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Re-Cap of The Bridal Bouquet & Pricing Workshop

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The Bridal Bouquet & Pricing Workshop happened this past Saturday in downtown Seattle. Wow, what a FANTASTIC day it was!
The day started with a morning session taught by Debra Prinzing, Seasonal Spring Floral Design. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Debra speak about Seasonal Flowers, Care & Handling, and Eco-friendly design techniques. I’ve been in the floral industry for 15 years now, yet I learn something new every time I hear someone else speak. Did you know that Curly Willow has antiseptic qualities, therefor it keeps the water in the vase cleaner and prolongs the life of flowers?? Debra demonstrated how to create a centerpiece using Chicken Wire as the grid, then the students created their centerpieces — great fun working with everyone while they tried their hands at this design technique.

In the afternoon I lead the workshop The Bridal Bouquet & Pricing Workshop. This was my second time teaching this class and I find it quite interesting & informative. The session starts with me sharing how to design a European hand-tied bouquet, with flower handling tips. Next all the students created their bridal bouquets — room full of gorgeous bouquets!! After all the bouquets are finished and wrapped it is time for White Board filled with flower pricing to be revealed and as a group we write out our worksheets and calculate the pricing of each bouquet. Always a great conversation about pricing, seasonality, and flower types ensues when we calculate out the final price of each bouquet.

BTW – all the gorgeous flowers you are seeing in these photos are from Florabundance Wholesale. Can I just tell all of you that I was absolutely thrilled with all the flowers I received?! I spoke with Debbie about what flowers I might like to have for the workshop, but in the end told her – I’d like to have all American Grown Flowers and in season flowers, feel free to surprise me! (the beauty of workshops is we can be surprised, obviously can’t do that with wedding orders). The Coral Charm Peonies were out of this world, the Ranunculus were perfect, the garden roses from Rose Story farm had a scent that just filled the air, scented geranium which paired perfectly with the flowers, and the Lilacs?! Lilacs were insanely perfect. Topped off with my favorite Clematis. Thrilled. Absolutely thrilled.

BTW – Debra’s latest Podcast is an interview with Joost Bongaerts, owner of Florabundance. I highly recommend listening to Debra’s weekly Podcasts with various people in the floral industry (I was interviewed last fall) as they are all so interesting! Listen to Debra & Joost’s conversation here.

Now enough of me blabbing .. time to share the PRETTY!!

Flirty Fleurs - The Bridal Bouquet & Pricing Workshop - Seattle, Washington

Flirty Fleurs Floral Design Workshop, bouquet designed by Mary Ann Mary Ann Nguyen, Bridal bouquet of Coral Charm Peonies, White Garden Roses, Lilacs, Maiden Hair Fern

Designed by Mary Ann Nguyen

Flirty Fleurs Floral Design Workshop, Bouquet designed by Shawn Chamberlain, Bridal bouquet of Coral Charm Peonies, Viburnum, White Garden Roses, Dusty Miller, Scented Geranium, Mint.

Bouquet designed by Shawn Chamberlain

Flirty Fleurs Floral Design Workshop, Bouquet by Lisa Krauter, European Hand-tied bridal bouquet of coral charm peonies, purple clematis, anemones, white garden roses, cymbidium orchids, lilacs, scented geranium

Bouquet by Lisa Krauter

Flirty Fleurs Floral Design Workshop, Bridal bouquet of coral charm peonies, green viburnum, white garden roses, lilacs, dusty miller and clematis

Flirty Fleurs Floral Design Workshop, Bridal bouquet of coral charm peonies, green viburnum, white garden roses, lilacs, dusty miller and clematis, panda anemones

Florabundance, Purple Sweet Peas

Sweet Peas

Rose Story Farm White Garden Roses

Garden Roses from Rose Story Farm. Just last week I was reading about Rose Story Farm on Debra’s Blog, this week I receive roses from the farm!

