With end of winter near and spring knocking at the door my mind starts race with excited anticipation of the arrival of the bloom that is at the top of my favorite list!

The Hellebore!

SAIPUA

From MAYESH WHOLESALE FLORIST

HELLEBORUS

Helleborus, a native of Europe and Asia, with bright green branches of flowers was popular with late 17th century gardeners and is enjoying a renaissance today. Helleborus can have deeply serrated, long lasting leaves and flowers, range from white-green through pink to a deep violet. It has a flowering season from winter through to spring. Helleborus niger, The “Christmas Rose” is probably the world’s most famous Hellebore. The common name is derived from the fact that it flowers somewhat reliably around the Christmas Holiday Season. Helleborus orientalis, is also known as Lenten rose. Both of these species are also commonly called Hellebores. Although the flowers of some species may resemble wild roses, and despite some of their common names, such as “Christmas rose” and “Lenten rose”, hellebores do not belong to the rose family. The Helleborus is as popular at Christmas time in Germany as the poinsettia is in the United States. Many floral decorations commonly include Helleborus more than any other flower. Description: Beautiful bell or cup-shaped flowers either single or double blooms and lacy, umbrella-like foliage. Comes in shades of pink, purple, white, yellow (blooms can have freckles). Blossoms sometimes face outward but more often nod gently downward. Uses: Use them alone in small bouquets, or mix them with other flowers.

Availability: Early winter until late Spring

Family: Ranunculaceae – Buttercup Family

Scientific name: Hellebore

Care and Handling: Remove any foliage that would fall below the water line. Cut stems at an angle and treat with a hydration solution. Remove and place in bucket with a properly prepared cut flower food solution and room temperature water. Make sure you place in a bright, warm place for a couple of hours before placing them in a floral cooler. Temperature should be at 34F to 36F.

Vase Life: With proper care, vase life of one week.

With their delicate appearance, Helleborus’ make elegant additions to holiday designs. They also make superb cut flowers with their seemingly subtle but intricately marked petals. Helleborus’ grace and nodding blooms lend themselves as the ideal flower for traditional or modern garden-style arrangements. Helleborus can also be air-dried or freeze-dried and used in wreaths and dried floral arrangements.
For more information on the availability of this product, please contact your local Mayesh Wholesale Florist floral professional.
www.mayesh.com

SAIPUA

Perfect summertime bouquet of zinnias designed by Jessica Jones of Blooms ‘n Blossoms, Georgetown, KY.

I have a new obsession *this week* – Camellias!
I was walking around Santa Rosa, California on Saturday where I came across quite a few Camellia Bushes in full bloom. Later that day I attended The Lab Event in Sonoma and noticed Polly of Valley Flora had a sweet little arrangement of pink camellias in a turquoise glass vase. I have become completely enamored with Camellias and realized I have really missed them while living in Colorado.
Now if only I could get my hands on a bouquet of pure white camellias – oh how fabulous that would be!?

The blush pink camellia I saw..

The red Camellia I saw, it was more red than this photo appears..

The display by Valley Flora of Sonoma. Sweet Camellias from Polly’s yard mixed with turquoise glass and brass candle sticks.

Bouquet found on Mississippi Gardener.

Found these lovelies on Southern Living.

I’ve surfed the net for quite awhile trying to find arrangements with Camellias and found very few examples. I have the feeling that designers only use them when they can fresh pick the Camellias out of their yards.

Botanical Name: Camellia japonica
ka-MEE-lee-ah jah-PON-ih-kah
Season: Winter in warmer climates
Colors: Pink, Red and White + Bi-colors

Your name: Michael Gonzalez & Vanessa Polanco
Your Business name: Verde Custom Flowers, Inc.
Your Location: Bronx, NY

How did you start your business?
I started in my apartment and made all of my own deliveries.

What is your design aesthetic?
Clean with an organic twist- refined feel

What inspires you?
Lights, Shapes, Art and Nature

What are the trends, flowers & colors that are unique to your region?
Lush and romantic with natural feel overall, interesting vessels

Are you a retail shop, studio/warehouse or home based?
We are located in a retail shop in the Bronx

Do you offer any services in addition to floral designs?
Fabric Installations, Modest lighting, Candle packages, Furniture and Rentals

What tool in your toolbox can’t you live without?
My knife

What’s your favorite flower?
Schemia

Anything else you’d like to share with Flirty Fleurs followers?
Don’t be afraid to take risks. Share and keep your mind open. Ideas will always keep coming.

Contact Information:
http://verdeflowers.com/
11 Bruckner Boulevard
Bronx, NY 10454
Tel: +1.212.684.5204

Let’s talk about the pricing of Pomanders (aka Kissing Balls), it seems like these range in price more than any other flower arrangement. I decided to post two different pomanders, one with a mix of hydrangeas and spray roses and the other of only spray roses. I then asked florists from around North America what they would charge. Wow, do the prices range greatly!

