How to find the right florist for your wedding by North Raleigh Florist

You’re getting married!  Congratulations!  Your wedding day is one of the happiest and most important days of your life and finding the right people to help you make it special is key. From the dress to the location to the flowers, there are a lot of important decisions to be made and using the right professionals will make those decisions stress free and even enjoyable.

There are several important things to consider when choosing the right florist for your wedding.

Talk to florists who are recommended by friends and who have a good reputation.  Knowing they have done a great job for others will help you have important piece of mind before the big event.  You can also ask for references from previous brides, happy customers don’t mind telling other people how happy they are.

Choose a florist that takes the time to get to know your style and who you are before asking for a deposit.  You should be able to ask questions and get general information including meeting with staff members and looking at pictures of previous events before you have to pay for anything.

Once you have decided to book your wedding with your florist, a meeting of an hour or two should be expected to get a full estimate and go over all of the details of your wedding down to the last corsage.  The right florist will be more than happy to go over your event and answer all of your questions to your satisfaction, your understanding and happiness are crucial.

Set a budget and be aware if this is a hard or soft number.  Hard numbers can not be exceeded for reasons such as lack of funds.  Soft numbers are your goal but you have some financial leeway to get things exactly right.  Find a florist that is flexible and one that is accustomed to working within the budget you have set.

Be willing to compromise if necessary and take the florists suggestions to achieve the look or style that you want.  Avoid high end if you’re not looking for high end prices.  There are almost always substitutions that can be made and yet still fulfill your dreams AND stay within your budget.

The types of weddings a florist does on a regular basis is very telling of the areas in which they have expertise.  Be sure to see several different examples and photos of previous events.  If you haven’t seen what you are looking for, the right florist will be able to duplicate a photo of something  you like that you have found online or in a magazine.

Use careful consideration before agreeing to have family or friends arrange the flowers for you.  Something so important can have a negative impact on your relationship and your budget.  A professional has multiple suppliers, workers, and time to make sure you get exactly what you ordered.

The most important thing is to find someone you like and are comfortable talking to and who really understands you and your style.  Taking the time early in the planning process to talk to several different professionals will pay off later when you are confident that you have chosen the best florist and can relax and enjoy your special day

You’re getting married!  Congratulations!  Your wedding day is one of the happiest and most important days of your life and finding the right people to help you make it special is key. From the dress to the location to the flowers, there are a lot of important decisions to be made and using the right professionals will make those decisions stress free and even enjoyable.

There are several important things to consider when choosing the right florist for your wedding.

• Talk to florists who are recommended by friends and who have a good reputation.  Knowing they have done a great job for others will help you have important piece of mind before the big event.  You can also ask for references from previous brides, happy customers don’t mind telling other people how happy they are.
• Choose a florist that takes the time to get to know your style and who you are before asking for a deposit.  You should be able to ask questions and get general information including meeting with staff members and looking at pictures of previous events before you have to pay for anything.
• Once you have decided to book your wedding with your florist, a meeting of an hour or two should be expected to get a full estimate and go over all of the details of your wedding down to the last corsage.  The right florist will be more than happy to go over your event and answer all of your questions to your satisfaction, your understanding and happiness are crucial.
• Set a budget and be aware if this is a hard or soft number.  Hard numbers can not be exceeded for reasons such as lack of funds.  Soft numbers are your goal but you have some financial leeway to get things exactly right.  Find a florist that is flexible and one that is accustomed to working within the budget you have set.
• Be willing to compromise if necessary and take the florists suggestions to achieve the look or style that you want.  Avoid high end if you’re not looking for high end prices.  There are almost always substitutions that can be made and yet still fulfill your dreams AND stay within your budget.
• The types of weddings a florist does on a regular basis is very telling of the areas in which they have expertise.  Be sure to see several different examples and photos of previous events.  If you haven’t seen what you are looking for, the right florist will be able to duplicate a photo of something  you like that you have found online or in a magazine.
• Use careful consideration before agreeing to have family or friends arrange the flowers for you.  Something so important can have a negative impact on your relationship and your budget.  A professional has multiple suppliers, workers, and time to make sure you get exactly what you ordered.

