5 Tips For Beautiful Wedding Flowers

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We two girls at Brides N Blooms Wholesale and Designs want you to know that we care about our customers.

This is not to say that other “florists” do not, but, we become VERY invested in ours. We care enough to tell you that a particular design may not work well, or that a comparable look can be created with different flowers to save you money, but, will give you the same “feel”.

Below you will find some tips that we would like to share with you.

  • Look at the big picture:

If you chose a venue with a great view, don’t obstruct it with tall centerpieces, you’re paying for the view. On the other hand, if the location is stark, with no windows, open up the room with designs of high and low. This gives your guest’s eyes several places to look for beauty.

  • Double duty flowers:

Bouquet in Eiffel Tower vase

If you want to save money, why not reuse some of your bridal party flowers?

Your bouquet can be placed in a beautiful vase, on your table, and the bridesmaid’s bouquets can be placed on other guest tables. Have the alter flowers used on the buffet table or on columns at the entry to the reception area.

  • Don’t limit yourself to a singular color:

Lots of brides want to match the flowers to the bridesmaid’s dresses, if you do this, when you look at your photos later on, you will not really see the bouquets at all, they will be blending in with the dresses. Try and use a complimentary color along with the dress color, this will help your photos to pop.

  • Size and shape of bouquets:

We all see beautiful bouquets in magazines & Pinterest, but, when you choose your bouquet, make sure to remember your height, & your dress style. Most girls are not 6ft. tall, and wearing haute’ couture dresses. If you are an average size or shorter, and you are wearing a fitted gown, try and envision yourself carrying a bouquet that will help to show off your lovely figure AND beautiful wedding gown. You are the star of the show…the flowers should enhance your look, not hide you.

  • Table size and design:

Try and think of your flowers as jewelry for your tables. If the table is small, you will want to adorn with smaller styles. If your tables are large, you will want to have a larger design. Large doesn’t have to be tall or expensive, just simply larger than what you would place on a more intimate table

Now go on and have yourself a wholesale fresh flower designer day!

Fresh Flowers and Silks

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Whether you are a DIY bride or not I think it’s time to really examine the differences between having fresh flowers and silks for a wedding. Both do have attributes that would make either, a viable choice for an event. There are some common misconceptions that should be looked at when making the decision between the two.

Everyone is concerned about cost. Whether a big budget wedding or intimate event, bottom line is often based on price.  A common misconception is that silk flowers are less expensive than fresh.  The truth is that high quality silks can cost upwards of $3-5.00 a stem. An average bridal bouquet has 20-25 stems so at those prices, the cost of just that one bridal bouquet could run somewhere between $75 & $125 .  An average wedding party having 1 maid of honor and 2 bridesmaids, as well as boutonnieres could be in the $300-350 range, just for the wedding party silks. If you were to look at that in comparison to ordering flowers from Brides N Blooms wholesale division,  just as an example, you would be able to purchase 250 stems of roses for that same $300. (including delivery). That would give you enough roses to do the whole wedding party bouquets and boutonnieres, as well a enough to do at least 10 tables worth of  rose bowl flower centerpieces.

Color options can be tricky with both silks & fresh. If a bride is set on a color that must be an absolute match to something, does not necessarily grow in nature, or is hard to come by at a certain time of the year. I’ve noticed many times, when a bride is  trying to decide on a color, they tend to become short sighted and not see the bigger picture. With fresh flowers there are tricks employed to match flower colors and in understanding how the eye and mind processes it. Take, for example, a color scheme of Tiffany Blue and Silver. You do not need to have a Tiffany blue flower to accent and match in a fresh flower bouquet. Adding in a contrasting color to pop and including some flowers in a similar blue tone, makes a statement, coordinates well with your colors, and in your mind’s eye appears to match perfectly.

Take a look at these examples!

peach & teal Bouquet

This bouquet has an array of peach, pale blue & white flowers. It is accented with blue/green eucalyptus greenery. Nothing in this bouquet is Tiffany blue, but set against that color background your eye would automatically ‘see’ it as Tiffany blue.