What do you think? What would you charge for these pomanders?

(designed by Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, photograph on left side by Anne Robert)
Recipe:
3″ Oasis Netted Floral Foam Sphere
24″ – 1″ wide of sheer ribbon
2 Stems of antique green hydrangea
5 Stems of pink spray roses
5 Stems of lavender spray roses
7 Stems of Gomphrena

Holly’s price for this design is $110.00. Let’s see where all the other florists came in at:

Amanda from Alluring Blooms in Wisconsin priced this at $125.00
Amanda mentioned she loves using the netted spheres, big time saver for her designers.

Alexandra from Exquisite Designs in Chicago priced this at $75.00

Peggy and Carol of Celebrations Florals in Oregon priced this at $75.00

Liza of DBI Events in Arlington, Virginia priced this at $75.00

Sherry of Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio in Georgia priced this at $75-95 depending on the season.

Sheri of Blumen Meisters in New Braunfels, Texas priced this at $100.00

Angie of Posh Floral in Dallas, Texas would price this at $70.00

Laurie of Fleurie in Reedley, California priced this at $117.00

Elizabeth of Flowers Talk in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada priced this at $100.00

Pam at Flourish in Kitchener, Ontario priced this at $125.00.

Jessica of Blooms ‘n Blossoms in Georgetown, Kentucky would charge $105.

Adizat of Klassy Kreations Floral & Event Design in Maryland would price this at $80.00.
Adizat would omit the gomphrena due to quality issues and the price of a bunch.

(designed by Bella Fiori)
Recipe:
4.5″ Oasis Netted Floral Foam Sphere
24″ – 1/2″ wide of sheer ribbon
10 Stems (1 bu.) Mambo Spray roses – (each stem has 5-7 blooms)

My (Bella Fiori) original price for this design was $75.00. Let’s see where everyone else priced it:

Amanda from Alluring Blooms in Wisconsin priced this at $55.00

Alexandra from Exquisite Designs in Chicago priced this at $49.00

Peggy and Carol of Celebrations Florals in Oregon priced this at $75.00
They did account for 2 additional stems of mambo spray roses for a total of 12 stems.

Liza of DBI Events in Arlington, Virginia priced this at $50.00

Sherry of Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio in Georgia priced this at $65-80 depending on the season.

Sheri of Blumen Meisters in New Braunfels, Texas priced this at $70.00

Angie of Posh Floral in Dallas, Texas would price this at $50.00

Laurie of Fleurie in Reedley, California priced this at $66.00

Elizabeth of Flowers Talk in Ottawa, Canada priced this at $60.00

Pam at Flourish in Kitchener, Ontario priced this at $80.00.

Jessica of Blooms ‘n Blossoms in Georgetown, Kentucky would charge $70.

Adizat of Klassy Kreations Floral & Event Design in Maryland would price this at $40.00

What do you all think? What would you charge for these pomanders?

Today we start a new monthly series were we share inspiring photos of beautiful designs we stumbled across on facebook!

Daniel Ost

Flowers & Magazine

Blomsterdekrator Norrgard

Karen Tran

Ariella Chezar Design

Ariella Chezar Design

Florali

Matthew Robbins Design

Tenley Young

Jeff Leatham

What do you think of our facebook finds?

Have you visited the UK based flower blog, Flowerona? I met Rona last November while in London and had a lovely visit with her, we had an inspiring chat about blogging ideas. A weekly feature that I really enjoy on Flowerona is her weekly review called Flowerona Reflects.
This week while I was chatting with Chuck I mentioned Rona’s weekly feature and suggested we blog more about what the two of us are working on in the flower world. After-all we both live flower filled lives, right?

This past week I attended a cool wedding showcase in Sonoma, California called The Lab Event. I had a lovely time visiting with Polly of Valley Flora, Marian of Savage Rose and the event hostess Yasmin of Floral Theory.

Floral Design by Savage Rose.

Floral Design by Valley Flora.

Yasmin sent me home with a huge bucket filled with jasmine, ginestra, ranunculus and astrantia and Marian gave me some peonies and roses. Gosh, it feels good to just design for the fun of designing.

Oh, and it’s been really fun wearing my rain boots:

This coming Saturday I head to Santa Barbara, California. First a visit with my best friend from college, we attended University of California, Santa Barbara many, many moons ago. Then on Sunday the florists start to converge on SB! I can’t wait to see Chuck, Robyn, Holly, Joost, Peggy & Carol and to meet social media friends like Laurie and Sheri + many more!
Hope to see you in Santa Barbara!

How do you find great people to hire? How do you keep your team motivated and happy?

Brandon of Epic Flowers:
Great people find us. We often have them come give us a resume or come in to talk about working with us. We give our designers freedom to perform their art, we buy them unexpected goodies, feed them well at the holidays and sometimes we’ll do trade with other businesses, such as spas and we give the trade to our employees. We are understanding and accommodating when it comes to taking time off or switching hours. Moral is everything when it comes to attitude. And with a positive attitude your employees will go the extra mile for your customers.

