Hello again!  So you're about to get married and need to talk to a florist about your wedding floral needs?  Here's some advice about wedding floral and other decor.

One of the biggest piece of advice I give to couples is to buy your centerpiece containers!  Have your florist include the cost of the container in their centerpiece quotes.  This may cost a little more, but your guests will love taking flowers home as a gift!  I used to rent containers and then during break-down, I'd have to throw away all the flowers (and all my hard work!)  I broke my heart.  As a florist, if flowers aren't dead, it is very hard to toss them away.

My second piece of advice is to know when and where to reuse floral!  No matter what your coordinator, decorator, or budget conscious friend tells you, there is a limit to what can be reused.  For example, I never suggest placing bridal bouquets or bridesmaid bouquets on tables as "centerpieces" to cut costs.  The bouquets can stand 10"-14" tall when placed in a vase and can obstruct view!  Also, these bouquets have been without water during pictures and the ceremony and will not look fresh soon after.   However, the toss bouquet may be used as part of the sign-in table decor, since it's viewed during the very beginning and not tossed until the very end.  This bouquet is in a vase with water, causing it to stay beautiful and fresh during the entire evening. 
Other items to not re-purpose: pew hangs, arch pieces, curtain tie-backs, floral crowns, corsages or boutonnieres.

My third piece of advice is to have your florist be the sole entity of providing all floral decor!  Again, no matter what your coordinator, decorator, or budget conscious friend advises, have your florist be the only one handling floral decor!  This will ensure cohesiveness with all aspects of your floral decor.  I learned this the hard way, when I did centerpieces for a wedding where the "aunt who has a green thumb" created the bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquets and all other personals.  It was not done well, and the aunt was very stressed the day of.  You do not want to put pressure on your guests or family a few days before your wedding or even the day of.  This also helps the florist protect their image and reputation since pictures will be taken and featured on social media, personal pages, and even magazines!  

Hello again and thanks for reading!
This entry is to go over the impact of online reviews for the consumers and businesses they affect.

Online reviews can be a business' best friend, or worst enemy.  Great reviews mean higher online ratings and can be more appealing to a potential client, while poor reviews can be very damaging and viewed as an inaccurate generalization of the business itself.  

When assessing a business according to their ratings, it is important to see how many total ratings have been given to receive that score.  Some businesses only have a few reviews giving them a very high rating , while other businesses may have 50-100 ratings with most good and a few bad reviews, causing their rating to be lower than the business with only a few.  

Unfortunately, some customers are quicker to leave bad reviews than good.  When someone has a not-so-pleasant experience, they want the world to know and a way to vent.  These online reviews and ratings never go away and can be very damaging to a business' reputation and "online status." 

My advice to the customer with an unpleasant experience, is to talk to the business either over the phone or in person first, before writing a bad review.  Most of the time, when a business owner or manager can get a clear picture of the situation they are able empathize and validate the customers concerns and are eager to find a remedy.  

We are all human and even businesses, new or long established, make mistakes.  As Alexander Pope put it, "To err is human, to forgive, divine."  Let's try to consider leaving good reviews more frequently and try to resolve unpleasant  situations first before leaving bad reviews.

​

Hello again!  This blog is to help you ensure the longevity of your fresh flower bouquet!

It is that wonderful time of year when floral bouquets are sent more frequently because of Valentine's Day, anniversaries, engagements, and to add color and life inside during these winter months!  

Upon receiving a fresh floral arrangement, the first thing you want to do is check the water.  If the water seems murky, empty and refill with fresh water.  If you're able to remove the entire bouquet from it's container, grab where the top of the vase and stems meet, remove from vessel, fill with fresh water, give a fresh 1/2"- 1" cut to the bouquet, and replace.   If your container has floral foam, still water upon arrival and every 2-3 days.

Through the years, the idea of adding aspirin, bleach, vinegar, sugar, flower food, or pennies have been thought to elongate the life of your fresh flowers.  Pennies have been the winner of some trials, but I have found that as long as you remove the greenery from the water, causing less bacteria growth, keep fresh, clean water in the vase, and give a fresh cut every 2-3 days, this is as good as any additive.  

Roses last longer with shorter stems!  Long stemmed roses are gorgeous for Valentine's Day, but roses usually last 4-7 days.  When you notice your roses aren't looking as hot as they once were, cut  6"-9" off their stems, removing lower foliage, and place in vase with fresh water.  Creating less stem for the rose to drink will help them drink more, faster, and hopefully give you 3-5 more days of enjoyment.  

I hope this helps prolong the life of your beautiful floral bouquets!

Stay beautiful and send some love!

It's that time again!  Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I'd like to help point you in the right direction when making your flower buying decisions.  

My first piece of advice is to shop local!  Every dollar spent generates twice as much income for the local economy!  It helps create local jobs, helps the environment by conserving fuel with less transportation, and ensures your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong - in your community!  

Instead of ordering online, take the time to call the shop directly.  This is very important:  Let's say that you order online (not directly from the floral shop), you spend $49.99 on a beautiful bouquet, delivered.  What happens next is that order gatherer sends the order to the floral shop after taking their cut of the profits.  So now your order is $39.99 and delivery still has to be taken out of that.  Your $49.99 bouquet is now $24.99 in flowers and $15 is for delivery.  Don't let the "middle-man" take a cut of your money, call the shop directly. ​

Everyone loves roses for Valentine's Day but the new trends are not just a bouquet of roses, it's a mix of other beautiful flowers!  Roses are expensive this time of year because florists pay much more during this period of high demand and limited supply.  Get creative - even an orchid plant staged with decorative branches in a beautiful container can be a showy statement piece!  Even a bunch of one type of flower can make a big impact, like 2 dozen french tulips or ranunculus.

If you want to get even more creative, have your florist create beautiful flowers to wear!  A floral crown, corsage, floral ring or necklace can be a stunning way for your special someone to wear their flowers on Valentine's Day.  

Best of luck and remember to get your orders in earlier than later!

Hello and thank you for checking out my first blog!  There are many things to know when ordering your wedding flowers and choosing the right florist.  Following this blog will help you along the way!

First and foremost, I'd like to address the most common question us florists get: "How much are your wedding flowers (or bridal bouquets)"?  There are many variables that come into play when pricing wedding flowers and individual items like bridal bouquets.

Pricing is determined by what type of flowers you want, their seasonal availability, and the quantities of these flowers being used.   Some flowers are available year round, some are not, and some are available but more costly during off-seasons.  

The key factor in getting the best price for your wedding flowers is to  being open the what flowers are used.  Your florist should be able to replicate your style with similar product.

I prefer to meet clients in-person to talk about these details and narrow down everything in one consultation.  Consultations are short and a good way to "connect" with the person handling a big part of your special day.  

And most importantly, if you receive a quote from a florist you really connect with and the quote is above your budget, instead of shopping around, be sure to ask what items they suggest be removed or what can be lowered in cost.  

I hope this helps with your pricing questions and be sure to check out my "In The News" article for more information and advice!


​