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This too shall pass…

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Planning for an event is probably one of the most stressful times in anyone’s life, and most certainly some days are more of a trial than others. In all it is always handy to remember two things:

1. Everything does not always go as planned and this too shall pass.         2. There is always a silver lining and/or a reason, though we may not know what it is at the time.

In the scheme of pretty much all events and weddings, most hosts or brides really cannot (or do not) envision things not going the way they planned. There are some people who micro manage every little detail which makes their life wayyy more complicated. My personal feeling is if you cannot trust the vendors you are hiring to do their job to the best of their ability,  and as close to your vision as possible, then you will end up missing out on all the fun and anticipation of looking forward to your big event.

I’m here to tell you it is rare that a large event of any kind goes without a hiccup. At my wedding a groomsman fainted, and buckets of torrential rain fell from the sky, nixing my outdoor venue completely. We had a mad, last minute scramble to make things work inside.  At my daughter’s wedding, it seemed nothing went smoothly or as planned.  Beforehand, she ended up having only one hour to do her hair, nails, makeup and  get  dressed. Then along the way to her venue there was a huge traffic jam. So to say the least, it was an adventure in crazy mother driving and I’m still amazed we actually made it on time and without incident.

There will be times that family interferes more than you would like, Or friends tell you what they think and, no matter how accommodating you want to be, it just doesn’t feel right to you! There’s the occasional change of vendor because of various reasons and the stress of will I lose weight, gain weight, find the right dress or shoes, will I have enough money to pay for what I want, and of course, the big will everything be exactly as I dreamed it will be.

No matter what happens before and during your wedding/event you might want to keep an open mind and try not to hold on to the negative.  Everything that doesn’t go right, gets to be a story told and retold.  Sometimes the things that happen unexpectedly bring you closer together with family and friends. Sometimes they are excruciatingly funny, though not at the time, but looking back. (My brother to this day is still teased about his fall at my wedding and it actually has become a family ‘tradition’ to fall down at some time during a family wedding. )

No matter what… keep this in mind. Yes, it’s a big day and something long planned for, but in the scheme of things, it’s just one day, one event, one moment, in hopefully a long line of well lived and cherished moments. Let go and enjoy it.

Rained out wedding

Rained out wedding

Now go and have a much deserved wholesale flower filled day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PARTY IT FORWARD© A New Concept In Planning Your Event

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Co-hosted by Brides N Blooms, Wholesale & Designs and 1930 Grande Room

Co-hosted by Brides N Blooms, Wholesale & Designs and 1930 Grande Room

If you have not heard about Brides N Blooms, Wholesale & Designs Party It Forward@ A New Concept In Planning Your Event show then here’s your chance to read all about it! If you have… well then we do hope you will come out and join us for a great day!

Our company co-hosts this event with a different event location each time preferably with either lesser known hidden gems or up and coming venues. This time we are co-hosting with the very contemporary 1930 Grande Room.   http://granderoom.com

We are so excited about this location and this show. 1930 Grande Room is located in historic Ybor City, Tampa. Their address is easy to remember… 1930 east 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605. It is a very cool event venue with an industrial chic style and a great bar spanning the length of the room. Their secondary smaller area for cocktail hours and smaller events is located in the adjacent business next door. They are StoneChef Caterers, lead by the very talented Anthony Sanschagrin.   http://www.stonechef.com/

The show’s concept came about when Dorelle and I were discussing how after a big event is over there’s usually so many items that are left over like new and how daunting it can be for up and coming event hosts & brides to gather everything needed to make their event happen.  This includes the vendors, as well as the party items. Then after the big day is over everything you’ve had to purchase such as table decor, dresses, favors, etc.,  generally get shoved into a closet to gather dust.  Sometimes if a bride or past host is more industrious, they can get everything listed on craigslist and hope someone purchases it. We thought why couldn’t we combine those two ideas into one show. Hence our Party It Forward event show was born! A great way to meet the vendors you will need and have the chance to purchase items at discounted pricing that are like new.  All while giving  past hosts a chance to sell their beautiful party items and put some jingle back in their pocket! Reuse, Recycle… a big win in our book.

We hope you will ‘join’ and attend! Here is a link to the event on facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/532565216798856/?ref=ts&fref=ts

And while you’re visiting facebook, please ‘like’ our page: https://www.facebook.com/BridesnBloomsDesigns

In anticipation of this upcoming Party It Forward,  here’s a look at one of our previous shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dot_ps2mWk&hd=1

Hope you will come out and join us for a flower filled, Party It Forward Event day!

 

 

Random Thoughts…

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Every so often I have these thoughts…. You know the kind that makes you sit back and wonder if its you or if it’s the proverbial ‘them’. (I am still waiting to find out who exactly ‘them’ is…but that would be for another blog) Here are a few random thoughts and items that have occurred over the last few weeks:

1. If I really wish and try can I make my dog stop shedding?

2. Did someone actually ask me if I could make sure that if I order a particular flower it will be in the exact color that matches her dress and would I promise that it would not vary?

3. If I use the power of positive thinking hard enough can I make my hair stop turning grey?

4. Why is there a ‘national moldy cheese day’? Who thought that was something we needed to celebrate?

5. How is it that it takes 2 months to lose 5 lbs and 5 days to gain it back?

6. I am disappointed that I completely missed  ‘Talk Like A Pirate Day’…  I so would have answered my phone with a hearty ‘Arrggg’ that whole day!

