Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | Stillwater, MN
the grow & gather experience
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced floral designer, this one-day retreat among the seasonal blooms at a Stillwater, MN flower farm will leave you inspired, connected and filled with business takeaways and portfolio imagery. Elevate your business for the rest of the season and years to come. Floral artist, Ashley Fox, will guide you through a hands-on bridal bouquet and sustainable arbor installation using dahlias you gather from the rows and selects provided by the farm. Relax at a styled table for a special lunch and connect with creatives. There will be ample time to ask Ashley questions, connect and revel in the harvest. September is a shining moment of the season for local flowers and inspiration is everywhere.
Dahlia Season
Workshop Overview
Join us for a one-day floral experience on an abundant and tranquil flower farm in Stillwater, MN with Ashley Fox Designs. Begin your day harvesting dahlias from the rows, steps away from the farm’s display cottage gardens. Hone your bridal bouquet style in your preferred palette, transform your installation approach and bring your business questions during the Q+A session with Ashley to round out the day. An opportunity to fill in your client, contract and business questions. All questions welcome. This will be the perfect time to savor the flower farm and all of the blooms it has to offer reflecting on the year’s events and making moves in your business for the year ahead. A group lunch will be prepared by Chowgirls and served at a styled table by Bree Burich of Archifête. Images of participants gathering flowers and a model with your bouquet by Märit Williams Photography. The workshop team looks forward to creating with you during Ashley’s only group workshop in MN in 2025.
20 participants welcome
“I attended a workshop with Ashley Fox. It was the highlight of my floral learnings last year!"
Ashley was generous in sharing her expertise and guiding the group, while encouraging our own individualized creative expression to emerge in our designs. It was exhilarating to see what others created and to also learn from each other. I left feeling energized--it was very inspiring and my head was full of ideas to carry forward in my own work, with renewed confidence in my skills and creative vision!
— Jen c.
Workshop Itinerary
Designed for those who are looking to learn or refine their technique, master large-scale installations using selective ingredients and connect with like-minded creatives, this hands-on workshop takes place on a working flower farm, Sarah’s Cottage Creations Flower Farm, where you’ll harvest, design and develop business skills in an inspiring setting.
- Coffee and mingling
- Welcome introductions
- Farm tour and harvest in the dahlia fields for your designs sponsored by Rooted Farmers
- Bouquet demonstration and attendee bouquets with Ashley Fox, includes 1:1 feedback
- Lunch in the cottage garden courtyard by Chowgirls Catering
- Arbor installation demonstration and hands-on design with Ashley Fox
- Model with bouquet images with Marit Williams Photography for your portfolio
- Business Q+A with Ashley Fox
reserve your seat
The Floral Experience
Welcome and introductions
Tour and harvest in the flower fields and ombré dahlia field
Bridal bouquet demonstration by Ashley Fox
Attendees create bridal bouquets with 1:1 feedback from Ashley
Lunch in the cottage courtyard by Chowgirls Catering at a styled table by Archifête
Demonstration and hands-on of sustainable mechanics for an arbor gate arch and two, large urn designs in the cottage courtyard
Student bouquet work photographed by Märit Williams Photography and Alma Films with a professional model in a wedding gown at the arbor
1- 1.5 hour Q+A with Ashley. All business and floral questions welcome
Workshop Goals & Takeaways:
All the Details
Receive 1:1 design feedback from Ashley
Guided color theory and Ashley’s approach to design work
Sustainable installation techniques
Business questions answered: Ashley is an open book and will provide her years of client and product knowledge to the one-hour Q+A
1 payment of $800
September Blooms to Harvest
There’s nothing like September on a flower farm. Imagine blooms at their peak and colors for any palette imaginable for your business.
blooms
Hydrangeas, dahlias, cosmos, zinnias, amaranth, strawflower, cherry caramel phlox, celosia, snowberry, sunflowers, gomphrena, penstemon
Foliage
Amur maple, viburnum, ninebark, stephanandra, baptisia, solomon’s seal
pending seasonality
Lisianthus, japanese anemone, snapdragon, scented geranium
“Attending a workshop at a flower farm was an inspiring and fulfilling experience.”
