Find Your Local Florist:Everything you want to know about flowers!
Thanksgiving is a time to show friends, siblings, parents, grandparents, husbands, wives, and more just how thankful you are for them. No matter what they do, they’re all an important part of our lives. Thanksgiving is on November 28th this year, so don’t forget to send the perfect gift to the ones you love. [Read more…]
Photo Courtesy: Aiken House & Gardens
Spring will be here in a few short days! Nature will be coming into bloom which makes this a wonderful time to decorate your home for the new season. One of the best things about spring? Fresh flowers! Take advantage of those blossoms that are only available during this time of year and freshen up your home with a gorgeous centerpiece. [Read more…]
With the help of your local florist, of course.
This winter see how your local florist can totally transform a space. Take a look at these five gorgeous designs and how they bring a sophisticated style to the home.
[Read more…]
Oh wow, there was a lot going on at the Tennessee State Floral Association Convention this year! We’ve already brought you a recap of the Iris Cup and vendor booths, we’ve revisited the Regina Berryman presentation, and now we’re going to show you some photos of candidates for this year’s Tabletop Competition! One thing’s for sure, people at the convention were never bored!
This was a nature-focused display that really works! Excellent job!
An elegant display using the natural beauty of red roses and the visual texture of silk. Fantastic!
During Halloween, jack-o-lanterns are on doorsteps everywhere! While pumpkins are typically used for Halloween, they are also great for fall and Thanksgiving decor! (Just without the faces.)
We spotted this adorable pumpkin decor idea and had to share: Mumkins! You know we love it because it mixes chrysanthemums with this iconic Halloween/Fall/Thanksgiving symbol.
Creating a mumkin is easy!
Create mumkins out of several sized pumpkins for great table decor.
A beautiful arrangement placed on your kitchen table is simply stunning for your everyday life, but what if you’re hosting a dinner party? There is a variety of unique ideas that you can use flowers to compliment your party. Here are a few tips and ideas to make your dinner party absolutely amazing with flowers!
Beautiful Floral Centerpiece
First thing’s first, what is the style of your party? Are you planning a themed party? Is it more casual, elegant or a true, fine dining affair? Once you’ve figured that out, go to your local florist and they will help you with what flowers are in season. Then, you can get creative by mixing and matching the flowers and creating a beautiful color palette.
Beautiful Centerpiece: Of course, you can do the traditional floral centerpiece in the middle of your table. A more elegant feel can be created with a larger centerpiece, while a more casual dinner party would have a smaller centerpiece.When thinking about your table centerpiece, keep your dinner style in mind. Plus, a centerpiece is something you’ll be able to enjoy for days to come and keep you reminded of what a great night you shared with close friends and family.
Party Place Card Holder
Place Settings: Think of individual place settings using flowers. A simple flower in a small vase, glass or teacup would be ideal. Just attach a tag with your guest’s name on it and they’ll know exactly where to sit. A bonus is that you can send beautiful flowers home with your guests as a thank you for coming gift. They’ll have something to take home and continue to enjoy your fabulous party. Floral place settings are a great personal touch that lets your guests know you’re thinking of them.
Table Runner: Want to create something unique? Instead of a floral centerpiece that can sometimes block conversation, focus on a floral table runner. Your expert florist will have tons of ideas for this arrangement. Picture beautiful flowers running across your table. They’ll make for a great conversation starter as well as be a visual treat. Think garland or branches, and then place your flowers along them with beautiful ribbon as an accent. You can also place small tea light candles around the floral table runner for a more elegant feel. Your table setting will set the style and theme of your great dinner party!
Easy Floral Design For Parties
A beautiful table scape is the ideal place to set your flowers, but don’t forget to place them around the house in other rooms. This helps tie your style and theme altogether. Plus, it adds nice fragrances and creates beautiful focal points. Welcome your guests at your front door with a beautiful flower arrangement as soon as they walk in. It’s a great personal touch and helps your friends feel welcomed.
