The Flower Blog

Star of Bethlehem, Noche Buena, Flor de Pascua, Crown of the Andes: What do these have in common?  They are all names for the brilliant and beautiful Poinsettia, a standard among Christmas tradition in the states with an origin of Mexico. Poinsettias are very prominent during Christmas.  It's everywhere! Offices, homes, hospitals, churches, everywhere! With over one hundred varieties in existence, plentiful in colors of red, white, pink, spotted, it's beautiful large leaves; the poinsettia is an absolute must have for the holiday season.  I have always enjoyed having one in my home during Christmas, and after doing a little bit of research my respect for it has grown. The origin, legend and science of the plant is truly fascinating.

The plant was introduced to the US in 1825 by Joel Roberts Poinsett, hence its English name being Poinsettia.   This plant was not automatically associated with Christmas in the US at this time.  It wasn’t until the 1900’s that the Poinsettia generated much interest!  A man named Albert Ecke in Los Angeles became interested in the plant and sold them at street stands.  Three generations later, Paul Ecke Jr. was the one responsible for advancing the association of the Poinsettia and Christmas by sending cuttings of the plant by air instead of mature plants by rail and also sending free plants to television stations to display on air from Thanksgiving to Christmas. He also appeared on Bob Hope’s Christmas Specials and the Tonight Show to promote the Poinsettia as a traditional Christmas plant.  Now that’s what I call creative marketing!

But it doesn’t stop there, friends! Another way the Ecke family made the Poinsettia more popular and aesthetically pleasing was they discovered a way to graft two varieties of the plant together to make the seedlings branch, resulting in a bushier plant.  On it’s own, it looks kind of like a weed..not too pretty. Of course that is how the most well known legend of the Poinsettia starts...a lowly weed found on the side of the road in Mexico.

As mentioned above the Poinsettia is native to Mexico. Its association with Christmas began there as well with a tale of a little girl.  She longed to bring a gift to celebrate Jesus’ birthday at her church but was too poor to get anything.  An angel inspired her to gather weeds on the side of the road and put it at the church altar as a gift. There they sprouted crimson blossoms and became Poinsettias.  Later on Franciscan monks would associate the plants leaves to the star of Bethlehem, and the red relating to the blood sacrificed during the crucifixion.  In Chile, Peru, and Puerto Rico, it is known as Flor de Pascua for Easter Sunday.  

What beautiful & meaningful representations the Poinsettia has!  At church, we purchase poinsettias in honor and or memory of family members, relatives and friends in November.  They are lined up at the front of the church altar and along the stairs where we can see and enjoy them throughout the month of December and take them home after Christmas.  It is a lovely tradition in which I enjoy participating and having that reminder as we celebrate the season with our loved ones. It’s also like a “community” decoration of our church home.  It is one of the traditions I look forward to every year during the Christmas season.  And if you take good care of your poinsettia, it will last past the winter season! 

Christmas is right around the corner. It’s probably too late to get yourself one of these lovely brilliant colorful plants which have come to mean so much during the winter season.  Right?!  Nope!  It is not too late to order one of these beauties.  And if you call by 11a.m. on Christmas Eve, we can still get it to your doorstep in time for your family dinner!

Hemiparasite, aphrodisiac, protectant against poison and kissing.

Ever wonder what kissing and parasites have in common? What on earth does this have to do with flowers, holidays, blogs and people? Oh just a little science and history on one of our traditional holiday plants, the mistletoe.  

First off, Science! There are 2 types of mistletoe. The one most commonly used for Christmas decoration is Phoradendron flavescens. Don't worry..you do NOT have to ask for it by that name! Did you know the name Phoradendron is derived from the Greek for "tree thief"? Pretty cool huh?  

This thieving little parasitic plant has been a part of of the winter holidays for quite some time but have you ever wondered why? Well friends, you could wiki some knowledge on it or let me give you the readers digest version. You've got things to do, parties to plan, gifts to buy, but for a few minutes just read on and I'll give you some interesting tidbits about mistletoe. So let's talk about the gods.  

Frigga, The goddess of love, learned her son, Balder, god of the sun, had a dream where he died and the earth was destroyed because of it. As she wanted to protect her son from harm,   she told the elements earth, water, wind, and fire, and all the plants and creatures of nature that no harm would befall him. Everybody was good with that except Balder's one enemy, Loki, the god of mischief.

