The Flower Blog

"Mother is a verb. It’s something you do. Not just who you are."
Cheryl Lacey Donovan

Mother is definitely more than a title. It's an extremely active verb; so active I'm wondering why the calorie counting apps don't have "mom mode" as one of the cardio/strength training options. I'm certain I burned at least a hundred and twenty calories when putting the kids to bed last night...just enough to enjoy a glass of cabernet with some peace and quiet.

Enough beating around the bush, we all know why moms are a hot topic. Mother's Day is almost here and some of us are still figuring out how to say "Mom, I get it now, I love you and here's something to express my appreciation for what you've done for me. I'll try to remember to celebrate you every day but most likely I'll forget sometimes. Hopefully this will cover some of those days."  Fortunately, Gillespie Florists has quite a few top notch items with which to express some love and appreciation on Mother's Day or any day! Without further ado, here are our best sellers for day of the moms.

1. This Bouquet is absolutely Tea-licious!

2. The Sweet Scent of Candles

5. Herb Gardens in Awesome Keepsake Containers!

Notice a trend in our Best Seller lineup? The Highland Herb Garden is continuing the trend of our Mother's Day favorites being comprised of gifts which keep giving long after the special day has passed! These gifts are close to the hearts of those who enjoy  plants and having fresh herbs for their cuisine creations. Basil, thyme, sage and rosemary are among the top herbs we use in our little garden gifts. A decorative bow, butterfly and sweet button mums add flair and top off the look of our stylish rustic gardens.
*Click here to see the fresh cut florals version, English Garden* 

 

 

6. Delicious Chocolates

What gift list isn't complete without chocolate? I may be working on making healthier choices but I will never reject a delicious box of chocolates. Gillespie Florists carries a variety of sizes and items from South Bend Chocolate Company therefore you send your herb garden and a few sweets too! It's a win-win! 

 

 

Congratulations, you've made it through our top notch Mother's Day gift lineup. Best part of this list is you have great gift ideas for Mother's Day for the next few years or occasions Mom needs a gift or alittle something to brighten her day! Like the quote at the top, Mother is a verb therefore there's never a bad time to say "I Love You", "Thank you",  "I appreciate You", etc..

Doesn't have to be a grand affair each time. Take care of the dishes/laundry/dinner for the day for her because even little things can speak volumes. But also, so do flowers, herb gardens, windchimes...everything on this list. Moms (as in me) like these things too. So buy something on the list for them (me).

 

 

Shop our entire Mother's Day Collection by clicking below!

Post a snapshot of you and another person wearing flowers from Gillespie Florists on our Facebook Page, Twitter or Instagram and get the chance to be crowned the Gillespie Florists Prom King & Queen!

 Here's how it Works:

 ·          Take a snapshot of you and your date wearing Gillespie's Flowers.

·          Post it on our Wall or use #GFPROM2017 - make sure it’s a public post!

·          Tag your self in the photo as well as anyone else in the picture.

·          We'll put it in our "Prom King & Queen Contest Album 2017".

·          Ask your friends/family to "Like" your photo or post positive comments on your photo once it has
           been added to the album.

·          One week after the end of Prom Season, we will tally up the "Likes" and Comments and whoever has 
           the most WINS!

What do you get if you win?

The Queen will be crowned with a tiara and flowers and both King and Queen will be awarded a $25.00 Gift Card to Gillespie Florists!

And don't forget, Bragging Rights!

Contest ends May 17th, 2017. Winners will be announced on Facebook May 21st!

Post to our Social Media Pages!

Gillespie Florists Facebook Page

Twitter:    @gillespiefloris

Instagram:    gillespieflorists

Field trip at a flowershop?! Yes we can! 

Gillespie Florists offers an exciting, informative and hands on experience around the store in a field trip format for everyone to enjoy! Let's take a look at how our friends from Our Shepherd Lutheran Church Preschool enjoyed their visit with us!

