In December I shared my hard-earned lessons for surviving holiday shopping, and now I'd like to help you get the most bang for your Valentine's Day flowers buck…
This is my fourth Valentine's Day working with flowers, so I hope I can help, even just a little! Here are a few tips:
Skip The Same Old Standbys. Unless your Valentine is crazy for red roses and only red roses, avoid them like the plague. The same goes for pink roses, and pink and red tulips, though to a lesser degree. You see, various players in the floral industry save up their Valentine's Day heavy hitters for days and weeks before the holiday, meaning that by the time you buy the red roses, they maybe have a few precious hours to live. Much better to buy something a little less traditional that was harvested in the last day or two.
Don't Fret If You Don't Know Their Favorite Flower. I've seen so many people have a near-panic attack when they realize they dont' know their beloved's favorite flower. It can be a helpful bit of trivia, but many people have several favorites, or no favorite. It's much, much more helpful to think about, and tell me about, your beloved's style. Is her home stark and modern? Does he dress in many colors at once? Does she like to run through forests barefoot, or would a manicured garden be more her scene? Adjectives like wild, modern, exotic, sweet, feminine, rugged, sunny, lush, or mysterious, whether they apply to your beloved's clothing, home, or personality, can help me put together the perfect arrangement.
Take Cues From Food. Scent is a major issue in the floral world. Some people want to inhale the scent of peonies with every breath, and some, like me, get an instant headache from perfumed flowers (and don't like the scent to boot). Think about what your Valentine likes to eat and drink. Guessing my aversion to flowery-smelling flowers would be easy, because I cannot stand floral flavors: rosewater, rose geranium, orange flower water, violet, chamomile, none of it. Does your darling prefer more savory scents? Many florists these days are carrying fresh rosemary, bay, mint, and oregano, so you can put together a bouquet good enough to eat.
Order Early. Smaller shops sometimes have to stop taking orders for February 14th several days ahead of time, so be sure to place your order in a timely fashion. A week before is a good rule of thumb (That's today!).
Have Your Love Letter Ready. Chances are you'll be asked what you'd like to have written on the card. Don't be shy — we don't judge — but do be prepared. It can be extremely difficult to come up with something romantic/meaningful/sexy/sweet on the spur of the moment, with someone waiting, so have your inscription written down ahead of time. This will also give you a chance to figure out the punctuation you prefer — exclamation points can make all the difference!
Be Explicit When You Order. If you need an arrangement delivered by 3pm, please be sure to tell your friendly neighborhood florist! Deliveries are generally arranged geographically (all the orders for the day gathered and then delivered via the most efficient route possible) so yours might not arrive until 6, after you've already left for the weekend.
Be Patient (Within Reason). If you didn't specify a time and your Valentine hasn't received a delivery yet, try not to worry. Valentine's Day, the days before, and even the day after, are a crazy time in the life of florists, a period of 12+-hour days without breaks. Feel free to call and check on your order, as we would hate if there was a mix-up or missing bouquet. But if it simply hasn't arrived yet, know that we're getting it to your beloved as quickly as we possibly can.
Remember It's Only One Day, It's Only One Bouquet. Whether you're sending or receiving flowers, it can be tempting to put the pressure of the entire relationship on their delicate stems. Are the flowers she sent you a bit lackluster? That might say more about the depleted flower market and the exhausted florist than it says about her feelings for you. Did he not send your favorites? Maybe there are no pink tulips within a hundred miles. We do our best to make each bouquet perfect, but there are misses and miscommunications. Whether the flowers are wonderful or underwhelming, they're just flowers, and it's just Valentine's Day, and there's so much more to your love than that.
(Image: Tess Wilson)
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Ahhh... I would be thrilled to recieve any type of flower delivery! They are so rarely sent anymore these days. If men only knew how much milage it could get them! LOL
That arrangement is lovely.
Alas, flowers delivered are not in our budget at all. That's ok with me as I don't mind buying flowers at the grocery store. It's a little market that has an amazing floral department- their arrangements range from $20 to over $500 (dang those are awesome). Plus, they have just cut flowers & greens to arrange at home. I've been treating us to fresh flowers every week or so during the Jan cure & it's a habit I'm NOT breaking!