Loki knew of one plant Frigga had overlooked in her quest to protect her son; the lowly mistletoe. Why was it overlooked? Because it was not of the earth or under the earth. It thrived on the apple and oak trees. He took the unassuming plant and fashioned it into an arrow and gave it to the blind Hoder, god of winter, who shot it. The arrow hit Balder and killed him.       The elements tried for 3 days to bring him back to life, finally he was restored by Frigga, his mother. The tears she cried for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant and Frigga was so joyful she kissed everyone who passed under the tree on which it grew.

After that, whomever should stand under the mistletoe would have no harm befall them. Only a kiss, a token of love. Sounds pretty nice, I'll take it! Of course, this was the legend; other countries have their own take on mistletoe and it's many magical properties.  

In Scandinavia, mistletoe is known as a plant of peace. Enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses could kiss and make-up underneath it. The English used mistletoe to make a ball and dubbed it a “kissing ball”. If a young lady stood under it at Christmas time, she could not refuse to be kissed, as it would lead to a deep romance or lasting friendship. If she remained unkissed, she would marry within the following year. To protect against all the lucky ones who did get kissed under it, some parts of England would burn the Christmas mistletoe on the twelfth night. In France, kissing under the mistletoe is linked to New Year's Day: “Au gui l'An neuf” (Mistletoe for the New Year).

These are just a few examples of many reasons why kisses are exchanged under the mistletoe.  

Some say mistletoe has magical properties, others say you'll kiss the love of your life under it, regardless of whether we believe the stories and legends or not, it's still a part of the fun and frolicking which occurs during the holiday season. Not only is its history rich, but the nature of mistletoe is fascinating as well! If you're looking to add alittle more frolic to your next holiday party or start a new tradition, be sure to stop by Gillespie Florists and pick up a bundle of this magnificent plant.

Tied together with ribbon and ready to be hung in a doorway for an unsuspecting victim, sparring spouse, or simply there to add a bit more festive to your décor. Either way, mistletoe is a winner for the holiday season.   

Click below to see more of what we have to offer during this wonderful holiday season!

It's not too late to order and have it hand delivered to your door!

After reaching in my mailbox and pulling out four Christmas cards, the realization kicked in that the holiday season has arrived and with it all emotions it entails. At this point it has more than just arrived; the season is well underway! How did this happen? I believe it has something to do with the hustle and bustle and hurry-scurry of preparation and celebration of impending finale of Christmas and New Years.

Remember Black Friday and it's array of great deals around town and online? It was over a weekend, the month of December is jam-packed full of things to do. Cards to send, parties to attend, gifts to wrap, closets and rooms to ransack for places to put said gifts, and let's not forget our daily responsibilities such as jobs, laundry, cleaning, child rearing, etc. wow, just reading this made my heart rate tweak! That or the highly caffeinated holiday blend coffee I just drank...

But hang on! let's slow down a moment and bask in the glow of the seasons memories.The ones centered around love, family, friendship, and joy, because that is what it is about, right?    The warm glow of the Chrismas tree lights, scent of fresh cookies and seasonal casseroles baking...cuddling on the couch watching the traditional classic shows such as Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer, How the The Grinch Stole Christmas, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown...ah yes, this is what gets me in the spirit and slows me down.

You know what else slows me down? nature...

What better way to appreciate what this holiday is about than to have an unexpected snow storm? Oh sure, you have things to do, but it can wait one or two days, right? You don't have to start baking your cookies this instant! Trip to the Toy Store? They're open pretty late on Christmas eve...I should know and by my experience and observations so do few other parents. Back to the point about nature and slowing down!

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is when my husband and I were marooned at my parents house with my siblings and their significant others. We ate all the leftovers, cookies, sat around talking about growing up together, the guys played video games, gals watched movies. We went outside for snowball fights, walking in the woods and sledding, I think we ordered pizza a day later when the roads cleared up and there was an extensive discussion on who would brave the weather to go get it...they came back an hour and a half later. Oh bad weather is tricky and inconvenient but it has the power to strengthen family bonds and give new meaning to season. Or rather it serves as a reminder of what the season is about to begin with.  I love how nature has the capacity to change our attitude and reboot our frazzled minds into the calm peacefulness which gets lost in the shuffle too often during the season of joy and love. 

