Grooms - an important part of the planning

bloom boxx was honored to be part of the NYC launch party for "Staggered", a wedding web site geared for grooms. After great success in the UK, Staggered has launched their US web site - http://www.iamstaggered.com/usa/ Most people still think of a wedding as the "bride's" big day. Well a bride isn't a bride without a groom. bloom boxx is well aware that it is becoming increasingly more common to see grooms involved in the planning process, even when it comes to wedding flowers. Less often does the weight of the planning, and budget, fall on the bride's parents. In today's economy, many couples are taking on all of the planning, and footing the entire bill, themselves. Staggered brilliantly speaks to the groom audience, and bloom boxx is happy not just to have been part of the launch party, but to champion for Staggered's success for speaking to the ever important male segment of the wedding market. About the launch party, and within there is a link to photos: http://www.iamstaggered.com/usa/featured/we-went-and-threw-ourselves-a-party

Hot Color Alert - Purple!

At bloom boxx, we've noticed that color predictions see a surge in purple being used in weddings in the upcoming winter and spring seasons. We see nothing wrong with that! Purple is a color that works well during all four seasons. Flowers that come in shades of purple include lisianthus, irises, roses, delphinium, larkspur, stock flower, mums, carnations, limonium and statice. Colors that compliment purple well include pale lavender, hot pink, pink, bright green, orange, white, cream and burgundy. Never be afraid to use color, and look out for lots of purple in the upcoming bridal seasons!

Luscious Lisianthus

At bloom boxx, we're big fans of lisianthus. You've probably seen it and not known what it's called. Lisianthus is a sturdy flower that's available in shades of purple, pink and white. Because it's easily available and relatively inexpensive, it's a great flower to consider for your bridal scheme. Lisianthus looks similar to roses yet has a softer, more delicate appearance as its blooms have fewer petals. In fact, lisianthus work very well alongside roses as seen in the brides' bouquets here. Furthermore, lisianthus is less expensive per stem than roses, so using them is a great way to achieve the "look for less" when planning your wedding floral scheme.

Crazy for Daisies!

At bloom boxx, we pride ourselves in providing elegant, beautifully designed wedding flowers at sensible prices. In today's tough economy, many brides are challenged with having to carefully scrutinize their wedding budgets to get the most for their money. When it comes to wedding flowers, there are ways to have an elegant and sophisticated look without breaking the bank, and without having to feel that your flowers look "cheap". One way is to use daisies! Daisies are ready available year-round, and are inexpensive. Furthermore, they come in an endless variety of colors. A well-designed bouquet of daisies can be chic and elegant.
Shown here are 3 brides' bouquets using daisies. In one photo, we've created a classic hand-tied bouquet of bright pink gerbera daisies. Gerberas are sturdy, cheerful, and again, come in many colors. Because their blooms are large (3"-4" across), not a lot are required to create a bold, colorful bouquet. They are hearty blooms that make a statement simply grouped, no filler or greenery is required. Furthermore, they are not labor-intensive for your florist.
In the other photo, we've created two different takes on a bouquet of white daisy mums. These blooms are smaller than gerberas; however, when grouped in mass, they look quite elegant. Like gerberas, daisy mums are readily available in many colors and are overall easy to work with. Here we've created one classic hand-tied bouquet, finished with variegated greenery and a simple bow. The other is a more contemporary bouquet featuring a long, sturdy pale grey greenery called kochia cascading down from a dramatic mound of daisies.
Some quick internet research shows that the average bride's bouquet costs $80-$150. At bloom boxx, the gerbera daisy bouquet shown here would sell for $65 (including the jewel accents as shown, only $59 without!). Either of the white daisy bouquets would sell for $39. Save money without sacrificing style - use daisies!

Do-It-Yourself Wedding Flowers?

In this tough economy, "DIY" is becoming a buzz word for wedding flowers and decor. We at bloom boxx certainly understand the need to find ways to save money, and in fact we pride ourselves on providing our clients elegant wedding flowers in New Jersey at sensible prices. That said, we would like to give food for thought as to why it's a good idea to let a professional florist take care of the flowers for your once-in-a-lifetime wedding event.

