In the past five years, I have noticed an increase in requests for interactive flower displays at events and parties. People want to touch, feel, and wear flowers. Instagram and Pinterest have brought flowers into people's news feeds, and everyone wants to participate. Offering a flower crown bar or DIY floral jewelry station is a great way to deliver flowers to your clients and creates an excellent opportunity for a fun add-on to any event. In this article, we’ll cover:

• Reasons you should include flower crown stations or floral jewelry bars in your flower business offerings

• Types of events flower craft stations work well for

• How to set up a flower crown bar or floral jewelry station

• Preparing a flower craft station and what supplies are needed

• How to price for a flower crown bar or floral jewelry station

Flower crown and jewelry stations can be incorporated into many different events, from corporate affairs to bridal and baby showers. I have also found great success at Bat Mitzvahs—both the kids and parents really enjoy getting to wear flowers! I’ve even provided DIY flower crown stations at destination weddings.

For one particular event, the bride was holding her wedding at a summer camp. She wanted to look out at her friends and family adorned with flowers for the ceremony. We set up a flower station in the arts and craft cabin, and everyone was invited to come before the ceremony and create something to wear. What a joy it was to see all of the guests enjoying themselves, and they all looked awesome at the ceremony.

Bridal shows and open houses for venues are also a great place to have a flower crown or jewelry station. Most brides today love flowers, and getting to take home a flower crown or piece of floral jewelry will make them feel special (and probably give them a good impression of you and your company).

These avenues will also provide you with time to interact with potential clients, which will help you sell your business and have them get to know your personality. I have found interactive booths to be a more successful marketing technique than just handing out fliers. Brides will often love the station so much they might want to add one to their bachelorette party or bridal shower (I've had this happen a few times!).

How to Set Up a Flower Crown Bar or Floral Jewelry Station

There are a few different ways you can create a station; it depends on the type of event and how much interaction the guests will have with the flowers. Flower crown stations seem to be popular with bridal and baby showers. I have found that at bat mitzvahs, floral jewelry (rings, hair clips, bracelets, and necklaces) are more in demand than full crowns. I will often do a mix of both options at events and usually will chat with the party host about what they want their guests to create when I write up my proposal.

For an event, the station can either be DIY or grab and go. This will be determined by the party hosts' intentions for the station. Do they want guests to be crafting and making things for half an hour? Or would they prefer guests to grab something pre-made and keep going? I have found that it is imperative to think about the guests that will be at the party and determine how they might want to interact at the event.

My very first floral jewelry station was at a big bat mitzvah where there were many fun stations for guests to do activities like airbrush t-shirts, glitter tattoos, flip books, etc. The event planner and I thought that all of the 13-year-old guests would enjoy making their own floral jewelry, so we set up a crafting table, and I had lots of supplies but very little prepared. I learned that night that 13-year-olds who are dressed up for a fancy high-end event do not want to make their own flower jewelry, but they definitely want to wear them! Thankfully I had an assistant with me, and we went to work. I don't think I have ever glued and wired faster in my life! I learned that night that I really needed to think about my audience when I am getting ready for the station. From that event forward, every bat mitzvah I have done has been a grab-and-go style, which works well for kids.

Grab-and-Go FLOWER CRAFT STATIONS

For a grab-and-go style party, I will ask the host how many pieces they would like prepared and then create that many. They will be displayed on a table for guests to take. For some events, I am at the table handing out flowers (and making a few if there's a special request), and for other occasions, I set up the display and leave until clean up.

Do-It-Yourself FLOWER CRAFT STATIONS

On the flip side, however, the hosts of bridal showers and baby showers tend to want activities that take up some time. Most of my stations at these events have been more DIY, and I provide lots of fun buckets filled with flowers and ribbons for guests to create their own.

When doing a DIY flower crown bar or a create-your-own floral jewelry station, I ask the client if they would like me to stay and help instruct their guests or set up the station with instructions and not attend the event. For events where I am not present, I make sure to have a sample done as well as written instructions. I have found both ways to be successful.

Preparing The FLOWER Station

My stations always have all of the supplies ready in simple containers with a variety of ribbon options for finishing. I found the colorful buckets that I use at Dollar Tree. I also always include a garbage can next to the table! These stations create quite the mess. Here's a list of what I usually have at my stations:

• Scissors and clippers (typically enough for each guest if it's a DIY party)

• Bind wire (my base for simple flower crowns)

• Bullion wire and paddle wire

• Floral tape

• Fun wire or adornments

• A variety of ribbons

• Finishing spray (I like Finishing Touch)

• Buckets of easy-to-use, long-lasting flowers and greenery—things like spray roses, mini carnations, hypericum, waxflower, leatherleaf, seeded eucalyptus, etc.

• Trash can

• Floral glue (if guests are making jewelry)

Pricing a Flower Crown Bar or DIY Floral Jewelry Station

Pricing out a flower crown station can be tricky. Since prices can vary throughout the different markets, I’m not going to give my exact pricing structure, but I'll share how I determine what to price for each style of event.

HOW TO PRICE FOR Grab-and-Go Events

For an event where the guests are taking the flowers and not making them, I sell at a per piece price. For example, at a recent party, the clients wanted 30 hair clips for their guests to wear, so the pricing was just based on the individual pieces. If they would like me to be on-site at the station, I charge an additional hourly rate for any time I am on-site.

HOW TO PRICE FOR DIY Events

For a DIY event, I charge based on the supplies used, since the guests will be making everything themselves. I ask the client how many guests they expect and then determine the number of supplies needed. I total up the number of flowers required, estimate ribbon and wire costs, and charge a rental fee for my station supplies (scissors, clippers, etc.). Don't forget to include a cleanup fee—you will need to go back after the event and get your rental supplies plus typically clean up the mess. Occasionally clients will return the rentals to me at a later date, but I am often providing a cleanup service after most of my higher-end events. If the client would like me to be on-site and instruct the guests on how to create flower crowns, I charge an hourly rate on top of my supplies cost.

Flower crown stations or floral jewelry bars can be a fun element added to any party. It allows guests to get creative and personalize themselves with flowers. It's also an excellent opportunity for florists to up-sell and add on this interactive element to a party order!