique. This is the skill that attendees value most.
- Odd numbers look better. Teach that groups of 1, 3, or 5 focal flowers create better visual balance than even numbers.
Refreshments and Atmosphere
The standard offering for Christmas workshops is mulled wine or Prosecco with mince pies. Budget £3-5 per head. Coffee, tea, and seasonal treats work year-round.
Play background music during the working period but turn it off during your demonstration. Good lighting and a warm room temperature matter more than people think, especially for winter sessions where doors may be opening and closing.
Photography
Set up a dedicated wreath photo spot with good lighting. Encourage attendees to photograph their finished work and share it on social media. Provide a branded hashtag card at each workstation. Every photo shared is free marketing.
Take a group photo at the end. This also serves as a useful final check that everyone is happy with their wreath before they leave.
Wreath Making Kits
DIY wreath kits are a proven additional revenue stream. Multiple UK florists now sell them online, including The Real Flower Company (£68), Botanique Workshop (£58.50), and many independents in the £40-£60 range.
A typical kit includes a wire ring, moss, reel wire, stub wires, twine, a selection of fresh foliage, dried fruit slices, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, ribbon, and a step-by-step instruction leaflet. Some kits include a QR code linking to an online video tutorial.
Virtual Workshops
Originally a lockdown innovation, virtual wreath workshops have become an established format. Kits are delivered to participants' homes ahead of a Zoom session, with an instructor guiding the group through the process in real time. This format works particularly well for corporate teams spread across multiple locations.
Revenue Potential from Kits
Selling 100 kits at £58 with approximately £20 material cost per kit generates around £3,800 in additional profit. Combined with in-person workshops, this creates a substantial seasonal revenue line.
Marketing
Where to List
- Eventbrite is heavily used by UK florists and provides a built-in audience, ticketing, and sharing features
- Your own website for direct bookings with no platform fees
- ClassBento and Obby are marketplaces for creative workshops with their own audiences
- CraftCourses.com is a UK directory specifically for craft workshops
- DesignMyNight works well for London and city-based workshops
Social Media
Instagram is your primary channel. Workshops are inherently photogenic, and every attendee who shares their finished wreath becomes an ambassador for your next session.
Post behind-the-scenes preparation, finished wreath close-ups, and attendee photos (with permission). Time-lapse videos of wreath building work exceptionally well as Reels.
Tactics That Work
- Create urgency with limited availability messaging ("only 4 places remaining")
- Offer early-bird pricing to reward early bookers and secure cash flow
- Run bring-a-friend discounts to fill seats through word of mouth
- Build an email list of past attendees, who are the most likely to rebook and bring friends
- Target local SEO for "wreath making workshop [your town]"
- Pitch local press with a human-interest angle about your workshop story
Insurance
Before hosting your first workshop, check your insurance covers the activity.
Public liability insurance is essential. It covers injuries to participants and damage to venue property. Most external venues will require proof of public liability insurance before allowing you to host workshops.
Employers' liability insurance is a legal requirement if you have any employees or assistants helping at the workshop. Fines for operating without it can reach £2,500 per day.
Florist insurance covering workshops typically starts from £5-6 per month. Specialist providers include Simply Business, PolicyBee, Protectivity, and Markel Direct. The key point is to notify your insurer when you diversify into workshops, as this can affect your existing policy terms.
Health and Safety
Conduct a risk assessment before each workshop at every venue. Consider tool safety (bypass pruners and wire cutters need a safety briefing), allergies (ask during booking), and first aid provision. Keep food and refreshment service simple to avoid food hygiene complications.
Getting Started
If you have never run a workshop before, start small:
- Run a trial session for friends or family to practise your demonstration and timing
- Set up 2-3 public sessions for the coming season and list them on Eventbrite and your website
- Price at the mid-range for your area until you build confidence and reviews
- Photograph everything for next year's marketing
- Collect email addresses from every attendee for future promotions
The first session is always the hardest. By the third, you will have refined your approach, built confidence in your timing, and started generating the word-of-mouth that fills future sessions without paid advertising.
If you want to price your wreath workshops accurately, the Arrangement Calculator can help you cost materials per attendee and set ticket prices that protect your margins. And if you are thinking about naming a workshop brand, our Florist Shop Name Generator can help with that too.
