The Flower Blog

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!

Every year Van’s has a Holiday Design show and everyone at Gillespie Florists loves to go to these shows! Van’s partners up with the Teleflora Indiana Unit to bring a great designer to the show to give us new ideas for the upcoming holiday season! This year we had Bert Ford AIFD, PFCI from Ford FlowerCompany in Salem, NH.

Top 5 Colors for Fall

I asked Gillespie staff members and customers what colors come to mind when they think of fall flowers.Here are the top 5 answers I received; you may be surprised by some of the colors

5. Purple

Purple is a color that some people find surprising for fall flowers. I think it is a great accent color and can brighten up an otherwise dark bouquet.  It is easy to see how purple can work in a fall color scheme when looking at this picture.  Be careful when using purple in your fall bouquet. You want to make sure you are using a deep purple, if you use a lighter shade it will look out of place.

4. Burgundy

Burgundy is a rich color that will bring depth to your bouquet! Burgundy mums are a favorite among customers! Burgundy flowers pair up nicely with orange and rust flowers.  Cattails would go great with this combination of flowers, the chocolate colored spikes of the cattail will anchor the burgundy within the bouquet and the cattail’s unique texture will give added interest.

3. Golden Yellow

Golden Yellow flowers are a must in almost any fall bouquet!  Golden Yellow will not only brighten up the bouquet but also helps the other flowers pop! For instance, if you had Burgundy and rust flowers in a vase; it would be pretty but very dark and you may lose some of the definition of the individual blooms. If you add Golden Yellow flowers to the vase in between the other flowers, you will define the individual blooms and get more enjoyment out of the bouquet.

2. Orange

Think about when you go out shopping, what do you see this time of year almost everywhere?  Pumpkins! When we design our bouquets we make sure to add orange to our arrangements. We want to match the pumpkin orange color to incorporate the pillar of the fall season! The pumpkin! Sometimes we even design a bouquet in a ceramic pumpkin! The reason why orange is close to the top of our top 5 is because it is so versatile.  You can match up orange flowers with red, purple yellow and rust flowers or for a darker look; Burgundy, yellow and rust flowers. Orange is neutral color when you are dealing with fall so, it can go with just about any fall flower!

Drum Roll Please….

1. Rust

Now for me Rust can come in many shapes and sizes. Well, actually many different shades! Rust is an earthy color that can have hints of orange in it but also touches of brown and bronze. Rust is the true natural color of fall! Look around you and you will see it in the mums in people’s front yards, the falling leaves of the trees and in the décor of the stores you shop in. Almost everyone I asked about fall colors, the first color out of their mouths was: Rust.  You can see with the different pictures I have provided that Rust does have different shades to it. So, when dealing with its darkest version, make sure to pair it up with burgundy and a golden yellow for contrast. If you are working with a lighter shade of Rust, you can pair it with orange, yellow and red.

So what are your Top 5 Fall colors? Stop in the store and go through our walk in cooler and pick out your favorite fall colors and see how they go together! If you are not sure about what you picked out, our helpful staff will be glad to show you the ins and outs of the perfect color combination! Then see if you have an old watering can or pitcher at home you can put these great flowers into! You don’t have to use a plain old vase, look around your house and see what you can find!

Don’t have time to stop by? Check out our great selection of Fall flowers on our website! Click below!