Tiffany Inspired Bridal Shower | Photography: Nick Yutaka | Event Design Planning: Petite Productions

 

 

These table settings have just a small amount of pink as a coordinating color and it makes the Tiffany blue color pop!

 

 

 

One other question we’ve been asked is: “Can I mix silk and fresh together in my bouquet?”. The answer is YES! You can!! We have done that for a number of our clients. We do, however, require that the silks be of high quality and that they are accent flowers, not the main focal flower.  Again, the eye will assume them to be real, if it is not overpowering the design. Can you pick out the silks in these two designs?

Purple & Cranberry Wedding

White & Pink Peony Bouquet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whichever your choice, always ask for pricing up front. Remember there’s one thing that that fresh flowers excel in… they are beautiful, and even the best silk flowers cannot duplicate the look of a live orchid or the scent of a real rose.

Now go out and have yourself a wholesale, fresh flower day!

Island Flowers

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My husband and I took a cruise to a couple of the Caribbean Islands. Two of my favorite things about our visit was the endless blue green water… and the flowers! One of the islands we stopped at was St. Maarten. St. Maarten is a small island in the northern Lesser Antilles, east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The island is divided by 2 countries. The Dutch side, Sint Maarten, and the French side, Saint Martin. The north eastern side is on the Atlantic Ocean and the south western side is on the Caribbean Sea, which does effect the growth of different flowers and plants. Many of the same flowers we enjoy here in the Tampa Bay Area grow in St. Maarten, such as Lantana, Hibiscus & Oleander and they are everywhere! On a tour we learned that the island claims a National Tree which is  known as The Flame tree or the Royal Poinciana. It is originally from Madagascar and grows throughout the Caribbean.  The tree symbolizes emancipation and blooms from June to September with beautiful red, orange & yellow blossoms.

The July Tree

The island has mountains and lots of greenery. Though because of the dryness of the soil, the terrain is perfect for cactus and ferns. One of the more unusual cactus plants that grow on the island are called Ladies of the night” most probably because flowers open only after night fall and will close up at sunrise

Ladies of the night    night time flowering                                                                                                                               There were plenty of different cactus plants that lined the roads and they grew all over.

cactus & fern - st Maarten

One thing that cannot be denied about this Caribbean island, no matter the Dutch or the French side… it is a beautiful place to visit.

Great Bay

Now go out and have yourself a wholesale flower-filled, vacation kind of day!  

Party It Forward is HERE!

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Party It Forward pic

Perhaps you’ve heard us mention Party It Forward in the past? Well… this next show is upon us this weekend!

We’re looking forward to a great turnout of guests, along with our wonderful vendors! We like to offer a more eclectic array of vendors, some that you might not expect at an event show, but with a little imagination and forward thinking, would be an awesome idea for either gifts, shower parties and day of event ideas.  Then, there is our one-of-a-kind “Party It Forward” area, with our sellers who have all kinds of useful, like-new and new event/wedding items for sale. Vases, Centerpieces, favors… all sorts of items for some lucky host and/or bride to gather inexpensively for their upcoming event.

party it forward concept

The Party It Forward Event is being held at the beautiful Quail Hollow, in Wesley Chapel.  We two girls have been hard at work to make this one of our best shows EVER! We will be showcasing new floral designs and some classic looks that never go out of style. Quail Hollow will open their beautiful location for  tours of the grounds, they are offering a mini lunch sampler, and special drink samples for sale.

Come on over, say hello, meet our array of vendors and sellers, spend some time with us and join the Party It Forward movement! We look forward to seeing YOU there!

Quail Hollow is located at:  6225 Old Pasco Road, Wesley Chapel. Event time is from: 12:00-3:00 pm. Entry fee: $5.00

Now go out and have yourself a wholesale flower-filled, Party It Forward day!

 

 

 

Anniversaries Of Any Kind

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My anniversary was a few days ago. Dorelle’s was earlier in the year.

