Sending Smiles ~

We love this color combination used to create centerpieces for a wedding reception ~ baby blue hydrangea, pink roses, blue delphinium and pink waxflowers. Styled low in a simple round dish, these centerpieces really looked natural and elegant. Perfect for the setting at the Marriott located in Forrestal Center.  To see this and more of our event design, visit our event websites at www.mondaymorningballoons.com  and/or www.perfectweddingflowers.com  

It's always so lovely working at Morven in Downtown Princeton and today's Gala for the Tri-Centennial of  the Descendants of the American Revolution came out amazing. Thought I'd share a few photos! 

We had such a wonderful time designing these Ocean themed centerpieces. Can you guess the flowers used in these floral designs?  What would a bat mitzvah be without the balloons and these fish, dolphin and whale balloons were just the thing to bring the theme into Tre Piani for the party.    To see these and more of our themed event design be sure to visit our event website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com  

Spring has finally arrived. Goodness, we never thought it would come but with it comes so many fun events for us to create centerpieces for. Don't you love these cube centerpieces of blue hydrangea, dahlias, berries and bells of Ireland? They just scream Spring to me!  These were for a baby shower.  Wow, cube arrangements still remain popular and these pretty in pink centerpieces include pink roses, gerbera daisies and lilies. They smell good too! These were for an Anniversary party.    Who says floral centerpieces have to be huge and expensive? These colorful little bubble bowls will look amazing on the tables and would be perfect in any setting for any kind of party .   These sweet centerpieces have hydrangeas, roses, bells with carnations and those bright colors are sure to light up the room.  Want to see more of our event floral centerpiece design? Check out our website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com  and don't forget, floral...

We can't believe how many parties we had this past weekend. Everything from Showers, Anniversary and Birthday parties... we really had some fun clients this weekend. Pink was the hot ticket with more than half of them including some shade of pink. Take this piece below at Tre Bar. What a fun arrangement to greet the guests when they arrive. Designer Norman went crazy with the silver and pink on this one!  This gorgeous piece below in shades of creams, pinks and burgundy really looked elegant at the Cranbury Inn. We also loved the small mercury glass cups that also decorated this long, square table.   Designer Holly really did a beautiful job on these pieces, don't you think?  Balloons are always a bit hit for January parties because they add so much color. This Bat Mitzvah held on Saturday at Salt Creek Grill really got a color blast with these lavender, silver and purple polka dot balloons.    This birthday girl must have felt like a quee...

 At our shop, both Thanksgiving and Christmas are quite busy times for us with folks wanting to send and receive floral centerpieces for their dinner tables. When I talk to other shops from around the country, some are busier than us while others say that no one in their area is interested in having flowers for their home during the holiday season. What camp do you fall under? Do you like to have flowers on your table? What about sending flowers to family and friends that you are not able to share the holiday with?  As you can see by the photo of Kevin above, our shop was quite busy during the Thanksgiving holiday and this photo was taken on Wednesday and although it was not all the deliveries that we made, just the first round of deliveries for the 4 drivers working that day.  For me, I can't imagine not having something fresh on my dining room table and that goes back to long before I was in the floral business. Marking special moments in our lives is so impo...

Here at our Princeton Forrestal Village store, we are super lucky to be near so many great venues for parties. Take the location below ~ Tre Piani Restaurant is located right next door to our Princeton shop. What a great place to have a special event. Not only is the food prepared by Chef ~ Owner, Jim Weaver delicious but the 3rd floor party room is warm and cozy. These floral centerpieces, created for a 60th birthday party have bright, jewel tone colors and really make for a festive touch. Floral centerpieces don't have to be big to be noticed, don't you agree?  To see these and more of our special event floral designs, be sure to visit our event website at www.mondaymorningballoons.com ~ if you are having a social or corporate event, you'll find much to inspire you there! 

 Ring, ring, ring - Us: "Hello, Monday Morning Flowers, how can I help you?" Customer: "We need 30 floral centerpieces in 2 hours, can you help us?" Us: "Of course, we'll deliver them for you in 2 hours!" Customer: "It's my anniversary today and I need something sent our fast. What should I send to my wife?" Us: "How about a dozen of our Premium roses made by designer Norman? She'll love it" We have fun at the shop and we all work hard to be able to say Yes to our customers. To see more of our custom designs or learn more about our shop visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

 I love giving helpful tips to save money when you need to decorate for wedding or other party. Here are a few of my favorites. The big, tall cylinder vases filled simply with river stones and three huge gerbers really make a big show on a table. Use them alone or pair off with other vase creations for more drama. Prices starting at $30 at our shop!  Who says a centerpiece has to be huge and have lots of flowers? These cute compotes have moss, berries, ivy and just 3 roses. Super simple but elegant, don't you think? Only $40 each.  How about starting with a vintage or quaint container like this pitcher? Add a single huge hydrangea and some greenery for a casual centerpiece . $28 each.  Have a large space to fill? How about huge vases (rentals of course) with gems, underwater lights and floating candles. What a simple way to fill in a large space and adding lighting at the same time. Expect to pay $18 to $25 per vase.  Our tri candle holders ...