Ariella Chezar:
My core group has worked with me for the last 15 years, and they are an AMAZING group. The balance are designers and friends who are based on the West Coast who I work with when I do jobs out there.

It’s a pretty motivated group, but I do think that good food is key. On my bigger events I hire a chef friend of mine to feed us, and this does so much to keep us going.

Cori of Moss Fine Floral:
I don’t have a team solidified weekly as I book a limited number of events a year. I’ve accumulated 22 years in the floral industry so know lots of reliable people to bring in when needed. Some own their own businesses, some make a living as bounce around freelancers and some are excellent friends that have helped me with installations over the years. When I was operating a retail store front I typically would lean on my local wholesale reps for referrals of solid, reliable, and experienced people. I found that any advertisement in the paper rarely brought true talent my way.

I think that keeping my people happy is simple. If I’m positive and happy they tend to be the same. I keep the days as organized as possible and keep the mood light while delegating responsibilities. I also bring in lunch and wine and dine my girls after successful events. I also believe that I pay them well which keeps them smiling and wanting to return for more craziness! So, an environment topped with food, wine and a nice paycheck are all excellent motivators.

Robyn of Bare Root Flora:
We are a boutique firm, so we rely mostly on contract labor to meet additional design needs. We’ve been very lucky to have a fabulous pool of freelancers to draw from when we need help, and we often look to our industry colleagues to trade labor or recommendations on great people. We pay well and take care of our team and we try to make work a lot of fun for everyone so that people want to keep coming back! We also try not to micromanage–once we lay out our expectations, we try to allow our designers to use their own creativity in executing our designs. We find people are more invested and do a better job when they’ve been empowered to use their innate creativity.

Cathy of Sprout Flowers:
When it comes to staffing I have always been fortunate to either know someone, know someone who knows someone, or to have just the right person walk through the door at exactly the right moment. It’s been pretty amazing!

I think one way we have kept turnover to a minimum is that everyone is immensely proud of where they work. They appreciate the quality and variety of materials they have to work with and enjoy a level of creativity that’s hard to find elsewhere. They also like our commitment to our community and feel like they are part of something very special.

Erin of Floret Flower Farm:
It took us a few seasons to master the art of finding the right people. Our business is really unique in that we both grow and arrange flowers. On the growing end, work takes place outdoors, in every type of weather for 9 months out of the year. Our field help has to be strong, in good health and able to roll with any punches that are thrown by nature. Wedding work on the other hand must be done during a condensed time frame, often going late into the night and or on-site under high stress conditions. We’ve yet to find help that can straddle both areas of work.

After hiring many enthusiastic, young, dreamy fresh out of college kids to help on the farm we finally learned our lesson. While super committed to our business philosophy, they just couldn’t hack the hard work. A few days in extreme heat or damp weather and they melted down into a puddle of overwhelm. On the design side, bring in artistic older women, looking for a creative outlet was equally disastrous. In both cases we were hiring lovely people, with no prior experience who lacked the groundedness and energy needed in our line of work.

We’ve finally figured out the key elements needed for the PERFECT employee, at least in our business.
First, they must have a stable life, with no drama! Nothing is more draining than listening to an unhappy person complain about their life all day! Second they must be self generated, self responsible adults! This means they bring heir own lunch, take breaks when they get tired and communicate if somethings not working. Third, they enjoy repetitious, quiet work. This goes for both areas since much of our days are spent harvesting or putting together bouquets. Lastly, they must have a big heart! Our dream team consists of the most loving, generous, kind people on earth! Each brings with them a particular skills set and also a tremendous ammount of love.

Lists are a fantastic way to keep everyone on the same page and clear about what’s expected during the day. It takes the pressure off individuals and breaks large tasks it into bite sized chunks, eliminating overwhelm and confusion. I’ve found the more deliberate, organized and clear I am with our helpers, the happier and more productive they are in the end. People just want to contribute and be useful. Clarifying what’s needed allows them to do this with grace and confidence. By keeping the big picture and responsibility on my plate, then delegating out clear tasks to each person based on their strengths, we fly through the days work with tremendous efficiency.

Of course it is all still a work in progress, but I do feel like we’re getting closer to really figuring it out.

Paula Pryke:
I have lots of CV and resume turn up on my desk each day and occasionally one stands out! Generally I don’t think great people are ‘found’, each floristry business
is so unique, I think you have to train people to be ‘great’ for you. Any relationship is a two way process and in my experience, the more you put in, the more you receive. When I had a lot of retail sites recruiting good staff was a really big problem. It is rare in London to find florists who enjoy customer service and inevitably staff turnover is high as people seek better positions. Also in busy retail environment when things are going well, you are often too busy to devote enough time to staff training. When you have the time to train, you are already thinking it is time to lay staff off!