Sarah, Gillespie Florists Manager and Owner coordinated with the teachers at Our Shepherd and our own staff to ensure a safe, educational and fun visit for the class! With an approximate class size of twenty kiddos and a few parent volunteers, Sarah chose to divide and conquer by splitting the class into two groups and switching halfway through the field trip for plenty of time to tour the entire building (including a chilly walk through our 500 sq ft cooler), make bouquets, sign cards, and even smell the roses!

Some highlights from the field trip included:

Customer Service at the Counter:

When visitors walk through our door and into the main display room, the first thing they will see is the service counter where our friendly CSRs help customers make their selections. With a large video display installed, customers and staff can also surf our website together to find the perfect arrangement for any occasion!

Display Floor

It's a jungle out there with all of our lush green plants! Sarah walks everyone through the different areas of the display floor including the small cooler and gift section in the entryway; the adorable wall of plush; and our lovely garden of a plant display which leads to the red carpet into the design room, cooler and delivery area!

Caring for Flowers

When the delivery vans aren't parked inside the garage during the evening, it is transformed into a flower processing room during the day. The class enjoyed an exciting demonstration on how we clean leaves and thorns off of roses using a special machine, cutting stems, and help them soak up water and nutrients in buckets before being placed in the 500 square foot cooler or out on the display floor! The students also had an opportunity to check out a delivery van and how bouquets are loaded in the vehicle for safe transportation.

Bouquets for the Road

While the Group One toured the store with Sarah, Group Two made little bouquets to take home and give to a loved one! Gillespie Florist staff member Curt helped with the selection of roses,carnations, daisies, and babies breath while Robyn gave a quick lesson on wrapping bouquets in cellophane!  

After Group One finished their tour of the store with Sarah, they jumped in on the fun of selecting flowers and making a take home bouquet! Everyone signed cards for their gifts and the visit was successfully finished! 

As you can see from the photos, everyone had a wonderful time and Our Shepard Lutheran Church Preschool was kind enough to share photos from their experience on how the class put their knowledge to work by setting up a flowershop in the classroom. What a wonderful idea! Want to learn more about the preschool and their class tour? Check it out here!

Interested in doing a tour at our store? Give us a call at (317) 273-1100 or email gillespieflorists@gmail.com!

 
"Came the spring with all its splendor. All its birds and all its blossoms. All its flowers and leaves and grasses."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A new year begins and hints of prime wedding season are in the air! Gillespie Florists handles weddings all year long but springtime heralds in favorite bridal flowers such as peonies, tulips, hydrangea, calla lilies, gerbera daisies, ranunculus, and roses. These flowers range from romantic combination of textural soft pastels to chic streamlined shapes and bold colors. All styles and color themes come to life at our store under the guidance of our experienced wedding specialist and floral designer staff! What can Gillespie Florists do for your special day? Schedule a free wedding consultation here to begin your wedding florals journey with us! Below is a snapshot sampling of a few 2016 spring weddings featuring bridal party bouquets; boutonnieres and a lovely headpiece!  

A beautiful selection of spring wedding pieces made perfect to help our newlyweds have the most wonderful and memorable day ever! Each wedding floral theme has been planned out to the finest detail including tips for keeping your florals fresh once they've been delivered! We love the color combinations and variety our couples' have dreamed up! Baby blue mums, hydrangea and ribbon with white monte casino, shimmering silver leaves and offwhite roses; Cream colored roses with soft pink peonies; striking bouquets of poppies, waxflower and roses; classic cream hydrangea and bridal pink roses; festive pops of color through orange gerberas, sherbert roses and purple stock; bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres of assorted succulents, waxflower wrapped in twine; timeless tulips of lavender and white with ethereal heather as filler; pink roses and sweetheart roses with waxflower in a stunning headpiece.

Gorgeous, bold, romantic, festive and chic; these are a few samples of what the fabulous staff at Gillespie Florists can do for your wedding day whether it be in winter, spring, summer or fall! Click here to schedule a free wedding consultation with our awesome wedding specialist and check out more of our wedding/event collection at gillespieflorists.com!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and the flowers and gifts options are limitless! What to do? What to choose! I'm narrowing down the options to a few of my favorites which range from petite and sweet to full-on fancy! With our Valentine's Collection, you can express your love on any budget!

