Choosing Your Wedding Flowers October 27, 2009

When it comes to flowers, making a few decisions ahead of time will not only save you time, but it could save you money too.  Here are a few tips:

1. Pick your wedding colours in advance. You don’t necessarily need to have all the details worked out, but the main colours should be decided on. Arrangements, decorations, and the bridal bouquet should all have a common theme.
2. Look through wedding magazines and cut out pictures of any style you may like.
3. Pick at least one or two types of flowers that you would like to feature. Learn the meanings of the flowers, if this is important to you, or just choose one that has a special personal meaning.
4. Do some research to find out if your preferred flowers will be in season for your wedding date. Even if it is not in season, you will probably still be able to get it, but be prepared to spend a little extra.
5. Know your budget. Keep the maximum amount you are willing to spend, but don’t reveal that figure to a florist. Keep in mind the approximate amount of money you would like to spend. If you are comfortable, you can reveal that figure to the florist – it will help them decide how to get the most value for your money.

Three Types of Flowers to Avoid At Your Wedding October 22, 2009

You want your wedding day to be perfect. You want everything to run smoothly, for people to have a good time, and to be able to celebrate with family and friends. You don’t want to hear that flowers could have potentially ruined your day, do you? If you listen to these three helpful suggestions you won’t have to worry about flowers having the potential to ruin your picture perfect day.

Suggestion #1: Avoid Fragrant Flowers. Even though some flowers have such a strong, sweet scent, we recommend avoiding using them, or at the very least, using them sparingly. You may love the scent, but your guests may not. Some flowers have such an overbearing scent that it can give guests a headache, and some even have the potential to change the taste of your meal and cake if they are placed nearby.

Suggestion #2: Avoid Flowers That Die Quickly. This seems fairly obvious, doesn’t it? If you are having an outdoor, summer wedding, avoid these types of flowers especially, since the hot sun blazing down on them will result in them dehydrating quickly.

Suggestion #3: Avoid Flowers That Will Stain. Pollen is a particular culprit – and a pollen stain is very difficult to remove from a white wedding gown. Also, if you are using flowers that are artificially coloured, sometimes dyes may rub off onto your dress. If you must use dyed flowers just remember to avoid having them rest against your dress when walking up the aisle, standing at the alter, or posing for photographs.

Wedding Flowers 101 October 15, 2009

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why flowers are so popularly used at weddings? They are as common as the white dress. For centuries, flowers have been used in bridal bouquets, as centerpieces on the tables, and to decorate the church and reception halls. The beauty in their colours, shapes, and textures, as well as their fragrance and what they represent make them the perfect accompaniment to every style of wedding. Whether you consider yourself an authority on flowers, an admirer, or completely clueless – you can pull off a fabulous floral design for your wedding.

First, you need to know what type of flowers you want to use on your special day. Often people don’t have a favourite flower until they get engaged and have to begin planning their wedding. Most brides and grooms have never had to think about what flowers say about their style, personality or what they might be communicating. To help, here is a list of popular wedding flowers by season (for meanings please see here):

Spring

• Amaryllis
• Chrysanthemums
• Lilac
• Apple Blossom
• Daffodil
• Lily
• Azalea
• Daisy
• Orchid
• Bluebell
• Freesia
• Camellia
• Primrose
• Carnation
• Heather
• Rhododendron
• Cherry Blossom
• Honeysuckle
• Clematis
• Iris
• Tulip
• Crocus
• Jasmine
• Dogwood
• Hyacinth

Summer

• Aster
• Marigold
• Azalea
• Orchid
• Carnation
• Heather
• Peony
• Cornflower
• Iris
• Rose
• Chrysanthemum
• Jasmine
• Rhododendron
• Delphinium
• Larkspur
• Daisy
• Sweet Pea
• Freesia
• Lily-of-the-Valley
• Fuchsia
• Lupine
• Tiger Lily
• Gardenia

Autumn

• Chrysanthemum
• Daisy
• Hydrangea
• Morning Glory
• Dahlia
• Iris
• Orchid
• Freesia
• Lily
• Rose
• Sunflower

Winter

• Carnation
• Rose
• Chrysanthemum
• Holly Berries
• Freesia
• Iris
• Snowdrop
• Forsythia
• Lily Winter
• Jasmine
• Orchid
• Amaryllis
• Amazon Lily
• Calla Lily
• Camellia
• Geranium
• Hyacinth

Other preliminary decisions to make include: the colour, the shape, the quantity, and the budget.

