If you’ve ever considered classic fine art to be a bit stuffy and perhaps lacking colour, we have a remedy.  After a recent visit to the International Floriculture Trade Fair in Holland, we’ve found some art with added extras.  We can now see some classic masterpieces with some lovely floral ingredients added.   With artists ranging from Monet, Manet through to De Vinci, we’re going to give you a rundown of our favourites and a little background to each piece.

1) Mona Lisa

This classic painting by Leonardo Da Vinci has had many people wondering; just what is she smiling at as well her relationship to the artist.  Theories have been researched and conjectured upon but no one shall ever truly know (unless Da Vinci kept a secret journal of course).

However the image is a bit bland.  Granted, you could say that the detail is in the background and in the encapsulating smile, but doesn’t it look so much more colourful with Roses? We think it does so we’ve posted the picture here for you.

2) A Bar at the Folies-Bergére

Manet is the next artist we’re about to brighten up.   Created in 1882 this was the last major work by the French maestro.  Showing a scene from a bar in Paris the original painting had an assortment of champagne bottles, glasses and fruit but little in the way of floral design except a small Rose in a glass. Well as you can see the image has been accentuated here to have a full blown Rose in the foreground to bring some much needed colour to the scene. Who doesn’t like pink Roses!?

3) The Milkmaid

Johannes Vermeer is the creator of this masterpiece; you may recognise his style from the more famous piece ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’ about which a movie was recently made.  In the original composition there is a rather drab table with some loaves of bread and a few pitchers. Nothing really stands out although it has to be said that there are some striking blue tones for which Vermeer was well known to produce. If we wanted to add a little something extra then what better way to offset the yellow top that the maid is wearing by introducing a yellow bouquet of Roses which makes it even more stunning.  No matter what daily chore the servant is instructed to do, we’re sure that every task would be made that little bit easier if you had a bit of extra colour and this is beautifully demonstrated here with yellow Roses.

4) Café Terrace at Night

This painting of a Café in Arles, France was made by the great Vincent Van Gogh in 1888.  Van Gogh was an inspiration to the great impressionists such as Monet, who were to come later, it is a tragedy that he was never recognised in his time as being the great artist he was.

This painting is of a scene that is still visible today, with Van Gogh’s unmistakable style of sky and foreground with large brush strokes clearly visible.  However, in the original the table is a little drab.  The recreation has added a little colour with some delightful orange and pink Roses which combine with the colour of the wall and floor perfectly. They may be a little out of proportion to the rest of the painting but Van Gogh was never a stickler for perspective himself, so I’m sure he’d understand.

5) Luncheon of the Boating Party

One of France’s truly great artists and an early impressionist, Pierre Renoir mastered his technique with beautiful and subtle brush strokes with an excellent use of light.  Still very much an impressionist but with perhaps a more realistic approach than compared to his contemporaries such as Monet, Renoir’s scenes are often associated with dignified glimpses into everyday life.   Indeed, one part of the manifesto of the impressionist movement was to capture what was before them, rather than creating a false impression or composition.

In this piece we find a group of what we can presume to be well to do friends enjoying a summers’ day.  There are plenty of things to keep the eye occupied across the piece as your eye follows the various gazes of the main characters.  What you may notice is that in the original there are no flowers on the table.  Instead, the flowers are in the hats of the women sitting at the tables.  Something is wrong here, so in this recreation there’s been a bit of a reworking of the table decoration with some beautiful pink Roses to give the scene a bit of added sparkle.  I’m sure you’ll agree that the scene is now set beautifully and this masterpiece is now perfect, though in fairness to Renoir it was pretty good originally.

These paintings are masterpieces but I think it’s fair to say that the additional flowers make the scenes look more striking.  If you’re searching for a bit of extra colour you can’t go wrong with a Rose to brighten up the situation.  Although we believe these paintings do look better for having flowers in them, we don’t condone or encourage anyone to start defacing pieces of fine art, you’ll get arrested and we’d get in trouble.

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Flowers fall in love just as us humans do according to the writer of our new absurdist style Twitter feed. As in real life though, things never run smoothly as you will see in the beautifully sketched drawing below entitled ‘If Roses Could Talk’.

