When someone passes away, many people’s first thought is to send flowers to the funeral.

But how do you get your sympathy flowers to stand out and leave a lasting impression?

It’s pretty simple if you remember to do one thing… add a personal touch to the flowers you send.

At a time of loss, our memories of that person often become more vivid. We recall things about them that can be easily expressed in a floral tribute.

As an example, the arrangement pictured above showcased a photo frame highlighting some special moments a daughter had with her father. It was her own personal tribute to him.

I put together this short video showing a few more examples of how we helped clients add a personal touch to the sympathy flowers they sent.

While some of these tributes may not suit your budget or style, keep in mind that adding a personal touch can be as simple as using a favorite flower or color.

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Sympathy flowers that leave a lasting impression is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

Would you like one that matches your Save the Date cards, invitations, etc.?

And best of all, would you like to get it for free?

If you answered “Yes!” to any of these questions, then  Wedding Paper Divas has exactly what you need!

A free wedding website to go along with over 40 of their most popular wedding invitations.

This means that you can now easily create a personal wedding website that matches the style and theme of your wedding, complete with online RSVP capabilities and more—and keep it FREE for a full year!

Make no mistake, even though it’s free, it’s loaded with all the bells and whistles. And unlike most free wedding websites, it’s totally ad-free!

Some of the many features include:

• Matching your site theme with over 40 of Wedding Paper Divas bestselling invitation designs.
• Quick and easy design and updates. No programming necessary! Just point and click at anything on the site to customize it to your liking.
• Custom domain names. You can truly personalize your site with your own custom domain name – like “RachaelandScottsWedding.com”.
• Unlimited photos
• Guest comments
• Music and Video
• Online RSVP, blog, password protection, guest list manager, and much more

But don’t take my word for it, check out the demo site to see for yourself.

And what better time than now to get started and ensure that as you begin to prepare for your big day, everything will be beautifully designed and perfectly coordinated.

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Do You Need a Wedding Website? is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

Alstroemeria, aka “Peruvian Lilies”, is one of the best-selling flowers in our shop. The longevity, durability and colorful varieties have made them a favorite among our customers.

Whether you receive alstroemeria as a gift or buy them for yourself, they will either come arranged, boxed, or wrapped. If your alstroemeria arrives out of water, they likely will appear to be limp.

If so, here are seven steps you should immediately follow to extend the vase life of your alstroemeria: 

1. Remove any leaves that may be under water.
2. While holding the stems under water in a sink or under running water, cut about one inch off each stem with a sharp knife or shears. DO NOT let the newly cut end dry off before transferring it into another container.
3. If buds appear to be very tight, submerging them in warm water will promote opening.
4. Water to which a floral preservative solution has been added should be used to arrange fresh cut alstroemeria in. Using it as recommended will provide additional days of vase life. Try to avoid using water from a water softener.
5. Immediately after the stems are cut, place your alstroemeria in a clean, deep vase of warm preservative solution (about 100 degrees F). Allow several hours to condition them before arranging.
6. Temperature is a key factor in the lifespan of all flowers. Display your fresh cut alstroemeria arrangements in a cool area out of direct sunlight and drafts.
7. Alstroemeria are thirsty flowers. It is important to check to see that the vase is full and add preservative solution as needed. If arranged in floral foam, be sure it is completely saturated and the container is full daily.

This short video shows you the initial steps outlined above about how to handle your alstroemeria upon arrival.

If your are a DIYER creating flowers for a wedding or event, the video references a couple of products, Floralife Quick Dip and Floralife Crystal Clear Flower Food, which are both excellent commercial grade products we use in the shop and highly recommend for treating all flowers prior to use.

If you follow these seven simple steps, your alstroemeria will reward you with an extended period of enjoyment!

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Alstroemeria Care – 7 Steps to Follow for Longer Vase Life is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

With prom season just around the corner, some of you may be interested in what’s trending in prom flowers this year. From everything I’ve seen, read and heard, it will again be all about the “bling”.

From new styles of beaded and jeweled bracelets to all types of unusual accents, the use of fashion flower jewelry will be front and center this year.

Here are several recent posts I’ve come across that feature some unique floral ideas using some of the new fashion flower jewelry that’s available: 

Prom Trends 2012

Its that time of year when we need to look and see the upcoming trends for 2012. See how the 2012 Fitz Design Prom Line of floral jewelry compliments the 2012 Prom Trends…

http://promflowers.blogspot.com/2011/12/prom-trends-2012.html

Prom Styles & Flowers

On your special night we want you to stand out! We achieve this by offering one of a kind designs utilizing the newest pieces of jewelry from Fitz Designs…

http://www.ladyslippercreations.com/prom-flowers-and-styles-gallery.asp

Prom Flowers 2012 – Vintage Romance

These first prom flowers of the 2012 season were made for a fabulous photo shoot we did with Baystate Parent Magazine!

