It's been a while...

but I have been working hard, in the shop AND planning my own wedding. I have just brought myself a chunk of Brides Magazine! It's quite a read/listen(with 'Fabulous Flowers' CDROM) and I feel like I have learnt a bit more, taking some inspiration from it but wonder, have I learnt £4.99 worth!? I'm not convinced! I make myself feel better that I have a double use for it, one for my own impending wedding, two for my business, and actually I guess three as my member of staff will read/use it.

I can't help wondering whether these sorts of glossy magazines are making people aspire to something that just isn't possible. Perhaps like most magazine?

Whilst flicking through, as most ladies do with magazines, my eyes dart from page to page focusing in on anything colourful that matches the flowers that I am having for my big day but also to other spectacular arrangements that, being a florist in the know(!), around 1% of people can afford! We often get people coming in with big ideas about making replica arrangements as seen in magazines and expecting us to fit in their £500 budget! Don't get me wrong, I know that £500 is a lot of money but unfortunately some of the arrangements I have seen in these magazines would be that in itself!

I would like to take this opportunity to explain to you what actually goes into each stem of glorious petaled delight, so perhaps when you are wondering if your florist can make 30 buttonholes for £30 you will realise that they aren't being negative or trying to do you out of your hard earned money!!

Let's take a stem of rose...
Process 1 -Seeds get 'made' and sold by supplier
Process 2 - Seed gets sown, grown
Process 3- Stem gets 'harvested' and packaged
Process 4 - Bunch of roses gets transported to auction
Process 5 - Roses get brought by wholesale and packaged again
Process 6 - Wholesaler puts roses on transporter to country or area where they will be sold
Process 7- Wholesaler buys and has the roses delivered
Process 8 - Wholesaler prepare flowers to be sold on
Process 9- Florist buys the roses at 'wholesale' cost
Process 10 - Florist take the roses back to the shop and prepares them to use
Process 11 - Roses get used to create stunning displays etc
Process 12 - Roses get delivered to the customer!
THE END!
It's pretty amazing and thinking about it I am surprised that it actually works, how the rose can be 'handled' so many times and still be fresh and perfect in it's final leg of the journey! Of course stems that are grown in the same country as they are used have a lot less processing. Amazingly this doesn't bring the cost down as much as you would have thought! So when you are thinking about vases overflowing with stems, pedestals that will be talked about for years and a bridal bouquet that would rival Kate Middleton's maybe keep those ideas in mind but trust your florist, tell them your budget and let them guide you down a path that will work for everyone!