• Experience. Sure, as with anything, a person can learn how to make a bridal bouquet or centerpiece. Maybe you already have a flair for having flowers look oh-so perfect when you put them together in your favorite vase. That said, a florist not only has the know-how and has a lot more practice. Remember that, like food, flowers are perishable and must be arranged last minute before an event - particularly items that will no longer be in any kind of water source such as corsages and boutonnieres. A florist can accomplish this much more quickly than someone less experienced. A wedding is filled with so many elements, so much to be done - dinners, rehearsals, photos, etc. - will you and your friends really have the time in those final days to properly arrange the flowers?
• Skills & Supplies. A professional florist has the proper tape, wire, hot glue, wire cutters, clay and "magic" necessary when the unexpected happens. A stem in the bride's bouquet snaps during delivery, a centerpiece is knocked over during set up, a corsage freezes in a refrigerator that's too cold... these are very real things that can and do happen. Most consumers would never know this because a florist has the skills and means to fix these types of mishaps such that no one is the wiser.
• Facilities. Flowers are shipped from growers simply cut from the bush. They have long stems, foliage and thorns. They must be cut and cleaned and put into fresh water with flower preservative for days before being arranged. Then they must be arranged and stored in a cold environment and/or a proper refrigerator. Then they must be delivered and installed. Are you really prepared with the proper amount of room in your home, especially if you are housing guests in town for your wedding? And do you really have an appropriate vehicle for delivery?

These are just a few reasons why you should let a florist handle your flower needs. We all know someone who puts together an amazing dinner, but you wouldn't ask a friend or relative to cater your wedding dinner. Grandma makes an amazing coconut cake, but you're not going to ask her to make and deliver your wedding cake. Similarly, it's not a good idea to try to do your own wedding flowers. These items all take experience, skill, and appropriate facilities in order to be done right.

For those brides who are feeling the pressure of a tight budget, bloom boxx will be posting cost-saving flower ideas over the next few weeks. Please be sure to come back to our bloom blogg for cost-cutting floral inspiration.

Striking Sunflowers!

Summer is the season for big, beautiful, beaming sunflowers!  Often found at your local farmer's market, many people don't realize that sunflowers actually come in several varieties and can even be found in tones of orange, not just yellow.  Shown here is the variety "Sunbeam" featuring a large, bright green center as opposed to the more commonly seen black center.  Sunflowers grow tall, in some cases 7 feet or more.  For visual interest, we decided to forego height and instead feature the big, beautiful flower heads "floating" in a low, wide glass bowl.

Hydrangeas

Summer is hydrangea season.  This time of year, it's so wonderful to see these big, vibrant blooms gracing yards in abundance all over town in gorgeous shades of blue, pink, purple and white.  Hydrangeas have big, sturdy stems that can arrange easily in a vase, or be tied together as a bouquet for the summer bride.  Though they flourish outdoors in the summer, they do need to be treated more delicately once cut from the bush.  When arranging, remove any leaves that will be below the water line in the vase.  Have clean, cool water treated with a packet of flower powder which is both flower food and antibacterial agent to keep the water clean.  Give the stems a quick, smooth cut with sharp floral shears and insert immediately into the water.  Be sure to keep the flowers in a cool room, out of direct sunlight.  

Luscious Red

If you're looking for a dramatic burst of color at your wedding or event, go red.  Red is a very strong color that invokes feelings of warmth, power, happiness, prosperity and celebration.  Many flowers are available in red including roses, asters, carnations, and tropical flowers like torch ginger.  Red works very well with white for a striking contrast, or as a bold complement to purple or pink (as seen here).

Shades of Pink

At bloom boxx we've been saying it all year, pink is in.  Really, was it ever out? Brides can establish a celebratory, colorful mood at their weddings by using classic garden flowers in varying shades of pink.  Seen here are roses, tulips, snapdragons, ranunculus and heather covering the entire spectrum of the pink palette from pale pastel tones to ultra bright fuschia.  Making pink your wedding color shouldn't be considered traditional.  Think of pink as classic.

