Sophia Rieter was surrounded by flowers growing up in Hawke’s Bay.
Her grandmother was a florist and her mum loved arranging flowers and making wreaths.
So it is no surprise she chose to follow her passion for nature and study floristry.
These days she splits her time living between Australia and New Zealand where she runs her business So Floral.
“I love the contrast of both lifestyles. When I am in Napier I am out in the country then I go back to Bondi and live a very busy fast-paced lifestyle. Eventually, we want to move back and base ourselves here and do workshops New Zealand-wide,” Sophia said.
One of the beautiful dried flower arrangements by Sophia Rieter from Go Floral.
“I am a mad horse lover and have had horses most of my life (except when I moved away). I loved growing up on a farm and having lots of animals and pets.”
When she is in Australia Sophia sells reclaimed teak furniture and freelances as a florist.
“I also love making flower mandalas for the Bondi community. In New Zealand I focus on flower workshops and custom orders, specialising in dried flowers. We also grow some of our own flowers so I’m definitely busy.”
She studied floristry in Sydney at Pearsons school of floristry. “It was a one-year course covering all aspects of floristry.”
It was the waste of flowers in the industry that started her journey with dried flowers.
“I started taking flowers home and drying them and then I had to think about how to use them. I started selling them at markets and it all grew from there. It has definitely helped that dried flowers have come back into fashion again.
Sophia Rieter teaches flower workshops.
“I love bringing nature into the home and think the smell and colours can definitely bring happiness to our senses. Eucalyptus is a very popular smell and one of my favs. Quite often the smell of flowers can make me feel nostalgic too.”
One of her favourite flowers to work with is Nigella Love in a Mist.
“It’s a beautiful line flower and is very popular in workshops. I also love strawflowers for pops of colour and billy buttons are lots of fun. I honestly have too many favourites.”
She says the secret to a beautiful arrangement is not to add too many different types of flowers.
“Sometimes too many textures can be busy on the eye. I prefer grouped designs or at least a minimal selection. It makes it feel more modern. Also, the use of colour can make or break a successful arrangement.”
One of the services Sophia offers is making wreaths out of wedding flowers.
“If I am here I will get the flowers and dry them myself or will give instructions on how to do it if I’m not here. It’s a beautiful way to remember your wedding day.”
Sophia is offering lots of workshops in December and a few in January.
“I love to offer a selection of flowers for people to choose and put their own personal touch to. I offer a drink and shared food with the workshop ticket too. I have found people love the addition to make it a fun few hours with friends and you get to walk away with a wreath to gift or keep for yourself. We have teamed up with lots of great venues that will be hosting these workshops.”
In her spare time, Sophia loves to do yoga, go horse riding and bush walking. She also enjoys coffee and good food.
Sophia has just finished a DIY wreath tutorial where you can buy the kit online and have a seven-day access to watch it to create your own vine-base-dried wreath. The idea came about when people couldn’t make the workshop dates “I thought why not make something people can create at home or with a group of friends. It makes a great gift or hen’s party idea or even an end-of-year Christmas party.”
