The Flower Blog

Nothing like gathering a group of floral designers together for some inspiration!

I recently attended a floral design show highlighting trends in wedding and special event designs. After several successful Super Bowl events in February and the upcoming wedding rush, I felt that I could use a jump start into spring with some fresh new ideas!

As expected, the show did not disappoint! Collectively, it was decided that anything goes as far as color trends these days. It was mentioned that in tough economic times, consumers decorate in blues, greens and purples for comfort and calming effects, which has certainly been the color trend for the last few years. In the past twelve months, the trend is decidedly moving towards “nude” or “skin” tones, pushing the color palate to the warmer tones of peach, ivory, mocha and gold. This change could be signaling the end of the economic oppression felt by many consumers since 2009.

I particularly enjoyed the newest “bling” that has been introduced this year! Exiting baubles, beads, wire, rhinestones and buckles are sure to dazzle any bride to be. And let’s be fair- brides don’t get to have all the fun anymore. Prom décor can be dazzled with these creative additions, too!

Composite style bouquets are becoming more popular. This process takes a regular bloom of a focal flower (i.e. a rose) and making a larger impact by adding the individual petals of additional roses all around the central rose bloom. The final product is stunning!

Another trend that is becoming more widely accepted is the use of fresh and permanent botanicals together to create luscious designs. The benefits of this new “marriage” are: keepsake items after your event, perfect color matching (especially shades of blue and purple), no seasonal constraints (peony, magnolia, forsythia) and no shipping constraints due to damage (lily of the valley, gardenia). The bouquets were masterfully designed in such a way that even the trained eye could not see the difference between fresh and permanent within the bouquet.

As the wedding season reaches its peak, it will be interesting to see if the color trends that are forecasted will indeed take the spotlight!

Ready to plan your unqiue wedding? Contact our Wedding Specialist!

Watch For Part 2 of "Beyond the Bouquet" where we will show you great Prom ideas!!

Gillespie Florists- Create Your Dream Prom Contest!

• Create a “set” on Polyvore using at least one of Gillespie Florists Corsages or Boutonnieres.  CLICK HERE to see those products.
• “Like” Us on Facebook.
• Post the “set” on the Wall of our Facebook Place page by April 12th. Copy and paste a link to your “set” on our Wall.
• We will announce the Winner and 3 runner ups April 13th!
• You can enter as many “sets” as you like but will be eligible for only one prize. Make sure to share your Dream Prom sets with your friends on Facebook and see which is their favorite!

What do you get if you win?

The Winner will get a $25.00 gift card that you can use for your dream Prom Flowers or any other purchase at Gillespie Florists!
The 3 Runner Ups will get $10.00 gift cards to Gillespie Florists!
And don’t forget, Bragging Rights!

Contest Ends April 12th 2012. Winners will be announced on Facebook April 13th!

Here’s a Link to our Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gillespie-Florists/196410082316

Here’s a Link to our Polyvore page where you can find more Prom Night sets!
http://www.gillespie-florists.polyvore.com/

Valentine’s Day is coming soon and many people will be celebrating however there is often criticism regarding the cost for this day of romance. While we agree Valentine’s Day can elicit some cost; we also believe any occasion is what you make of it. We're big fans of saying "I Love You" in any way, on any budget. Here are five cost effective ways to let your Valentine know they are special!

1. Wrapped Flowers
Go to your Local Florist and pick up wrapped flowers. Gillespie Florists offers a large selection of sunshine bouquets, deluxe sunshine and constantly run specials on flowers by the bunch! Want to select your own flowers? We also sell them by the stem!

When you purchase wrapped flowers at Gillespie Florists, the cost is less because we are not paying a designer to arrange them in a vase. You can save 20%-60% off your total cost. The only downside is that most florists will not deliver wrapped flowers.

More than likely your Valentine already has a vase at home. If not, containers can be easily purchased at the florist or you can get creative! Go to a local thrift store and find unique ways to vase your flowers with found containers such as mason jars, ceramic pitchers, cookie tins and more!

2. Personal Chef
We're not saying hire a personal chef (although you could). Surprise your sweetheart with the best recipe on earth! Anything made by you, because it's made with love. Sounds corny but picture a candlelit dinner for two complete with your finest display of cuisine artistry! Add extra flair to dîner chez vous with a bouquet or wrapped flowers from Gillespie Florists and creatively arranged by you!

3. Surprise Picnic
Surprise your valentine with a picnic at work! We love this idea because A. Homemade lunch prepared with love, B. A break from the ordinary work day and C. A lovely romantic gesture. and D. Also a great opportunity to pick up a beautiful flowering plant for office decoration!