@kellieinCA - Word. I may be a modern feminist woman, but receiving flowers makes my heart melt. It's one old fashioned custom that really should come back in style.
I'm not sure if its a different story in the states, but in Australia (where I work for the biggest off big hitter florists in the country) we wouldn't dream or storing roses. We've had fresh shipments scheduled to arrive during the night on the 12th and 13th from Colombia (because South American roses are pretty unique and local grown roses can't really compare in size and wow factor) as well as back up roses arriving from local growers, during that time. We wouldn't risk sending out flowers with a short life, because we have a resend policy on quality complaints, and roses will be difficult to restock a few days after valentines day to do that, since the growers time and empty their crops for this day.
I would actually say that a dozen red roses is a classic, romantic and perfect for the occasion. Good florists will have the option to have them presenting in a long gift box. If you can, choose this. Not only is the presentation a bit more special looking, it will also keep the roses safer in transit on the day, make them easier to carry home if you have hem sent to your loves work address, and will allow the florist to put water vials on each stem, so the roses stay hydrated until they get to a vase.
If your placing an order online with a florist, read their terms and condition before you do it. Lots of florist change them over valentines day, and many will have a no changes or no cancellations policy to cope with the volume. This could get you in trouble if you aren't certain of the address or decide to rethink the card message. When in doubt, call and ask the questions. We're busy, but it's our job and we'll be happy to help
I love your advice. I learned something and that is the important thing, Thank you.
I worked in a flower shop once for the 2 weeks leading up the Valentine's Day. I was exhausted & had headache every day from the fragrant shop. I would totally agree with get something other than red roses. I was sick of seeing bunch after bunch go out!
I would encourage people to buy a cheap flower and buy LOTS of them. Then they end up with a large arrangement for the same price or less. Who doesn't love to receive an insane amount of flowers?!
As a former flower girl, I very much agree with all of these tips!
With a cool dozen spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors in your posting, I sure wonder if you write the messages for the cards too! I also work for a florist in Australia, not one of the faceless giants, but a boutique establishment. We take care to present a beautifully handwritten card along with the flowers and we always strive for complete accuracy.
This highlights another point to consider when ordering flowers. If there are any unusual spellings or optional spellings, help your florist by letting them know - Vicky, Vikki, Vicki, or Vickie? Sound-alike words too, Nic or Mick? Jess or Jeff? If you're pedantic you can avoid seeing the all too common your/you're error by wording your message "you are so special".
I would also suggest to buy local when possible, not only do your flowers have less "flower miles", they are less likely to be contaminated with the incredibly toxic and quite possibly carcinogenic pesticides, insecticides and fungicides that make the exploited workers of Columbia so at risk of illness. http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/flowerbusiness/floralindustry/how-safe-are-our-flowers
Your locally grown flowers will also support local business and as they have been grown in the area, they will be fresher too! Smaller growers can also offer boutique florists more unusual specimens if you're looking for alternatives to the standard red rose option.
By far, more women than guys are going to see this. Instead, ladies, tell your guy no (overpriced tired red roses) on Val Day; just a nice dinner out or something but then you say some spontaneous day you both are going to go out and get a nice bouquet we both can enjoy.
We live around the corner from a florist. They appreciate us popping in, asking for a bouquet in whatever they have too much of and then we deliver it ourselves. They give us a discount on the arrangement and we save on the delivery fee.
We began to do it this way when delivered flowers were refused by someone who had allergies unbeknown to us and it stuck with us.
I worked for a florist as a seasonal college job and have many fond memories.
After half dozen awful experiences with online floral gifts (both as giver and receiver), I have totally given up on that method of sending flowers. Even the shops that participate in telefloral have been second rate. I hate spending $50-$100 to surprise my mom in a distant state or have my daughter do the same for me, only to receive horrible arrangements. One was almost dead, another was brimming with hundreds of insects, another dropped petals from day one, etc.