TIP: If you are a flower looking for a holiday romance abroad – do not assume everybody else can speak English.

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When travelling around the web, one comes across lots of funny and bizarre things. The “flowers skeleton sculptures” below from Dutch artist Cedric Laquieze must rank amongst the more bizarre offerings we’ve seen recently though. Not a product  / service we’ll be offering at Flowers HQ anytime soon…

Original source.

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Like much of the UK – and indeed the globe – we tuned in to watch William and Catherine’s wedding on the 29th April.  Our focus, rather than on the dress and celeb-spotting, was turned to the flowers and arrangements they chose for the big event.

We had some indications of what the couple had in mind but it wasn’t until the day itself the bouquets were revealed.  We have seen a lot of weddings (and you can take a look at our wedding flowers) but we wanted to give you our thoughts on THE wedding of the year.

Our wedding florists have also come up with some suggestions to recreating the flowers and displays if you don’t have access to a large budget or Windsor Great Park’s gardens (from where many of the flowers were sourced).

The bridal bouquet

Catherine chose an understated, white bouquet with lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth, myrtle and of course sweet William.  According to the official blog, Catherine is interested in the language of flowers (in Victorian times, the meaning of flowers in bouquets sent coded messages to the recipient) and her choice of flowers reflected this interest.

Lily-of-the-valley symbolises trustworthiness or return of happiness (different sources give different meanings); myrtle signifies love, hyacinth to indicate constancy of love and sweet William meaning gallantry.

The bouquet itself was relatively small, including delicate flowers and arranged in a loose style and shield shape, with a touch of greenery.   The myrtle in the bouquet was a sprig taken from a 166-year old myrtle plant growing in the sheltered gardens of Osborne House, originally own by Queen Victoria (who also carried a myrtle sprig in her wedding bouquet).

Recreate the look

If you are looking for the same bouquet, it could be tough; lily-of-the-valley are in season for only a short time in the UK and the other natural garden flowers can be difficult for a florist to source.  There are plenty of alternatives if you are looking to recreate the style – at any time of the year.

Our florists recommend:

- White agapanthus, which have small, delicate flowers and is available from March onwards

- Alstromeria are available year-round and have a light delicate flower

- White bouvardia has delicate, small flowers and are available all year round

- Add white veronica to give the bouquet some shape and to add greenery

- White freesias are beautifully-scented flowers and can be added to give the bouquet a sheild (or waterfall) shape

- White lisianthus have a rambling garden feel with their ruffled petals and funnel-shaped flowers

- White dendrobium orchids are a popular choice for wedding bouquets, their pure white flowers are smaller than the usual orchid flowers and the stems have the perfect shape for a waterfall-shaped wedding bouquet

For some inspiration, take a look at some of our bridal bouquets.

The bridesmaids’ bouquets

The bridesmaids’ head wreaths were designed to match Catherine’s bouquet, incorporating lily-of-the-valley woven around ivy.  The bridesmaids were carrying bouquets with similar flowers to the bride’s bouquet including the lily-of-the-valley, hyacinth and sweet William.

It looks like the bouquets were also tied with a ribbon so the girls could drape them over their wrists (this can be quite practical and prevents them being dropped).

Recreate the look

Again, lily-of-the-valley can be very hard to source out of season and head wreaths should have smaller flowers and be light and easily worn (especially if children are wearing them, they shouldn’t be uncomfortable).

Our florists recommend:

- Ivy and white or cream gypsophila would be a good choice for children’s head wreaths.  Gypsophila is hardy and available all year round

– Again, the bouquets could use the same flowers recommended for the bridal bouquet, but perhaps some of the smaller flowers, such as the agapanthus, bouvardia and could also incorporate some gypsophila to give them a smaller, daintier look.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey was decorated with seasonal, cut British flowers including azaleas, rhododendron, euphorbias, beech, wisteria and lilac.  These were all taken from Windsor Great Park gardens and other British flower growers.  The most unusual element to the decorations at the Abbey included an avenue of trees consisting of six English field maples, two hornbeams growing in planters and intending to give the Abbey a natural ‘garden’ feel.

The trees will be replanted in the gardens of Highgrove, The Prince of Wales’ and Duchess of Cornwall’s home.

