Sending Smiles ~

How adorable is this cute little button. Running towards the camera with her sweet bouquet of Circus rose, hypericum berries and deep blue delphinium. Shaped like a fairy wand, her loving Aunt May told us that she adored her bouquet. With a smile like that, I don't doubt it!! Thank you to photographer Annie Hosfeld for this wonderful photo! To see more pictures of our wedding flower designs you can visit our wedding website at http://www.perfectweddingflowers.com/

I thought I'd share this photo of my hubby Kevin, doing a fantastic job routing the Valentine's Day deliveries. Looks like kaos but in fact everything was staged and routed depending on the town it was to be delivered too. Just about 400 deliveries left the shop in one day and all drivers returned by about 5 pm. Thank you too all our "extra" helpers - Donna, Steven, Donna (number 2), Alison, Mikey, James, Ed, Cory and Dave. Acting as drivers and shop greeters, these wonderful folks helped make our holiday the least stressful holiday in recent years!!

Have you seen the cover of today's Princeton Packet Newspaper? Well, yes, there I am, yours truly in all my "floral" glory. What fun it was to have the "Press" at the shop. It was wonderful of them to put flowers right on their cover and I was honored to be included.  Valentine's Day and flowers - perfect together. Have you noticed how everyone feels a need to say "Don't send flowers this Valentine's Day - send our product instead"? I'm thinking that as florists we should take that as a compliment that we are so often targeted in ads. Marketing 101 - if you have to put down someone elses product, you just might not have a good product yourself. Enough said. For those of us who sell flowers, stand on our own merits. People, especially women, love getting flowers.   No bashing the folks that sell jewelry, chocolates, cell phones, fruit, teddy bears, etc, etc.  Because flowers let you say what's in your heart why not send flowers t...

Well, the Valentine's Day holiday is in full swing for us at both flower shops. It's always funny to watch the trends. Last year red and pink roses were all the rage and this year lavender, yellow and mixed roses seem to be in demand. Another trend seems to be men sending their gifts early to their Valentine. Friday and Saturday day orders are coming in strong even though the holiday is on a Monday this year. We even expect to need a few extra drivers for Sunday to get all the deliveries done! Here's designer Rocio arranging 36 long stem roses, our Explosion of Roses, for someone celebrating a special birthday. Our explosion retails for $199.95 which is a $40 savings over sending all red. To see more of our Valentine's Day gift selection, visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com .

I love doing weddings during the winter, mainly because we certainly seem to have a dry spell during January, February and March. We have done a few weddings so far this year and this bouquet was created for our bride Daria who is being married right as I type this blog. Deep rich red roses accented with crystal really strike a dramatic feel for February, don't you think?

•Do I have to give red roses on Valentine's Day? NO! People love receiving flowers such as tulips, daisies, gerbers and orchids, not to mention roses in other colors. Mixed spring bouquets are the next most popular choice to send on Valentine's Day from our shop. •Does my flower gift have to be a huge bouquet of flowers and cost a lot? Of course not! A single bloom you picked out by hand at your local florist will mean just as much as a whole dozen of roses. Your flower purchase should be relative to what you feel is comfortable for you to spend. There are many options to choose from. Save some real dough by checking out our promotion codes at the bottom of this e-mail! •Why do red flowers seem to cost more during the holiday? Simple supply and demand. Not enough supply and high demand.Go with the crowd and send red flowers or stand out by being creative and most likely, you'll save some money. •What are some other great gift ideas for the holiday? We sells ...