Flower Shop Chronicles

Brides Give Back...

2009-10-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

As a Bride you know that for the most part your life is pretty much going the way you want it to. For so many women this is not the case. Victims of domestic violence and poverty end up living out days in a battered women shelters.

Sunday I delivered the most beautiful pink and coral flowers to a a great venue here in town, Reflections At the Buttes. The centerpieces made the room fell sunny and happy. The bride was one of the most laid back brides I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She knew that whatever I decided as far as flowers went would look great.

On Monday she took those centerpieces to a local shelter and made those women feel as sunny as the day she was married. I was grinning from ear to ear when I read her post on Facebook.

Brides can give back and enjoy their day. Good Karma is always a good way to start your married life.

If you are interested in doing the same please contact your local shelter and they can give you instructions on where to drop off donations.

Questions...Questions...

2009-05-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the great pleasure of having a bride blow me away with her questions during a routine bridal consultation.

Normally brides ask very few questions that surprise me or make me think long and hard before answering.

This bride made me think about what brides should be asking and what florist should be asking those same brides.

**Brides: There are basic questions you ask your florist and there are questions you ask to really get a better feel for who the florist is and how they operate.

For example: "What time will you deliver the flowers?"
-This is a basic question that only answers if you (the bride) can tell the florist the right time.

Better question: "Who will be delivering the wedding and who will be in charge of my wedding?"
-This is a GREAT question. I have always told brides that I was the person they will see at their wedding. I would hate to see someone I didn't know hand me my bouquet on my wedding day. What if something was wrong? What if I forgot a boutonniere? A delivery driver would not be able to do a thing. A lot of time would be wasted in going back to the florist having a designer make what was missing or fix what is wrong and delivering it back. I work with my mom on all my weddings. I always send her or or or even the both us go. We are both trained professionals that can fix almost anything and make things on the spot if needed. It makes the bride feel more comfortable knowing that we are there to help if needed and they have already built a relationship with us. They can trust that we know what she wants.

Example: "What is your design philosophy?"
- This question made me stop and think. When that very intelligent bride asked me this I really had to think. I told her that we are the kind of florist that is not just out to make a sale. We will never send out anything we do not like ourselves. I have seen my mother remake a bouquet 3 times till she was happy with how it looked, and of course we did not mind that the end product had a little extra in it. We know that it is worth the cost for us to see a bride's face light up when she sees here bouquet on that special day. We are honest. We are dealing with nature and because of this things happen. Colors might not come in as bright or the right shade or tone. We will try and work it out so everything looks good together or we will try and find a substitution
or we bother every vendor we know to get what you want.

There are great questions to be asked and answers to be found. Information is power.

Make your wedding a personal event...

2009-05-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is some advice on how to make your wedding a personal event...this are tid bits from some great brides and a great bridal magazine..

For a favor that should last a lifetime, wrap a few of your favorite flowering bulbs and give them to your guest with a cute note.

If you can incorporate your and his birth flower into your bouquet or centerpieces.

BIRTH MONTH
---January: CARNATION
---February:IRIS
---March:DAFFODIL/SWEET PEA
---April:DAISY
---May:LILY
---June:ROSE
---July:DELPHINIUM
---August:GLADIOLA
---September:ASTER
---October:MARIGOLD
---November:CHRYSANTHEMUM
---December:POINSETTIA/NARCISSUS

BIRTH SIGN
--Aries:TULIP
--Taurus:LILY
--Gemini:ROSE
--Cancer:DELPHINIUM
--Leo:SUNFLOWER
--Virgo:GERBER DAISY
--Libra:HYDRANGEA
--Scorpio:PEONY
--Sagittarius:CARNATION
--Capricorn:VIOLET
--Aquarius:ORCHID
--Pisces:ALSTROLOMERIA

For a garden wedding , give your favorite herb plant as a lasting favor.
Personalize your bouquet with a sentimental wrap that incorporates meaningful articles from your life. For example: a brooch, lace from your grandmothers wedding dress, or pearls your mother wore on her wedding day.
Attach a small locket to your bouquet with a picture of a close friend or family member who has passed during your life.
Include inside your tossing bouquet a gift certificate for a restaurant of fun place where you and your fiance have been on a date.
In case your tossing bouquet breaks apart, include a good fortune or positive message on a piece of paper among its flowers.
Rename and serve your signature drinks during the cocktail hour.
Rename and serve a new signature coffee or tea during the reception.
Present your mothers with a small posy of their favorite flowers placed in a tussie-mussie, accompanied by an engraved silver tag bearing your names and weding date.

Catch up on what has been going on...

2009-05-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here it is...This is a blog about the inner workings of a flower shop and all that goes into weddings.

To start off lets show you some pictures of our work

This is a bridal bouquet with fragrant spray roses, white mini calla lilies and blue hydrangea.

This one has orange roses and orange gerbera daisies.

White stargazers and white stock...so elegant.

Pink and white stargazers, "Flash Night" spray roses and burgundy mini calla lilies.

Mixed flowers...roses, gerberas, hypericum, alstrolomeria, spray roses.

This is just a taste of what we do on nearly a weekly basis at our shop.
More pics and news to come...