Recreate the look

Create loose, country garden style arrangements with draping foliage and beautiful floral scents.  Although the flowers for the Royal Wedding were seasonal and sourced locally, there are plenty of ways to get a similar feel for the flowers, whatever the season and to suit your budget.

To recreate the avenue of trees, it would be worth checking with the wedding venue to make sure they are happy to have trees (on occasion, the venue may be used for more than one function in a day, and it maybe logistically difficult to get the trees in and out of the venue in good time!).

Our florists recommend:

- The seasonal flowers in the displays can be replaced with roses, dianthus, lisianthus, freesias, to give a year-round country garden feel

-  Depending on the time of year, you can add hydrangea (available from June onwards), hyacinths (from January to April) or gladioli (from May to September)

– You can buy trees – including English field maples, which are potted and can be various sizes (depending on the age of tree you choose), the prices should range from £12 – £40 per tree.

Have a look at some more wedding flower arrangements for more ideas.

The Wedding Cake

Although the wedding cake included over 900 flowers – none of them were real.  They were all delicate, sugar flowers including roses, apple blossom, lily-of-the-valley and sweet William.   The flowers were chosen to match the bouquets and head wreaths and also the gilded décor of Buckingham Palace.

Recreate the look

Our florists recommend:

- A very patient cake decorator!

– It’s also possible to have real flower decorations on cakes.  These would be small, cut flower arrangements positioned on the cake and toppers on the top tier.  We have some examples in our wedding photo gallery

You still have a few days to see the flowers arrangements and trees, as they will be in the Abbey until the 6th May.   The bouquet has been laid on the grave of the unknown warrior at the Abbey (a tradition of Royal brides, started by the Queen Mother, when she left her bridal bouquet there in 1923 in honour of her brother, killed in World War I).

For more inspiration, see our beautiful wedding bouquets and wedding flower displays.

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Mother’s day can be tricky.  Sometimes it’s not so easy to choose what to send… Mother’s day flowers are a traditional gift.  But what type of flowers?   What style of arrangement?  Does she want a flower basket?  Or a traditional bouquet?  Lilies or roses?  And what colour?  Argh!

Don’t worry.

This year you can win the perfect prize.  A prize which blows the others out of the water (we think).  You can win flowers. Each month.  Every month.  For a whole year.

That’s right.  This Mother’s Day, up for grabs is this wonderful prize worth £370.  With the first bunch of flowers and vase sent on Mother’s Day itself (it’s on Sunday 3rd April) and a bunch of flowers worth £30, each month, for 12 months.  Needless to say, she will be delighted!

For your chance to win it could not be simpler:

1. Follow @ArenaFlowers on Twitter

2. Retweet

RT @ArenaFlowers RT & Follow for a chance to #win £370 of flowers this Mother’s Day http://bit.ly/uryd Our flowers: http://bit.ly/lovemum ❀

You can copy and paste the text as a tweet or click here and it will tweet it for you:

3. We will pick a random follower who has retweeted our competition on Thursday 31st of March at midday.

What are you waiting for? Go tweet!

(If you want want to have a look at the Terms and Conditions for the competition you can find them here).

Please have a peek at our Mother’s Day flowers and remember that we will be delivering on Sunday 3rd April.  If you would like to send a hint to your family and loved ones take a look at our Mother’s Day wishes page.

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**** Competition entries now closed.  Vote for your winner here on Facebook.  The most liked poems by midday Friday 11th wins the prizes.***

Girls! Win your boyfriend a £200 signed Ryan Giggs shirt for Valentine’s.

Guys! Win your girlfriend a £160 ultimate Valentine’s flowers gift set.

There are some amazing prizes and serious brownie points to win in our Red Devils and Angels competition. Something to make the sports buff or flowers lover’s perfect Valentine’s.

Included in the two prizes are two dozen long stemmed red roses hand-tied by our award-winning florists for the Angels, a football shirt signed by football legend Ryan Giggs for the Red Devils (kindly given to us by our friends at Icons.com) and other romantic red gifts all delivered on Valentine’s Day.

These are the ultimate prizes for a perfect Valentine’s Day for him or for her.

