“We believe floral design is about crafting a total event experience that captivates guests, creates interest, and sparks conversation.”- Cheryl’s Distinctive Creations Inc.
Vendor Spotlight Blog from Cheryl’s Distinctive Creations, Inc.
The flower story starts at the Grower. Most cut flowers come from outside the United States. Growers will cut the crops up to 2 months prior to them being put into a vase by your florist. This is so that they can replant crops continually to supply the market. After cut, each flower is inspected and graded for size and quality, then bundled and packed into boxes ready for transport.
Weather is a HUGE factor for flower growers. A few years ago, for example, floods in South America held up flower shipments for weeks. The growers were putting boxes of flowers on boats to paddle to a dry location to be put on a truck to go to the airport. There were some growers who could not get to the airport at all and subsequently flowers could not be shipped. This resulted in a shortage of certain varieties in the market. Photo Credit: Beth Joy Photos
The next step in the flower cycle is transportation. Once the flowers are taken to the airport, they are then flown all over the world. ✈️ Almost all flowers that come into Orlando come through Miami and then are trucked throughout the State to the wholesalers. In some cases, we can order direct from the growers for shipment via Fed Ex directly to the florist.
Once the flowers are received in the city of destination, the supplier will process the flowers for delivery or pick up by the florist.
Florists receive their flowers in bulk. We must then unpack all boxes, unwrap and unbundle the individual flower varieties and inspect for breakage, disease, and freshness. Each flower must be cut at a 45-degree angle to provide the greatest surface for water intake, foliage, and leaves are stripped above the water line to prevent bacteria growth and they are then placed in clean, sanitized buckets with a nutritional floral solution to continue to feed the flowers. Flowers should hydrate a minimum of 2-4 hours for the best performance.
Staff then pulls all hard goods (containers, candles, etc.) for each order and stage with a label for the individual event. Then the fun part begins, it is time to design. Our accredited design team assembles the arrangements as specified and sprays with a solution to seal moisture in the flower petals for longer life. If this step is not followed, it can result in the flowers dehydrating and not being at their best for your wedding or event.
Once all designs are complete, the truck(s) are loaded for delivery and set up at the venue. All vehicles and employees are fully insured. The final factor in the cost of flowers would be the manpower to deliver to the venue, set up the event, and if necessary return after the event to pick up any rental items used. The entire process is then reversed to pick up, bring back to the shop clean and sanitize containers, replace batteries, clean wax, etc.
The short version of this story is it takes a LOT of hours and manpower to accomplish even that single happy birthday bouquet. Our designers spend a great deal of time continuing education, training, and becoming certified in order to give our clients a sense of comfort that they have hired a “professional”.
These steps reflect time and money which are factors in the overall pricing of floral arrangements. Whether 1 bouquet, an entire wedding, or an event with hundreds of tables, the same steps should be followed. Shortcuts in these processes will cost time, money, and more importantly the loss of a happy customer. It’s like the old adage……” you get what you pay for”
Photo Credit: Photolocity
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Written by: CHERYL ANDREWS
Owner & President at CDC FLORAL
“I founded CDC Floral over 25 years ago to bring the personalized floral design to every event, big or small. I want you to see your wedding and event dreams fulfilled, so I have assembled a talented team of floral artists. We are committed to creating award-winning floral displays built on creativity and personalized service. See the Distinctive difference in how we translate your event dreams into a memory you will have forever!”- Cheryl Andrews