Flowers, almost always, are part of the gift of choice for this occasion. Sometimes dinner and a card go along with it. (Though personally, I think jewelry or a trip is a great idea along with the flowers….just in case anyone out there was wondering). Usually the flowers given are a small bunch of assorted flowers, or a dozen roses, and/or whatever the local florist or grocery is selling that’s already nicely packaged.

joke

Wouldn’t it be AWESOME if instead we were presented with a bouquet that was similar to what we walked down the aisle with? All prettily wrapped and decorated? What about wearing either a boutonniere or corsage for the day? If for nothing else than to show co-workers that he/she is a happily attached spouse?

My dad always gets my mother a dozen red roses for their anniversary. I’m not sure that she had roses when she walked down the aisle 65 years ago, but I do know she really appreciates getting them now. Somehow I think we two girls get the short end of the stick on our anniversaries. We never get flowers. Maybe the guys think since we have them around all the time we don’t want them.  (What are they thinking?… Of COURSE we want flowers!!.. and wine, and dinner too!!)

My other half and I haven’t been together a very long time, but definitely long enough to wonder where the time went.  I’m thinking some years shouldn’t count because we sailed right through them with barely anything out of the ordinary occurring. Sometimes though, inexplicably, it feels likes we’ve been together forever… maybe because some years are so much bigger than they should be. Dorelle has been married a long time. I give kudos to her and her other half for making it through with still alot of affection and no blood spilled.

I think we two girls should celebrate some kind of anniversary. We’ve known each other a long time and we’re with each other more than we are with our respective spouses. We should give each other lots of flowers and wine…with some chocolate thrown in for good measure. One thing I believe is certain, we’ve known each other so long, OUR relationship is more mature than we are.Now go out and celebrate with a wholesale flower-filled day!

Tripping… on flowers

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I took a trip.

A long trip on multiple planes. First to Seattle, WA then on to Sacramento, CA.  I am not a fan of flying; Downright dislike it… however, it is the most efficient way to get to where I wanted to go, and I pray a lot along the way.

I left Dorelle in charge of Brides N Blooms, Wholesale & Designs. She is the most capable person I know… (She also  likes being in charge.)  However, she does NOT like being left behind! That’s alright though, she gets to turn the tables on me soon enough.

So…. what did I see on this trip? I saw flowers. LOTS of em’. What I found so interesting is how very much of the same kind there are to what we have here in Florida, but how different they look!

I was surprised to see sunflowers in Seattle. Anything to do with sun is not something you expect to see in the Pacific Northwest. (Though don’t let them fool you…. on the days where they have alot of sun, it is gorgeous there) The average temperature while I was there was in the 55 degrees and cloudy pretty much all the time, though usually this time of year it’s closer to 60-70.

While there I saw Impatiens, which grow there like crazy here, and Daisies, as well as Azaelea and Jasmine. I think the most interesting flower I saw there was a particularly large type of Begonia. Here we have them growing all over and they look like this:

This crazy blooming one I found is called “Pin Up Flame Begonia” in a local nursery on Vashon Island. These were gorgeously colored, large flowering begonias that I wished dearly would grow at home:

One of my all time favorite flowers which I saw in bloom everywhere there, was Fuschia, and yes, the plant is called Fuschia! Seattle’s cooler temps and moist climate make it a perfect environment for these lovelies. In Florida, they need to be babied with lots of shade, watering and misting during the hotter days… they will bloom mostly in the mornings and close up or dry out during the heat of the day if you’re not careful with them here.

In the pacific northwest, they just flower like crazy!

 Fuschia Flowers

On my next stop to Sacramento, I did see a local flower that we have here in florida as well, but I was pretty excited to see how different they are there. Hibiscus! We have all sorts of bright vibrant colors here in Florida. Yellow, Orange, Red, Pinks.. like these

 

Out west I saw some very different Hibiscus. Some were smaller in size, and very different in color. Like these!

   Hibiscus 'Heavy Metal'

It’s always fun to go visiting flower shops too. Just to see their designs and ideas. One woman was selling her shop and asked if I’d like to buy it. I explained as much as it is a beautiful shop, and I’d love to… Dorelle would be very upset with me if I chose to leave and move out to the west coast, so I’d have to decline..