Now, I’m well aware that we all have random thoughts that cross our minds… not sure about anyone else, but mine seem to do it at the most inopportune times. Like when I’m trying to concentrate on my work. Or when I’d really like to be falling asleep rather than having these ridiculous thoughts. I think its important to note that both Dorelle and I realize that we think a little outside the box much of the time, which comes in handy for design and flower choices… we do like to look at that as generally a positive attribute about us. I do occasionally wonder how much of that is a combination of a little bit of skill and our somewhat offbeat view of  the things. In any case… I’m okay with it and I believe our clients are too!

I recently saw this pic and I’m pretty sure that it is so for me… Dorelle’s pretty sure of it as well…

images

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now go out there, enjoy the humor in life’s random moments, and have a flower-filled day!

 

(photo courtesy of teleicious.tumblr.com)

A Bride Finds Money… Fairy Tales Can Come True

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What a great headline, right? It grabs you and you want to know more, don’t you? Who was she, where was she, how did she find it, where did she find it and what did she do with it.

As all good stories do, this one starts with… Once upon a time… there was a little bride. It seems that this particular bride had gone to multiple traditional florists, one by one, with all her photos and all her ideas, but the poor little bride kept getting sadder and sadder. Not one of them could make just what she wanted, for just the right price.

sad brideFinally, a friend of the little bride asked her if she had called Brides N Blooms, Wholesale and Designs, in Tampa.  She shook her head sadly and said that she had never heard of them.  Can she book an appointment? Can she show them all her photos and all her ideas? Would they be able make her dreams come true? Where were they located so she could go and find them!

No, her friend said, you can’t find their “shop”, because they don’t have one! But, they will meet you somewhere that is convenient for you. So, the sad little bride called Bride N Blooms, Wholesale & Designs at 813-852-2052 and booked an appointment.

Ellen & Dorelle met the hopeful little bride, smiled at her sweetly, and listened to her as she sadly recounted all the huge numbers that she had been quoted. They asked her quite simply, what was the most important aspect of her floral dream? And what price would make her the most happy?

Then the girls from Brides N Blooms, Wholesale and Designs got to work on the little bride’s quote. They cut a little here, added a little there and they worked and reworked, until it was just right!

When the little bride got her quote she was amazed… how could it be? It was less than the lowest quote she had gotten from all the others.  Ellen & Dorelle had said, “Brides N Blooms, Wholesale and Designs has the word Wholesale as our middle name, so, you get to save money on your flowers!  Plus, we don’t have a “shop” so you don’t have to help us pay for our overhead and best of all, we promise your flowers will be fresh from the farms and designed to shine in your arms.”

happy brideThe little bride was no longer sad, she was very happy. She found extra money to spend on her honeymoon, got her flowers just right and had everything she wanted for her big day!

Then she lived happily ever after.

The End!

*now* go have a happy, fairy tale flower filled day!

Lemons and Lemonade

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Last week we noticed something… sometimes, things happen and it just doesn’t seem that anything is going the way we planned.

We had a schedule full of exciting things we were going to be doing, both in our business and personal lives. One by one, like the proverbial dominoes, they fell. A long time scheduled item was cancelled last minute due to weather and something else for a family issue, then one item just wasn’t going to work because of a scheduling issue, another had an emergency pop up last minute. Now, usually when this sort of thing happens, the first one or two we think, oh just coincidence.  By the time the 3rd or 4th domino was down and left strewn by the wayside, we began to think…is it us? is it them? Is someone or something trying to tell us something? Why is it raining lemons on our parade?? We began to say to each other there just HAS to be a reason why everything is just falling apart!? And after exploring any number of exotic reasons and wildly guessing at what the universe’s plans could be, we move on to how do we make the best of a crummy situation?

One of those events involved not just us, but a number of vendors, (though as it turned out it is not cancelled, just postponed, much to our relief)  So here we are… buckets full of flowers…what do we do with them all!!? Luckily, we were able to schedule one thing that we could use a small amount of them for. But, what to do with all the rest? (and there were plenty, indeed!)

And then Dorelle who, as usual, is the ‘idea girl’, finds the coolest ways to give charity. She had come across an organization awhile back called “Random Acts Of Flowers”. So, as she has been doing of late whenever we have a few flowers leftover, or designs that were used for a show and returned, all still beautifully fresh, she takes them and donates them to a local home for the aged. They love whenever she shows up with flowers in hand and we love knowing that someone is able to enjoy them. (Not that we ourselves would not, but we get to see fresh flowers all the time!). So off she went… with buckets to give!

In the end, we were reimbursed for the flowers by the company that had postponed their event, and though we offered the flowers to them to keep, they declined. I like to think the universe was wanting those flowers to be used exactly as they were, thanking us for being charitable and bringing some sunshine to others. As for all our personal plans, well… eventually we’ll get it together and try again, or maybe… we’ll just make some lemonade.

make-lemonade

 

 

 

 

http://www.randomactsofflowers.org/

Now, go make some lemonade and have yourself a flower filled day!

Ellen & Dorelle

 

 

Time to order the flowers…A bride’s dilemma

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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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