We seem to be programmed to go through the harangue of the hustle, bustle to get to the grand finale of late Christmas Eve when time gloriously slows down. Why do we wait so long and late into the season to experience this "silent night"?  Ever try to put a moment like that into words? What does it feel like?
To me, it feels like a mountain. Quiet, calm, overwhelming and sheltering. The outside world disappears and all that is left is peace. It's a truly wonderful feeling...so wonderful and dense is this feeling that I could walk out the door and see my calm mountain in the backyard! Of course, when I do open the door I usually get a blast of cold air, a tiny dog yipping in dismay that the breeze has interrupted his slumber, and a few cars zoom by...possibly trying to catch Santa before he hits their house...the spell is broken till the door shuts and I am back in my peaceful silent night of a world after taking in the ambiance and lovely pine scent of our Christmas tree.  I am reminded of the outdoors and the calm it represents without freezing to death.

I love having these reminders to slow down in my house. Admiring the brilliant red carnations mixed with evergreen and pine cones in the arrangement sitting on my kitchen table while drinking early morning coffee and planning out the day. Pausing by our little tree full of light and memories of selecting ornaments each year to add to it. Smiling at the realistic but fake palm tree dressed up in lights and tiny ornaments reminding me of past Christmases with my family in Florida...It is amazing how a bit of the outdoors reconnects me to what this season is all about and dims the busyness which can overwhelm us if we let it.

The season isn't over yet. There is still time to slow down before the candle-lit gathering of friends and family singing "Silent Night" at church together.  Take a moment from worrying whether anyone is going to notice your gift-wrapping skills aren't up to par and look at your tree or out the window, take a deep breath and savor the experience and memories of this season. Maybe reflect on a favorite family memory.

Would you like more nature inside your home? Something to admire while making a holiday feast or maybe just cereal while getting ready for the work day?  You don't even have to battle traffic to have it. Click here to view our Blue Mountain Christmas collection and let us bring the peaceful outdoors to you.

The past couple of years I have been blogging about ‘Glee’ Prom and have received positive feedback. So here’s the scoop on what flowers our favorite characters wore to ‘Glee’ Prom 2013! First and foremost, I noticed there were way more characters on ‘Glee’ wearing prom flowers this season compared to past seasons; which as a florist, makes me very happy!

BrundleProm?

The theme for the 2013 ‘Glee’ Prom was BrundleProm? It was either BrundleProm or simply Junior/Senior Prom, which is a disappointment when looking back at past Prom themes. Unlike previous years, there was not a great variety in the types of flowers worn to the prom. The characters wore mostly carnations and roses on the inexpensive throw away elastic wristlets.  I did notice however, one or two of the main characters did wear keepsake bracelets!

Most Memorable Corsage

The most memorable corsage was Tina's; mostly because it was one of the few corsages in the entire show that looked like any care was put into putting it together.  This corsage outshone all the others with red sweetheart roses, black ribbon, white pearl beads, green leaves and a keepsake charcoal gray wristlet!

Since Tina was crowned queen of the BrundleProm, it’s not a surprise they put extra effort into having her wear a pretty corsage. Of coirse, it is unfortunate red slushy got dumped all over Tina while being crowned but her true friends took care of her, got her cleaned up so she could enjoy the rest of her prom as queen!

Favorite Corsage… or Not!

I  didn’t have a favorite corsage this year. There was much left to be desired when it came to the corsages worn by the lead characters. In previous seasons, they always had nice corsages which were different from everyone elses and even had some creativity put into them! This year, however, everyone was wearing one of two flower types: Carnations or Roses. Many corsages had inexpensive satin ribbon, elastic wristlets, and green leaves; making the final effect oversized and sloppy.

With that said, I LOVED the fact that almost every single person in the cast was wearing prom flowers! Even all the extras were wearing prom flowers! They had a scene where some of the Glee Club members were performing on stage and the crowd of high schoolers were jumping and dancing and you could see the corsages bouncing around on their wrists!  For that reason, Glee producers; you are forgiven for not putting more thought into your leads’ prom flowers!

Boutonnieres

Have you noticed they use the same boutonniere holder every year? (I’m probably the only person who notices but I’m just glad they are showing a holder at all.)  I believe Blaine was wearing it this year, a metal boutonniere holder with a carnation.  I’m kind of tired of seeing the same boutonniere holder every year, but admit they serve a great purpose.

