Lori Friedlander, owner of Flore, LLC Fine Flowers in Southbury, Connecticut, has announced a program to assist brides who want to create their own wedding flower arrangements. “Our program is specifically designed to assist brides who enjoy arranging flowers, have plenty of help and time before their wedding date, are on a budget, and want to feel involved with the creation of every aspect of their wedding. For those brides, do-it-yourself wedding flowers may be the perfect choice.”
Friedlander explained, “Flowers are a particularly tricky part of a wedding. The variables, everything from selection to costs to design to keeping blooms fresh, are headaches most brides are happy to avoid. Do-it-yourself wedding flowers however are not for the faint-hearted, and shouldn’t be attempted by many non-floral individuals. If a bride is looking for lots of big arrangements, with many different types of flowers, and for it all to be perfect, do-it-yourself is not the best option.”
For brides who do want to do their own wedding flowers, Flore, LLC Fine Flowers offers several new services to make the experience easier. “We start by offering free consultations, regardless of whether we are doing the entire wedding, or just a portion. During that initial consultation, if the bride desires to do all or part of the flowers herself, we will help her create designs that use flowers that require less time to process, less space to work in, and are less fragile to work with. Some brides do not want to do the bouquets themselves, but do want to design the centerpieces. Other brides want to do it all themselves and simply request that we order and process the flowers they select.”
Flore’s Do-It-Yourself services include planning guidelines for all designs and steps to take to create each design, plus a timeline for each step, and a “practice run” for the bride. For an additional fee, Flore also offers classes for the bride’s “flower arranging helpers.” Friedlander explained, “Once the designs have been determined, we place all orders for flowers and floral supplies needed. We then receive and properly process all those flowers to be ready for the bride to design when they are picked up. Our flower prices are competitive with any online flower supplier and we can almost always match any price they offer.”
Lori Friedlander provided timely warning to brides regarding the pitfalls of ordering from online Internet flower merchants. “Be very careful about buying fresh flowers sight unseen online,” stated the highly-experienced professional florist. “Flowers come in all sizes and qualities. A 40 cm rose, for example, is much less expensive than a 70 cm rose because it has a much shorter stem and usually has a smaller flower head containing fewer petals. A bride will also need to know what growth stage her flowers will be in when they are shipped so she can order accordingly to ensure they will open to the size she desires. A bride should also read carefully to see if there are added charges for packing or boxing, dry ice, or shipping.”
Additional cautions Flore’s Lori Friedlander expressed were, “Be certain someone reliable will accept the boxes when they arrive. No bride wants her flowers to miss her wedding because they were in a trucking depot over a weekend because no one was available to sign for them.” Friedlander further cautioned, “Once flowers arrive, they must be handled with the utmost care. Refrigeration is essential so that the ‘cold chain’ in which they are shipped is not broken. They also need to be cut, rehydrated with a floral solution, then placed into 35 degree water treated with a floral food made especially for fresh flowers.“
A full-service florist, Floré offers eco-friendly fresh flowers, plants and unique all-natural gifts made from plant and flower essences. Ms. Friedlander also creates gourmet gift baskets and baskets featuring natural bath, body and aromatherapy items, including savon de Marseilles and lavender products imported from France. Educational resources are available in books in the shop on natural flower essences and oils. Visitors to Flore receive highly personalized service through design and gift idea assistance, custom silk floral design consultation, interior décor consultation, plus wedding, birth and funeral flower arrangements.
“It sincerely brings me true joy,” commented Friedlander, “to help brides create the look they truly want for their special day while staying within their budget. It’s a challenge I actually enjoy.” She also stated, “Before a bride makes her final floral decisions, it’s important to carefully compare the costs of do-it-yourself vs. purchasing, plus the time, preparation, storage, and transportation issues involved. A bride won't be bright eyed on her wedding day if she stayed up all night working on her flowers.”
Floré, LLC, Fine Flowers is located at 33 Bullet Hill Road in Southbury, one half mile off exit 15 on Route I-84. Orders can be placed by telephone, Internet and E-mail for local and national delivery. Flore offers loyalty and senior discount programs, daily and weekly specials, flower sale fund raising programs, and Lori Friedlander is known to support many socially responsible charities. The Flore shop is open Mondays through Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and be reached at 203-405-1760, or by e-mail to flowersasmedicine@yahoo.com, or by visiting their website www.flowersasmedicine.com.
Source: Flore, LLC Fine Flowers