1. I Love You Everyday...Let's Celebrate Just Because It's Valentine's Day!

Gerbera Crush [17V10] - $29.95

We are starting off this quirky list with the happiest flower on earth! Go ahead and look upon gerbera daisies and try not to smile. It's a challenge!

Gerbera Crush is filled with fun brightly colored red gerbera daisies, red hybericum berries, and a swanky aspidistra leaf (also known as the cast-iron plant). Easy on the wallet and just the right size to enjoy it's beauty anywhere in the office or home!

2. I Know You Like Sweet Sayings...

To the Moon and Back [17V06] - $36.95

This fancy cylinder vase wrapped with violet wire is brought to life with two lavender roses suspended in water-storing gel beads. Added bonus, this bouquet includes a lovely keepsake heart etched with a phrase long known and loved in the childrens book Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. Your love can be perfectly expressed with this sweet bouquet with a nod to those of us who adore the sentiment "I Love You to the Moon and Back".

3. You Can't Stand Valentine's Day...I'm Gonna Send You Something

Love Stinks [17V06] - $39.95

Is the love of your life not a big fan of Valentine's Day? Cupid make them cringe? That's reason enough to send something to help them with the cause of Anti-Valentine's Day!

Love Stinks is filled with daisies, carnations, alstroemeria and carnations with an adorable and non-scented plush skunk holding an adorable heart with "Love Stinks" embroidered on it.

(Click here to check out our Budvase version Little Stinker)

4. This Will Make Your Office Mates Beary Jealous...

Crazy About You [17V02] - $62.95

This is one of those arrangments we have to be careful with because it is SO adorable that one may attempt to hug the entire bouquet before removing the plush bear!

Three lavender-kissed roses, nine Purple Moon series carnations, limonium and a huggable, lovable teddy bear dressed to the nines with a bouquet matching ribbon. I'm a sucker for plush animals and if your special person can't say "no" to them either AND loves getting flowers at the office...this one is the winning pick.

5. Going All Jane Austen for You...

Love Speak [11V01] - $82.95

Did I have you at Jane Austen? Strike a chord on the piano forte?

How else to elicite "a thousand times yes!" than with fragrant stargazer lilies, pink carnations, and the most delicate pink roses you've ever seen? Artfully arranged eucalyptus, airy larkspur and leatherfern combine for a final look fit for a romantic walk-out-of doors with your beloved. Except you don't have to take the walk if it's not on the order of the day; we can bring the view straight to you!

 6. Roses are Red, and Many Colors It's True, During       Valentine's Day They Are Precious but not as Precious as You...

Vin Rouge [13V07] - $99.95 

The rose. Timeless, elegant and representing love and romance through the ages. This still holds true today as roses are still the most popular flower to send celebrate the Valentine's Day.

If your relationship leans towards the classics then Vin Rouge is quite the catch with twelve long stem beauties, babies breath, greenery and lovely ribbon! 

(Click here to send a modern version of the classic dozen with Red Passion!) 

7. My Life  Overfloweth in Color and Joy with You in It

Enchantment [17V03] - $139.95

 Life is grand when you have love in it. Our Enchantment bouquet is visual expression of what cannot always be articulated with words.  

The fine designers at Gillespie Florists start with a large 10” Gala vase and expertly design your bouquet with yellow lilies, bright blue delphinium, purple larkspur, vibrant orange carnations, blazing orange roses, truly yellow daisies, white monte casino, deep red mini carnations, solidago and lush greenery! Wow! That's a mouthful isn't it? Speaking of mouths, this bouquet is a jawdropper. One cannot see the intensity of the colorful florals and not be blown away...in my humble opinion.

There are so many eligible bouquets in our Valentine's Day Collection which almost made the list for this year but better for you to see what I like and then decide what fits your valentine's day needs and check out our offerings for yourself! Come to our store and browse what we have created fresh daily and pick up sweets and gifts for your sweetheart or call us today to make something perfect for your Valentine!