Boutonniere holders are a lot easier to use than the traditional “pin-on” because you don’t get poked with a straight pin!

Past that, there’s not a lot to say about the boutonnieres of the BrundleProm. It was nice to see more guys wearing flowers this year!

Once Last Thing...

I don’t know if you noticed but they were using a hardy mum as part of the decor for the photo area. Did you know Hardy mums are only available in the Fall?  Now, it could be said that they were using a “Florist Mum” (a non-hardy mum grown in greenhouses year round), but the mum shown is way too big to be one of those. Which leads me to something that's been bugging me and if you follow Glee closely, it should bug you too! If you don’t, let me explain....

Last season ended mid-school year and this season picked back up after school winter break. For the show Glee, prom is taking place in early to mid spring, NOT the fall.  The reason why this bugs me is because at the end of last season and the beginning of this season, the show didn’t explain that they were splitting the school year up and making two seasons out of one school year. So, as I’m trying to piece this together, they show contradicting things like the hardy mum at prom!

All in all, I really enjoyed seeing all those Prom Flowers on one of my favorite shows.

In Indianapolis, our Prom season is a long way off but it’s never too early to think about what flowers will make your perfect prom! If you are a GleeK like me and want ‘Glee’ Prom flowers to accent your style, click below!

A couple years ago, we at Gillespie Florists thought it would be fun to have a Prom King & Queen Contest and have been having it every year since! Prom customers only needed to post their picture on our Facebook Fan Page wearing our flowers! We then asked our Facebook fans to "Like" their favorite picture or make a positive comment about it to determine the winner. We had several people enter but there can be only one winner!

And the Winner is...

Miranda wore a three-sweetheart rose corsage similar to the one pictured here. Miranda’s was yellow, black & silver and looked great with Darrien's matching sweetheart rose boutonniere!

As a Thank You to everyone who entered the contest, we want to offer you a free Sunshine Bouquet! Just stop in the store any time, give us your name and we will give you your Sunshine!

Those Contestants are:


Cole & Morgan
Nick Fallen Adams

Thanks again to everyone who entered the contest! Until next year!

Every year I do a blog on the flowers of the Glee Prom but there is usually a prom on Glee by now. Vampire Diaries however has had a Prom this year with a great scene showing off some different Prom flower options!

If you do not watch Vampire Diaries, let me give you the 411 on what’s going on in this episode. The series follows the life of Elena, who falls in love with a 150+ year-old vampire named Stefan. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's vicious older brother Damon Salvatore returns and eventually falls in love with Elena as well. The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia and includes other supernatural beings such as werewolves, witches, ghosts, and hybrids. Through a complicated series of events Elena is turned into a vampire and because of the death of her brother Jeremy, she “turns off” her emotions. In this episode, Stefan and Damon are convinced they can get Elena to turn on her emotions by taking her to Prom and reminding her of all of the good times in her life and showing her how many people still love and care about her. 

Since Stefan and Damon are over a hundred years old, it’s not surprising they take part in the time-honored tradition in bringing their prom date flowers (even though they are taking the same girl). Stefan gives Elena a hand tied bouquet (a.k.a. nosegay) of gerbera daisies and green roses. Even though her emotions are turned off, she does accept the bouquet. I think that is very telling of Elena true feelings toward Stefan because when Damon tries to give Elena a white rose with pink ribbon corsage; she tries to refuse it and not wear it. Of course if you know Damon, he won’t take “No” for an answer and with his super Vampire skills; he grabs Elena’s wrist and straps that corsage on her like her life depends on it! Elena does show up to prom with Damon’s corsage on and doesn’t have Stefan’s bouquet so, we could say that is very telling as well. But I’m on team Stefan so I am choosing to read more into Elena accepting the flowers from Stefan.

 
Pictured here is a three sweetheart rose corsage, that would be perfect for Elena to have worn in this episode! I don’t have a picture that looks like her corsage but hers had sweetheart roses and a keepsake bracelet so, I thought this one would be a good fit. By the way, I think it is great we are seeing keepsake bracelets on television! This corsage is called Angelina and includes pink sweetheart roses, white accent flower and pink bracelet.