Florabundance Wholesale - Purple Lilacs

Purple Lilacs

Florabundance Wholesale - Cut Clematis

Clematis

Florabundance Wholesale - Mint, Green & White Parrot Tulips, Purple SweetPeas, Burgundy Ranunculus, Panda Anemones, Dusty Miller and Green Cymbidium Orchids

Mint, Green & White Parrot Tulips, Purple SweetPeas, Burgundy Ranunculus, Panda Anemones, Dusty Miller and Green Cymbidium Orchids

Florabundance Wholesale - Panda Anemones, Black and White Anemones

Anemones

Florabundance - Mint

Mint

Florabundance Coral Charm Peonies

Coral Charm Peonies

Florabundance Coral Charm Peonies

Coral Charm Peonies

Fresh Cut Flowers from Florabundance - Viburnum, Liliacs, Ranunculus, Mint, Sweetpeas, Anemones

Viburnum, Liliacs, Ranunculus, Mint, Sweetpeas, Anemones

Florabundance Wholesale - Lilacs, Clematis and Viburnum

Lilacs, Clematis and Viburnum

Florabundance Maiden Hair Fern

Maiden Hair Fern

Florabundance Green Viburnum and Purple Clematis

Clematis and Viburnum

Florabundance Burgundy Ranunculus

Burgundy Ranunculus


Why no one’s reading your blog and it doesn’t matter by Alison Ellis

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Social media. Ugh. Am I right? Or am I right?

I blog, therefore I am. If you have a design business and a website with a blog and a Facebook page you understand the ongoing pressure to not only create beautiful work, but write beautifully about it. Quite frankly, it’s exhausting. And it’s a lot of pressure. And on top of that it feels like no one is even reading it anyway!

You can put out some of your best work, your most unique creations and highest quality images and still hear a pin drop.

There are endless hours you can spend on social media and you can be left wondering “why”. Well, that’s a good question and depending on who you ask you will get different answers.

The big guys who blog as an occupation will say that you should blog several times a week. Several times. Each week. To that I say hogwash.

Here’s the truth: You are not Style Me Pretty and you will never be Style Me Pretty. (Sorry if that bursts your bubble, but I bet you kinda know that already.) If you are operating a full-service floral shop or a boutique wedding design business you would need to hire a full-time employee to keep your social media up to snuff (i.e. posting multiple times a day on Facebook, re-tweeting crucial links and “news”, responding to comments on Instagram and updating the blog).

Unless your blog generates money it’s not worth putting excessive energy towards or making yourself crazy to create content. If you want to have a successful web presence without dedicating staff to the task (which by the way is complicated in itself because he/she has to fully understand your “voice” and the point of view of your business) then here are some tips you can start following right now:
First of all, be real. Instead of contrived status updates and blog posts share photos of what you’re doing in your biz right now. Simple photos of a flower that you’re excited about today can generate more “likes” than grandiose statements about your “huge event this weekend”.

Second, be generous with your knowledge. Help people. For free. Sounds crazy, I know, but that’s what a blog is at its heart. It’s also an opportunity to brag and promote your work, but it’s more interesting to create useful content as well.

Thirdly and most importantly, talk to you customer and no one else. If you’re not looking to sell prom flowers don’t blog about prom trends just because its prom season. If you’re selling upscale wedding designs talk only about the topics that interest upscale wedding clients. It’s simple, yet genius. And frankly, kind of freeing. You cannot be all things to all people. Focus on the people you want to be YOUR people. Not everyone will agree with you or like your style. (But I bet you kinda know that already, too.)

How do you handle your social media presence? What are some of the tips you’ve picked up along the way that have helped you either feel freer or reach more people? Tell us about it in the comments!

Thank you, Alison, for this article! I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said here.
Alison is the owner/designer at Floral Artistry in Vermont.

Wedding Wednesday :: Lilacs!