Set a smaller vase out in your living room or create an arrangement for your fireplace. This may seem like a lot, but remember it ties it altogether and can be used to create a beautiful home decor setting, especially around the holidays. One place, you may not think to place a small bud vase is the restroom. Again, powder room arrangements add that personal touch and ties your dinner party altogether. Simple floral arrangements also add a sense of style.
These are just helpful tips on how you can use basic floral arrangements to create an elegant setting for your next dinner party. Table arrangements, place settings and beautiful flowers around the house are great personal touches that will provide a beautiful setting and make it feel more personable for your guests. Remember, using these floral decoration ideas for your next dinner party is great, but using these all year round will have your house looking simply stunning.
Contact your local florist and ask about flowers for entertaining. Decorating your home is their specialty and they might have even more great ideas not mentioned here! Even if you are a DIYer, your florist will have a great selection of fresh flowers to work with.
This post is brought to you by local St. Louis MO florists.
No where near St. Louis? Not a problem, use Flower Shop Network’s handy directory of florists to find a local florist near you!
Backyard BBQs, pool parties, picnics — you name it, it’s happening now! Summer’s here and EVERYONE’S outside enjoying the sun!
The Patriotic-Themed Summer PartyJust because the 4th will come and go, doesn’t mean you have to put away your patriotic decor! You’ve got the perfect party theme! Decorate your porch, yard or rented pavilion with everything red, white and blue. Find 4th of July themed party supplies like hats and glasses to force everyone into the festive spirit! (Once the 4th is over — think: clearance, clearance, clearance!)
For food, think traditional American — hamburgers, hot dogs, and anything else that cooks on a grill! Adorn your desserts with fresh strawberries, cherries and blueberries on top of white icing for a delicious red, white, and blue treat!
A party just isn’t a party without beautiful table decor. Ask your local florist to create a patriotic floral centerpiece for your guests to enjoy, just like this one by one of our great members, Hart Floral.
Gardening has quickly regained it’s status as a favorite pastime all over the world. Between you and your friends you are bound to have at least one garden, flowerbed, or … well, just a tree will do. Use a simple card table with a nice table cloth for your focal area, garden parties tend to be fairly small.
Pick a color palette to stick with when decorating for a more ‘designer’ look. It can be all one color or several. Also, it’s a good idea not to mix and match bright colors with pastels. For decoration ideas, browse through an aisle in your garden center. You could use terracotta pots, mason jars, or watering cans as containers for your party snacks and finger foods. Kid’s shovels could be used as serving utensils.
Your garden party menu should be light, finger food-type entrees. You could even do garden-themed foods, like mudslide pie or cupcakes with cookie crumb ‘dirt’ ontop. (Depending on the age of your guests, use gummy worms!)
Ask your local florist to create a garden themed centerpiece for your party. Be sure to tell her what your color scheme is! You just can’t have a garden party without FLOWERS! Your local florist can hook you up with all sorts of summer flowers to use in your garden party decor!
Transform your garden party into a grown-up tea party.. or invite the kids to join. Decorate your table in the girliest way possible — think: beads, feathers, pearls, jewels. Find inexpensive china or other dinnerware from your local thrift stores. Doesn’t match? Not a problem, just gives it character! The possibilities are endless!
Our sister site, Wedding and Party Network, did a post all about garden parties not too long ago, check it out: Candle-lit Garden Party On A Budge
Aloha! Hawaiian Luau Parties are great for hosts with pools! Encourage everyone to don their grass skirts and coconuts! For luau decorations, think beach and tropical, tiki masks, torches and Hawaiian leis
Luau food is easy! Have a fruit tray with lots of tropical and citrus fruits. Set up a make-your-own-shish kabob table and let everyone customize their own kabob for grilling. If you’re really brave, go for a whole hog cooked in the ground.. (Hey, I said you had to be brave… I know I’m not brave enough!)
The key to a Hawaiian Luau Party is a good lei! Contact your local florist and ask about fresh flower leis, they look great, smell great and will be memory you will never forget!
I can’t get past the Autumn Illuminations fall centerpiece. Among the other fall flowers, this centerpiece stood out instantly. That’s saying quite a lot considering how colorful and beautiful the other arrangements are!