I think we all love floral design for the variety the job offers us and so it is important to offer employees the chance to work on new areas and to continuously hone their skills.
Motivation comes from encouragement and discussion, letting people know that you thought they did a good job is key. You need to engage people who have the same gaols as you and then create a calm and efficient workplace. Staff need to feel involved, valued and encouraged to have their say. No one choses floristry for the renumeration package so work has to be fun and fulfilling. A couple of years ago, my current and ex-staff all attended the funeral of a brilliant young member of staff whose life had been taken far too early by cancer. At the end of the day I realised what a strong bond we all had as we had spent so much of our working life together and how we were all united by this passion for flowers and people.
The flower business is about life and people and the floral designers that stay the course are very devoted to their art.

I think staff respond well to targets and often the more information they have about how your business works, the more motivated they are. Some managers are too secretive about the financial side and so staff are unaware of the company aims. Staff need to work closely and pull together as a team if everyone is going to be happy. If you have a member of staff who is making other staff anxious or upset, you really need to deal with it. All my staff have been with me a long time and we are now all motivated by the recession and the effect that this has had on business in the UK. At the moment I find that my staff and I value their customers more than at any time before! Sad that it has taken one of the world’s worst recessions to get to that point! My current staff and I have ‘matured’ together and as a group of strong personalities we are very supportive of each other. We know each other very well and I truly feel blessed to have worked with so many talented and hard working people over such a long period. We are all striving to be the best we can and those are the kind of people you need to employ.

Trust is key to any relationship, I recently read this quote and thought it summed up the mind set you need for employing people.

“Friends talk behind your back, partners cheat, colleagues stab you in the back – but trusting no one means you can’t relax, and
your relationships will always be circumscribed, So trust 100% of the people, 100% of the time. Just know you’ll never be 100% right”
Robert Rowland Smith

“Support and encourage all and see who floats to the top! That is the best way to hire the best!”

Thank you to our Expert Panel for sharing their thoughts on the subject of Employees!
If you have a question for our expert panel, please email it to info@flirtyfleurs.com
We’ll leave you with this pretty picture for today:

Designed by Ariella Chezar

www.FrancoiseWeeks.com
www.AtelierFrancoise.com

Chuck Graham

 As many of you know, Alicia and I were in Santa Barbara this past week. We had the honor of speaking at Florabundance Design Days about social media and why it is important for floral designers.

We had a wonderful time and will be sharing more about our trip next week!

Chuck and Alicia teaching at Florabundance Design Days

I had the pleasure of designing a luxury wedding vignette last Sunday, here is a picture of our vignette.

Bloom By Anuschka

Have a great weekend and we will see you on Monday!

A few days ago, a prospective client sent me an email asking me to create a wedding floral proposal for a 200 guest sit down dinner reception and ceremony in the Northern California area at a 4 star hotel(*according to Tripadvisor) based on some images that he/she was inspired by.

The wedding was described as the following(to hide the anonymity of the client, I have paraphrased from her email and have changed the rounded the budget to the narrowest thousand).

Different shades of pinks and white hues for 200 guests equaling 20 tables in total. 3 different kinds of centerpieces from low to medium to tall with the tallest arrangement being not too full of flowers to keep the cost down. Incorporating crystals and possibly feathers as it was part of the theme.
For the wedding party will need a bridal bouquet, a toss bouquet, 5 bridemaids’ bouquets, 1 groom’s boutonniere, 10 ceremony aisle decoration with
2 additional floral arrangements for the ceremony to be repurposed for the sweetheart table.

With regards to the flowers, the client said that he/she was not picky about flowers and could even use baby’s breath if needed. In conclusion, the wedding budget for flowers would need to be under $2000.

I am including two visuals of the images that he/she sent so that we as vendors and as potential clients can learn a bit about budgeting.

Even before I address this specific question, I thought I would play “bride” and find an online resource to see what I should expect to budget for an average wedding.

I used a wedding calculator called Cost of Wedding.com.
http://www.costofwedding.com/index.cfm/action/costest.index

After inputting the information the result concluded that the average wedding in Northern California for 200 guests would be $46,900 with an estimated cost per guest of $235 not including any travel.
See below for the breakdown.

I want to highlight the floral information which shows that even the internet calculated the average flowers for this 200 guest to be $2800. The take away from this exercise is the following.

1) Is your wedding at average, above, or below the average in your area?
2) Are your wedding inspirations minimal, fair, or designer?
3) Does your budget also include delivery, taxes, and other rental fees associated with flowers.

As you can see in the budget, the calculator does not factor in deliver, installation, setup, breakdown, prop rental, taxes, or any design shop fees that might incur. A more realistic budget should account for these non related items.
If the calculator offers you a $2800 average cost for flowers, keep that in mind when you are asking for a proposal. The non floral should be on top of the budget. Note: Tell your vendor that the budget you have does not include for non floral expenses so that they can write a proposal that is fair. Or tell your vendor that your budget needs to include all incidentals which means, you will get much less flowers.

