Sending Smiles ~

Over the last two years we've been doing more flowers for same sex marriages. I have to say that I enjoy doing these weddings, not just because it's another source of revenue for the shop (and it certainly is) but I find working with these couples rewarding. Last night, I had a consultation with a lovely family (bride, sister and mom) and we were talking about the family dynamics that can sometimes rear their ugly heads during flower meetings. I'm sure that most people that either haven't planned a wedding for many years or have never planned one, must think that meetings with the florist must be tranquil and stress free. Unfortunately, I've seen things during consultations that could make your hair curl! I've seen grooms being mean to brides, brides being condescending to their groom. Parents being mean to their children, children acting downright rude to their parents and the list goes on. Sometimes I feel like I'm not just a florist but a therapist too!!

I recently became aware of references made by various media sources making a blanket statement that florists charge more for flowers that are for a wedding than everyday flowers. I can only speak for myself and people I know from the industry and this simply is not true. We might use higher quality flowers for weddings but as with any perishable product, you get what you pay for. Last time I checked, most brides want perfect, fresh blooms for their wedding bouquet.... Our mark up for wedding flowers is the exact same mark up no matter how the flower is being used. Where we do charge a bit extra, about 10% more, is in our labor. Why? Well, because weddings are never done with just one phone conversation or quick meeting, like most other floral orders. On average, I meet with my brides at least two times in person with each meeting taking about 1 1/2 hours. I also spend about 3 hours addressing questions, returning e-mails, ordering flowers and typing (and retyping) proposals. Weddings

Well, I'm about a month away from my 45th birthday and my loving husband has yet again surprised me with a trip away in honor of my special day. He told me about it in advance because it's got to be squeeked in between the weddings we do and our employees vacations. A birthday card in March or April (being my birthday is in early July) usually is a sign of a birthday trip!! Last trip was a romantic journey through Italy and Austria, complete with flowers at each stop. It was a wonderful 40th birthday that just seemed to go on and on. This time it's off to the Florida keys, never been there and have always wanted to go. Being a Cancerian and now finding out that the Keys are located in the tropic of Cancer, what else could a little crab want? Isn't it funny how much we look forward to vacation but how amazingly good it feels to get back home? I think going away to far (and not so far) away lands is always a wonderful reminder of how important it is to appreciate what we

We've all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and boy if that isn't the truth, I don't know what it. Being in the business of floral design puts me in the center of this truism just about every day. We've all had this happen. Someone in your life gives you this gift for your birthday or maybe Christmas. They watch you intently as you open the package, bit by bit. They have this look on their face that says "she's gonna love it, I hope she loves it" and of course, you really want to love this gift you are opening. You have all these preconceived notions of what this gift could be. Is it those cool jeans you saw in American Eagle or maybe one of those soft and fuzzy terry cloth robes you saw at Victoria Secrets. The tension mounts. Them looking at you and you intently digging inside the gift box and then it happens.... you unfold the ugliest blouse you have ever seen in your life. You look up into the eyes of the person who's obviously excite

Why, you might ask, would a florist who has worked 90 hours this week, be taking the time to write a blog? Surely, I deserve a rest! I must confess, that a glass of wine and a warm bubble bath sounds wonderful right about now. The truth is that Mother's Day is an emotional day for me. With no time to really process my feelings and being responsible for helping to make other peoples mother's happy, my thoughts constantly turn towards my own mother. I've noticed over the years that Mother's Day is a very emotional holiday. It's amazing the look on a woman's face when you hand her those flowers! It's what inspires me most in this business. But with all the good and honorable feelings, sometimes negative and discouraging feelings arise. I remember about 6 years ago a woman called me late on Sunday afternoon and wanted me to know that she was most displeased with the flowers she had received from her daughter. I was, of course, very upset and offered to redelive

When you really think about it, we all have Assistants in our lives. They might not have the title of Professional Administrative Assistant but there are those people, both at work and at home, that help to make our lives easier. It might be a simple as someone who you can assign duties to at work, or who makes dinner for you at home but we all have those people that sometimes go unappreciated. What would be do without them? I don't even want to think about it! So, as a florist, knowing that this week is Professional Administrative Assistants Week or Secretary's Week, whatever you want to call it, it makes me think that we should all take a few minutes to thank the people in our lives.

Twenty years ago, when I didn’t have two nickels to rub together and I was trying to market myself and my business, networking was there to the rescue. I would meet people who needed what I had to offer and offered me what I needed. All these years later I still call these people customers, vendors and friends. How wonderful is that? To this day, networking is an important part of my business life. A few business cards and a chance to mingle with other business people still goes a long way. The last networking meeting that my staff and I attended resulted in a sale of over $1,000.00. True story and what a return!! How can you beat that. To that end, I’m helping to coordinate a Networking and Business Card Event on April 17th at the Yardley Country Club, hosted by the Yardley Business Association. The folks on the board wonder why I’m so passionate about networking but I’m a true believer. So if you happen to be available on that night and are going to be anywhere near Yardley, PA conta