Q&A :: oh, those humorous employees…

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The Question:
We all need a little humor in this business!!
Tell us something funny, ridiculous, or crazy that one of your employees has said.
For instance, I once had an employee complain that she was tired of designing pretty arrangements…

The Answers:
I was in the middle of a very intense and quick set-up for a wedding and one of my crew disappeared. We only had a hour to get the room set so I was a little freaked when I noticed the jobs I had tasked her with had not been done. About 20 minutes after she vaporized she reappeared. When I asked her where she had gone she told me, “I went to my car because it was time for my break.” What? There is no crying in baseball and there are no breaks during one hour wedding set-ups. I suggested a more permanent break might be more to her liking.
Shannon, Flourish, California

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A coworker on the phone kept asking “who is the diseased?” we said Liz, it is “who is the deceased” … the call continued properly.
Anonymous

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I had a very large wedding and my family was helping me deliver. The wedding was in a hotel and a stage was set up for the ceremony. On the stage was a rug to help hide the stage. My mother and I, as well as the bride’s father was there and my mother commented: ” well with all the money they are spending on this wedding you think they could have chosen a nicer rug to put out on the stage.” The father replied ” well this rug is a family heirloom and has special meaning.” Needless to say I was speechless and embarrassed. Afterwards I had a long talk with my family to say we love everything a clients chooses because they give us money!!!!
Bill, WH Designs, Colorado

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As far as funny things said by an employee, I can only think about the afternoon that one of my gals was telling me about her 2 twin boys and how it was a problem teaching them to use the toilet. They weren’t quite tall enough to make it into the toilet bowl while standing, and then she told us if they sit down, they tend to pee over the edge of the toilet. She was a little more graphic in her description here. There were 3 of us working and we laughed so hard we cried. That conversation still brings a smile to my face and I chuckle. I love these moments!
Melody, Fleurish Floral Designs, California

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

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Fleur Friday

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The Village Green Florist, Red peony bouquet with scabiosa pods and succulents

The Village Green Florist

How pretty is this Red peony bouquet by The Village Green Florist?!
Love it!

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Did you hear the news that Debra Prinzing’s new and information packed website – Slow Flowers – went live this week? Slow Flowers is a nationwide online directory to florists, shops, and studios who design with American-grown flowers. Be sure to check it out:
http://slowflowers.com

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Also, do you have a question you’d like to ask for an upcoming Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

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And to all of you our there who are doing orders for Mother’s Day – may the force be with you! Rock it out today, Saturday and Sunday!
I’ve had the pleasure of freelancing for Brittany’s Flowers here in Washington all week. Always fun to spend some time in a shop atmosphere, designing tons of arrangements and watching the deliveries go out the door.
Here’s one of the sweet little cube designs:

Brittany Flowers, flower arrangement with pink peonies and roses, white lilac, green hydrangea

Brittany Flowers

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Wishing you all a great weekend. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there! .. and … Happy Birthday to me! :)
(maybe I’ll make myself a little lilac packed flower arrangement to celebrate ;) )

Designing with Resendiz Brothers Proteas

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What happens when three different floral designers, in three different states receive the same box of Proteas and other floral goodies from Resendiz Brothers?! Completely different styles of designs – that’s what happens! I found it rather interesting to see how much the creations differ in style and composition. Laurie designed bridal bouquets, Carmel added in other flowers, including roses, to give a different look to her flower arrangements, and I kept it simple and went for yellow/orange and omitted the pinks we had received.
The designers involved are Carmel from Mt. Lebanon Floral Shop – Pennsylvania, Laurie from Fleurie – California and myself, Bella Fiori – Washington

First, I’ll share what we all received:

Flirty Fleurs - Resendiz Brother Proteas - Leucospermum 'Pincushion' - Gueinzii, Flame Giant, High Gold and Spider Leucadendron Gold Strike Berzelia Lanigunosa

Leucospermum ‘Pincushion’ – Gueinzii, Flame Giant, High Gold and Spider
Leucadendron Gold Strike
Berzelia Lanigunosa

Resendiz Brothers Protea - Protea King Leptospermum Rotundifolia 'Blue' Waxflower

Protea King
Leptospermum Rotundifolia ‘Blue’
Waxflower

Flirty Fleurs - Berzillia Berries

Berzelia Lanigunosa

Flirty Fleurs, Yellow Pincushion Protea

Leucospermum ‘Pincushion’ – High Gold

Flirty Fleurs - Orange Pincushion Proteas

Leucospermum ‘Pincushion’ – Flame Giant

And now for what we designed:

First, my simple design — orange and yellow pincushions with the berzillia and some greenery out of my back yard:

Bella Fiori, Yellow and Orange Pincushion proteas, berzillia berries and greenery