She would look kinda like this at me:

Now go out and have yourself a fun, fresh, and colorful, wholesale flower-filled day!

 

So… You Want Your Wedding To Be Perfect…..

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We’ve been blogging now for awhile about all sorts of subjects… but I think today it’s time for something completely different!

When working with brides we two girls  have noticed a common theme. Each Bride wants her wedding to be absolutely perfect.. and of course who wouldn’t!! They seem to expect that every item they’ve chosen, every nuance of detail, will go EXACTLY as planned, without a ripple.

We are here to tell you that every wedding IS perfect… it’s just that some don’t go as smoothly as others.

The following are the 10 most ridiculous things that have happened in we two girl’s families during a wedding. (including our own).

1. The photographer for this wedding had been contracted for 4 hours for the ceremony through part of the reception and some formal photographs.  After showing up literally 5 minutes before the wedding party walked down the aisle, he took photos during the ceremony and then proceeded to spend another 1 1/2 hrs there taking pictures. The wedding party still had to get to the reception hall which was about 25 minutes away. He spent another hour taking pictures in the hall’s entryway which caused the Bride & Groom to be late to their own reception. He then threatened to leave without taking any pictures at the reception at all unless he was paid more money because his alloted time was used up. By the time the Bride and Groom actually sat down at their table to eat, most of the guests were getting ready to leave. So they begged people to stay for their first dance and cake cutting, which they ended up doing before they even ate dinner. To boot, there is not one full shot of the just the Bride & Groom in their dress & tux in all of the pictures he took.

2. Did I mention flowers? At this wedding the Bride had ordered her flowers and her future sister in law and mother in law were going to make the bridal party bouquets. An hour before the wedding when the Mother of the Bride asked the Maid of Honor where were the flowers, she remembered that the Best Man had them in his car. They were then brought  to the Mother of the Bride, in a bucket. still in their packages, not made into bouquets, with a bag of ribbon in rolls beside the bucket.  So… calmly… the Mother of the Bride took the flowers, and made all 5 wedding bouquets in less than 1/2 an hour. Amazingly, they looked great.

.white lilies and orchids

3.  One wedding ran out of food. Not sure how or why, but this caterer did not make enough food for the 150 guests that he knew would be attending. The buffet table was pretty much scraped clean by the first go around of guests. Since they had not prepared the proper amount of food in advance and saw what was happening, (and because the Mother of the Bride was throwing a screaming fit in the kitchen), the staff  were in a a bit of a tizzy. Eventually, they brought out a large platter of heated frozen fish sticks and a vegetable & cracker tray, which  I am assuming was all they could come up with on short notice.  So much for the carved roast beef and turkey they were supposed to have enough of.

4. At this particular wedding, the Bride and Groom were not in favor of serving any liquor. The Groom’s father had told some of his friends about this couple’s decision beforehand and they decided to remedy the situation. These friends brought with them in the largest car’s trunk, 3  massive sized coolers filled with beer, bourbon, scotch, an array of mixers and ice. At one point the Bride’s father asked the Groom’s father if he knew if there was any liquor to be had because in his words “What kind of Wedding has no liquor??”  He was quietly escorted down to the parking lot where he took one look at this car trunk and exclaimed that this was a great thing! So, all afternoon, whenever someone mentioned about being thirsty, or asked anyone if there was any liquor available, they were carefully whispered to, and gently escorted to the parking lot  ‘car bar’. The Bride and Groom were completely unaware of this ever happening until about 25 years later.

5. This particular event was to be held outdoors overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and then afterwards for an intimate backyard reception. That was the plan…. until the weather decided not to cooperate. We would like to say it rained, but that would not be accurate. It was a deluge… with rain sheeting sideways, coming down in buckets. After some moments of panic and disarray, family and friends came together to save the day. All the furniture was moved out of the Bride’s living room and stashed in every other room it would fit. Everything was moved inside to the living room and people were escorted from their cars to the house under beach umbrellas. Not quite the day that was planned for, but still there is something to be said for a small room filled with the people you care most about sharing your big day!