Bargain Vases

At bloom boxx, we love a bargain, and we love to pass that bargain along to our clients.  You can score great vase finds on clearance racks.  Our favorite clearance racks can be found at HomeGoods, West Elm, and Pier One.  Both of the flower arrangements here are in vases that, after mark down, cost less than $12 each.  With flowers, the finished look is grand and seemingly expensive.  The white vase has a lid, which we used to make a "sidekick" arrangement to add some interest and enhance the overall effect.  Garage sales are another great source for inexpensive vases and interesting containers.  bloom boxx firmly believes in achieving, as they say, the "look for less".

Life is a Carousel Ride

bloom boxx was thrilled to participate in the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Carousel Awards Gala.  We provided the centerpiece for the Chamber president's table, and we had a blast with the theme.  Inspired by Asbury's historic Convention Hall, we included "patinaed" seahorses and a sailing ship which stood proudly at the very top.  The entire top portion of our floral carousel tower was affixed to a battery-operated display stand meant to showcase dolls, so it actually spun like a real carousel.  In addition to brightly colored flowers, we used moss and seashells to invoke the shore - and jewels and mirrors reminiscent of a merry-go-round.  When throwing a party, flowers can be more than just an addition to the tables.  They can be part of the fun!

bridal glam

The wedding day is all about the bride.  It's a day when she gets to feel and be treated like a princess.  And, what's more royal than jewels?  Even in today's economy, this doesn't have to stop with the ring.  The glam look can also translate to the bridal flowers, without being expensive.  Faux fur, plastic pearls, shiny ribbons and crystals are inexpensive, yet add a glamourous look - and a little whimsy.

Meee-oww!

bloom boxx is thrilled to have once again made a floral display for our friends at Parlor Gallery, right here in our home town of Asbury Park, in celebration of and coordination with their new show, "Fancy".  The show celebrates animals in art, and we had a ball with this concept.  Verging on the literal, we used faux fur, feathers, and even faux eyeballs!  See fresh blood-red roses oozing from the head of a teddy bear.  We made bugs out of yellow carnations and feathers.  In vases covered with white faux fur, note the illusion of whiskers is achieved with the poofs of grass swirling out the sides of puffy white hydrangeas.  The largest arrangement we made features gerbera daisies, thistle, and brightly colored feathers.  And if you look closely at the vase covered in faux brown mink, you'll see 2 dark eyes staring right back at you.  Flowers are always add beauty, but they can also be part of the fun!

http://www.parlor-gallery.com/?page_id=1053

And the Bride Carried... a Salad

Ok, that sounds silly.  However, for a recent bridal show, bloom boxx decided to take our love of all things green in an interesting, beautiful "earthy" direction.  Seen here, our bride's bouquet is made up of beautiful green vibernum, hypericum berries, moss and ivy.  In addition to these floral items, this bouquet also contains fresh kale and rosemary!  Keeping in mind that this IS in fact a bridal bouquet, and not salad fixings, we added a touch of glam by wrapping the stems in a beautiful green/brown fabric topped off with a leaf-shaped brooch featuring crystals in shades of green.  The matching ring-style centerpiece uses the same flowers and "ingredients", yet replaces the kale with fresh basil and thyme.  Have fun with flowers!  Mixing other elements with florals is not only a way to do something a little different, it's cost-effective and in this case brings adds a lovely herbal fragrance.

Making a Statement with Flowers

bloom boxx had the privilege of making a floral display recently for the Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park NJ.  Currently the gallery is featuring "Dark & Lovely".  Our color palette was inspired by the "Adam Wallacavage" Curio Wallcovering featured on the home page of Parlor Gallery's web site.  The flowers used here are black calla lilies, blood red spray roses, deep aubergine carnations, and pale blue/green hydrangeas.  To coincide with the show title, we not only used dark flowers, but we also invoked a macabre tone by incorporated dark feathers and wired twigs creeping all over the hydrangeas.    Flowers are indeed lovely, and they can also be fun and interesting. Never be afraid to incorporate non-floral materials into arrangements.