Later in the show I noticed the character Matt had on a single white rose boutonniere. I wonder who got that for him? The witch Bonnie? The vampire Caroline? Or did he get one for himself? I’m just glad he was wearing one because I noticed Elena didn’t care enough to get her dates a boutonniere.  The Focus boutonniere is similar to the one Matt is wearing with it’s white rose and accent flower. I think it would have looked better on Matt because of the boutonniere holder it is in. Boutonniere holders are easier to use than pin-on ones and they have a cleaner look.

I love the centerpieces for the tables! They were fresh flowers with a lighted lamp in the center. I like how they combined two things people like to have in the center of the table and combined it instead of choosing one or the other. The bouquets included white lilies, purple stock, burgundy carnations, white buttons and accent flowers. A lot of schools choose not to have fresh flower centerpieces at their proms but we have a local high school that still does it and the kids love it! They keep the cost down by bring us their own containers and many times bring in items for us to include. This year they brought us party masks to include in the bouquet.

Caroline, vampire and friend to Elena, left the Prom early because she was upset that she couldn’t spend her senior prom with her werewolf/vampire hybrid boyfriend, Tyler. She came home to set up for a party she was having later that night and there was Tyler waiting for her with a hand tied bouquet of flowers. This bouquet included lavender daisies, cushion pompons, alstroemeria lilies and solidego. It was very pretty and very sweet of him to bring.

Hopefully there won’t be vampires at your prom but there should be flowers! Go to our website to view our entire selection but clicking below!

Check out our latest video on Prom flowers below! 

Vampire Dairies airs on the CW network on Thursday nights. Make sure to catch the next episode or watch an episode on thier website now by CLICKING HERE! 

All images of Vampire Diaries are owned by the CW Network. 

We have had a couple of weekends of smaller proms and there are some definite favorites from our new 2013 Prom Flower Collection! Listed below is the top five!

 5.  Whether you are an Avon Orioles fan or just wearing black and gold, this corsage will make a big and flashy statement. The Oriole wrist corsage is created with Mokara orchids painted gold, black ribbon, thin gold ribbon, gold bead sprays, black leaves and a keepsake black bead and rhinestone bracelet! Item#13PN01          $48.95

4.  The Venetian corsage has warm, rich colors and textures! The Venetian wrist corsage is intricately designed with peach roses, mini lotus pods with glitter, bead sprays, cream and gold ribbon, green bead sprays, cream and pink accent flowers and a keepsake pink/clear crystal beaded bracelet with rhinestones!  Item# 13PN22                  $65.95

3.  Who says you have to wear a corsage?  This year we worked hard to create new designs to meet every girl’s style! The Black Magic Scepter is not a wrist corsage but is intended to take the place of it. Be the Queen of the Prom with Black Magic Scepter! This scepter is created with white posy callas, white tea roses, black glitter ribbon, white beads, silver wire and iridescent bead strands!   Item # 13PN48                  $69.95

2.  Here’s another alternative to the traditional wrist corsage! White Hot is a corsage like design of flowers we created to be added to a customer’s prom shoes. White Hot includes, three white tea roses, three glittered scabiosa pods, pink sequin accents and pink rhinestones. We create this with ribbons so you can easily attach the flowers to your shoe or bring in your shoes and we can do it for you!  Item# 13PN09                  $39.95 

1.  Our designers want to create prom flowers that match each girl's individual style and this corsage is the epitome of that! The Grim wrist corsage is shockingly repellent and inspires horror to any who look upon it! This corsage includes blood red roses, skull charms, black feathers, black ribbon, silver chain, glitter, other grisly accents and a keepsake bracelet! If we can create a corsage like this just imagine what we can come up with for your individual style! Item# 13PN26                  $74.95

We are happy to make changes to the color of flowers and other accessories in your prom flowers to suit your needs!

After our prom season is over, I will post another blog letting you know our overall Top Five Best Sellers! 

Shop our new line of Prom Flowers by clicking below!

Want to see some more of our favorite designs for 2013? Check out this video below!

Yes, you read it right. Don’t wear a corsage this year! Do something different, be daring! Why not wear flowers on your shoes or around your neck? If you want to be the one to set the trend then I’ve got some options for you!

If you are wearing a strapless dress to prom you might like our Haute Couture necklace. The Haute Couture necklace comes with a golden yellow mini cymbidium orchid with silver accents, gold leaves and gold ribbon, a little fresh greenery and a sparkling rhinestone necklace! You will sparkle and shine with this lush accessory!