Bella Fiori

Bella Fiori - Resendiz Brother Proteas

Bella Fiori – Leucospermum ‘Pincushion’ – Gueinzii, Flame Giant, High Gold and Spider
Leucadendron Gold Strike
Berzelia Lanigunosa

Laurie designed a fabulous cascading bouquet of Proteas and pincushions – how cool is it to do a cascade bouquet?? So different and unexpected:

Fleurie Florals of Reedley, California, Cascading bridal bouquet of pincushion proteas, berzillia berries

Fleurie
Cascading bouquet of Proteas

and a gorgeous floral halo:

Fleurie - Floral halo of pincushion proteas, poppy pods, berzillia berries

Fleurie

And now check out what Carmel designed! Such great variety in designs!!

Mt Lebanon Floral Design, Flower arrangement with proteas, pincushions

Mt Lebanon Floral Design

Mt Lebanon Floral Design, Bridal bouquet with dusty pink roses, proteas, pincushions and berzillia berries

Mt Lebanon Floral Design

Mt Lebanon Floral Design, flower arrangement with oranges, feathers, cymbidium orchids, proteas

Mt Lebanon Floral Design

Mt Lebanon Floral Design, Flower Halo

Mt Lebanon Floral Design

Mt Lebanon Floral Design, floral arrangement with Resendiz Brother proteas, cymbidium orchids and roses

Mt Lebanon Floral Design

For more information on Proteas and other floral goodies, be sure to check out Resendiz Brothers’ Website:
http://www.resendizbrothers.com

10 Flower Farms to follow on Instagram

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Looking for some floral eye-candy on Instagram? Be sure to add these 10 floral farms to your follow list – they are always posting gorgeous and inspiring flowers!
{Click on the image and it will take you to their Instagram page}

bare mountain flower farm oregon

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bathtub gardens in british columbia

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ella rose farm california

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erika's fresh flowers in oregon

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lynn vale studios vigrinia flower farm

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pierpont blossom farm on instagram

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rose story farm santa barbara california

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rose hill flower farm oregon

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washington's triple wren flower farmers

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verbena florist on instagram

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BTW .. I figure you are already following the two best known {and absolutely amazing} flower farmers Floret Flower Farm & Love ‘n Fresh on Instagram, but in case you are not … be sure to follow them!

floret flower farm washington

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Love N Fresh Flower Farm

Wedding Wednesday :: Gloriosa Lilies


Q&A :: Advice for a new business

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The Question:

I am a very new florist doing western style arrangements in Beijing, China. I am just now starting a small business after a few years on and off as a retail assistant in flower shops in Australia, some freelance work, and a Floral diploma course in Hong Kong. The reason I am starting my own business is that I find myself in Beijing for my husband’s work and unable to work in my own right (visa problems – I can’t get a job but ironically I can start a business!). But there isn’t really a florist industry to be mentored under here in China.

Anyway, to cut it short I am basically on my own out here and feel very inexperienced. Good news though is that there is a lot of interest in my services. I was recently contacted by a UK bride getting married in Beijing later this year. My questions to experts out there is:

- what are the key things to consider when preparing a wedding quote? I.e. questions to ask the bride and groom? etc
- what do you know now but wish you were told/knew then about those first few events you did?

Thanks in advance

Lyndal, Beijing, China

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The Answers:

In preparing a wedding quote: Details are always a good thing in estimates for both the bride and for your reference . Making sure both of you are on the same page is so important…vital. It is also a protection for yourself. What her vision is, look at her fabric swatches to make sure the color she describes and what you think are the same. Finding out exactly what she does not like is important as well.
I wish I would have…relaxed more , took time to breathe and enjoy. With age and experience I have been able to do this more.
Kris from KRISanthemums, Oregon