Gazebo black & white

6.  The rings are important!! The Ring Bearer had her pillow, the rings were tied and fastened to the pillow. She came down the aisle on cue.  When the officiant asked for the rings, the pillow was presented… however, there were no rings to be had!! Someone had taken them right off the pillow! So, the officiant asked for a loaner ring from the audience. Only 1 person was willing to part with their wedding ring to complete the service, but, only 1 ring was required. The service continued and the ring was returned. Though the original rings were never found and new rings were bought at a later date, still, the bride and groom are happily married to this day!

7. At one wedding the Bride’s bouquet was a long cascade of cymbidium orchids, white daisies and blue delphinium. The Bride actually wanted yellow gerbera daisies with brown centers with white daisies, but the Bride’s Mother in Law, who was paying for the flowers, didn’t like that choice and insisted that it would look chintzy. So, in an effort to not start a marriage off poorly, the Bride acquiesced to using the florist  and  the flower choices that her future Mother in Law insisted upon. The day of the wedding was a sweltering hot June afternoon…. and the a/c on the delivery truck broke down…and this was the last delivery of the day. About 10 minutes before the ceremony, 3 of the 6 orchids Mother In Law had demanded were in this bouquet, decided they didn’t like being in this bouquet anymore and promptly fell out. The Mother of the Bride, very calmly, picked the flowers up off the carpet, and carefully managed to get 2 of the 3 orchids back into the bouquet with none the wiser. Including the future Mother in Law. The daisies however, stood up quite marvelously and the Bride only stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Daisies & Orchids

8.  Note to self, always check the sound system. This wedding was progressing in a  surprisingly smooth fashion, given our families track record, until …. The Judge who was acting as officiant was about to ask the Bride and Groom the questions that have been asked through time immemorial to seal the deal. Someone, at that moment, in another room, not knowing the sound system was piped into ALL the rooms at the venue, decided to flip a particular wall switch.  Instead hearing  the Officiants voice, we heard a lively and contagiously happy commercial about traveling to the Bahama’s for a great vacation! The Maid of Honor, Bride, Groom and Best Man all looked confusedly at the judge and then raised their eyes to look at the ceiling where the disruption emanated from. Eventually someone thought to run and find the culprit to turn off the speakers in the ceremony room. The Judge then picked up without a hitch and remarked that as much as we’d love to take that vacation, there was this wedding at hand to be completed.

9. During the afternoon of this particular wedding, the Bride, Maid of Honor, Mother of the Groom and some of the Groomsmen were decorating the reception hall. The Maid of Honor and Mother of the Groom left around 2:00 pm to go to the hairdresser’s leaving the Bride at the reception hall. Supposedly the Groom was going to come and pick her up and take her there as well. Two hours later he never showed up. The Bride called her mother in tears, who quickly got one of the Groomsmen to bring her daughter home immediately. It was now 4:00 pm and the wedding was at 6:00 pm. Luckily, the Mother of the Bride had been a hairdresser at one time and managed to get her daughter’s hair, nails and makeup done in an hour.  After which she drove like a maniac to get  them both to the wedding on time, all the while hoping that the rest of the family would find their way on time as well. (There was an enormous traffic jam because of an outdoor concert being held 1 block away from the wedding venue.  Half the guests never made it to the ceremony location and the Mother of the bride actually drove on the sidewalk at one point to get past the stopped dead traffic).

10. Never give a kid a drink. At this particular wedding the kid in question was 15 but was 6′ tall and no one would have guessed he was under the legal drinking age of 18. Now this particular groomsman/15 year old swears to this day it was not the drink that made the following happen…he insists it was the wool suit he was wearing on a hot summer day and all the running around he did, doing everything his mother asked him to do. So, in the middle of the wedding ceremony… he fainted, went down sideways, like a bowling pin. Which caused him to knock into the groomsman next to him, which caused that groomsman to knock into the one next to him and so on eventually, knocking into the Father of the Bride and him into the 2 men who were standing there singing special prayers. When the Bride’s father knocked into one of the singers, he was in the middle of a note, which abruptly stopped, and you could hear him plain as day say… S**t!!

