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.