When a client says they want the following for less than $2000, that means it is below the average and on the low end. If we were choosing a dinner spot, we would understand that to mean that the restaurant might be off the beaten track, possibly new, or lacking in décor or food quality. If the range for dinner restaurants in SF were $15 to $50 then everyone knows that the $15 dinner place might be hamburgers and fries versus the higher is Wagyu beef.

If your design concept is not your average flowers, more tailored, more designer,it’s almost impossible to expect that any decent floral designer could create your dream inspired wedding at the lowest end of the average for flowers.

This clients’ $2000 floral budget is just not achievable when you break things down.

Here’s my low end breakdown taking the budget below and reducing it by 15% roughly per item.
1 Bridal bouquet $149 each – $148( I took $174 and reduced it by 15%)
5 Bridedsmaid $38 each – $190 ( I took $226, reduced it by 15% and divided it by 5 bouquets)
1 Toss Bouquet $38 each – $38 ( I took the price of 1 bridesmaid and assumed the toss would be at the bridesmaid bouquet price)
1 Boutonniere $24.50 each – $24.50 ( I took the boutonniere/corsage and divided it by 6 pieces(1 for groom, 5 for groomsmen. I took 15% off to get to $24.50)
10 Aisle Pew Flowers $29.50 each = $295 ( I took the $347 for ceremony décor and took 15% and divided by 10)
2 Ceremony flowers $165 each = $330( I took $389 for ceremony flower arrangements, took 15% and divided by 2)
20 Centerpieces – all same style = $65 each = $1300(I took All reception flowers plus the amount for the flowers girl since the client did not request a flower girl and added it together to get to $1531, took 15% off and divided by 20)

Total if I took 15% off the average = $2326.50. The client’s request is still $326.50 below this “below average request”. There simply is no way for any designer to do this unless the centerpiece is below average.

It also assumes that there is a designer who could do a bridesmaid bouquet for $38.00(*it would have to be very very small, perhaps all baby’s breath). Even if I could locate someone to do the flowers, it doesn’t account for any crystals, any vases, any embellishment. It assumes that someone is willing to do 3 varied arrangements so that it averages $65.00. That’s going to be hard to find.

For brides, please just take a quick look at what a $120.00 average centerpieces on 1800 flowers looks like.

I’ll even show you my $120.00 centerpiece.

The reason why I think this client’s budget isn’t realistic is because it assumes that a business is willing to take profit loses. Unfortunately, most thriving businesses can’t just give every wedding away. If so, the floral designer would eventually be out of business. To invest in 1) tall and grand vases is a huge undertaking that involves knowing future client preferences. If a vendor is willing to invest in these props, then there is more of a likelihood that they could sell this wedding at a potential loss. Please note invest for 9 vases is $990(If I were to buy 2 for the sweet heart table + 7(1/3 for the centerpieces) = 9 x $110 each not including shippings/taxes).

Secondly, it also assumes that a business owner is willing to forego the cost of delivery, installation, breakdown and possibly design labor costs. This is also very unrealistic. The cost of fuel is rising. Labor in the SF area is now $10.55 at the minimum wage. Venues are requiring more rental and floral businesses to acquire worker’s compensation. Delivery vehicles rent for approximate $125 for a cargo or mini van a day. Skilled designers to create arrangements as well as delivery is on a rise. All in all, the cost for labor is increasing and unless the business owner can do it all, this is probably not responsible to ask a business to take a major hit to make this one wedding budget.

Lastly, it assumes that one’s flowers are on the below average side. And that is the great folly. When your inspiration images are obviously from a luxury wedding inspiration table, it’s really hard and difficult to do quality work and have quality products and quality props and the low end. Something has got to give. It’s the old champagne taste, beer budget. And in this reality, when your inspiration is on the over the top side, it really is hard to make it fit. It’s like two things are fighting each other.

So to review, ask yourself is your flower style minimal, average or designer. Ask yourself did you account for non floral costs? Do some research and find out what your props might actually costs? Be more realistic when you collect your inspiration images. Do some homework and figure out what average cost is in your area before realizing if your over the top dreams can fit into a below average budget? Find a floral internet website like a 1800flowers or ftd.com. Look and examine what a middle of the road flowers service charges. This will give you insight into what real average design and costs are.

Thank you, Nancy, for this insightful and helpful article!

Nancy’s beautiful floral designs can be viewed on her website:
http://nancyliuchin.com/

B|Brooks Fine Flowers® is proud to announce the launch of the Affiliate Florist Program. This program, driven by customer and florist request and aimed at fine event florists, is part of B|Brooks’® commitment to delivering fine floral arrangements.