So, if during a consultation, you see either of us two girls politely smiling as the Bride To Be is describing every little planned detail, just know that inside, we two girls are quietly, alternately, laughing and praying that most of the planned things goes smoothly at this wedding.

Now go out and have yourself a PERFECT, wholesale flower-filled day.

 

Center of Attention Blues

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The Big Day! All the attention is focused on YOU! Any of us, secretly or overtly, likes to be the center of attention, at least once in awhile. (Although we have noticed there are some people that would be fine with that all the time!) Yes, we understand there was a lot of time spent planning and dreaming and then… it’s over, in an instant! But what does one do with  a case of the ‘post wedding let-down blues” ? How does  a newlywed couple who is feeling sad, cope with the fact that just a few weeks after the big event that was focused entirely on them, is now just looking at each other over a breakfast table, covered with a pile of thank you cards to fill out, and thinking, “I’m sad”!

Here are our thoughts on getting a grip, coping and the big picture:

1. YOU’RE NO LONGER THE CENTER OF ATTENTION

Yes, everyone outwardly swears an aversion to wedding planning.  Truth is, deep down, you actually liked most it. You were the Big Kahoona  and Queen for a day in a setting that focused solely on you. You were waited on, flattered beyond normal and applauded with gifts. And now? The doting crowd has moved on to the next big thing.

The remedy: Remember that this is temporary. Other things will happen that will steer the focus back to you both. Anniversaries, children, better jobs, etc. and then once more life will soon return to normal. Drama all the time gets old, so learn to enjoy the quiet time.

2. WHY DID BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION COST SO MUCH!!!

Debt is annoying, no matter how big or small the amount.  No one looks forward to a financial burden that could follow you into the next decade if you’re not careful.  So, if you have a large amount of wedding debt, after the big event is over you might wake up and wonder…what the heck happened? Did we really spend more than what we had saved so that our friends could drink the bar dry and toast us with that champagne we also paid for? 

The remedy: Do some financial planning and budgeting before the wedding. The most overwhelming thing about debt is not having any idea or plan on how you will pay it back!  Keep in mind, this was your choice to share your big day with everyone you care about and who cares about you. Now hopefully, you both are responsible and have decent jobs. Hopefully, together you can agree on an amount per month to pay the weddingpalooza off. That will create a bond that reminds you both why it was decided on a big wedding rather than running off to the Elvis Chapel in Vegas.

3. YOUR WEDDING  EXTRAVAGANZA DIDN’T MATCH YOUR EXPECTATIONS, (THOUGH BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION WAS PRETTY AWESOME)

So, the party’s over and you and your spouse are sitting around recounting all the things that didn’t go either as planned, expected, dreamed of, or just plain went awry. It could be as big as your outdoor expectations were rained out, to as minute a detail as, the ribbon on my wedding bouquet wasn’t ivory, it was champagne.  Though you both agree it was an amazing day, deep down you’re thinking… I really wish the flower girl and ring bearer had just behaved a little better while walking down the aisle, or that Mom didn’t burst into loud sobs every 5 seconds, or that the best man had not kept gawking your best friends single sister all night long.

The Remedy: Go into the bedroom and turn the lights down low.  Both of you look at each other. Wife, let the tears of disappointment run down your face and hug your new hubby. Conversely hubby, make sure your man-card is intact and don’t say anything you might be sorry for later, and comfort your wife.  Do this for exactly 2 minutes and then ask yourself the following questions:

ARE WE HAPPY? ARE WE GLAD WE’RE MARRIED? DID WE HAVE AN AWESOME TIME AT OUR WEDDINGPALOOZA?  If  the answers to those questions are a big fat yes, then you need to get a grip on your pity party and move on. Really. Let it go and embrace the fact that you, your family, your friends, and all your guests including the weird cousin on your wife’s side, to the middle aged uncle on your husband’s side who really needs to get past his Peter Pan complex had a great time.

Look at each other and admit it….We threw one heck of a fantastic wedding celebration!