4. Cupid's Treats
Treat your valentine with coupons and/or a homemade gift basket! Buy a Valentine’s Day card and on a separate piece of paper create a “Coupon” that gives her a body massage from you or a promise to spend a day doing what ever she wants and put that with the card. Make sure what you are offering something your valentine would really like even if you don’t, that is part of what makes it a great gift! Have a basket around the home? Upgrade the coupon idea to a homemade gift basket. Surround the envelope with coupon enclosed with a few of their favorite things including chocolates, bath bombs, candles, etc!

5. Think Outside the Box!
Does your valentine love movies, long walks in the park, window shopping at the mall, reading, ice cream, petting animals? Pick up the latest of your true love's favorite movie genre, treats, games, and put aside time to do some of their favorite things! Find more ideas for what to do around Indy here!

So, lets get down to the brass tax. Valentine’s Day is about letting your significant other know you love and appreciate them! It's not about the expense, it's another day to express yourself! Don’t the day of romance get you down; you can have a great holiday with out emptying you wallet!

Read about some of our Take Out specials below!

Click the button to view our Valentine's Day collection! 
 

We are getting ready for Valentine’s Day here at Gillespie Florists and we look forward to it year after year! We communicate your feelings with flowers every day but we specialize in love! Let us help express your love to your Valentine! So the question is, How deep is your love?

New Love

Is this a new love? Not even sure it’s love yet but know it’s someone special? Nuts for you! is the perfect bouquet! This bud vase comes with two red roses, babies’ breath and a cute little plush squirrel. Every time she looks at that cute little squirrel she will smile and think of you!

This is Love

This is love. You know are in love but you do not want to over do it. There will be many years to come and many years of out doing yourself from the previous year. The Love is... bouquet is the perfect arrangement for you! This bouquet includes tea roses, daisies, mini carnations, alstroemeria lilies, babies’ breath and a keepsake infinity heart ornament with the words inscribed, “Love is patient, Love is kind, Love never ends”. This heart is something she can cherish and remind her of your commitment to her!

Old Love

Is this an old love? The ultimate symbol of love for Valentine’s Day is a dozen roses! You have been together for years but your love for her grows with every passing day. Show her she always has been and always will be your true love with the Vin Rouge bouquet! This bouquet includes one dozen long stem red roses with babies’ breath, greenery, a bow and a clear glass vase! She will remember this stunning arrangement for years to come! 

No matter how deep your love is, we have a way to express it with flowers! Let this Valentine’s Day be the most spectacular by letting express your feelings in ways words cannot express!

Since September of 2011, I have seen a huge increase in the number of weddings featuring dark purple (often referred to as Lapis or Regency purple). In the world of flowers, there are not as many natural choices in this shade as compared to other colors (yellow, pink, white).

However, with a little creativity, we have come up with some beautiful options for all of our “purple” brides to be!

Flowers that grow naturally in shades of deep purple include: Calla lily, carnations, stock, larkspur, gladiolus, statice, limonium, safora, liatris, dendrobium orchid, iris, hybrid delphinium and tulips. Not all of these options are cost effective or appropriate for all types of wedding styles. Therefore, it is necessary to get creative with how we design with the color palette to make a beautiful presentation.

Consider Designs using purple as the focal point.

Since purple is a dark color, it is often more balanced to use a lighter, contrasting color to supplement the deeper, more focal color. I would suggest using deep purple with softer shades of ivory/white, pale green, pale pink or lavender to create a design that highlights your thematic color choice, but does not overbear the design.

Add in purple embellishments.

Using jeweled pins in the center of contrasting colored flower blooms is a fun way to sprinkle your themed color throughout your bouquet. Another option is to use ribbon accents in your bouquet. This can be in the form of ribbon loops, bows or streaming ribbons. For the more adventurous bride, consider using feathers or tufts of tulle to create a little flair within your bouquet.

Incorporate artificial flowers into your fresh flower design.

This may seem a little odd at first, but if Mother Nature does not provide what your heart desires, skillful hands probably can! Last year, one of our brides wanted to incorporate purple anemone into her bridal bouquet during a season in which the anemone is off-crop. Her wish was our command! Beautiful artificial anemone is shown here in this stunning bouquet of fresh cut blooms!

 Ready to design your dream wedding flowers? Click Below to contact our Wedding Specialist!

Need some more ideas? Check out our website with wedding flowers priced and ready to go!