Time to order the flowers…A bride’s dilemma

Your date has been chosen, the location has their deposit, and the ceremony space has been booked…It’s now time to start thinking about your flowers…

Up until recently there weren’t a lot of choices for a bride. You went to the local florist, you sat down, looked at books, and made a decision based upon what you saw.  Now, things have changed and there are soooo many options! So much to look at on Pinterest Facebook, Tumblr and a myriad of wedding articles, blogs, magazines that you can look at from the comfort of your home. The whole world has opened up it’s windows for you to peek into! So when things are all said and done you really have 2 options:

1. Buy the flowers and do the arranging yourself.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    OR

2. Hire a professional to do the arranging for you.

If you are local to the Tampa Bay area, Brides N Blooms Wholesale and Designs can help you with either decision.  The new trend in design is the Vintage/Gatsbyesque look or Shabby Chic!  Let’s see what the the differences between choice 1. and choice 2. are:

If you want to do the flowers yourself, here’s what you will need, to create this fashionable look:

10 centerpieces, (5 tall, 5 short),  1 bridal bouquet complete with brooches, lace and pearls, 1 maid of honor bouquet,  3 bridesmaids bouquets, 5 boutoniere’s, 2 Mom’s bouquets

1 box of roses: packed 125 stems $150.00

1 box of ranunculous packed 120 stems $250.00

1 box baby’s breath packed 220 stems $195.00

1 bunch of greenery $25.00

5 low vases $35.00

5 tall cylinders $60.00

16 strands of pearls $48.00

5 blocks of oasis $12.50

6 brooches $42.00

Your DIY cost is $817.50, plus your incidentals, wire, floral tape, ribbon, rose stripper, lace

Now…Let’s say you decide to have Brides N Blooms Wholesale and Designs do all the arranging, set up and delivery… Your cost will be $1350.00

Perhaps you have a local florist you would like to use? Depending upon the florist, you can expect to pay between $2,000 & $2500.00 for the same exact work, and, you probably will not actually get the full count of flowers as what we listed above.

What is the reason for the huge difference in price???

OVERHEAD and ability to buy directly from our own farms.  Remember, Bridesnblooms Wholesale and Design has Wholesale as their Middle name!

Let us know if we can help you make all your floral dreams a reality!

VINTAGE PACKAGE:

Broaches, lace, pearls & crystals for the vintage look

Broaches, lace, pearls & crystals for a vintage style Bouquet

Maid of honor / Bridesmaid Bouquet

Maid of honor / Bridesmaid Bouquet

Roses, ranunculus, baby's breath, pearls & crystals

Roses, ranunculus, baby’s breath, pearls & crystal vase for a vintage look centerpiece

Baby's breath and draped pearl centerpiece

Baby’s breath and draped pearl centerpiece

A Big Jewish Wedding

Sometimes we get to attend a wedding! Go figure… and we enjoy it too! We attended the wedding of a dear friend’s daughter who also is one of my middle daughter’s oldest friends. They’ve known each other since they are three. Through today’s amazing technology my daughter was able to ‘attend’ the wedding by Skype from far away northern Canada and see her friend on her most special day.

As an ‘orthodox’ Jewish wedding, the affair was filled with all the traditions and ceremony that have been done for thousands of years. The bride and groom were surrounded by family standing outside underneath the chuppah while we sat with bated breath hoping that Florida’s traditional afternoon rainstorms would hold off until the groom stamped on the glass!

I found it fascinating to see the dichotomy of these two different worlds colliding, yet melding together. Women (like me) held up cell phones to take pictures and video’s to put online while men in their traditional garb of black hats and long coats stood and said prayers that have been said at Jewish weddings since the time of King David. It is truly an amazing time we live in.

And then…. there were the flowers! Brides N Blooms Wholesale division supplied all the flowers to the bride’s family to do with whatever they chose. We knew they had professional help from a family associate/friend and it was lovely…but the truth is, no matter how good the arrangements are it’s the flowers that make everything shine. The flowers themselves were exquisite and we got many comments and compliments on how gorgeous they were. (This makes us happy too!).

So, congratulations to the happy couple and everyone say “Mazel Tov”!

The Bride! IMG757_1 IMG782 IMG786

Flower Arranging Class!

Have you ever bought a beautiful vase, brought it home, and then, no matter what you did, you couldn’t figure out, for the life of you, how to make an arrangement look good in it?

Have you looked lovingly at someone’s beautiful floral arrangement and thought, I wonder how that’s done?

Do you have a creative bug, just trying to get out?

Do you love fresh flowers, but think you don’t have the time necessary to make a “real” arrangement?

If you said yes, to any of the above questions, come on out to our flower arranging class.  August, 27th, 2013, at 7:30pm, just minutes from the Citrus Park Mall. (click on flyer for details)

Join us…. and have a wholesale flower filled evening of fun!