The Affiliate program will enable event florists (that do not make daily deliveries) the ability to refer their clients to a trusted network that shares their commitment to fine floristry and exemplary customer service. By posting an affiliate link via the florists’ website to the B|Brooks® order page, florists can generate commissions of 8- 12% on product sales. The cost of participation in this program for introductory members is completely free.

“With the advent of social media sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr and the propagation of ‘inspiration’ sources such as The Knot and Little Black Book – Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about floristry and, in-turn, raising their expectations while simultaneously relying LESS on their local florists,” CEO Barbera Brooks explains, “With most traditional wire services and ‘drop ship’ programs, clients are often disappointed with the results. We all know that the floral industry is changing and, in many aspects, not how we want it to be… This program is a way to counteract the negative by supplying an alternative way: A way to make better arrangements™.”

Inquiries and requests for additional information should be directed to:
Affiliates@bbrooks.com
888.346.3356 ext 4.
www.bbrooks.com

I have been a proud member of B|Brooks Fine Flowers® since June 2003. I truly believe in this company and their dedication to boutique floral designers, supreme seasonal flowers and exquisite floral artistry. If you have ever thought that a service like this might appeal to your clients, I would highly recommend speaking with B|Brooks Fine Flowers®. ~Alicia

An exquisite mix of cream garden roses, beige roses and fresh cut phalenopsis blooms by member florist Ava Flora (NY)

Buffet breakfast is included each morning at the hotels. All workshop days include lunch. Workshops will run from 9 to 2 approximately most days.

4/9/13 Tuesday
Welcome Brunch at Ghent Marriott
& Introduction to European Floral Design
Meet in Lobby for walking tour of Ghent
Dinner on your own in Ghent

4/10/13 Wednesday
Workshop with Gudrun Cotteniere
Owner & Founder of De Groene Verbeelding, Bloemschikschool
“Trend Setting Floristry Techniques to Try & Take Home”
Dinner on your own in Ghent

4/11/13 Thursday
Workshop with Haruko Noda

Dinner at local charming restaurant with the tour group

4/12/13 Friday
Trip to Floral Wholesalers, Dora Flora

Brugge or open afternoon

4/13/13 Saturday
Workshop with Rita Van Gansbeke
“Flowers, Textiles and Nature’s Gifts”
Optional: Design Museum Gent
Dinner on your own in Ghent

Amsterdam, The Netherlands:

4/14/13 Sunday
Drive to Keukenhof from Gent

. Private tour of Keukenhof, World’s Largest Bulb Garden

Drive to Amsterdam Hotel Jan Luyken

4/15/13 Monday:
Tour of Alsmeer Flower Auction & Wholesaler

Afternoon Hands on Workshop with new florist

Dinner on your own in Amsterdam

4/16/13 Tuesday
A.M. Tour of Greenhouses

P.M. Open Afternoon in Amsterdam:
(Flower Shop Tour, Museums or Shopping)

Options for your afternoon depending upon your interests:
Canal Boat Tour of Amsterdam (also nice in the evening)
Museum Ideas: Anne Frank House – Make reservations if possible (also open in evening)
Van Gogh Museum (Small museum near hotel)
Rijks Museum (Near Hotel)
Tulip Museum

4/17/13 Wednesday
Workshop with Rob Plattel
“Vegetative & Decorative Design”

Canal Tour in historic Aalsmeer Garden

Farewell Dinner

4/18/13 Thursday
Depart Amsterdam

Please note that changes may occur as we create this unique & wonderful experience

For More Information, please contact Laura Iarocci at (404) 578-0950 or laura@faithflowers.net

Good morning from Oregon!

The past two weeks have been an absolute  whirlwind and I’ve loved every minute of it! I feel absolutely blessed for the amazing experiences and the awesome floral designers that I have met.

Last week I traveled to Santa Barbara, California for Florabundance Inspirational Design Days. Chuck and I got to speak about social media and how to use it to promote your floral design business. We also got to spend time with Holly, Ian Prosser and Joost + see old friends and meet new ones. Next week we will blog about the conference and share lots of images with you. (here are a few images I captured via instagram)

Having dinner with Ian Prosser, Holly Chapple and Joost Bongaerts the evening before the conference started.

Bridal bouquet that I designed. I was able to use all the clematis that I so desired! Lots of pretty garden roses, too.

Chuck and I got in on the bouquet making portion of the conference, led by Holly Chapple.

This past week I’ve been in Portland, Oregon to take a 3 day workshop with Francoise Weeks. By pure luck, Janet of Floral Verde also attended the workshop. I’m really enjoying being in Oregon, it is so beautiful, green & lush here. I’ll be writing about my experience at Francoise’s workshop plus, other Oregon adventures soon on the blog.

One of the Woodland inspired arrangements that I made at the workshop.

I’m developing a major crush on begonia foliage. So many textures, colors and varieties are available!