Choosing a colour can be a difficult decision. Even if you have a colour scheme selected it is still sometimes tough to narrow down how you want to accent that scheme. Things to consider are: whether you want the flowers to draw attention or be the focal point, if you want them to blend with the overall style, or if you want them to complement the other elements of the décor.

When thinking about shape you need to consider height, primarily. A low centerpiece is going to allow guests to see around one another and across from one another at the table rather than a tall centerpiece, which will block their view. For bouquets, popular shapes include round, cascade, and hand-tied. Round bouquets and nosegays are common, and create a more formal tone, while cascading bouquets are dramatic and romantic, hand-tied ones are more natural and traditional.

Try to figure out how many of each type of arrangement you will need (i.e., thirteen tables means thirteen centerpieces). Consider centerpieces, bridesmaids’ bouquets, pew flowers, standing arrangements, hanging arrangements, boutonnieres, and corsages, plus whatever else you have in mind. Talking with an expert is always a good idea – they have the experience in creating such items, so they are a good person to bounce ideas off of. (If you call Bunches Direct you are eligible to receive a free consultation and quote based on what you want for your wedding).

Lastly is figuring out your budget (and this might be the most important element too). Once your budget is established you can determine how lavish your arrangements can be and where you might need to cut some corners.

Your flowers will set the tone for the look of your wedding – be it opulent, simple, dramatic, or understated. Flower decisions are important for your wedding, so the more you research and learn, the more you will be able to create the exact tone you want at your wedding.

Nine Creative Ideas For Wedding Flowers October 2, 2009

Your wedding flowers offer abundant opportunities to boil your creative juices and add a bit of originality to your wedding day. Don’t be afraid to design a floral scheme that breaks tradition. This is a list of ideas for bridal bouquets, centerpieces, colour schemes, and other decorations – it is a great place to start thinking about memorable décor for your special day.

Play with Shape: Arrangements with a just-picked, unstructured look are replacing the tightly bound bouquet and centerpiece shapes that were previously popular. To ensure that you have a modern look, not messy, make sure you choose the right flowers. Use hearty blooms, like lilies, orchids, and amaranths – they work well in looser arrangements because of the sleek shape of the individual bloom. You can also try including non-floral elements too, like feathers, berries, and crystals to add interest and depth.

Get into Navy: Sophisticated and classic navy is one of the hottest colours of 2009 for weddings. Many brides are daring to think beyond the basic baby blue by incorporating the darker shade into their floral scheme. Naturally, navy flowers may be hard to come by, but there are some options that are a close match: deep blue violets, thistles, and hydrangeas are available in various shades of blue and indigo, while roses are a versatile bloom and can be dyed any colour – including navy. Try pairing these bold navy blooms with white or ivory for a classic look, or yellow for a bright burst of colour.

Think Beyond the Vase: There are many options to consider besides the traditional vase. Consider instead mix and match clusters of unique containers like wood buckets, mason jars, cans, pitchers, antique urns, and uniquely shaped vases to add interest and reflect personality within your wedding theme. Some ideas are to: fill watering cans with wildflowers for a garden celebration, or use apothecary jars filled with sand and sea glass to complement a waterfront wedding.

 

 Lighten Up: Candles are always a popular choice for centerpieces; they are becoming even more popular as a budget and eco-friendly enhancement to traditional floral centerpieces. Ample candlelight lends the day a romantic, organic feel, while the natural resource saves electricity and drapes the setting with a dreamy, intimate glow.
Another way to enhance your arrangements with lighting and really make your centerpieces pop is through a technique called pinspotting. This advanced lighting design shines tiny beams of light from the ceiling to illuminate the centre of the arrangement.

Get Stoned: Say goodbye to light pastels and muted shades, and seek inspiration from the trinkets on your ears and wrist. Rich gemstone colours like amethyst, turquoise, and amber are hot on this year’s wedding palette.

Go Green!: Going green is easy when it comes to wedding flowers. Consult Mother Nature for inspiration and bring the outdoors inside. Natural objects like stones, leaves, pinecones, even twigs can add an organic aesthetic to your reception décor. Place these items in rustic containers or scatter them amongst pillar candles for added ambiance.

 

 

 Make it Personal: Further seeking to personalize their weddings, brides are using their wedding flowers to call out specific interests by incorporating unique items into bouquets and centerpieces and creating a conversation piece for guests.