The look for the shoot was vintage romance with soft pale colors, feminine fabrics, and delicate flowers. …

http://www.sprout-flowers.com/prom-flowers-hot-styles.html

Prom Ideas 2012

My friends up at Woodlane Flowers in Woodbury, Minnesota have put together an excellent slide-show showcasing their collection of prom flowers, along with a few suggestions about flower types and dress colors. You definitely will get some great ideas here…

http://www.woodlaneflowers.com/prom_2012.aspx

Fascinatingly Fabulous Floral Prom Wear

An especially fun trend this year for those wishing to be noticed are floral fascinators. A fascinator is a fun, funky and enchanting headpiece, and a perfect complement to traditional prom flowers. If you definitely want to be on the cutting edge of floral fashion this year, check them out here…

http://www.aboutflowersblog.com/fascinatingly-fabulous-floral-prom-wear/

Pinterest – Prom Flowers

If you really want to overdose on ideas for prom flowers, be sure to check out Pinterest. You definitely will get more ideas than you will ever need here…

http://pinterest.com/search/boards/?q=prom%20flowers

Prom flowers: Would you like ribbons with that corsage?

Only a few short years ago, very few choice were available for Prom. By far the most popular was a wrist corsage with sweetheart roses, Baby’s Breath, tulle and ribbons attached to an elastic cloth band. I’m not sure if it was popular because we really liked it or that was the only choice offered. hmmm….

http://promflowers.blogspot.com/would-you-like-ribbons-with-that.html

Prom Flower Do's & Don'ts

DO come in with your date to order your prom flowers together! Not only will your flowers coordinate better, but you’ll get some input into what they’ll look like. Do you really want his mom ordering your flowers? …

http://www.sprout-flowers.com/prom-flower-dos-donts.html

Many of the floral bracelets, accessories and accents featured in these posts are from Fitz Design, who has the hottest product line for proms and weddings used today by floral professionals.

As prom season gets closer, check for updates to this post or on our Facebook page

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Prom Flowers 2012 – Bling’s Still the thing! is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

Judging by the calls I’ve been getting at the shop, as well as the jump in the number of visitors to this site and our wedding site, couples in the this area are now in full-blown wedding planning mode!

If you’ve recently gotten engaged, you’re probably anxious to let people know when the big day is. But how do you do it in a way that makes an impressive statement that reflects the the theme and style of your wedding?

You will need send out Save the Date cards.

Sure, you could let people know by calling or emailing them. This would probably be OK for some of the guests, because they’ll get an invitation later anyway.

But for the family and friends who are really important to you, you know, the guests you really want to be there to share your your wedding day with, sending a Save the Date card will make a far greater impression. Here’s why.

Taking the time to mail a Save the Date card shows that person how much you appreciate them and want them to be present to share your important day.

And by designing a card that reflects your style and theme, it conveys a sense of what your guests can expect on your wedding day.

When it comes to Save the Date items, Wedding Paper Divas absolutely sets the pace with their selection of stylish cards, calendars, and magnets.

And this year they have added tons of new features and Save the Date items like these hot new circle cards (Sweet!) and monogrammed designs (gotta love ‘em!).

Don’t forget, calendars are also a fun way to inform family and friends about your big day. And calendar Save the Date cards often get posted in very conspicuous places (like the refrigerator door)!

You can check all of Wedding Paper Divas’ Save the Date calendar cards here.

Two of my favorites are the “Romantic Tab : Smoke” Save The Date Postcard and the “Haute Heraldry : Black” Save the Date Card (pictured above).

Your tastes may be different from mine, but with so many styles to choose from, I’d suggest you check them all out. I’m sure you’ll find one that works for you.

From my experience (my daughter used them for her wedding a couple of years ago), what separates Wedding Paper Divas from the competition is their amazing service.

Before each each order is shipped it is hand reviewed (by a real live human!) for any issues, so you’re guaranteed to receive high-quality cards. Trust me, this isn’t always the case, even with local vendors.

So take a few minute and shop their Save the Date cards today. I’m certain you’ll find a card that will complement your style and the theme you’ve chosen for your wedding.

Go ahead, make their day!

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Use Save the Date Cards to Announce Your Big Day is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

All of the Valentine flowers in this video (and more) can be found at:

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Our Valentine Flowers Collection is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

According to our wedding planning estimator, couples in the Milwaukee area spend between $608 and $1,014 for their wedding flowers, on average. That’s pretty consistent with our actual experience in the past year.

It may be more or less in your area, but it’s still a sizable amount of money.

Some brides make the decision to save that expense by doing their own wedding flowers.

I completely understand their thought process, because I’ve made similar choices, too. But is it always the right decision? Here’s how to be sure…

Let me start by giving you an example

Back in late 1997, I decided that the shop needed a web site. I knew exactly what I wanted, so I decided to outline the framework for the site and hire someone to build it for me.

However, after getting back a couple of initial quotes (on average, about $3000), I decided I would save money by building the site myself. I had read and seen a lot about how to build web sites, and frankly, it didn’t look all that difficult. And I knew I could do it myself for a lot less.

Well, as you can imagine, it turned out to be much more of a project than I thought. In addition to laying out the site framework, I was also the programmer, photographer, graphic designer and editor too. But I kept plodding along, reminding myself of how much money I was saving.

Was I wrong? No. Did I work hard? Yes. Was I working smart? Definitely not.