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(1) WEDDING QUOTES: I have a form that I work through during the consult that takes us through the various personal flower needs, ceremony décor, and reception items. But before I even get into a meeting with the client, I ask for the following: Event Date and Time, Location, Budget Range for floral and decor, Size of Wedding Party, Number of Guests, and any pictures or Pinterest boards that will give me an idea of their style and theme for the wedding. I put this data with a few pics into a “design board” word document, that I print out for us to all look at during the session. It is a little pre-work…takes me maybe 30 minutes to prepare. But I find it highly effective in helping to keep the inspiration for the design front and center and it shows that bride that I am extra organized. The other things I bring to the meeting are access to online flower catalogs. I like: http://www.cutflower.com/pages/cutflower_wholesale_flower_gallery_search.asp. I also have been known to run a quick google search to show a bride the close-up of a flower. I also have my rentals catalogue showing my inventory of vases, lanterns, candelabras, candlesticks, candles, etc. After the meeting I do prepare a detail proposal that includes price ranges and options. It is most important to promptly respond to request, show your organizational and creative skills, and be personable! This leads to a high close rate and very satisfied brides!

(2) WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE MY FIRST FEW EVENTS: What can go wrong, will go wrong! I used to joke that there always seemed to be something…I forgot the bouts in the frig, the wind was too strong to use the vase I planned, the venue didn’t have a ladder I could use, I was sick, the wrong rose came in, a piece of my order was missing or got stuck in customs…I could go on and on. The thing is you have to stay calm in the face adversity. There is always a solution, especially if you plan your timelines well. Order the flowers to come into your studio a day or two earlier than you really need them. Plan to show up to the event an hour or two before you need too. Have a packing/delivery checklist. Don’t stress out if in the end you have to spray a flower to modify the color (not my personal first choice…but sometimes you just have to do it!). Call the venue a few days before so you know who is there coordinating and ask for things you may need them to provide.
Andrea Layne Floral Design, Florida

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This is a much more difficult question to answer, but there are some basics: get an idea of your fixed expenses and get a good price list of product. Consider your labor, advertising, help, hard product, etc. and figure out how much you need to make to cover your expenses and make a profit. Use a mark-up number (300% or 400%, for example) to get your pricing. Don’t forget to include a fee for your delivery and set-up time. Consider investing in rentals as a profit center. There is a great new product called Lobiloo that can help you figure out estimates with per stem pricing and it generates your order list for you. This is a brand new on-line software product (www.lobiloo.com) that might be just what you need and it can be customized.

A lot of this is hit and miss in the beginning, but don’t sell yourself short and make sure you charge enough to compensate you for your time throughout the process.
Melody from Fleurish Floral Designs, California

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Do you have a question you’d like to ask for a Q&A session? Email it to me at: info@flirtyfleurs.com

Fleur Friday

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London!

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Special post this Sunday to announce I will be flying to London, England this week to attend the RHS Chelsea Flower Show!!

I’ve wanted to attend Chelsea for the past 15 years, but never was able to because I always had weddings scheduled at the time. This year I am free, and I’m jumping on a plane and going to London!

That being said – if you are in London, or will be attending Chelsea, and would like to visit let me know. I will be attending Chelsea all day Friday. (all Thursday tickets were already sold out when I tried to get one).

Chelsea Flower Show

PS – Since I’ll be in London this week, all posts on Flirty Fleurs will be focused on England!

Fabulous Florist :: Jay Archer Floral Design, England

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Jay Archer Floral Design, Centerpiece with yellow and red poppies, craspedia, golden yellow roses

Jay Archer Floral Design, autumn inspired bouquet with chocolate cosmos, montbretia, pink garden roses

Your name: Jay Archer
Your Business name: Jay Archer Floral Design
Your Location: Hampshire, England, UK covering London, the South East up to the Cotswolds- and beyond!

Jay Archer Floral Design, bridal bouquet of orange dahlias, chocolate cosmos, pink cosmos, clematis, viburnum

Jay Archer Floral Design, reception centerpiece, tall arrangement of hydrangeas, pink and lavender roses, eucalyptus

How did you start your business?
I remember feeling a bit lost when I was about 18/19 so I signed up to loads of courses, one being floristry and one being a life coaching course. The latter wasn’t what I thought it would be and was all a bit ‘out there’ but one thing did resonate with me, and that was to make your ‘someday island’ happen- essentially, it means making your dreams reality. I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do, but knew I didn’t want to work in offices forever more, nor did I like being bossed about! The floristry course clicked with me, and I realised I already knew heaps about flowers, thanks to my Grandparents and an appreciation of the natural world. I’ve always been creative, but never found the right channel for it. I didn’t enjoy college- the courses were too stiff, too old fashioned so after learning the basics- like wire work- I taught myself using foraged and home grown flowers.
I moved nearer to London from the West Midlands for better opportunities, and met my soon-to-be husband who encouraged me to go for it. Friends started asking me to do flowers and before I knew it I was promoting myself as a wedding florist. I get such satisfaction from my job, of helping clients realise their vision on the most important day of their lives. And I am the boss of me!