When is wedding season? Spring and summer are tried and true but fall and winter welcome weddings too! Here at Gillespie Florists, wedding season can happen at any time and the first weekend of October 2016 is a prime example!

Fall weddings have been well underway and the first weekend of October 2016 was a definite indicator that another current of wedding weather had begun. We'll take it and love all the many themes and colors which roll out during this time of year.  Take a look at samples from our Eight Wedding weekend! They are picture perfect, just the way you want your weddingd day to be.

Fresh designs and favored traditional ones with brilliant color and texture, this weekend had it all. Traditional wedding florals such as callas and roses incorporated into quite a few of our bouquets while gerberas were used in striking nosegays and accesorized table pieces in others. One of top choices on my list was the eye-catching bridal bouquet of blue thorn thistle, soft pink roses and roses of popping color of orange! Speaking of wild colors, the contrast of white callas and deep blue roses in the cascading bridal bouquet is simply stunning! Another personal favorite is the sweet peach color callas clustered together with rich red roses and the most luscious sherbert-colored roses! Hypericum berries and leucadendron accessorize this fall themed bouquet with exquisite texture and color. Let's not forget classic pastel and cream colors continuing their parade into the fall/winter season with the prominence of babies breath and hydrangea from that weekend as well!

Brilliant bold colors, soft vintage pastels and everything in between; the first weekend of October 2016 was a fabulous way to herald in fall with the beautiful colors and weather which come with it. Do you have a favorite wedding season? Ours is any time we have the opportunity to create gorgeous flowers fit for the occasion and help brides make their wedding day dreams come true! 

Planning a wedding? Need inspiration for wedding flowers? Check out our extensive wedding collection!

Good Service is good business.
- Siebel Ad

Gillespie Florists does many things really well, one of them is customer service. We strive for everyone who walks through our door or gives us a call to have the best experience when working with us. Always looking for new ways to improve your experience with us, we've developed a new system for you to see your order before it goes out the door! "Impossible! You're joking" some may say. But here it is, a few FAQs on what we are doing to continue our tradition of bringing quality flowers and service to your door.

1. What Exactly is this Photo Service?

Picture this (no pun intended): You've called Gillespie Florists, your go-to florist. The designers have artfully designed a lovely bouquet for that special someone. Ever wonder what the final product looks like before it's delivered? Now you will know! We want our customers to see the quality we are delivering before it's delivered! We have a procedure set in place to take a photo of your order before it is sent on delivery or picked up at our store.

2. How Does it Work?

1.When you call or visit Gillespie Florists and place your order we ask     if you would like a photo of the bouquet.
2. What method you would prefer to see the photo? Text or Email?
3. Once bouquet has been designed it is taken to the photography           station where a picture is taken and then sent to you per preferred     method of either text or email.
4. The bouquet is wrapped up and sent on back to our delivery area,       ready for delivery. If the order is for pickup, we send it to our 500       sq ft cooler!

3. Are There Restrictions for This Service?

As this is a service of Gillespie Florists, it does not extend to orders being sent out of town.
This is available for Indianapolis area deliveries provided by Gillespie Florists.

4. How Much Does this Cost? 

We offer our bouquet photo service free of charge! 

5. What if I Have Multiple Bouquets in my Order?

If you are placing an order going to different locations with different bouquets, we would take a photo of each arrangement and send separately. If there are multiple bouquets ordered going to the same location with the same card attached, we would take a group photo of your order. 

Since implementing the Bouquet Photo Service in June 2015 we have received a lot of great feedback! Our customers enjoy seeing the final result and having the extra assurance their loved one is receiving a beautiful and artfully hand designed arrangement! Granted, it is one more step in the process at Gillespie Florists to complete an order but going the extra mile for our customers is what we do best and you can't put a price tag on that!

Have more questions? Please give us a call or send us an email at gillespieflorists@gmail.com!