"Autumn Illuminations" Fall Centerpiece
But what was it about Autumn Illuminations that drew my eye back to it? Well for starters, it’s not an ordinary bouquet or typical arrangement. It has practicality, purpose and function. The Autumn Illuminations centerpiece is a wreath of fall flowers surrounding a warm colored candle. Imagine the smell of a pumpkin spice candle surrounded by fresh fall flowers! Mmmmm.
I saw this centerpiece and knew that it had to be the featured flower arrangement for August. The summer is winding down and the fall is getting ready to come ahead full force. Before you trade your summer flowers for Halloween and Thanksgiving arrangements, find a middle ground with colorful fall flower centerpieces like Autumn Illuminations. You’ll be glad you did! Plus it’s something nice to come home to if you or your husband is a farmer rushing to finish the harvest.
Trust me. You’ll love having the Autumn Illuminations centerpiece on your table.
Whether a budget-oriented bride or not, being able to use wedding decorations in many areas is always a big perk. Many florists are starting to use bouquets (bridesmaids or bridal) as centerpieces on the main table at the wedding. This is a way to keep the bridesmaids bouquets and wedding bouquets fresh before and after the ceremony. Plus, the bridesmaids are able to just snatch the bouquets out of the water and take them home as a wedding favor!
Using unique vases and containers takes this technique to the next level. Showcase the floral bouquets just a little better with a beautiful vase. Creative containers simultaneously keep the flowers fresh and bring to life all of the effort put into creating the beautiful bouquets.
This idea also works for parties such as bachelorette parties. These bouquets liven up the party decorations and also make great party favors! It’s a win-win for hostesses and guests.
This design technique has become a very popular trend in wedding flowers and is seeing an increase at parties. Florists are happy to showcase their prized creations for a little longer. Brides and hostesses are glad to save a few bucks but still have an elegant, beautiful wedding or party. If you’re looking for a quick centerpiece idea, try this trendy new design technique!
Bouquet Centerpieces from The Flower Patch in Gypsum, CO
Short Vase Bouquet Centerpieces from The Flower Patch in Gypsum, CO
Fresh flowers can really set the mood for any celebration, from casual to formal, and the well-appointed luncheon or dinner party table always includes a floral centerpiece. If you’re planning a special event, your local professional florist can work with you to create the perfect decorations for the festive occasion, expertly coordinating the flowers to the environment. It’s a fact that people will remember and talk about beautiful flowers long after the food has been consumed.
One popular trend in table decor features the use of several smaller components to make up the total design. These individual components might consist of a series of small glass vases in varying shapes lined down the center of the table, each separate vase containing it’s own type of flower. The little arrangements can then double as party favors.
A similar effect can be achieved with terra cotta pots (with waterproof liners) in a variety of sizes, mounded tightly with blossoms, arranged along the table, and linked with strands of bear grass or curly willow twigs between them. Even though each vase or pot might hold just one kind of flower, it’s best to consider the overall color harmony of the total design.
For example, a monochromatic color scheme, with all of the flowers being within different values of the same hue, can be very effective even if the flowers are of assorted species. The addition of other decorative elements, such as linens, candles, and napkin ties, completes the tablescape.
Fresh fruit can be an excellent complement to flowers in a centerpiece. In fact, the arrangement pictured here uses grapes and green apples as means of support for the fresh blossoms.
No matter what style of centerpiece you choose, it is important to keep in mind that your guests will want to be able to see each other across the table. A good rule of thumb is to place your elbow on the table with your forearm in the vertical position, wrist bent. This will be the maximum height for the flowers in order for the party-goers to see across them. Of course, you may also choose to elevate the flowers above the guests’ sight lines, as in the case of a topiary style arrangement. This is especially effective in a high-ceiling room.
Centerpieces for buffet tables should be tall and raised above the food so that they can be seen over the fare and so that they are not competing with it for table space or attention. In this case footed urns, cake plates, or tall vases make suitable containers.
Your local florist can provide lots of ideas for flower arrangements that will help make your party splendid. Don’t delay…throw a party today!