Tie it Together: The hand tied bouquet continues to reign as the most popular bouquet style as brides opt for a more tailored and natural look to their wedding flowers. A fresh bunch of flowers gathered and wrapped in a wide satin ribbon presents the look of simple elegance, but brides wishing to up the glam of this otherwise simple look can embellish this bouquet with brooches, pins, and crystal picks.

Lose the Corsage: De rigueur brides are foregoing corsages and instead having the Mum’s carry nosegay bouquets or tussy mussy’s down the aisle. Beside the fact that corsages tend to conjure up memories of proms gone bad, there is a practical reason for this trend too – it saves the dress! Often dresses are made of fragile material, so keep from pulling and tearing the dress, just simply skip it!

Interview with Bloomex Wedding Flower Consultant Michelle Brazeau July 15, 2008

By Alyssa Julie

Designing the perfect wedding at a low cost is a lot easier than most people believe. That’s thanks to companies such as Bloomex, which sells beautiful flowers at extremely low-costs. The company has an expert team of florists that can design the perfect arrangements for your weddings, or they can sell you a selection of beautiful flowers at a wholesale price that won’t break your budget. That’s a great option for young and crafty couples that want a beautiful wedding, but don’t have as much money to spend.

Although the company has been around for 10 years, the wholesale division of the company is relatively new (only within the last year or so). Taking up the reigns is Michelle Brazeau, young-women with a background in forestry and a passion for plants of all kinds. She jumped headfirst into her career with the company and has been rising quickly through the ranks ever since. She is now the wedding and wholesale’s consultant for Canada’s largest online flower company.

Bloomex, she explains, is able to offer bulk flowers at such affordable prices because they deal directly with the growers. There is no middle- man to speak of. That means the flowers they sell are beautiful and fresh and since they are grown in Canada, they don’t take too long to reach the customer.

So whether you want to create your own beautiful arrangements, or whether you want someone to do that for you, Michelle is their to help brides and grooms-to-be understand what flowers there are available and what flowers make great matches. That’s something that can often be very surprising she says, adding, “ I was never a big fan of Carnations, but after seeing the beautiful ways they can be arranged, I’ve definitely become a fan of Carnations.” The company, she says, can also provide a striking, expertly arranged bouquet at an extremely low cost that will look beautiful with any DIY or professionally designed flower arrangements.

The one piece of advice she says needs to be emphasized, is that whether you’re interested in DIY or not, couples should take time to plan flower arrangements well in advance of the big day. Most couples, she says, change their minds a few times before coming up with the perfect arrangements, simply because there is so much to choose from. Just think; couples can choose anything from striking and colorful Hydrangeas, to Carnations or Tulips, to the timeless and elegant Calla Lily.

That said, although most brides change their mind quite a bit before the big day, there are definitely some noticeable trends. For one, brides often choose colors that will match their bridesmaid dresses. Many brides are also choosing flowers in cream colors and shades of pink, such as Fuchsia. “Really anything that’s feminine,” Brazeau explains. Matching the color of your flowers and bouquet to your bridesmaids’ dresses makes sense, because it ties all the colors together so they aren’t overwhelming.

At the end of the day, Michelle says she really loves her job and sees herself working there for some time to come. Not only does she love working with flowers; but also It’s such an important day for all of her customers and it’s a great feeling to be involved in something so monumental to their lives.

What’s “hot” for wedding flowers in 2008 June 25, 2008

So what’s hot in 2008 for upcoming brides to be? Let’s start off by looking at the colours monopolizing weddings in 2007, and see what 2008 has in store for us. In 2007, the “in” colours for weddings were burnt orange and brown hues. Trendsetters are forecasting slightly different colours for 2008. The trends for 2008-2009 were unveiled at the AIFD’s (American Institute of Floral Design) “The Edge of Paradise” Symposium in Palm Desert in the summer of 2007. At that time, with the input from leading floral stylists and floral product designers, they arrived at the 2008 floral forecast.
“Habitat”, now a days more people are earth conscious, being “green” was the new “in thing” for 2007, but it has become even more populate and has dominated the trend market again this year! “Habitat” provides a restful, serene and studious environment that communicates one’s ecological values, respecting the delicate balance between the Earth and its people.
“Nocturne” exudes luxury and opulence with a darker edge. This provocative, urban palette is inspired by haute couture and celebrity culture. Lustrous hues of grayed purples, plums and roses combine in overflowing arrangements that bring together deeply colored flowers with powerful silhouettes.
A tranquil, calming aura floats through “Whisper,” with neutral, hushed tones of creams, grays and blues. Stronger earth tones, such as brown and charcoal, provide a base, and a hint of dusty coral and shimmery copper add punch.
“Nomad” sees bright colours of tribal handicrafts from around the globe populate this trend, from golden oranges and saturated blues to deep fuschias and browntinged reds.
“Chinoiserie” features a midtone color palette encompassing dominant pink-toned reds as well as lighter purples and greens as complements. “Chinoiserie” offers a new take on cultured style and beauty with its exotic sophistication.