Flower Arranging Class

 

 

 

 

 

Flower’s Family Tree

Flowers Family Tree

So, I’ve been watching the show “Who Do You Think You are?”.  My family tree was done awhile back and its fascinating to see the twists and trails we’ve taken throughout the generations. How we grew and split and migrated from place to place, so much so that now it’s amazing how far flung we’ve become!

I got to thinking that flowers have a ‘family tree’ too and just like my family, some have traveled great distances from where they originated.

Roses, are by far the most popular flower and are grown all over the globe. Though it may surprise you to find out where they originated. The first fossil record of the rose dates back about 3.5 billion years and the first written record of the rose was in 3000 BC located in what is today known as Iraq. The ornamental rose has been cultivated for millennia, with the earliest known cultivations in the Mediterranean countries during the time of the Roman Empire & Greek civilizations, as well as in, Egypt, Persia, and China. In the 16th century colonists brought the rose to North America, making it the longest cultivated European plant in this country. They are now commercially grown in South & North America, Europe & Asia

Rose Fields

Tulips, which is synonymous with Holland & the Netherland were originally not the province of the Dutch. Historians have been able to establish that Tulips probably originated thousands of years ago in Asia, Africa and Southern Europe, with commercial cultivation of the flower beginning in early Persia probably somewhere in the 10th Century. Now there are commercial farms in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Tulip Fields

The Orchid, a flower that is associated with southeast Asia, are commercially grown in small regions around the globe , such as Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Hawaii. Orchids have been a part of Chinese culture for many centuries, permeating Chinese history, legends, literature, and art, but their origins can be traced back to the age of dinosaurs! European collectors brought these flowers home and began cultivating them which is how they became popular worldwide.

Orchid Hot House

The amazing thing with technology, is, just like people have moved far from their ancestral homes and adapted, all of these flowers can now be grown pretty much anywhere around the globe if given the right conditions. So, the next time you have a beautiful bloom in your hand, think about how far and wide it’s traveled to be here with you!

Now… go and have yourself a wholesale fresh flower day!

Take a look at some of the cool flowers we offer at Brides N Blooms Wholesale! www.bridesnblooms.com

Navigating a Bridal Show… Tips From The Blog

Navigating a Bridal Show…Tips from the Blog

Attending bridal shows are exciting, fun and exhausting all at the same time.  There are basically 3 different types of bridal shows, so, plan accordingly before attending.

The Big Ones!

These bridal shows are great for the newly engaged and very excited brides-to-be because there is LOTS of excitement, lots of energy, and lots of free stuff. At these bridal shows you will meet multiple vendors who offer the same type of service. The benefits are:

  •  You can sign up to win stuff
  •  You can see a fashion show of what is in style this season and next
  •  You can taste LOTS of different types of foods and treats
  •  You will take home a lot of freebie type of marketing paraphernalia

The following tips will help you with “the big ones”

1. Create a separate e-mail address for just your wedding and the vendors. This way, once you are married, it can be erased, saving you valuable e-mail space.
2. Create labels that include: bride’s name, groom’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address and wedding date. Print out a few sheets of these and take them with you.
3. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a bottle of water. These shows are BIG, so you will have to buy drinks if you don’t bring them with you.
4. Bring your calendar to know what days you are available. Many vendors offer discounts if you book a consultation appointment with them on the spot.
5. Be patient. These shows are busy.  You will have to wait on line to get in, to register, and to see the vendors you are interested in.
6. Bring a camera. With all the displays there will be certain design aspects that will catch your eye and help the vendor you choose make your dream wedding a reality. (Be sure to ask 1st if it’s OK to take photos)

Example: http://tampabaybridalexpos.com

Big Event Shows

The Boutique Events

These events are great for those who like more one on one time with vendors. These events are usually held in more intimate locations, off beat places, or spaces that you might not know you could consider holding an event.

These events generally have only 1 or 2 vendors per service type. They may have a small fashion show or even an area where you could try on gowns.

These events are intimate, and give you time to really speak with and hear the vendors; You might even be able to have a little one on one Q & A right in the vendor booth.

There won’t be the same type of crowds and there will be way less giveaways and freebies.

These events are great to attend after you have had your fill of THE BIG ONES, or if you just like smaller, quieter types of events.

Example: https://www.facebook.com/events/532565216798856/

small show

The Trunk shows or Open Houses

These shows are small, usually held within the venue that is marketing the event.  At these events you will find the following…Vendor specific push. What does this mean?:

  •  If the location is a caterer, they will be showcasing food, with a few “preferred” vendors
  •  If the host is a bridal gown house, they will have gowns on display for you to try on, and will have some of their favorite support vendors there for you to speak with.
  •  Because these shows are small, there isn’t usually a fee for entrance or an RSVP needed. You may only need 30 minutes to navigate the entire event.

These shows are great for making final decisions on specific vendor types.

Example: http://whitemagnoliabridal.com/our_events.html

trunk show

Each kind of show has it’s own value. You need to decide which one is most valuable to you!

Now…go and have yourself a wholesale fresh flower day!

Link: check out one of Brides N Blooms Wholesale & Designs “Party It Forward©” boutique shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dot_ps2mWk&hd=1