Wearing a short dress? You may want to add some sparkle to your prom shoes! Let us create flowers that can be attached right to your shoe that match your dress perfectly! White Hot includes, white tea roses, glittered scabiosa pods, pink sequin accents and rhinestones. We create this with ribbons so you can easily attach the flowers to your shoe or bring in your shoes and we can do it for you!

If you get flowers for your prom shoes but you still want a little something else to accent
it, you might want to get one of our flower rings! The Sugar Sugar fresh flower ring is created with a pink sweetheart rose, wax flower, beads and a few rhinestones! We make this with an elastic band so this ring is a “one size fits all” item!

Wearing a long dress? Wearing a dress with long sleeves or a higher neck? Maybe a headband is in order!  The Sorbet headband is designed with soft pink sweetheart roses, rhinestone dazzle chain, glittered scabiosa pods, a rhinestone heart, ribbon, soft green leaves and a headband.

Wearing a bohemian or Greek style dress? Check out our bohemian style headband! Taylor is a bohemian headband with a green orchid, dragonfly pin, dangling beads, blue glittered leaves, silver accent ribbon, rhinestones and a braided silver and white headband! The bohemian style is intended to be worn across the forehead.

Do you want to feel like the prom queen for the entire night? Let us create a tiara with flowers to match your gown. We want you to feel special on the biggest night of the year with the Head Trip Tiara! This tiara includes, rhinestones, sweetheart roses, hydrangea blooms and limonium. We have different styles of tiaras for you to choose from!

Are you wearing a sleeveless dress? Try one of our island style armbands. The Callista armband is silver with rhinestones, lavender sweetheart roses, silver leaves, silver beads and metallic silver ribbon!

Want to see more? Check out our Prom Night Category by clicking below!

Check out this video of some of our prom corsages and boutonnieres below!

The Fall flowers are here! I look forward to getting in fall flowers every year! I don’t think I will ever get tired of the beautiful colors! The deep burgundy, rich bronzes, bright oranges, lush creams, dark plum and everything inbetween! Although Fall colors do tend to be darker, it works by giving you a warm, rich and fuzzy feeling!

If you are going to send flowers during the Fall season, I suggest sending a Fall themed bouquet! We make Fall bouquets for every occasion, from Anniversaries to Sympathy bouquets!

Fall Anniversary

Autumn Fire is the perfect Anniversary gift, especially if you are sending flowers to your wife’s work! Autumn Fire is designed in a clear glass cube with tea roses, tropical leucadendron, carnations, safflower and greenery! This compact bouquet is perfect for an office desk or somewhere with limited space. She will love the rich colors and the wonderful smell of the roses!

Fall Birthday

The Harvest Moon bouquet makes a special birthday gift! This ceramic pumpkin is filled with large sunflowers, curly willow, hypericum berries, fall daisies, solidego, wheat and greenery! This bouquet is the perfect mix of Fall rich colors with bright birthday colors! This medium sized arrangement will fit perfectly at work but will also work as a great centerpiece on your dining room table! An added bonus is the ceramic pumpkin that can be used as decoration for the fall season, candy dish or add your own flowers to it for Thanksgiving! 

Fall Get Well

It is never fun to be sick, especially on a beautiful Fall day. Bring the Fall season to someone who is feeling under the weather with the Morning Meadow bouquet! This clear glass vase is filled with daisies, alstroemeria lilies, sunflowers, safflower, carnations and greenery! This will surely brighten their room and lift their spirits!

Fall Sympathy

It is never easy to lose a loved one and it can be hard to know how to express your sympathy to the family. Our designers create beautiful and tasteful bouquets just for these occasions. Some customers ask me if it is appropriate to send flowers of the season and I always say “Yes”. There are a few things to keep in mind though. If you are sending sympathy flowers during the Christmas 

season, it would not be appropriate to send a bouquet with glitter and a Santa in it. You must keep in mind what you are trying to convey to the family. You want to bring comfort in their time of loss. You want to them see something beautiful that might lift their spirits and mayremind them of happy memories with their loved one.  

For the Fall Sympathy, I would send the Morning’s First Light bouquet. This bouquet can be sent to the services or the home. It has a lasting gift of the WoodWick candle that comes in the center of a fragrant fresh flower bouquet filled with roses, carnations, button daisies and more!