In the end, you will always have things to laugh about, whine about, and wish you had done differently or exactly the same. Then there’s that yearly exercise in planning called an Anniversary. I know people that do those with a bang each year! (Heck, my parents are celebrating their 65th… that’s a lot of  parties!)  And I know people that simply share the moment with the realization that they still love each other as much as they did on that big day and are still the center of each other’s attention.

Untitled

Now got out and have yourself a pity free, center of attention, wholesale flower filled day!

Etiquette and Credit

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Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and a slew of other social media sites have the ability to show off a vendor’s work, ideas and designs. Most companies post different status updates concerning work they’re doing or recently have finished. The wedding industry is very big on this strategy because it gives event vendors the opportunity to show what we can do to a large audience. The positives are getting your company’s name out and giving people who might not have otherwise even known that  your company exists, a chance to see what you can do. It connects you with past, current, and future clients,  as well as, giving you, the vendor, the opportunity to toot your own horn a bit.

But… what to do if pictures or intellectual property that are yours are not being credited to you?  Or are posted to a different vendor’s page? It is not just social media etiquette that suggests one ALWAYS credit work to its proper source, it is a workplace ethic that has been around for a long time.  Forbe’s magazine noted in one of its blogs (http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2013/05/27/stand-up-for-yourself-when-someone-else-takes-credit-for-your-work ) that “one of the most important things you can do to protect your career and career advancement is to stand up for yourself when someone takes credit for your ideas or your work”.  I would say this does extend to social media as well.  If, a wedding photographer, or a floral and/or decor designer’s work is being shown on a venue’s facebook page there should always be, at the very least, a mention or link to whatever business supplied the items being shown.  If a client or user comments on that picture, it would only be fair to acknowledge the vendor whose work is being showcased.  A thank you is nice and polite, but does not give the vendor the credit that is due them.

Putting it simply, particularly on social media sites, if you are a venue or vendor, showcasing a photo of an event,  and that photo  includes another vendor’s work and not your own, let people know.

Taking credit for someone else’s work is tantamount to theft!

http://supernovamedia.ca/social-sharing-etiquette/

One  way we have found to remedy that situation is to include a logo on pictures that Brides N Blooms Designs  may post on either Facebook or Pinterest.  Understandably, sometimes that is not possible, especially  if a client or friend posted the picture that has your work in it.  I personally see nothing wrong as the vendor, going into the comment section and thanking that person for their review/comment. Keep this in mind as well, No photos should ever be posted of an impending event, prior to the hosts’ arrival! You may be REALLY excited about your work, but, hold off on posting it for everyone to see until the most important people see it live! It’s all about the drama of the moment, especially for the Bride and Groom, why spoil that for them. Why should “Mary in Portland” get to see the beautiful room before the actual bride in Florida? Joseph Grenny, said in a post on Forbes.com,  “ Manners will catch up with technology when the silent learn to speak”.  While it would be nice if people always did the right thing, a gentle reminder now and again isn’t a bad thing either. Now go and have yourself a polite wholesale fresh flower day!

Last Minute Headaches

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We two girls at Brides N Blooms like reading blogs. We like to find out how other vendors handle issues, and hear about some of the weddings they’ve done.  We also like to read blogs from ‘real’ people who are honest about  how their weddings or events turned out . We like reading how to do what we do better or see how others how averted a disaster.  As any florist, or vendor for that matter, will tell you….we all have our fair share of those situations.

I recently read a blog on the The Stir, where they were discussing the unexpected problems that crop up last minute at weddings or events and I got to thinking about that. This particular writer was talking about issues from the client’s perspective…but what about the vendors point of view? What did the vendor have to deal with in those situations? One unexpected issue mentioned went like this; “The florist’s (or another vendor’s) bill suddenly doubling overnight. Unexpected changes have caused brides to contend with last minute charges that came out of the blue. Talk about an instant headache!”