"Summertime is always the best of what might be"
- Charles Bowden

School bells have rung, trees are beginning to show their golden autumn colors; with soft cool breezes blending with the bold heat of the sun, summer is bidding us farewell for another year.

However, we are going review a few of our favorite summer wedding flowers before fall season hits head on!

As we begin preparing bouquets for fall weddings our favorite summer styles and colors from Summer 2016 are still fresh on the minds of our floral designers and wedding specialists. This collage is a small portion of many gorgeous weddings they have had the pleasure of helping prepare. Summer brides fashioned their weddings with a plethera of color combinations ranging from bold, bright and beautiful to the softest creamy vintage colors and everything in between. Plump and precious succulents were and are still on high demand while delicate hydrangea, peonies and ranunculous were never far behind. As always, what wedding season is without a decent dose of the classics such as ravishing roses and callas? The happiest flowers on earth, gerbera and sunflower, added festivie flair to rich in color wedding themes. 

The summer season can be gentle and rhythmic with colors reflecting warm days at the ocean and long walks on the beach and it can also be stunning, striking and vibrant with festivals, brilliant sunshine and fantastic voyages. Whatever the feeling and theme brides want to reflect on their summer wedding day; our staff stands up to the challenge of any color and flower comibination you dare to dream for your big day. 

Find our favorite wedding flower themes and more in our wedding collection!

 

Schedule a free consultation with our wedding specialist!

"Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet."
— Colette

Our customers find more than flowers when they visit our store! We have delightful dogs who bring smiles and chuckles whenever they are in the building. If you haven't met them in person, plan a visit to meet one (or more) of our beloved mascots. Till then take a moment to learn more about our furry friends who frequent the store, ask for belly rubs, ear scritches and all the love and hugs they can get. 

***SPECIAL NOTE****If you would prefer to have your shopping experience mascot free,
call us at 317.273.1100 and we will have our furry friends take a break in the back.

Meet Minnie Pearl

Minnie Pearl (often referred to as Minnie) is our newest English Bull addition to the Gillespie Florist Family!
She has been learning the ropes from her big sister Evie. Minnie is super playful and very sweet. She enjoys spending lots of time with Mom and Dad, walking, exploring and playing with family.

Evie!

Evie has been with us a few years and learned the ins and outs of being a perfect mascot under the constant tutelage of big sister Pearl. Evie is also one for adventure. She is very courageous and very gentle. Before Evie joined the family we invited our friends and fans to vote on her name. It was a very exciting experience with so many excellent names from which to choose. We are happy Evie was the most popular vote, we can't imagine calling her anything else.

Sawyer

Next up is the super cute Sawyer! Half Yorkie, half Pekingese/Dachshund and 100% Princess! Sawyer may be a diva but we don't mind, her superpower is looking ADORABLE all the time. She can often be found snoozing on top of desks, under feet or following her second favorite human (Sarah) around the store. Sawyer may be small but her personality is mighty. She gives Minnie and Evie and run for their money and often stops everyone in their tracks due to her charm.

Tula, Juno and Bose

Next up are a few Great Danes who often ride with Pat while he takes deliveries. Tula is the youngest of the bunch. She is very playful and loves to lean in for back pats. Juno is the eldest and loves to shake hands. Bose is a most handsome boy and loves to keep Susan company at home. While at the store these gentle giants spend most of their time in Pat's van or resting outside in the sunshine. This terrific trio does not often visit but when they do, rest assured they're here to help Pat get back on the road so he can treat them to dinner on the way home.

Pictured: Tula with Pat
Pictured Below: Juno with the bespeckled Bose 

We have more furry friends to introduce. Be sure to check our social media pages for Furbaby Fridays, when we share updates on the entire crew!

Miss out seeing Minnie and Evie on your last visit? We've got links for you follow them and their family adventures below!

Evie and Minnie Pearl on Twitter at Bulldog Evie & Minnie Pearl

***SPECIAL NOTE****If you would prefer to have your shopping experience mascot free, call us at 317.273.1100 and we will have our furry friends take a break in the back.