Jay Archer Floral Design, Herb boutonniere

Jay Archer Floral Design, centerpiece with mums, ranunculus, anemones and eucalyptus

How many years have you been in business?
This will be my 3rd official year, but I did my first wedding in 2010. I got serious in 2011 and have been going at it ever since!

Jay Archer Floral Design, cascading bouquet

What is your design aesthetic?
I like wild looking flowers- the petals can’t be too perfect, I like it if they’re a bit weather-worn and mottled. I cram in a bazillion textures too, and scents. I don’t like creating ‘shapes’- no domes, or anything too compact. I study and try to understand the individual flowers and let their stems and growing direction dictate the finished aesthetic. I try not to pigeon hole myself into ‘vintage’ or ‘country’ style flowers… English romantic?!

Jay Archer Floral Design, floral arrangement of white hydrangeas, white larkspur, pink roses, scabiosa, eucalyptus

How do you create your style and where do you draw your inspiration?
I just go with it and see what pops up on the day, taking into consideration the clients preferences of course. I am lucky that people who come to me are the types of people I want to work with, and don’t try and micro-manage or change my style. I often get a very loose brief, which is how I prefer it.
I draw inspiration from landscapes, seasonality of flowers and my suppliers- one supplier grows certain varieties of foliage that are only available to JAFD which is really exciting.
I try to avoid social media as much as I can, or looking/ following other peoples work that is as I find it holts creativity and breeds inferiority.

Jay Archer Floral Design, Copper pot filled with flowers

What are the trends, flowers & colors that are unique to your region?
The ‘English country garden’ aesthetic! Clients who come to me what something different from traditional wedding flowers, something looser and more carefree. Most of my weddings are colourful, and we use only seasonal flowers- homegrown sweet peas, sunflowers and herbs in summer, Cornish grown ranunculus, narcissi and tulips in spring and so on. Not to say we don’t add other things, but our work is dictated by seasonal, fresh English blooms.

Jay Archer Floral Design, tall centerpiece at a reception with pink and burgundy and pink flowers

Are you a retail shop, studio/warehouse or home based?
Home-based workshop.

Jay Archer Floral Design, Bridal bouquet of white, pink and grey flowers

Do you offer any services in addition to floral designs?
On the day styling, prop sourcing and generally supplier/ planning guidance but that’s all part of the JAFD service, as standard.

Jay Archer Floral Design, Bridal bouquet with white muscari, sweet peas, lily of the valley, pink ranunculus, hellebores wrapped with pink ribbon

What tool in your toolbox can’t you live without?
HA! My Tasmanian devil PEZ dispenser- my other half bought it for me as a pick me up when I am tired but it has since ran out of sweets, and just reminds me of him, my aspirations and brings a smile to my face.
Also, Body Shop Hemp handcream, chicken wire and scissors. Obvs.

Jay Archer Floral Design

What’s your favourite flower?
Undoubtedly the humble sweet pea. To me, it’s that late-summer garden heady scent like no other. Roses and peonies are predictable and overrated in my opinion, but the sweet pea is unexpected, charming, characterful and cute, even when it loses its petals. I also like red amaranthus, my home-grown café au lait dahlias and sunflowers- they make me smile.

Jay Archer Floral Design, Centerpiece made with birch poles which hold an elevated floral arrangement of green and white flowers

Anything else you’d like to share with Flirty Fleurs followers?
Make your ‘someday island’ a reality… what’s really stopping you?! I set up a business without savings (or loans) and with sheer bloody-mindedness and determination. And now I am living the dream. Do it, don’t wait for tomorrow.