Find out whether you’re an Angel or a Red Devil…



For the Angels:

An amazing prize worth £160. The perfect Valentine’s gift for her; two dozen long, luxury red roses in a vase with a love balloon.  When we say long roses, we mean it: they are over a meter in length!  This is the daddy of all our Valentine’s flowers and are sure to impress.  These beautiful flowers, hand made by our award-winning florists will be delivered on Valentine’s day to the lucky recipient of the prize-winner’s choice.



For the Red Devils:

Perfect for a Red Devils supporter – or just any football fan – up for grabs is this football shirt signed by star player, Ryan Giggs. A football legend, the most decorated player in English football history, this shirt signed for Icons.com, would be a perfect prize for a fan of Giggs. It’s a dream gift for Valentine’s and will be delivered on Valentine’s day to the winner’s choice.



How to enter:

1. You can enter either to win the Red Devils prize, or the Angels prize – or both.
2. Simply complete this verse (based on the famous, Roses are red, Violets are blue rhyme):

Roses are red,
The Devils are too,

Write your own, made up poem in the comments field.  Make up a romantic one to enter the Angels competition and a cheeky poem to enter the Red Devils competition.  By all means write funny poems but we request that you don’t make your poems too rude or explicit.  This is a family site and we will not accept entries we feel are too cheeky to publish.
3. Make sure you tell us whether you’re an Angel or a Devil when you enter. I’ve written an example poem to show you how to enter:

4. The competition closes on the 7th of February at 16:00. You won’t be able to submit comments after this time.
5. We will select our favourites for the shortlist and post them on our Facebook page on the 8th February, so make sure you check back.
6. The most ‘liked’ Angels poem and the most ‘liked’ Devils poem on the Facebook page by midday on the 11th February will be our winners!
7. Please see our Terms and Conditions before you enter.

Good luck!  All entrants will be offered a special discount on all our flowers and gifts, so it’s worth entering, even if you don’t win.



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If you think your partner may be worried about getting you something you actually want for Valentine’s day, we’ve created a handy little tool on our Valentine’s Wishes page to help you give them a little bit of a nudge in the right direction.

We’ve taken our favourite Valentine’s flowers and put them onto one Valentine’s Wishes page.

It’s very simple; click the facebook ‘like’ button underneath your favourite bouquet and it will appear in your facebook feed for all your potential Valentines to see (provided you’re already friends with them on facebook).

I’ve done one to show you below (and perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to receive some!).

Let’s hope that your loved one or suitors get the hint.

If you think this hint may be a bit too subtle, we have a more direct approach. Choose a bouquet from our Valentine’s flowers range and click the ‘Send a hint’ button.  This sends an email with the wording of your choice to your Valentine.

With luck (and some hint dropping) you may get the flowers you would most like this Valentine’s day.

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A few weeks back, around the time of the World Cup, we (Flower HQ’s three marketing execs) thought we would have a shot at creating a fun short video, in the hope that it might get a few views on YouTube and drive some brand awareness.  That was the idea anyway. We also knew there was a good chance it would only get a few views, given how much other World Cup related content was going around at the same time.

If you have not yet seen it, have a watch here: Flowers’ World Cup.

Whilst it was fun to make and it came out (we think) pretty well, there are definitely things we’d do differently if we were to do another.  We thought we’d share some of these with you, to help if you ever make a stop motion video.

Tips:

• Creativity: Think of great new ideas, people like watching new things.  This is not only the most important – and perhaps obvious tip – but definitely the hardest.  If you can’t think of something creative and new, then do what’s been done before but add new elements and do it really, really well. Our idea (showing our flowers competing against garage flowers in a game wasn’t super original but hadn’t been done before).
  

• Plan: Make a feasible plan & write all of your thoughts and ideas down.  This should include the original point of doing it – you should keep referring back to this to make sure you’re staying on track.

• Location: Select an appropriate location to shot the video.  The environment around you will affect the quality of the video. This includes lighting, setting – for example, whether you are likely to be interrupted by passing traffic or noise.
  

• Time: Take reasonable time to make a video as couple hours will not suffice.  It’s really easy to underestimate the amount of time it will take.

• Target: Do your research and select the audience you want to target.
  