Want to see more Fall Flower bouquets? Check out this Video below!

Top 5 Bestsellers for Prom 2012

The Prom season is officially over for us here at Gillespie Florists and I like to print product analysis reports to see what we sold more or less of to help me order supplies for next year's Proms. While doing this I thought, "why not share with everyone our best sellers?"


5. Three Alstroemeria Corsage - GFP7

In fifth place is the Alstroemeria Corsage! Alstroemeria lilies are not well known for being a popular corsage flower but here at Gillespie’s we use them quite a bit. We love using them in conjunction with other flowers; customers also usually like them by themselves. The corsage pictured here is the base priced Prom alstroemeria corsage on our free wristlet. Many customers chose to add on an upgraded keepsake wristlet. Alstroemeria lilies come in dozens of colors, which makes it easy for us to make the perfect match to your dress!


4. Three Mini Carnations & Two Sweetheart Rose Corsage - GFP5

In fourth place is the Three Mini Carnations & Two Sweetheart Rose Corsage! This is a combination of some of our most popular corsage flowers; no wonder this corsage is in the Top 5! Roses and Carnations come in a wide variety of colors therefore matching to your dress will be a breeze! This corsage works really well with multicolored dresses because of vast opportunities to mix colors.
The corsage pictured here is the base priced Prom alstroemeria corsage on our free wristlet. Many customers chose to add on an upgraded keepsake wristlet as well.

3. Dendrobium Orchid Corsage - Flower Bombe - 12PN06

In Third place is the Dendrobium Orchid Corsage! I think this one is popular because the classic Mother’s Day corsage is the cymbidium orchid corsage. although the cymbidiums are far too big for most teens taste, girls still want to emulate their Moms by wearing a similar type of flower. Dendrobium Orchids come in a limited colors but are still very versatile; thanks to new dyeing techniques the number of available colors is increasing!
If we cannot match your dress with the color of orchid, we can use white dendrobiums and match your dress with ribbons, leaves, beads, tulle and rhinestones instead! The corsage pictured here shows a keepsake wristlet, item #GFPBC!

2. Three Mini Carnation Corsage - Bauble On - 11PN12

In second place is the Three Mini Carnation Corsage! This corsage is so popular because of the versatility of colors! Carnations not only come in lots of colors but they also tip very well. Tipping is when we take a paint and tip the edges of a flower with it. Tipping can be harmful to some flowers but carnations tend to hold up pretty well with it! I believe carnations are so popular because they hardy enough to survive a night of dancing!
The corsage pictured here shows a keepsake wristlet, item #GFPAM

1. Three Sweetheart Rose Corsage - BoHo - 10PN24

In first place is the Three Sweetheart Rose corsage! Roses will always be a favorite among teens! Prom corsages are sometimes the very first flowers they will give or receive. Teenagers may act like they don’t pay attention to Mom or Dad but they do! They see Dad getting Mom roses for their anniversary or special occasions so the first flower that comes to mind is of course, roses! The great thing about roses is they are coming in more and more colors every year and that makes it very easy to match or compliment your dress! The corsage pictured here shows a keepsake wristlet!


We sell keepsake bracelets with our corsages about 40% of the time! Here’s a quick look at our Top 5 Bestselling
bracelets!

5. Triple Threat Bracelet - Dazzle - GFPAX
4.  Diamond & Pearl Bracelet - Sugarplum - GFPAZ
3.   Sophisticated Lady Wristlet - GFPAH
2.  Cream Pearl w/ Rhinestones - GFPBG
1.  Dancing Butterfly Bracelet - Midnight - GFPBD

Our Top Selling keepsake boutonniere holder this year was:

Silver Boutonniere Holder - GFPJ

The great thing about our prom corsages is that there are thousand of combinations! We have over 100 ribbon choices, dozens of leaf, bead and tulle choices! We of dozens of keepsake bracelets to put your corsage on and most importantly we have hundreds of flower combinations! Best of all, don't see what you need? Just ask! We would love to help you get the perfect corsage for the perfect night!

See the perfect corsage on our site and want to share it with your friends or your date? There's an easy Facebook and Twitter button on each product!

Check out our Prom Corsages and Boutonnieres by clicking below!

Watch the video below to see our designer favorites for 2012!