 Are you planning an event that requires floral centerpieces? Are you overwhelmed with all the flower, color and container options? If so, this blog should help you at least understand how the container being used to "house" the flowers can help or hurt you with regards to size and budget. Read on to learn how important choosing the right container can be! Let's talk about the flowers pictured below. These floral centerpieces were created in elegant wooden pedestal bowls. There are a few reasons that I personally like this way of designing. First off, the container, although adding to the cost of the over all table display, also creates a wonderful starting point for the flowers. The container is interesting in and by itself and the flowers only add to the elegance. The pluses to use a container like this one is that the flowers are slightly elevated off the table making the arrangement look more substantial. The fact that the container is decorative means you need less ...

Here's a photo of an after wedding (the couple got married in Jamaica) reception that we set up yesterday. I don't know about you but I was so happy to find out that the couple were actually going to be able to choose a linen color. In our area, most banquet halls, country clubs and the like only offer ivory or white and so unless budget allows, many of my clients need to stick to those two options. Personally, I love what a colored linen can do for a room, especially with regards to complimenting the flowers. In this case, the bride and groom asked me my opinion on what linen color they should do and I was happy to advise them. One option was a deep orange but that shade was very overpowering and more of a "fall" orange than a summer tangerine. There was also a hot pink and that color was a bit too much and I feared it would have overpowered the brightly colored flowers they wanted. Another choice was a deep plum purple that I really loved but they were a bit fear...

Samantha , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Have you ever tried to spin a clay pot? Remember art class where you sat there just trying to get that clay to turn into something of beauty? If you are like me, the clay fought me every step of the way and never was much to look at! I'm the same way with paint. I marvel at how someone can take that little colorful liquid and turn it into an amazing landscape or portrait. Well, the same holds true for flowers in the hands of truly gifted artist. Believe me, I've seen designers come and go through my shop doors who think they have talent but are unable to really craft the flowers the way they should. Even with talent someone needs lots of practice and design instruction to really create beautiful floral displays and bouquets. Don't forget, flowers are not only delicate but they are perishable. Working with flowers means that they must be kept cool and can't be done too far in advance. Transportat...

Need something affordable to decorate tables for a picnic, shower or other event? Personally, I love these simple floating gerber daisies. These were created for an event at Princeton University and the black stones and orange gerbers really scream Princeton! Five inch square vases give the daisy plenty of room to spread out and show the black river stones. Easy for guests to take home and very long lasting.  Sometimes simple works best!!

Escort Card Table , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . It's funny how trends change, things go in and out of style. Sometimes slowly, sometimes very quickly. One thing that I've noticed is that more bride are asking for lilies again. There for awhile, most brides I suggested them to showed a dislike of these pretty blooms. Last weekend we had three weddings and this particular bride used lilies in both her bridal bouquet and this piece that was created for her escort card table. What I love about lilies is not only their star shape but also their buds. This design included simple foliages accented with lily grass. Add a few pale pink Erica dendrobium orchids and a stunning display is born. Two weeks ago one of our clients chose all white hybrid lilies in tall rectangular vases accented with navy ribbon tied simply on the vase in a knot. The perfect centerpieces for the two young boys celebrating their holy communion, the mother said she was still g...

Family and Flowers , originally uploaded by Georgianne at Monday Morning Flowers . Sometimes I loose perspective on the product that I sell. No really, it's true. I know I talk about flowers - a lot but sometimes I forget the impact they have. This past weekend Kevin and I had to rush from the shop, after setting up numerous events for our clients, we had to actually attend a backyard party in honor of our nephew who was making his Communion. As I ran around, trying to get out, wrapping his gift and writing out his card, I asked designer Samantha to make me a pretty little basket of flowers to take with us. Well, of course, the flowers were a hit and much appreciated by everyone there. The next time you are going to a party, will you consider stopping at your local florist for a bouquet or arrangement? Family, friends and flowers, perfect together.

Can flowers be a symbol of success? I say a resounding YES! Have you ever been to a beautiful restaurant and noticed that they have fresh flowers on their front counter or even at every table? Those flowers need to be replaced at least once a week but each week that restaurants pays for them for their space. Why? Simple, people love flowers. Flowers are a symbol of freshness and success. Businesses having trouble paying their staff, rent or other bills don't  buy flowers. Let's be honest, all businesses would love to have fresh flowers in their lobby but not all can afford them. In that way, flowers are a sign of financial success. I remember reading a statement made by Carley Roney, Co-Founder of TheKnot.com which was "with flowers, you get what you pay for" and boy, that is so true. Case in point, this weekend we had 8 weddings and various other parties that we were hired to create floral centerpieces for. We had every price point from $30 to $125! Wow, wha...