Choosing my own flower palette straight from the garden allowed me to create one of my favorite bridal bouquets to date! Surrounded by fellow flower lovers, soaking up the sunshine, and exchanging ideas made the experience both creatively enriching and personally rewarding.
— brooke h.
meet your instructors
MEET ashley
Ashley Fox Designs | Premiere Destination Floral Designer
Ashley Fox Designs is a full-service floral studio specializing in luxurious styling and fresh floral designs for weddings, events, editorials and breathtaking installations in Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota and is available for travel. She is known for her extraordinary use of color and unforgettable selection of flowers for her clients.
Inspired by a sophisticated, garden aesthetic and the natural world around her, Ashley creates spaces for clients that are, by nature, one-of-a-kind. With 26 years of experience as a designer and an education in horticulture and the arts, she hand-selects blooms from local growers and sources from around the world, providing each event with the crème de la crème of the flower market.
MEET sarah
Owner of SCC Flower Farm | Award-Winning Garden Designer
Sarah Buerkley began her journey with flowers 25 years ago after experiencing an “ah-ha” moment in 2000. She dove in and began designing and installing gardens for her neighbors in Stillwater while founding Sarah’s Cottage Creations, a family owned and operated flower farm nestled in the countryside of Stillwater, Minnesota. Initially focused on designing and installing award-winning gardens, the family decided to explore the cut flower industry in 2017, realizing they could bring joy to more lives through fresh cut flowers. They began planting their farm in the fall of 2018.
Today Sarah’s Cottage Creations includes award winning, full service landscape design, installation and maintenance services as well as a sustainably grown flower farm. With her family by her side, they continue to grow this second-generation company, with a passion for flowers and the views they leave behind.
MEET BREE
Owner of Archifête | Wedding & Event Planner
Meet Bree, the Owner and Lead Designer of Archifête. With over a decade of experience in the wedding and events industry and the privilege of guiding over 200 couples on their journey to "I do," Bree brings creativity, passion, and an innate eye for detail to each event she plans. Her background includes full-service event planning for Fortune 500 companies and associations, along with extensive experience in catering and venue sales which has led to an invaluable wealth of industry knowledge.
Drawing inspiration from her beloved grandmother, Maxine, Bree infuses her work with a sense of timeless elegance and charm. With each event she orchestrates, Bree honors her family's legacy of creativity, ensuring that every couple's vision is brought to life in a way that is uniquely their own.
MEET MArit
Marit Williams Photography | Luxury Wedding Photographer
Marit Williams is a fine art luxury wedding and portrait photographer known for her timeless, film-inspired style. Her work has been featured in publications such as Martha Weddings, Over the Moon, Style Me Pretty, and Wedding Sparrow.
Marit always craved a way to blend creativity and entrepreneurship but it wasn’t until she started taking photos of her son that something clicked—a feeling that can’t be denied.
Almost a decade later, she’s continued to build her skills through mentorships with some of the best in the business, education and a true love for this calling. Today, she works with both couples and families to create images that capture emotion, detail and movement to preserve a single moment in time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if it is raining?
We have a rain day plan that will include all of the same activities. In the case of rain, we will have an additional large, tented space to work under.
Where is the best place to stay if I’m traveling from out of town?
Hotel Crosby, Stillwater, MN - https://hotelcrosby.com/
The Lora, Stillwater, MN - https://www.lorahotel.com/
How many students will be in attendance at the workshop?
We will have a cap of 20 students for this workshop.
What should I wear to this event?
We recommend dressing in layers of comfortable clothing that you can easily move around in. Comfortable shoes are recommended as well. There will be opportunities for professional images of you in the dahlia field for your portfolio so we also recommend keeping that in mind.
reserve
your spot!
Limited spots available - secure your place by July 25, 2025 and immerse yourself in a hands-on experience brimming with fresh flowers, creativity and connection!
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