• Be entertaining: Keep it short and interesting.  If you want the world to watch your video, you will need to make it as entertaining as possible and not bore people.

• Sound: Chose a suitable audio track that you wish to add on your video.  Make sure it’s a high quality audio track.  Most audio tracks require a license to use them – some sites to get royalty-free audio are: istockphoto, royaltyfreemusic.  We had quite a debate about the raucous music on our video.

• Commit to finishing it: Don’t give up and stay focused.   Many obstacles will hinder you (I’ll give some examples of what went wrong for us), your motivation might drop, but remember there’s always a great sense of achievement making something, so keep going…

• Distribution: This can be one of the hardest aspects to making a successful video.  There are plenty of different video hosting channels out there; YouTube, Dailymotion, Vzaar and Squidoo to name a few.  Its important to get as much visibility as possible, so you might also want to consider relevant forums and social networking sites.  The more outlets you showcase your video the higher the chance that the video will gain traction and views.

• Go for it: Once you’ve taken the time to make your video – it may not be what you had initially expected, but put it out there anyway.

How & what we did wrong:

Just so that you know we are talking from some experience, we thought it’d be fun to give you some examples of things not going entirely to plan.

Planning:

Finding creativity wasn’t really our problem.  In fact we were so excited to get started, we drew up a plan on the white board in the meeting room.

Once the plan was finished and we ready to get it approved and start making it, we realised, that the drawing was not organized well!  On top of that we couldn’t save it and so we resorted to taking photos of it.

Location:

Selecting the right location is important and we found this out the hard way.  Although our studio is perfect for shooting product images, it didn’t work so well for shooting our video.  The main reason was the heat.  With temperatures rising above 30 degrees in peak summer time, it made it quite hard to work efficiently.  So hot, in fact, that while we were shooting we managed to overheat one of the lamps and blow the mother boards inside.  All we heard was a snap, crackle and pop followed by a puff of smoke and that was the end of shooting for the day (and week).

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Props:

Some of the more keen eyed of you might have noticed we used six beautiful Sunset Cubes to act as a crowd for our game of football.  However after the light melting episode we had to postpone the filming until after the lights had been fixed.

Unfortunately, due to flowers being perishable and our desire to have them looking their best, we had to change the flowers for the second part of the filming.

Distribution:

We did not spend enough time getting our video out there.  We spent almost all our time and energy on getting the video finished before the ever shortening deadline of the World Cup Final as we wanted it to be relevant to current affairs.  What this meant was that once it was done we all sort of sat back relieved that it had been finished, this was a mistake.  We didn’t push the distribution any where nearly hard enough, and of course the video’s views suffered.  We should have spent more time thinking about how we would get our video out there and onto people’s screens.  We assumed that once the video was made we would post it and watch the views fly in, this doesn’t happen in reality.  In hindsight we should have taken time to build a more structured method of where and who we were going to distribute to.  In future productions this will be a very high priority.

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We had great fun making the video and it was a massive learning experience for us three.  The next time that we attempt something like this we will go into it expecting every thing that could go wrong to go wrong, and be prepared this time :)

Here is the vid again – enjoy!

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As you’ll know from our announcement earlier this year, we’ve been working very closely with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to get their branded charity flowers website off the ground. But our association with the nation’s heart health charity goes back to the early days of Arena Flowers, as we’ve always been happy to help promote their annual National Heart Month events each February.

2010 is no different as the BHF recently launched their fund-raising pack for Red for Heart campaign, which includes  National Wear It Red Day on 26 February,  and – if you’ve received a delivery from us over the past week or so – you may well have noticed their flyer distributed with our flowers & gifts.

In the New Year we’ll be revealing our special BHF Valentine’s Day bouquets, exclusively available from the BHF Flowers website. But Arena Flowers aren’t the only ones going Red for Heart for National Heart Month this February, so don’t be surprised if you see people sky diving in top-to-toe red.  Or wearing their red pyjamas to school. It’s all in aid of the British Heart Foundation. And we’d love you to join in as National Heart Month is the time to think about your heart and help us fight the UK’s biggest killer.