Francoise took Janet & I too the Portland Flower Market for a look .. and look what I saw at FSS. Yes, I really do geek out when I see Bella Bouquets on display!

There’s just a tid-bit of what I’ve been up to. The other good part is that I’ve had plenty of time to think and brainstorm while driving to Santa Barbara & Portland. Thinking about interesting articles to write on Flirty Fleurs and think about what I want to change with Bella Fiori…………

PS- did you notice I added a new pull-down “menu”, top left of page? I’ll be adding more options under this, hope to make navigating the blog even easier. Also, we have a new sponsor – B|Brooks Fine Flowers®, be sure to read more about their new program here.

I would love to hear how other floral designers have been successful at encouraging their customers to embrace their creative design process rather than having to make a floral arrangement look like a picture.
Submitted by Brittany Flowers™

Erin of Floret Flower Farm:
The first few seasons working with flowers, I had a number of brides come to me with some really scary requests! Red roses with baby’s breath and badly done pave cubes were pretty common in their magazine tear outs.
My heart sank every time one of these gals came in but I was new, needed the money and went ahead with the events, no matter how badly our styles clashed.
Looking back, this was certainly not the way to build a business that I loved or to grow myself artistically!!!
After finally crashing into a giant heap of burn out, I shifted my approach and things have been fantastic ever since.
I started by making up a ton of gorgeous, seasonally inspired bouquets with material from own my garden. I focused on the kind of arrangements I wanted to be doing all of the time and photographed the heck out of them whenever there was a free moment. My portfolio grew rapidly with work that fed my soul and within a short time I began attracting a whole new type of client.
Now brides seek me out for this natural, romantic, slightly wild look.
It was by stepping out and demonstrating what I thought was beautiful, that transformed the entire thing!

Cori from Moss Fine Floral:
I am very visual in the planning process with my clients. However, I tell them from the first meeting that we will be pulling inspiration from places such as pinterest and wedding blogs but our goal is not to replicate images from a strangers wedding. I explain that we will be creating an inspiration board but telling a story unique to them. I also explain that there will be must have flower types and vessels that we’ve discussed but that I always leave room in the budget when pre-booking flowers so that I can incorporate little surprises that I find at market. This is more exciting for me as a designer and provides room for interesting elements to show face at the event. I find that when working with clients that are looking for locally grown product this is and easy sell. They tend to be more casual in their planning approach and understand that the crop varies from week to week with our unpredictable weather. I do think that building up your brand and your portfolio will bring you the clients that you want to work with and they are naturally more trusting when with a like minded creative.

Cathy from Sprout Flowers:
I think the biggest tool we use to get clients to accept a wider variety of flowers and appreciate innovative and creative design, is letting them watch us design.

My shop is set up so customers can watch us work, and it’s been set up that way since day one. They love seeing new and unusual blooms but are often intimidated by them. But once they see us working with them, or see a new or creative design in progress some of the fear goes away.

People instinctively want what’s safe, to go with the crowd. It’s the primitive response that has kept humans alive. But once they see that someone else is daring to venture out of their comfort zone, they are reassured that it’s safe for them too!

Brandon from Epic Flowers:
There is a famous saying, “build it and they will come” and I hate to sound cliche6, but at our shop this is what we’ve done. The floral gift giving industry has been so homogenized and blah. And a gift shouldn’t be this way. At our shop thinking outside the box and putting that extra zing allows our customers and others know exactly where that design came from. So we do nothing to encourage our customers to embrace our unique designs, they seek us out in a sea of boring shops because a gift should be unique and not a commodity.

Ariella Chezar:
Generally speaking, clients come in two categories; the ones with confidence, and the ones with less. The confident ones hire someone because they like what they’ve seen of their work, and they trust them. They don’t expect their designer to do something exactly like an inspiration picture. The less confident ones also, frequently seem to have less vision. This usually leads to micromanaging. Unfortunately, when a designer get’s micromanaged, it’s similar to clipping ones wings and it inhibits the designer’s freedom to really make something beautiful.

When dealing with the latter, I often will be very direct about it and tell them they just need to trust me. If they still can’t, I suggest we do a mockup (which they pay for!) of whichever item they are feeling anxious about. This is useful both for me and for the client.

Paula Pryke:
The internet has certainly provided the public with a lot more visual evidence and I agree that this in turn has made clients demand more specific designs. I have always had clients that would look through my portfolio and say that they did not see anything they liked! There have always been those who wanted to see something different and so I have had the opportunity to be creative. However I do agree that Bride’s now do often turn up with a picture or pin board of things they like. I think the trick is to look at all their visual evidence and then invite them to see something bespoke that you have made especially for them. Try to take the look that they like and move the design on so you make it your own. It is difficult when they want a Jam Jar of wild flowers or a dome of roses? Trends now are so world-wide that it is very difficult to present something original and different to people. I have always been surprised that despite the huge variety of options on offer in the wedding industry, Brides will often play safe. Presenting samples and ideas is the only way to talk them into a more adventurous design but this comes with added costs?