If you get the chance, you have a couple of days left to see "Dark & Lovely" at Parlor Gallery.  You can also see these works on their web site.  This Saturday, April 24th, Parlor opens their next installation, "Fancy".

http://www.parlor-gallery.com/

http://www.parlor-gallery.com/?page_id=1053

Branch Season

Springtime means flowering branches are in season.  Forsythia and cherry blossoms are blooming everywhere you look.  Pussywillow has sprouted.  Showy and dramatic, branches are gorgeous arranged by themselves, or mixed with fresh cut flowers to add height and visual interest.  An arrangement of blooming branches is a great way to show off a unique or oversized vase.  And, of course, cutting from your own yard is economical.  You can "force" branches by cutting them from the bush, so long as it's above freezing outside.  For more information on "forcing" branches, please follow this link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2086754_force-branches-bloom.html

Enjoy the spring weather, and bring some spring inside by displaying beautiful blooming branches.

The Scents of Springtime

Easter Sunday is one of many signs that spring, at long last, is finally here.   And, this means that beautiful spring blooms are in season!  Not only gorgeous to the eye, many spring flowers are also a treat for the nose and make a fresh, fragrant bride's bouquet.  The pale pink peonies and beautiful hyacinths seen in this bouquet, which really pop thanks to beautiful hot pink anemones, add a delicious natural fragrance.  Ahhh, spring. 

Feather Fun!

For the past few years, "bling" has been popular in use with flowers for weddings and parties.  Crystals real and not so real, in many colors, are frequently seen in centerpieces and bridal bouquets.  This year, feathers are making a comeback.  Like crystals, feathers provide an element of whimsical fun.  Feathers are also more cost effective.  Seen here, we used black and white feathers in centerpieces for a sixteenth birthday party.  Feathers add a little flash and a little fun for a reasonable price.

Perfect Pink

Pink is always in style, but this year pink is big.  We found these amazing hot pink glass cylinder vases at Ikea.  Sold in sets of 3, one collection features 3 different low and wide vases, the other features 3 that are more tall and narrow.  Total cost for all 6?  $32.  Yes, again, that's $32 for all SIX.  We used all of the vases together to make a dramatic pink statement on the table.  Anxious for spring, we chose classic fragrant spring blooms in varying shades of pink:  pale pink peonies, classic pink hyacinths, and bright pink anemones in addition to some fresh cut greens.  At this price, you could allow dinner guests to each take home a vase of flowers after your party.  And even though we're feeling the pink, you may be feeling another color inspiration this season.  So you know, those same Ikea vases also come in other jewel tones: bright blue, ruby red, and emerald green.

Pretty Vases

Most of the time, in the flower business, a vase serves simply as the container to hold the flowers.  The blooms are the featured stars.  Sometimes, it's good to let flowers serve as the accent to a vase that's beautiful and can stand out in its own right.

Here we see 2 gorgeous bottle-style vases.  From gorgeous acid green pottery, "Yearning Desert" flowers flow naturally.  The soft, velvety off-white blooms on subtle grey-green stems allow the color of the vase to really pop.  Conversely,  caramel brown "Robin Hood" gerbera daisies enhance this cream vase with a "moon surface" pattern - adding a touch of color without overpowering the wonderful texture that gives the vase such visual interest.  For both, the flowers are simply gathered, cut, and placed loosely.  The narrow neck of the bottles prop the flowers up perfectly, eliminating any need to properly "arrange" them.

Alstroemeria lilies are beautiful flowers that are popular, inexpensive, and widely available.  To help you pronounce the name properly, think "I'll-still-marry-ya". What's also great about alstros is that they last a long time - easily up to 2 weeks, sometimes longer.  As always, be sure to keep the water full and refreshed.  They come in a variety of colors from reds and oranges to several shades of pink.  The alstroemeria lilies seen here were part of a "3 bunches for $10" purchase at the supermarket.  This white variety is called "Virginia".  A great value, easy to arrange, and simply beautiful all by themselves.

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Simple, Elegant Table Top

A collection of small groupings of flowers make an eye-catching centerpiece, even on a large table.  You don't have to be an experienced florist to quickly arrange them, and what a great way to show off interesting assorted containers.  Note the interesting miniature "pitchers" and vases seen in this photo.

Go Green

Fresh cut greens, usually used to compliment flowers as "filler" in arrangements, can be gorgeous as the featured stars.  Furthermore, they're economical.  Greens are usually less expensive than flowers.  And of course you can cut greens from the bushes in your own yard!