photos by bloomroom.ca

I figure since spring is just a few weeks away, I'd get this post in just under the wire. I've had these photos sitting on my desk top for awhile now, and oops! just plain forgot about them. I have used both of these winter flower favourites in Wedding bouquets.

The first is Witch Hazel - it comes in this lovely orange, and two nice shades of yellow (not shown). Its flowers bloom before the leaves (similar to fruit trees), so the show of blooms is always a big focal point in my garden. The witch hazel is a woody branch which means if conditioned properly, they last a long time in water.

The second fabulous winter flower is the hellebore. Hellebores (sometimes referred to as the Christmas Rose), come in a range of whites/off-whites to pinks and purples and paler yellows. Mixing the open blooms with the buds makes for a nice texture in your floral designs.

Floral Designers: Studio Based vs. Retail Stores

There are many floral designers out there.
We usually fall into one of two categories; retail or studio based.

Here’s some positives and negatives of both...

Retail florists range from your corner store that provides flowers to go to the high end floral shop with all the latest trends and funk. Retailers can offer a vast array of flowers to “play” with in your first meeting. They have the blooms at their fingertips and in their coolers to show you what certain combinations look like. They usually deal in volume, so sometimes the costs can be less for wedding flowers. Add these plusses to their established and continual relationships to wholesalers, and it could be a winning combination for you.....But with floral designers that are retail based, know this - they can be BUSY, BUSY, BUSY with their regular store orders and walk-ins.

They may miss the finer details necessary for a fabulous show of flowers the day of your wedding. Retail florists may also have limited times they can meet. Some retail florists offer delivery only for wedding flowers and no set up or transfer from ceremony to reception of your flowers. If you are considering a retail florist to design your wedding flowers, make sure that they have vast experience in weddings - from on site set up, to transport of volume (vs. just one of arrangements), set up for weddings are a highly specialized skill.

Studio based floral designers usually have private, by-appointment only spaces where they meet with clients and create their designs. Some do not have regular flower stock to show you, and if they are a newer business with fewer years of established relations with wholesalers and growers, then you may not get the cheapest price. Many studio based floral designers are specialists in their niche (ie, special events &/or weddings only) and do not offer services or designs for walk-ins. This means they usually will have more time to spend with you - many will offer after hours and weekend meeting times - a BIG plus when you are planning your wedding. Another plus with a studio based designer is that they will most likely have vast “onsite” experience at different venues for weddings.