Last week we had the honor to attend our very first Bloom Bash here in Chicago and also had the amazing opportunity to be speakers on their Q&A panel. You may have seen adorable photos from this inspiring workshop around the blogosphere or on Instagram over the last few years. We thought today would be the perfect day to give you more details into exactly what it is and how YOU could get involved! 

What is Bloom Bash?

Bloom Bash is a workshop ran by two besties, Michaela and Ashley, who are just as sweet as they are talented! Michaela is an interior designer and blogger who we adore and Ashley is an uber talented wedding photographer out of Michigan. Together these ladies dreamed up the concept of getting fellow creatives together for a two-day retreat in order to share ideas and inspiration, while providing them with the tools to help take their creative business to the next level.

Getting to meet, chat, and collaborate with other bloggers or creative entrepreneurs is one of our favorite parts of being bloggers. We LOVE going to conferences for this exact reason, so we were really excited to be a part of Bloom Bash this year. Plus being in a gorgeous facility that is decorated with stunning flowers and details is always fun and Bloom Bash did not disappoint.

Where is it located?

The great news for those of you who may not live around the Chicagoland area is that the Bloom Bash travels all over the country! 

When we heard Bloom Bash was being hosted in Chicago, we were SO excited to attend. And the best part of having it come to a city near you is that this retreat allows you to meet and collaborate with creatives that live around you!

So far the workshop has also been hosted in California, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Seattle, North Carolina and Georgia! How fun is that?! There are two upcoming workshops this year being held in Quinlan, Texas and Battle Creek, Michigan so if you’re near these spots be sure to check them out!

Chicago’s Bloom Bash hosted creatives from all different fields. There were florists, wedding photographers, bloggers, social media strategists, calligraphers, pastry chefs, Etsy Shop owners, and even a motivational speaker attending! Since it is a smaller group of women (maybe around 40), you really get a chance to meet everyone and hear what they do and why they’re attending the workshop. Most of the previous conferences we attend are solely blog focused, so Bloom Bash was a fun chance to mingle with (and get inspired by) other professionals with such a diverse set of expertise.

What do you get out of it?

Throughout the two-day retreat there’s a lot of information presented, plus you get to network with all of the other people attending.

We sat at a table with a professional calligrapher, pastry chef, and bakery owner so it was really fun to hear about their businesses, their goals, and challenges. But when you’re not networking, there are series of speakers that present on topics like The Importance of Developing Your Brand, Blogging 101, Taking Better Pictures, How to Utilize Social Media to Your Advantage, etc. 

Plus, everyone gets a pretty amazing “goodie basket” to take home, full of lots of adorable, handmade items! The attention to detail at the Bloom Bash overall is really amazing and makes for such an inspiring two days!I mean, how adorable are these mugs?!

What do you do there?

Like we just mentioned a lot of the day is chock full of presenters chatting about all sorts of relevant topics, including the Q&A panel that we were honored to be a part of.

But when the presenters aren’t up there or it wasn’t breakfast/lunch/dessert networking time, there were a few fun hands-on classes like Calligraphy and Photography. Both allowed the group to start practicing (or at least trying) these new skills while asking for help along the way.

Bloom Bash typically brings in a bride, groom and wedding cake (as well as lots of gorgeous vignettes of flowers) so attendees can start using their new photography skills AND walk away with some new material to add to their portfolios. Oh, and they take your headshot if you want!

How was it?

Hopefully, we made it clear by now that we had such a great time at Bloom Bash! If you are a fellow creative looking to expand your business (or start one!), you should definitely consider looking into the Bloom Bash at some point. It’s a great way to network with others while gathering the tools to hone your brand and bring your skills to the next level.

Plus ALL of the Bloom Bash venues are gorgeous and so inspiring! Not only was our West Loop loft decorated to perfection, looking out at these views all day didn’t hurt either.

Thank you!

Thanks so much for having us Michaela and Ashley! We were so honored to be a part of Bloom Bash Chicago and can’t wait to come again next time you’re in town. Getting women together to chase their dreams is what we’re all about here on the DIY Playbook and the Bloom Bash is kickin’ butt in this department. You go girls! Keep up the amazing work!!

Bridget&Casey