Jay Archer Floral Design, Tall centerpiece with white, peach and orange flowers

Your contact information:
Jay Archer Floral Design
http://www.jayarcherfloraldesign.com/
https://www.facebook.com/JayArcherFloralDesigns
https://twitter.com/jayarcherBlooms
http://www.pinterest.com/jayarcher/

Jay Archer Floral Design, multi colored bridal bouquet

Jay Archer Floral Design, Wreath centerpiece with pink and white flowers surrounding a candle

Jay Archer Floral Design, Wedding ceremony arch with draping greenery, pink roses, nerines, larkspur, clematis

10 Brits to Follow on Instagram

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Looking for some floral eye-candy on Instagram? Be sure to add these 10 floral geniuses in England to your follow list – they are always posting gorgeous and inspiring flowers!
{Click on the image and it will take you to their Instagram page}

Nikki Tibbles - Wild at Heart

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Joseph Massie on Instagram

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The Blue Carrot on Instagram

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ollie rose and blu on instagram

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Paula Pryke on Instagram

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Flowerona on instagram

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By appointment only design on instagram

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robbie honey on instagram

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Jay Archer Floral Design on Instagram

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Peonies & Posies on Instagram

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Wedding Wednesday :: The Charity Rose

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How romantic and lovely are David Austin’s Charity ( formerly known as Auswasher) Garden Roses? “Large Rosettes of pale pink with peach overtones open fully. The quartered form of the rose often reflects back to give it a millinery look. There is a prominent spring green stamen that adds interest to this delicate colored rose. There is a strong rose fragrance that makes it a popular wedding and event rose. ” from David Austin Website.
I will admit that for many years I thought its name was Auswater as that was the name I had seen in writing so many times. Upon visiting David Austin’s website I realize its original name was actually Auswasher.

David Austin Charity - Auswater pale pink garden rose with a green center

David Austin Charity (previously known as Auswasher) garden rose from Mayesh

Naomi de Manana for Martha Stewart, Cascading bridal bouquet of white clematis, auswasher pink garden roses and white dahlias

Naomi de Manana for Martha Stewart

David Austin Charity Rose, a pale pink garden rose with a green center

Throwback Thursday – Constance Spry


Fleur Friday

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If you’ve noticed a theme in the blog posts this week (they’ve all been tied to England) it’s because I’m in England this week.
Today is the big day – the day I attend Chelsea Flower Show!
I’ve wanted to attend RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the past 15 years and this year the stars aligned and here I am.

I will be posting on the blog about my London adventures after I return home and sort through numerous photographs. For now you can follow along via Instagram:
http://instagram.com/flirtyfleurs

So for now, here is a glimpse of Chelsea Flower Show from the past….

allium display

PS – if you have any suggestions for other flower oriented things I should see, please do leave a comment. I will be in London for a few more days.

Special Announcement – Boutonniere & Corsage Class – June 7th, 2014

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A Hands-On Design Workshop with Alicia Schwede
{owner of Bella Fiori & editor of Flirty Fleurs}
Saturday, June 7th (10am to Noon)
Would you like to learn more about designing Corsages & Boutonnieres?
Then join us for this 2 hour hands-on class where we will focus on wiring and gluing techniques!! We will practice wiring a variety of flowers and use various finishing techniques on boutonnieres. Corsages – we will work on Pin-ons and Wristlet corsages for a variety of looks.

All instruction, fresh flowers and hard goods are included, please bring your own clippers.
Investment: $175.00 per person
Location: Arlington, Washington (Address & Directions will be sent upon confirmed registration)

Sign up Here

Bella Fiori - Pink Ribbon wristlet corsage

Ribbon Wrist Corsage

Happy Memorial Day!

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Happy Memorial Day!

Celebrate and Honor our troops today and every other day.

Red Charm Peony, Blue Delphinium and White Alabaster Garden Rose

Educating your Customer with Alison Ellis

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Real wedding experts know that the only way to plan a wedding on a tight budget is to keep it small. Small guest list, small wedding party. But that would be a short read, wouldn’t it? Keep it tight and light. Fin.

