Stephannie Devine is the newest designer at College Park Flowers. She has been working at the shop the last five years but until recently only in a part time capacity. Why was her time limited? Because when she started, she was still in high school.

Stephannie worked during the summer and through the year as part of a co-op placement. (For the non-Canadians among us, that’s a work program where you receive high school credit for dipping your toes into your chosen career. How cool is that?) But although her experience has been short, she was excited for the opportunity to show off her design skills in the Canadian Florist Inspired Design Bridal Bouquet Contest.

The Design Contest

Held at this year’s Canadian Florist Business Forum in Toronto, Canada, the design contest allowed contestants to bring a finished product without restricting the materials they could use. Stephannie was a bit hesitant to compete at first, but some heartfelt encouragement from shop owner Anne Cao and manager Carys Cao bolstered her confidence.

Because of the last minute decision to enter the contest, Stephannie didn’t have time to order anything special for the competition. She instead used flowers the shop had readily available. In her talented hands, it was more than enough. Stephannie designed and created her bouquet using orchids, eryngium and carnations. The resulting arrangement speaks for itself. Beautiful job, Stephannie.

Looking Ahead

Please join us in congratulating Stephannie on her second place finish. FSN is excited for what the future holds for Stephannie and the floral industry as a whole. If this talented young designer is any indication, the next generation of florists are going to take the industry to new heights.