We would agree that is a headache…but having been on the other side of this coin, changes and extra charges do not “come out of the blue”.  They happen because there was a lack of communication and rechecking of one’s contract to make sure what you ordered is, in fact, what you actually expect to get and, then notifying whatever vendor this will affect. What I see happen often is our services are ordered months in advance of the event date. As time goes on, and different items are planned with other vendors, or the venue, counts change, items should be added. Without being vigilant about previously ordered items, and having a checklist, small details like counts and amounts get forgotten. Case in point, we recently had 2 different weddings that added last minute tables to their counts, after they’d contracted and paid for our services. Neither bride or their families relayed those changes to us at all.

For wedding #1 we ordered the contracted amount of items needed and prepared her designs.  When we showed up and counted the tables we noticed there was an extra one. Luckily for the bride it was only a small centerpiece that was unaccounted for.  After a quick discussion on whether to leave the table empty or not, we decided not to. So we ended up scrambling at the venue to find an extra vase and then creating a design for it on the fly. It didn’t really resemble the other centerpieces at all, but it was pretty and the table wasn’t bare. However, we were in touch with the bride 2 weeks prior and she never mentioned the extra table.

Suffice it to say, our motto is to never say no, so if it’s at all humanly possible we will make things as perfect as we can. We could have charged for that extra time and piece, but we didn’t.

Wedding #2, was a different case. We had a 2 day notice on that one. However, it was not because we were notified of any change.  The bride was supplying us the containers to use. Later, while unpacking all her items, we noticed a lot more containers than what we were contracted to make. We called and the bride told us the amount of tables she wanted us to do was 5 more than she had contracted for and they added those 2 weeks ago. The bill was paid in full, and it was too late to order more of the specialty items she wanted to fill those extra containers with in the way she had envisioned. We explained that we would use what we had,  just a little more sparingly but we would have to charge her for the extra work.  Again, we had been in contact with this bride within 2 weeks prior to her event. I can only assume it just didn’t cross her mind to check her contract to make sure she’d paid for the design work needed  for the tables she had and notify us of the additions. Also, when we met with her to pick up the items she had a small mishap and dropped one of her ceremony pots. She was in a panic, so calmly we suggested we go together to a local store where she could replace them with something else. That was time we were not paid for.  This bride also on the day of her wedding, out of the blue, asked for the petals for her flower girl, of  which there was no note for in her contract. Petals aren’t such a big deal really and we don’t charge for them when roses are already part of an order, but when there are little or no roses, then we have to go and get some! Which is time, last minute stress and expense we didn’t plan or charge for. In the end, her family let us know that her wedding was wonderful and thanked us for making everything so beautiful. Which is our ultimate goal!

We believe customer service is paramount and we want our clients to be happy and satisfied with our service. We always want them to know that we’ll go the extra mile for them. So when this blogger mentions the headache for the client, we’re thinking, it is just as much headache for the vendor.

I came across another blogger from the Bridal Guide who mentioned it being the bride’s responsibility to avert last minute problems by checking everything they’ve ordered against what they actually will need. This blogger suggested that the bride or event planner should follow this checklist concerning flowers:

“Timing. What time will your photographer arrive to take photos?  You’ll want to make sure your florist is aware of this timeline if you want photos with your flowers prior to your ceremony.

Location. Where do you want your bouquets & boutonnieres delivered?  Should they be brought to you at the chapel or spa?  Will all the men be getting ready at the same location or should the father of the bride’s boutonniere be delivered with bouquets?

Numbers. Are there any changes to the number of bouquets or centerpieces you’ll need?  If you don’t have an exact table count, then err on the side of too many pieces rather than too few.  They can always be repurposed elsewhere.

Extras. Does your caterer want flowers for garnishes or food stations?  These need to be ordered if you expect to have extra flowers!

Preceding. Do you need flowers for your rehearsal dinner?  If you haven’t arranged this yet your wedding florist may be the best person to assist with this since she/he already has a sense of your style.

If you have questions about how the flow of the day should go ask your florist to clarify delivery or design details.”

So, if something like a last minute charge happens, know it was not something a vendor will do out of the blue. It is something a vendor will do because they have to cover the cost of any unforeseen extras the client forgot to communicate about. As much as it is our responsibility as vendors to make sure we cover all the bases, communication and checking your contracts will prevent last minute headaches.

 Now go out and have yourself a wholesale, flower filled day!