The Flower Blog

Gillespie Florists King & Queen Contest!

Here's how it Works:

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

• Post it on our Wall.

• 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".

• Then you ask friends and family to "Like" your photo or make a positive comment on your photo.

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

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/

It’s Christmas Eve and you just remembered you forgot to get a gift for your favorite Uncle Joe and it’s too late to have something shipped. You call your local florist who is crazy busy with Christmas orders for all the other customers who forgot someone and need a last minute delivery.  As soon as your florist hears that you want to send flowers out of state, they tell you “Sorry, we won’t be able to find anyone to fill your order.” Then promptly get off the phone, leaving you to wonder what to do.

As a proud member of the Teleflora network, I can tell you most of the year we have no problem sending orders all over the country, even the world! But a few days out of the year, it can be very difficult.  On Christmas Eve, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day and July 4^th, we find that to be true. Here at Gillespie’s we will take your order at no obligation to you and attempt to get your order filled. If we cannot find someone to fill your order then we will cancel the order and call to let you know.

Most florists want to make sure their customers are taken care of first then accept orders from other florists. So, if you find that your local florist can not send flowers out of town for you, call the out of state florist directly! You can do this in 5 easy steps.

1. Get access to the Internet and do a Google search. In the search field enter the word “florist” and the zip code your recipient lives in. 
2. Make sure to skip over the advertisements. Usually shaded in light pink or yellow. Then pick out a listing and click to go to the website.
3. Once you are at the website, check out a few things to make sure they are a Real Florist. Click on the “About Us” page and see if there are any pictures of the shop or personal videos. On the same page check the address and phone number to make sure they are actually located near the area you want to send to. If those check out, you’ve got a local florist!
4. Now, check out the selection of flowers on the website. Find at least two bouquets you like. It’s always best two have a backup in case the florist is out of a certain product.
5. Call the florist. Place the order. Some florists restrict their website during a busy holiday like Christmas Eve to not except orders. But if you call, they are more likely to accept the order. Also, you will be able to discuss what product they will be sending and making sure on when your delivery will be made.  Make sure when you call to mention you are sending to your Uncle, wife, ect. This clears up for the florist that you are NOT another florist but a Real customer!

Want a gorgeous Christmas centerpiece this year for your Christmas party but think you cannot afford one? What if I tell you that you can have one for as little as $9.95? If you are a “Do it Yourself” type of person, then you will love this!

For $9.95, we will provide you with kit filled with a tapered candle, design bowl, floral foam and assorted evergreens! You can take this kit home to make on your own or make in the store and our expert designers can give you tips along the way!

Want to add a little color to your bouquet? We suggest adding two red carnations, a stem of white snowflake daisies and two pinecones! Each is just a $1.00 so your additional cost is only $5.00 for a total cost of $14.95!  A centerpiece designed by one of our expert designers like this one would be $29.95! You save 50% by going DIY!

This is also a great gift idea that won’t break the bank! Evergreens can last up to a month so this is a long lasting gift too! To make your gift even more special, go through our wide selection of keepsake containers here in the store to design your centerpiece in and your loved one can enjoy it year after year!

Ready to get started? Stop in at 10^th & Raceway!

Have any questions? Click below to ask!

Don’t have time to make your own centerpiece? Our expert designers will be happy to do it for you! Click below to start shopping!

You are on a Funeral Home or Newspaper website reading the obituaries.  You notice a tab that reads: Send Flowers, Send flowers from a local florist or similar wording.  Click, and within seconds, you are looking at an online catalog of beautiful floral tributes.

Now might be the time to stop and consider the price of convenience. 

On those sites, there is most likely a third party involved who created and maintains that site on behalf of the funeral home.  Generally, the funeral home will recommend one or two florists to the web developer.  The florists enter into a contract with the third party and agree to pay a commission on the sales made on the website.  The florist will receive payment of about 70% of the dollar amount you paid.  To compensate for that 30% commission the florist will generally price the product offered on these websites about 30% more then what the same product would cost on the florists’ own website or physically at their own store.

A few months ago, a funeral director told me about an article in an industry magazine announcing that FTD and Batesville Casket Company were partnering to provide a website to assist funeral homes in selling flowers to their clients.  Recently, 1-800-Flowers and Tributes.com also created an E-Commerce Program for Funeral Homes.

There are countless other commission based relationships that some funeral homes and florists have maintained throughout the decades. 

Please consider that a $500.00 floral purchase as part of a funeral package offered by the funeral home or from a website linked to their website, could cost you up to $150.00 more than shopping directly with a local florist.  The money you could have saved buying from a traditional florist could have purchased another large tribute for the service!

Gillespie Florists works closely with funeral homes to provide superior products and services, but not on a commission basis.  In the present business climate, I predict that margins could shrink even more dramatically. I understand the need for funeral homes and other businesses to consider new income streams.

While there is nothing wrong with industries having partnerships with other industries, or businesses with other businesses to create efficiencies, income streams and conveniences, I feel that in these times especially, a penny saved is a penny earned.  It pays to go directly to the source.

Shop with Your Real Local Florist, Gillespie Florist!