Sending Smiles ~

Believe it or not, most of the weddings we design these days are NOT held in Churches. With more and more weddings ceremonies taking place in parks, ballrooms and under gazebo's, it's always a change of pace to decorate a beautiful church. From this past weekend, bride and groom Lindsay and Chris were married in this lovely church in Morrisville, PA.  Keeping with the theme of blue and white, Design Manager Holly created 2 elegant floral displays to be placed up on the altar. Hybrid delphinium, hydrangea, thistle, green button mums and elegant foliage's and bells of Ireland combine for a lovely combination of texture and color.   Kevin did a nice job of decorating the pews with a single blue hydrangea bloom accented with a soft green ribbon. Pew flowers and bows are always a nice way to decorate for a wedding and welcome your guests closer to altar for your ceremony. An aisle runner rests at the foot of the altar waiting to be rolled down the aisle just as Lindsay...

Have you heard about our fun and informational floral design classes held at our Princeton Flower Store? We have quite a few scheduled for the summer, including one that will teach you all about roses ~ how to arrange them, how to keep them fresh longer and a little bit about their history.  For example, did you know that what we call thorns are technically called prickles?  If you want to learn more about these gorgeous blooms, why not join us on August 6th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm for a fun, informative hands on design class. This class costs only $40 per person and includes Rose Wine, Snacks and your design project is yours to take home. Sign up through our website at www.sendingsmiles.com or call us today! 609-520-2005

It's all about the color blue for last months wedding for George and Rachel. My personal favorite were the blue orchids used for the chuppah but hydrangeas and delphinium in shocking cobalt blue were also featured. Truly a blue and white theme, the wedding flowers were striking and dramatic against the neutral but elegant back drop of the newly renovated Nassau Inn Ballroom.  Rachel's bridal bouquet was stunningly created using ivory roses, white mini callas and deep blue delphinium. The centerpieces were designed in elegant footed compotes that were silver and included ivory roses, deep blue hydrangeas and touches of delphinium and assorted spring foliage. The chuppah was amazingly adorned with draping blue dyed orchids and accented with draping vines and ivy.  Thank you Kyo Morishima Photography for the amazing photos of the elegant blue wedding ! 

If you are planning your wedding in 2015, I'd imagine you have started looking at photos on Pinterest and other online site of wedding bouquets and floral centerpieces. It's truly shocking how many options there are, right? First you have to decide on a floral colors and then you try to determine if you want formal, natural or fun floral designs . We're seeing just about every color being used this year in our wedding designs and as for styling, no one style choice seems to be more in demand than other. Many of our couples this year have chosen traditional romantic designs with a few even choosing cascade bouquets. As a designer, I just love these elegant and flowing bouquets and I'm hoping to see more brides choose them next year.  Speaking of trends, we are seeing less and less "shabby chic, country and rustic" weddings for late 2014 and early 2015 and more couples choosing a more traditional theme but with a "natural feel" ~ such as an Eng...

If you are in the process of planning an event , I'm going to take a guess and say that you probably feel both overwhelmed and over spent. We work with folks hosting events all the time and the common thread seems to be making choices and wondering if spending money on decor is worth it. Although, I'd be the last person to talk you into decorations you don't want, nor can afford, I truly believe that the decor services we provide really help events "feel and look" more special. Take the photo below of a recent prom. I'm sure without the decor the kids would still have a great time but doesn't the room on the right look much more festive?  I think the point becomes what can you afford to do to decorate your special event . Taking any budget you have and doing the most with it can take a little thought and pre-planning but it's worth it. Does a wedding , Mitzvah, Prom or other party need flowers and/or balloons to make the event complete? Certainly...

One of the best parts about being a florist is sharing the gift of flowers with others. Going out to Senior Centers and Schools are one of favorite things to do, especially at the start of summer. This past week Designer Alanna and Designer Alex lead a class of over 50 senior citizens at the Plainsboro Community Center. Each participant was able to create their very own floral basket.  Sharing the basic principles of design using hardy but colorful blooms, Alanna lead the group in making their own basket centerpieces. Using the colorful combination of daisies, baby's breath and mini carnations, each student took home their creation.   Interested in having us come out to your location to teach a class? Contact us at 609-520-2005 to discuss and we'd be thrilled to work with you!  Don't forget our next floral design class at our Princeton Flower Shop is June 25th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. A few openings are still available so call today to reserve or click he...

Join us in our Princeton store for a fun and interactive class: Basics of Floral Design for Beginners !  On June 25th, enjoy a Wednesday night out meet new people, get crafty and create a beautiful floral arrangement to take home.  From 5:30-7:30PM enjoy wine and refreshments as you receive hands-on floral design instruction.  Learn all about proportion, balance, accent, focal point and more.  This class is only $55 per person! Held in our Princeton shop in Forrestal Village -  between CanDo Fitness and the Westin Hotel. 5:30-6:30PM : Enjoy wine and refreshments, meet new people and browse our exciting summer gift collection 6:30-7:30PM : Learn from our expert designer all of the basics of creating your own floral arrangement, and leave with your own design and skill to create your own floral pieces at home!

Don't you just love Sunflowers ? Here at our 2 flower shops, we sure do! Although we are able to bring sunflowers into our store pretty much year round we especially love the summer months when we can buy huge locally grown ones from New Jersey .  Sunflowers are such a joy to design with. Although they look wonderful with other flowers, they especially look nice just by themselves. Don't forget about wedding designs. They dramatic flowers look amazing in wedding bouquets and centerpieces, not to mention on wedding cakes, like the ones pictured below.  Looking to send flowers to cheer someone up? Nothing says "smile, I'm thinking of you" more than a bouquet that includes a sunflower or two, don't you agree?  What's your favorite Sunflower design style? We'd love to know!! 

I'm not going to lie, sometimes working in a flower shop is no "tip toe through the tulips". Really, it's no "walk in the park" and it certainly isn't for the faint of heart. I'll bet you'd never think that working in a floral shop is fast paced and stressful, but at times, it can be. When those phones get to ringing and the door bell jingles with a walk in customer and the driver is waiting for you to finish that floral design on your station that you started 30 minutes ago... well, let's just say being surrounded by absolute beauty make the day a bit more bearable.  One minute you are helping someone grieve the loss of a friend or family member and the next call could have you talking to someone who wants to wish their 90 year old grandmother a very happy birthday. Or perhaps your brother just made you an Aunt! Going from one emotional extreme to another can take it's toll but knowing that what we create and the personal attention we g...