The most important thing is to find someone you like and are comfortable talking to and who really understands you and your style.  Taking the time early in the planning process to talk to several different professionals will pay off later when you are confident that you have chosen the best florist and can relax and enjoy your special day.

Why you should use a local florist by North Raleigh Florist

Could you imagine actually buying tomatoes on-line?  You surf through a cyber produce stand called “www.yourlocalfarmer.com” and see pictures of plump, glossy, perfect tomatoes that make your mouth water, only to receive them stuffed in a box that was dropped on your front porch by a national courier service from California.  Your lovely tomato salad just became tomato soup!

Of course none of us would do this type of thing.  As consumers we want only the freshest, best product for our hard earned money. We deserve it!  So why would you order your flowers this way? Fresh flowers are even more delicate than those tomatoes and make people a whole lot happier.

Price you say? Great deals?  Tight budget?  Any local florist can make you something perfect to fit any budget.  The trick is to make sure they ARE your local florist.  There are lots of websites out there that appear to be ‘local’.  If you go to Google and type in “florist Raleigh, NC” you are returned 940,000 results!  This is very interesting considering the latest population estimate is only about 375,000 Raleigh residents*.  You are guaranteed not everyone in Raleigh owns a florist.  For help on distinguishing your ‘real’ local florist visit http://www.floristdetective.com/.

Still uncertain why a local florist is the better option?  Here are some key points as to why you should use a ‘real’ local florist:

• We care about your occasion as much as you do! Because we are here in your local community your occasions are our occasions, we can give personal attention to all of your details and meet all of your needs from Baby Shower corsages and Balloons, to Welcome New Baby Arrangements and stuffed animals, all the way through inspiring sympathy arrangements to convey you heartfelt condolences, We will be there with you through it all!
• We Are Local! You can drop by our store on Six Forks Rd and meet our staff, check out our products, and even get something made up fresh, to your exact specifications, with flowers you picked out and ready to take with you when you are ready to leave! You will have the assurance of knowing we are your neighbors and putting a face with the voice on the telephone
• We don’t stop until you are happy! While we have in place lots of quality assurance practices, once in a great while, mistakes happen.  The benefit to you is that it can be caught quickly, we can be notified quickly, and it can be rectified quickly!  Sometimes within the hour!
• We are real People! We give personal attention to every caller, no long hold times, phone trees, or voice mails!
• We like to keep things simple!  With a total staff of 10 we are efficient and productive and have the time to give each order the special attention and handling it deserves. Each order is hand made, hand checked, and hand delivered, they are more than just a number.
• Instant gratification – The effect of the time to open a box and then first arranging these flowers versus opening the door to one of the floral delivery drivers handing you a professionally designed bouquet
• Cost – In general, it is more cost effective for the consumers to work with a local florist and have it delivered by a local florist
• Quality and Service – Local florists are in the business of long-term relationships with their customers. They want you to keep coming back to them. They do not play the odds with the mass consumer buying that is done with “drop shippers” or “order gatherers”
• Good for the local economy

Instant gratification – The effect of the time to open a box and then first arranging these flowers versus opening the door to one of the floral delivery drivers handing you a professionally designed bouquet

Cost – In general, it is more cost effective for the consumers to work with a local florist and have it delivered by a local florist

Quality and Service – Local florists are in the business of long-term relationships with their customers. They want you to keep coming back to them. They do not play the odds with the mass consumer buying that is done with “drop shippers” or “order gatherers”

Good for the local economy

Still not convinced?  Maybe humor is more your style.  Check out this great commercial from Teleflora about why florist delivered flowers are better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UM08bn2H-0

* Legislation that was just enacted in North Carolina (and elsewhere as well) which is halting deceptive advertising where out of town florists list their business in Raleigh although they reside in another city, state or country.