So what can brides to be organizing probably the most important day of their lives adopt to fit these new trends without breaking the bank do? Start off by cutting the expensive costs of wedding flowers! The trend among new brides is to buy wholesale flowers in bulk from online sources like Flowers Wholesale (http://flowerswholesale.ca/) and create their own arrangements for that special day. The Do It Yourself wedding is becoming more and more popular throughout the wedding industry. On average, brides spend 8% of their total wedding budget on their wedding flowers. This can mean spending up to $1,000 to $4,000 for flowers alone! Many brides adopting the Do It Yourself wedding flowers are finding it easier to adapt to the marketplace trends, while still adding their personal touch by creating their own wedding flower arrangements.

The joy of ordering wholesale flowers is that they are fresh cut, shipped directly from the grower, last much longer as they are often in transit for less time than florists’ flowers, and the best part: brides can customize their floral design and arrangement any way they please with the flowers that they want.
So brides to be, here is your chance to be “in with the times” when it comes to 2008 trends, and not spending eternity paying off that big day!

New Wedding Flower Division June 4, 2008

Wedding Flowers, a division of Bloomex, was launched in September 2007, when Bloomex management found there was a large market for wedding flowers.

The core strategy behind Bloomex Weddings is similar to that of Bloomex.ca, in that it offers a vast variety of freshly cut flowers, bouquets and flower arrangements at up to 80% off market prices. The site is specially designed to enable the consumer to view numerous styles, colors and arrangement of flowers for their special day. The Wedding Flowers website is easy to navigate, very user friendly, which included a wedding flower image gallery and related information. The site also included advance features such as Designer Collection packages, live support and free flower design consultants available to help in the selection and cultivation of the perfect arrangement.
The Bloomex management team found that in the past the majority of these consumers would purchase from local florists that would offer a modest discount for large orders of flowers, and depending on the size of the order, the traditional florist often would be unable to service the consumer, and certainly would be limited to custom arrangements at such a high volume. As well, many small local florists would deal with several wholesalers for their flowers, some wholesalers being American, which would have the flowers in transit for many days, losing its freshness. As well, traditional florist often require up to a years notice for wedding flower collections.

Wedding Flowers from Bloomex is able to create and deliver your custom orders in as little as 30 days, directly from the fields, to our floral design specialist to your door, just one more way that Bloomex is revolutionizing the floral market to better serve the consumer.

ABOUT BLOOMEX

Bloomex is a national Canadian based floral company, offering various floral and gift arrangements throughout Canada and the U.S. via its online computerized sending system. The Bloomex website acts as a storefront allowing consumers worldwide to place orders online themselves, chat with a live agent or place orders through a 1-800 number. Bloomex is the only Canadian floral company that offers same day delivery to almost any location in Canada, and orders can be placed 24 hours a day.

”Through its harmonized network of growers, and company owned facilities, Bloomex is able to provide fresh cut flowers at significantly reduced costs to the consumer”, says Dimitri Lokhonia, President of Bloomex Inc. “Since Bloomex is Canadian owned, the flowers being shipped to their destination would be in transit for hours instead of days, keeping their freshness and longevity. Wedding flowers have traditionally been a large expense and many couples could not afford real flowers. With Bloomex’s combination of fresh cut flowers, exceptionally low prices and new wedding program, anyone can enjoy premium floral arrangements for that special day and not break the bank.”

Bloomex’s national brand name is able to offer exceptional customer service and quality products that are 100% guaranteed, working directly with the consumer to create the perfect ambiance for their event. Bloomex’s customer centric business structure allows the consumer to deal with one contact, from placing their order to its delivery, reducing the margin of errors associated with middlemen. Bloomex has already launched new and innovative approaches to further ameliorate the growing floral market, by adding such product lines such as wholesale flowers and weddings.

For more information, or to view our selection of assorted products, visit our websites at http://www.bloomex.ca and http://bloomex.ca/wedding/

For further information, contact:

Michelle Robitaille
PR Manager
Bloomex Inc
613-216-0969
publicrelations@bloomex.ca