Be part of Red for Heart by doing anything you like to raise money. Challenge your office to wear to a wear red day – the boldest outfit wins! Bake red cakes. Paint your face red. The only rule is, you’ve got to have fun. So apply for your free fund-raising kit, full of great ideas, by clicking the banner below or call 0845 241 0976 and be part of Red for Heart.

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This is my third post on Flowers…uncut, but my first as an Arena Flowers employee.  I’ve been a friend of the company since the early days and have written some guest posts on brand reputation and making the most of off-line advertising.

The temperature in London has dropped; it’s started snowing, however things are definitely hotting-up at Flowers HQ.

It’s just over a week until Christmas; we’re busy and bustling, getting out flower deliveries.  We know you are all in full swing too with Christmas shopping and Christmas parties.

This can be a stressful 10 days coming up and we at Arena Flowers want you to feel good this Christmas, so we’ve put together a Top 10 Guide to survival over the next week or so:

1) Going to a Christmas party and hoping to meet Mr. or Miss. Right? Well, you are clearly going to need some mistletoe.  The tradition of kissing under mistletoe is believed to have originated in Scandinavia where mistletoe is associated with peace and love.  Mistletoe is also thought to promote fertility…so use wisely!

2 ) Hosting a Christmas party? Why not coordinate your floral arrangements with your decorations? The Christmas White Bowl is a fantastic table piece. Made with white roses and white candles all kept in place with wonderfully fragrant pine fronds and cinnamon bundles (it almost smells as good as it looks). Our florists also add pine cones and waxed apples for a traditional Christmas touch. This all sits in a wonderful glass bowl wrapped inside with aspidistra leaves.

3) Recovering from a party? Try a lavender and vervain tea with some honey for sweetness. Vervain is known for its soothing effects and lavender for relaxation.  The honey should give you a natural energy boost.

4) Spending Christmas day with family? Why not send them flowers in advance? A lot of effort goes into making Christmas day magical, how best to show your support if you can’t help in person than by sending Christmas flowers in advance?  Try the Festive Fun bouquet. The bright gerbera and traditional warm tone roses contrast with sparkly silver thistles. With just the right amount of greenery, this is a beautifully balanced bouquet.

5) Are you hosting the family Christmas? Dr Edward Bach was one of the pioneers of homeopathic medicine and he championed the use of flowers as natural remedies in his very famous Bach Flower Remedies, still popular today.  Why not try Bach’s Hornbeam remedy? It is used to combat feelings of tiredness before a large task ahead.  A perfect boost on Christmas day morning.

6) Entertaining kids over Christmas? Children love Christmas and there seems to be no limit to their energy. Why not take advice from the Victorians and get the kids’ creativity flowing by having them make some paper flowers? There’s a great video guide and some step by step instructions from the BBC and don’t forget to send us photos of your paper roses so we can compare them with the real thing!

7) Room for more? Complement a hearty Christmas meal with some refreshing mint chocolates and you don’t get any more fantastic than the Prestat mint chocolate box.  Plenty to choose from with peppermint creams and coffee mints.  These are truly luxurious, but don’t take our word for it, Prestat has been awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty The Queen.

8) Saying thank you? What a better way to thank your hosts than to send them some cheery flowers.  The Yuletide gift wrap is a wonderful, vibrant bouquet of gerberas, lilies and our grand prix roses.  Or try any of our Thank You Flowers as a perfect way to show your appreciation.

9) Cheering up left overs? How about making some flowery garnishes to cheer up those inevitable turkey sandwiches and brussel sprout salads?  It takes no time to carve carnations from carrots or turn cucumbers into chrysanthemums.  We liked this handy guide to flower garnishes.

10) Treating yourself? Christmas is about receiving as much as giving and it’s important to put your feet up and relax in preparation for the new year ahead.  Why not treat yourself to this Christmas Faerie bouquet?  It’s an unusual and very elegant bouquet.  The dusty pink roses fit perfectly with the alstroemeria (also called the Peruvian Lily).
With a touch of festive decorations such as cinnamon bundles and sparkling thistles it’s really stunning.

Happy Christmas from all of us at Arena Flowers!

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Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday Arena Flowers, Happy Birthday to us! Yes, believe it or not but Arena Flowers turns 3 years young today – and to celebrate, our Head Florist Andrew has created us this super-dooper birthday cake made from flowers!