Caring for your beautiful blooms

Whether you are the sender or the recipient, fresh cut flowers make everyone feel good. They are a beautiful vehicle for our emotions when words just aren’t enough.  I love you, I’m sorry, congratulations, or get well soon always sound better when said with flowers.

Sumptuous hot house orchids delivered from your local florist or a fist full of daisies from a child can have the same heart warming effect.

Will they last? With the right care, your fresh cut flowers should last up to a week or more, depending on the type of flower. One of our expert flower handlers at North Raleigh Florist has put together the do’s and don’ts for prolonging your enjoyment of these beautiful blooms.

Here are the tips:

• Change the water in a vase arrangement every 2 days — don’t just top it off. This is the single most effective thing you can do to keep your flowers looking fresh.
• Add water to floral foam arrangements daily (even if the foam feels wet, the flowers need a constant draw of water to stay alive)
• Use plain, lukewarm water for most cut flowers, but use cold water for bulb flowers, such as daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips.
• Keep flowers out of direct sunlight
• Display them away from heat and AC vents as they will dry out quicker, this is true for tops of televisions and other appliances that give off heat
• Give daffodils their own vase — daffodil stems give off a compound that is toxic to other flowers.
• Keep cut flowers away from fruit (especially in the frig), which releases a gas that causes flowers to age faster.
• Recut the stems of flowers in vased arrangements when you change the water.

Stay tuned for more great tips in our monthly newsletter. Sign up to receive via email or snail mail on our website at www.northraleighflorist.com

Also keep in mind some flower varieties and styles of arrangements just last longer than others.  Hardy carnations are one of the longest lasting flowers and with proper care could stay vibrant up to two weeks, where as certain varieties of Roses, with their delicate beauty, can start to fade in about four days. However, any fresh flowers delivered from your florist should still look beautiful 3 days later with minimal care. For more complete information regarding vase life of flowers, call the experts at North Raleigh Florist or use the “Ask the Florist!” form on our website at www.northraleighflorist.com.

The staff at North Raleigh Florist is committed to ensuring that the flowers you are ordering are of the highest quality and care and the most appropriate choice for your occasion

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Grocery store flowers, do you get what you pay for?

How many people have had the following experience while walking through the “floral department” at the local grocery store?

Great Prices! $14.95 for a cello wrapped bouquet of mixed flowers. Every color you can imagine, red, purple orange, green, and brown. Yes, BROWN. Brown tips on the edges of the yellow lilies, and the edges of the white daisy petals had a similar tone. And…Oh My, the roses? Slimy wilted petals and sagging heads, a sure sign that these roses are very old. Pinpointing the problem is not always easy. These flowers could look bad for several reasons.

One of the primary reasons is that there is not a designated care taker.  They were bundled into those lovely and inviting display stands when they arrived 5 days ago and have not been tended to since.  They have sat in small amounts of luke warm water with lots of other flowers in balmy 72 degree air since they arrived.  This may sound great to you and me but flowers actually prefer to be chilled and kept separately from their brightly colored friends.  Professional florists know this and strive to keep flowers cooled, organized, well watered, and out of direct light to ensure you get the freshest product available.

When you leave the grocery store with your already slightly brown flowers how many days do they last?  Did they come with care instructions and a guarantee?  Can you return them if they die too early or the person you are giving them to is allergic?  These are all things that your professional neighborhood florist does as part of everyday business.  Florist  flowers are expected to be fresh for a minimum of 3-5 days and the care instructions provided with them will help them last even longer.  If there is a problem there is no haggling or questions, they are replaced without effort.

Also when was the last time you tried to call the grocery store to ask them a floral related question?  Were you even able to be transferred to the floral department?  Could they answer your question in a timely manner and have a custom made, fresh arrangement waiting for you to pick it up?

This is what the florist does every day of the year. Their knowledgeable professionals answer your questions and make up customized fresh arrangements that  are just what you ordered, no settling for what’s in the display rack.  Florists can also meet any budget, they don’t have to be expensive or extravagant to give you a good quality product.

After all of that, was $14.95 really such a great deal?