Profile

Join date: Sep 8, 2021

About

With over 35 years’ experience, Karen Barnes is one of the UK’s leading consultants to the floral industry.

An expert high-profile wedding and event floral planner, trainer, educator, prominent international judge, creator of trend directions and a 1-2-1 business overview consultant.

Karen has been awarded RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold, Silver-Gilt and Bronze medals and in 2016, led the Interflora Design Team at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to achieve another RHS Gold medal.

After being awarded a scholarship to attend an AIFD symposium, Karen got the bug for AIFD, and was inducted in San Fransico. She has had the privilage of being a headline designer at three symposiums in the USA and was awarded Laureate status in 2022.

Karen travels nationally and internationally, working on society weddings, royal events, celebrity weddings in London, New York, Dubai, Mumbai and Turkey.

Quote "I find the Floristry Trade Club so diverse in the subjects it covers. I can find such a lot of advice and information of what is happening within the floral industry"

Overview

In association with

https://www.karenbarnesconsultancy.com

Posts (88)

Aug 14, 2026 ∙ 5 min

The Importance of Planted Arrangements

If you've been a florist for any length of time, (like me!), you'll know that there are some jobs that simply make you smile. For me, creating planted arrangements is one of them. Of course, I absolutely love working with fresh flowers. There's nothing quite like unpacking the morning delivery, seeing buckets full of beautiful flowers and imagining what they'll become. We all create bouquets for birthdays, wedding flowers full of romance, sympathy tributes that say what words often can't, and...

Aug 5, 2026 ∙ 4 min

How to create a Wildflower Bouquet for a Summer Wedding

Who doesn’t love the look of beautiful, colourful wildflowers? They radiate harmony, a sense of calm and offer a natural vibe with their delicate heads and random stem growth. I have found that in the last 5-6 years wildflowers have become even more popular with couples when discussing their wedding flowers. Often asked if I can create a ‘Meadow’ theme for their ceremony, reception and wedding party bouquets and buttonholes, wildflowers are my inspiration when designing and creating a meadow...

Aug 3, 2026 ∙ 3 min

Why British-Grown Flowers are the True Stars of Summer

There is something magical about the arrival of Summer in Britain. I think it’s because the gardens come to life, we start to see buzzy bees, white butterflies and bursts of colour in the hedgerows. We are so lucky to work with flowers, they are beautiful, they are unpredictable, they bring joy (and lots of hard work) and when the Summer season arrives, British-grown flowers come into their own. Every season has its beauty, but summer belongs to British-grown flowers. Their freshness,...