Robyn from Bare Root Flora:
This is a great question and an issue we face regularly. We work to communicate to our clients that we are in the business of creating original art and that we want to design something special and unique for their event rather than replicate someone else’s design. So we really try to steer our clients away from one particular picture and toward an overall design aesthetic. We use their photo(s) as a starting point for a discussion so that we know we’re achieving the look they want but then offer ways to take the design in a different direction or to the next level. That way the end result has our design stamp on it and, more importantly, truly reflects the client’s taste and story. In many ways, it boils down to establishing a real sense of trust with the client so they know we understand exactly the look they want and they have every confidence in us to achieve it.

Bouquet designed by Cori of Moss Fine Floral.

Florabundance welcomed 38 guests to the beautiful Dos Pueblos Ranch in Santa Barbara, California and treated everyone to two days of flower filled fabulousness for Florabundance Inspirational Design Days! Wow, was it ever absolutely fantastic!!

Guests are welcomed to Dos Pueblos Ranch.

The Barn at Dos Pueblos Ranch was transformed from this:

TO THIS!!::

Tricia created a very inviting atmosphere for the guests, lounges setup throughout the barn.

Here’s Chuck checking out all the flowers we’ll get to design with!

The first day started with Holly Chapple leading a discussion and hands-on design portion about bridal bouquets.

The students were able to use as much gorgeous, fresh flowers as they could possibly desire!

After the bouquet design session, we listened to Ian Prosser talk about the flower business. Ian owns the company Botanica in Tampa, Florida. Brilliant designer and businessman!

That afternoon, Chuck & I got to present about Social Media and how to use it to build your floral design business. There was so much to go over, it’s social media which means a never ending conversation. Back at the hotel later that night Chuck met with about 12 of the participants to further go over social media!

At some point on Monday Chuck & I decorated Evan ..

The day ended with cocktails on the beach, what a treat to be in beautiful Santa Barbara in January! Joost, the owner of Florabundance, and Katie Noonan welcoming the students with a glass of wine from the Tolosa Vineyard .. and that’s the bridal bouquet that I created with garden roses and clematis!

My bouquet enjoying the sunset ..

That’s it for day one .. check back tomorrow to see what we worked on for day two!

.. THANK YOU FLORABUNDANCE FOR AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE ..

On Day 2 of the conference there were two big design sessions. One session was led by Ian Prosser and it was to decorate two ceremony locations, one rustic and one elegant. The other session was led by Holly Chapple and it was to create a tablescape for the reception table.

We’ll start with a look at the Ceremony session led by Ian. Ian broke the students into three groups. Group one worked on the garden canopy and group two worked on the aisle decoration for the ‘elegant’ ceremony site. The third group designed the chuppah for the ‘rustic’ ceremony.

The group designing the garden canopy decided on an ombre effect for their design. Aren’t the garden roses and orchids just gorgeous??

The bouquet that Chuck and I designed complemented the ‘elegant’ ceremony site, the bouquet was comprised of orchids and jasmine vines. You can see a bit of the aisle decor in the background..

The ‘rustic’ ceremony was designed with bright colors; garden roses, tulips and clematis.

Holly led the students in designing the reception tablescape. This is how the table looked prior to the start design session:

This is how it looked with flowers!!

Truly a wonderful day, full of fun!
That evening we all gathered around that beautiful table to enjoy a lovely catered dinner.
Here is Joost thanking everyone for attending the conference. We say Thank YOU, Joost!

A HUGE Thank You to Tricia Fountaine & Dos Pueblos Ranch for all the hard work that you put into Florabundance Inspirational Design Days – what can I say?? You blew us away! Tricia, you are so fun to spend time with and thank you for letting us clip fresh jasmine off the property! Hugs!!

Special Thanks To:

Tricia Fountaine & Dos Pueblos Ranch

Zohe Felici & Event Production

Presenters:

Holly Heider Chapple, Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD

Ian Prosser AIFD, PFCI, Botanica Events

Alicia Schwede & Chuck Graham, Flirty Fleurs

Kelly Oshiro, SB Chic

Graphic Design by Christine Cowles

Our Sponsors:

Alexandra Farms Garden Roses

Floral Supply Syndicate

Holex

Katie Noonan / Tolosa Vineyard

Mon Cheri Bridal Wear

Myriad Flowers

Pyramid Flowers

Roseville Farms

Sunburst Farm

Absolutely Fabulous…Glamour on the Go!
Makeup – Adrienne Esposito

Partial sponsors:

Ambient Event Design

Anthony Ybarra, Guitar Music (Tuesday evening beach reception)

Music by The Aurora Ensemble (Wednesday evening)

Pure Joy Catering

Town & Country Event Rentals