Consisting of our ethically sourced Grand Prix roses, our signature Cherry Brandy roses, yellow and orange spray chrysanthemums, eucalyptus and creamy white hydrangea (all topped off with oranges, limes and kiwi fruit, making this a truly edible cake!), a celebratory flower cake has now become a tradition at Flowers HQ since our 1st birthday back in 2007.

Of course, there’ve been a lot of changes since those early days of Arena Flowers, and these ‘Then and Now’ pictures tell only half the story and make an interesting trip down memory lane:

Since our last birthday we have vastly expanded our product range and bespoke portfolio, partnered with an increasing number of charities and expanded across Europe with our international sites. And that’s all in just the past year!

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you, our loyal customer base and friends for your continued support, custom and feedback to enable us to expand and establish ourselves as the UK’s leading, fastest-growing online florist in the UK and beyond…

If you’d like to learn more about how it all began, you may like to read this, this and this blog post.

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With our Wedding Flowers hotline ringing off the hook, Judith up to her chin in raffia, and our drivers up at the crack of dawn for early morning Saturday deliveries, the wedding season is now truly upon us at Flowers HQ. With the bustles of brides visiting our wedding team in Park Royal for advice on an almost daily basis, you’d be tempted to wonder whether the recession is really just a figment of the media’s imagination after all…

Although couples are insisting on committing to their 2009 wedding plans, the economic downturn has nonetheless brought with it a whole gamut of challenges for those intending to marry this year. Partner up the recession with the fact that the average cost of a British wedding topped £20,000 for the first time in 2008, shows that deciding when to scrimp and when to splurge on a such a monumental day isn’t going to be easy.

As the wedding season has approached, we’ve seen a significant increase in wedding flower enquiries in recent months, and with those we’re seeing more emphasis laid on price: “We’re looking for something cheap…” , “Could you advise us on the cheapest flowers…” etc. This nature of enquiry can automatically put any florist into defence mode, as any floral designer worth their salt knows that “cheap” is a relative description and doesn’t normally equate for very good (or even appropriate) flower arrangements.

Wedding Flowers on a Budget

If there is a budget involved (see below for more advice on setting wedding budgets), a wedding florist can then easily come up with flower choices and designs that will fall within that budget. According to last year’s figures, the average cost of wedding flowers in 2008 reached £381, accounting for just 2% of the overall average UK wedding budget of £20,000 (Source: Sky News, November 2008). But in most cases, wedding flowers normally take up 10-15% of the final wedding bill – thus proving every wedding is different with an array requirements and preferences.

The task of choosing wedding flowers is a personal, expressive and emotional experience, which is why we always recommend brides drop into Flowers HQ for an informal chat to discuss their requirements in person with our wedding florists, who will source the right wedding flowers for you – not only suiting your pocket but also of exceptional quality too.

Credit Crunch Wedding Flowers

While 10-15% is a good estimate for your wedding flowers bill, you can modify many floral elements to determine the actual amount you will spend on your wedding arrangements. Factors such as whether or not your preferred flowers are in season, the number, size and complexity of the arrangements all influence your final cost estimate.

In economically hard times, creativity comes to the fore, as brides are find ways to spend their wedding budget more wisely, and discovering “cheap” wedding ideas that help them save money. Here are just a few budget-friendly ideas to help you on the way to beautiful, economical wedding flowers that won’t cost you a king’s ransom.

Easy Peasey. Flowers in season are often less expensive and easier to source. For a list of common flowers for each season, visit our wedding flowers tips page for our guide to seasonal flowers. Don’t forget that flowers over peak / holiday periods such as Valentine’s, Christmas and Mother’s Day will cost more.

Simple things. Because the time taken to create your flowers will be factored into your wedding flowers bill, go for less elaborate bridal flowers which are less labour intensive.  For instance, a hand-tied or free form bouquet takes less time to create than a wired or teardrop one. For extra savings, bridesmaids can carry a single flower in a flower wand instead of a bouquet.

Filler thriller. Use more, cheaper foliage and greenery, baby’s breath, wax flower, soft ruscus etc which will pad out flower arrangements. Use flowery blooms as an accent to the arrangement rather than the main ingredient.