It took me nearly 60 hours over four months, but I finished and launched the site. Had I hired a pro, it would have taken less than a month to be up and running. It also would have been far more cost-effective, after I added up the numbers. Honestly, I did learn a lot going through the process, but I wouldn’t do it again.

It’s The Same With Your Wedding Flowers

Most brides who have done their wedding flowers said they enjoyed the experience and learned quite a bit – but readily admit it may not be the best idea for everyone.

They watched the videos, bought books and read all about “how to do your own wedding flowers”, but still said it was pretty stressful when it came down to “crunch time”.

Even though you can find a lot of how-to information, resources and links on this site and at MilwaukeeFlowerMarket.com as well as MilwaukeeWeddingFlorist.com, it still takes time to

• Research, find and purchase the necessary flowers and supplies
• Recruit help
• Make samples and practice design techniques
• Process the flowers upon arrival
• Make all the bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and any ceremony and/or reception flowers as needed
• Pick up and return any rental items
• Transport, set up and remove floral decor from the wedding site(s).

You might think doing all this will only take a few hours. It will take much longer, trust me. In fact, I would probably double the time you planned on, just to be safe.

Keep in mind that most of the work needs to be done in the final hours leading up to, through, and after the wedding. Unlike other tasks that can be spread out over a longer time frame (like building a web site), working with a perishable product like flowers cannot be done too far in advance.

How You can Leverage Your Time and Save More Money

As I said earlier, had I known it would take me four months to build my first web site, I would have hired a pro to do the work. The site would have been up and running in a month. Even if I paid a little more than the original quotes I got, I still would have come out ahead. Here’s why.

Time is Money

We’ve all heard it over and over. Here’s how it applied in my case.

The web site I built generated $4000 in sales in the first four months. In essence, I lost $3000 in sales because it took me four months to do all the work myself. Looking back, it would have been smarter spend that same $3000 and hired a pro to do the work for me. I would have come out ahead. But hindsight is always 20/20.

My example applies to everything, even doing your own wedding flowers. All you have to do is run the numbers to prove it.

Using our shop as an example, the average wedding takes several hours of planning and consultation, and a couple of days to do the work. For most of our weddings, 15 -30 staff hours are usually required, depending on the size of the event.

Using the same number of hours (15-30), at an hourly wage of $15 (use your own number here), the cost of your time would be $225 – $450, plus the cost of the flowers. If you spend $300 on flowers and supplies, your total cost would be $525 – $750.

If you get a quote for wedding flowers that is comparable, and you’re comfortable working with that florist, why wouldn’t you hire them instead of doing it yourself? If you value your time, the answer is a no-brainer.

If you have limited time, or no experience working with flowers, you could use the those 15-30 hours learning and designing your bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and centerpieces, hoping that everything turns out well, or you could use that time to do other projects for your wedding that you might enjoy more, or may be better suited to your talents.

My point is this…

Everyone is capable of doing things they never imagined they could. But because you can, doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Whether it’s wedding flowers or anything else. Your time has value. Understanding the true cost of your time will help you to determine how cost-effective the choices you make will be.

I readily admit my advice may not be right for every situation, but all you have to do is run the numbers to be sure.

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Wedding Flowers : Hire a Florist or Do It Yourself is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog

I love Halloween. It’s a great time to party. And it’s the one holiday that seems to get a lot of people’s creative juices flowing. Some of the best Halloween party ideas usually come from the least-likely sources. Take Halloween costumes, for example.

Some of the best Halloween costumes I’ve ever seen came from people who swear they don’t have a creative bone in their body!

But Halloween isn’t only a great time for creative costumes, it’s also a great time to get creative with flowers, especially if you’re throwing a party.
And there is no lack of ideas. Practically every magazine at the supermarket checkouts features inexpensive Halloween party ideas that include flowers.

For starters, the fall season gives us a lot of nature’s best items to work with. Cornstalks, gourds, and of course, pumpkins.

Pumpkins, no matter the size, are not only for carving into jack-o-lanterns, but they also make great floral containers.

Simply placing floral foam inside a hollowed-out pumpkin will allow you to arrange flowers in them easily, as well as providing a source of water for them.

Inexpensive flowers, such as carnations, are great to use in Halloween arrangements because they last so long. Mums are another great choice because they can make a big impact with only a few stems. For a higher-end look, try adding lilies. The arrangement pictured here uses orange gerbera daisies, as well as spray roses and mums. And the black cat is a great finishing touch!

A grouping of small pumpkins and gourds, accented with flowers, fall leaves, Spanish moss or ivy, makes a fun table centerpiece. If you’re looking for an elegant touch, try painting pumpkins black, gold or bronze. For the finishing touch, adding a bit of Halloween decor will complete the look and create the proper Halloween atmosphere.

If you need a few Halloween party ideas to get you started, take a look at some of these Halloween flower arrangements, as well as Halloween party decorations, and costume ideas.

And don’t forget, if you need help putting your Halloween party ideas together, your florist is only a phone call away.

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Creative Halloween Party Ideas With Flowers is a post from: Milwaukee Florist Greenfield Flower Shop's Blog