The most recycled wedding topic has got to be tips on “how to save money on your wedding”. These articles reference the same concepts over and over again…a DJ is cheaper than a band, but hey, skip the DJ because you have an i-pod; forget the filet and offer a pasta station because people love to travel across the country for noodles; have your BFF take the photos since she has a good camera; use candles instead of flowers…it’ll be romantic.

Flowers get picked on a lot. As floral designers we get prickly about these “cut your floral budget” posts. We get fuming mad at this budget advice not because it hurts our bottom-line, but because the tips are misleading and usually inaccurate.

Let’s start with the basic premise: Cut your budget. Compared to what? What are we saving exactly? We need a frame of reference.

The same centerpiece “design” is suggested every time. When florists see the predictable trio of pillar candles and a mirrored base (aka the telltale sign of a “budget centerpiece”) we don’t see savings, we see bad taste.

Couples don’t realize that the truth is it can easily cost $125 for 3 pillar candles in vases and a few smaller vases of flowers (minus the mirror!). So if a beautiful floral centerpiece with peonies, hydrangea & roses costs $125, then you have a savings of $0 for that candle-mirror-scrawny-flower piece.

In real life a professional florist can make you a beautiful centerpiece for the same price OR quite possibly less. Depending on your flower choices you can probably order floral centerpieces for as little as $75. One is sure to find a florist who can work with you for even less than that, but variety and stem-count will come into play.

So what can we do about this misinformation that countless news magazines and blogs are dispersing on what seems like a weekly basis? Well, I think there are several things.

First, be pros. We need to educate our customers on the true cost of our work. We must be willing to tell potential clients the truth about what we charge for our designs vs. what candles really cost (aka they ain’t cheap) and show them how we create an atmosphere they’ll be proud of.

Second, be unruffled by these budget tips because for the most part these articles don’t appeal to our ideal customers. Couples who know that flowers are an important part of the wedding day are who we want to attract. Someone that inquires about candles instead of flowers is probably not going to have a big flower budget in the first place. Do we really want to convince someone that they want to work with us? No way. We want them to come to us willingly, with open arms and trusting hearts & minds. They have to want it.

Third, don’t hate. It can be time consuming & insulting to your ego when someone cannot commit funds to their floral budget, but we don’t have to bash the consumer who’s hoping to save a buck. If votives on the tables are the plan, perhaps there is a reasonable budget for bouquets and if you don’t require a minimum, then go forth and conquer. Hit it out of the park for these price points when you can. If they forgo centerpiece flowers so the bouquets can be killer, then fine. Of course, as many of you have experienced just because a wedding is “smaller” doesn’t mean the client is less demanding or that it’s not an important order or that it doesn’t require the same amount of time spent answering questions & updating proposals so if smaller budgets don’t fit your business model that is totally understandable. Be kind and refer them to another shop.

One exception to this rule: it’s OK to hate if a bride skimps on flowers and you find out she has $2,000 Jimmy Choo’s and a super elaborate candy bar display. Then, hate away my friend. Also, wedding planners who suggest non-floral centerpieces…it’s OK to hate on them a little bit, too.

Lastly, don’t contribute when the media asks you for a quote on cutting the floral budget. This may feel like you are passing up an opportunity for exposure, but if you consider the association it’s not necessarily in your best interest. Your hair stylist doesn’t offer free tips on how to highlight your own hair does she?

I’m sure many of you are nodding your head in agreement and others are shrugging with skepticism about being gracious in the face of a downright attack on our livelihood. Higher-end wedding focused businesses experience fewer “budget issues” and are likely doing everything I already suggested above. However, if you are newer to the business or you’re a brick and mortar shop trying to work with many different budgets I made a video with some tips you can put into action today. These are some practical ways to “go pro” and educate prospects.

Click here to watch: http://youtu.be/I6B6SThkA1I

I just want to leave you with this final thought: Flowers make weddings beautiful. Just know this and keep doing what you do so the right customers will find you.

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Thank you, Alison, for this fantastic Video and Article – we all have to deal with these “Budget Articles” and they are so frustrating, why do flowers always get picked on??
You can learn more about Alison at her website: http://floralartvt.com

Wedding Wednesday :: Cakes with Flowers

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