Post Valentines Day Reflections

Well, I made it through my first Valentines Day as a designer.  It was pretty intense.  17 hours of work and at least 50 arrangements created.

The one thing that really stood out to me during the whole process was the lack of creativity in designs for this holiday. I put together a lot of pink or red carnations and pink or red roses, the smallest of which cost $45.  There was only one design that was fun and creative to make:

I created two of this particular design and had a lot of fun.  Otherwise, I did a lot of these and a lot of these.   Boring!

Here's a little secret for all you consumers out there:  when you see the pictures on these floral sites, you are only seeing a one sided image.  There are no flowers on the back side of those designs.  The challenge for designers like me, is making the designs look like that, but only using the amount of flowers required for the "recipe".  The only way to get it to look like the picture is to add flowers and eat the cost.  

So next year when you are ordering flowers for your Valentine, call the shop itself instead of using Teleflora or 1-800 flowers, and order "designers choice"  you'll get a lot more bang for your buck and be supporting the shop more.

What type of flowers should you get?

Here's a fun infograph on what type of flowers you should get someone for Valentines Day!  Remember to order your flowers early!

Romantic Gestures

Valentines Day is a week away and flower prices are through the roof.  The wholesale price for a single rose is $2 or more.  This Valentines Day, think about getting your sweet heart a bouquet with a message instead of expensive, traditional roses.  Here are some bouquet ideas for you:


The flower dedicated to St. Valentine is the crocus.  This flower asks the receiver to not abuse the senders love.  Mix it with a Jonquil and it will ask the receiver to return affection.

A bouquet of red tulips declares your love.  Tulips are in their prime season right now and make a lovely bouquet. 

A variegated tulip tells your sweet heart that he/she has beautiful eyes.

Red carnations speak of your deep love and affection.  Or go with white carnations that symbolize pure love.

For new couples, getting a bouquet of hyacinths or purple lilac symbolizes the emotions of a new love.

For the ladies, you can give your men an arrangement with anthurium to express your intense attraction or a sunflower bouquet which represents a feeling equal to the power of the sun.  

For flowers on the more sensual side give a bouquet of snapdragons which state "lets be impetuous" or sweet pea's which mean "lasting pleasures".  

Valentines Day Tips

With Valentines Day (or Singles Awareness Day) coming up quickly, I thought I'd share a few tips on how to save money on the outrageous prices of flowers:

Order your bouquets early.  It will help your local florist out who in turn will help you out by lowering the price.

Don't buy red roses.  Roses are not in season and are ridiculously expensive.  You will probably get better quality roses that will last longer if you buy bouquets in colors other than the traditional red.  Check out my blog tomorrow morning for a list of alternative flowers and there special romantic meanings.

Ask for domestically grown flowers.  Anything that needs to be imported will have a higher price.  This will mean that your roses will have a smaller head, but they will last longer and cost a lot less.

If you are in the Redwood City area on Valentines Day or the day before, come and order your flowers from Redwood City Florist.  I will be at the shop helping them out on the 13th and 14th!