Bargain hunt. Shop around for end of line / discounted glassware in charity shops and budget household stores for vases. This way, for the price of renting / paying deposit on breakages, you can keep, sell on or recycle. The Christmas sale period is the perfect time to purchase candles, fairy lights and other decorations at huge discount.

Let’s go outside. Find a venue such as a park or garden that is already lush and beautiful – a springtime wedding in a garden will require little in the way of floral arrangements, while a traditional church may be breathtaking on its own. Also consider that many venues come ready decorated in the lead up to Christmas, so holding an earl-mid December wedding may provide you seasonal flowers for free.

A problem shared. Find out from your venues whether any other weddings are scheduled for the same day. If the two events can share decorating expenses, you’ll save a lot of money.

Recycle arrangements. If you can’t share your arrangements, transfer the flowers from your ceremony to your reception. Save more money on head table decoration by displaying the bridal bouquets on the head table.

Don’t Do it Yourself!

Floristry looks easier than it really is, so if you really can’t afford a florist, make sure you find someone with at least some skill and experience with flowers. We can provide flowers wholesale at discount prices for brides wishing to create their wedding flowers ‘in house’, but don’t forget you’ll need somewhere cool to store them safely and keep them fresh.

Making of the arrangements should be left to the very last minute, so best not leave them to a stressed-out, sleep deprived bride-to-be! If you don’t know what you are doing and don’t enjoy working under pressure, don’t try this – even if the temptation of saving some money is far too much to resist!

A good budget compromise would be to ask your florist to create the key arrangements such as the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets which are important to get absolutely right, then purchase additional matching stems for your own vase displays and other ad hoc uses such as buttonholes, hair flowers etc.

Jilted at the Alter?

With sterling still relatively weak against the euro (therefore inflating wholesale prices) as well as diminishing footfall, local independent florists are increasingly falling victim to the economic downturn, leaving distressed brides empty handed for their big day with little time to make alternative arrangements.

If your wedding florist goes bust, first off – don’t panic. Most florists will be able to stock your wedding flower requirements within 4-5 days, depending on how often they visit their wholesalers. If you are based in the London area (and your wedding doesn’t fall on a holiday / event day such as Mother’s or Valentine’s Day) we’ll be more than happy to pick up your order (we get fresh flowers in direct from the Dutch auctions nearly every day).

In many cases we’ve been known to slash existing quotes, and can sometimes provide wedding bouquets with just a day or two’s notice. So, even with times as they currently are, there are good deals to be found by the frugal bride. If you’re just starting to plan your wedding, our short list of 5 steps to a debt-free wedding might just be of some use…

Easy Steps Towards Recession-Proofing Your Wedding

1. Establish Your Wedding Budget
Choose a reliable method to keep track of all expenditures – there are now lots of websites that offer free budgeting services. If possible, keep your wedding fund separate from your personal accounts, so you can easily determine what’s being spent on the wedding. Don’t forget to call in all those favours: contact old mates, colleagues, family members and even the bloke down the road who you lent that jump lead to last winter, who may be able to offer their services.

2. Wedding Wedding Gifts.
Continuing from the above, barter your way to the wedding you want by asking wedding guests to offer their skills and services as a wedding present. If there’s a hairdresser or keen photographer on your guest list, time to bend their ear and put them to work! Chances are they’ll probably bring you a pressie anyway on the day, too… ;)

3. Beware Hidden Costs
Set aside 5% of your budget for those extras that are bound to sneak in one way or another. If you absolutely cannot exceed £20,000, aim to spend £19,000. When last minute costs such as VAT, fees etc come up (and they will), your reserve funds will save you from debt. Similarly, look out for deals and discount rates often offered during low season, midweek or during the day which can trim significant costs from your wedding bill.

4. Super Skinny Me
Serve three courses instead of five (saving on catering and waistlines). Have two bridesmaids instead of four (saving on dresses). Invite 100 guests instead of 200 (saving on just about everything). If you’re struggling with whom to cut from the guest list, cut out children and anyone you don’t know personally, and you’ll see that guest list rapidly streamline itself!

5. More Wine, Madame?
Don’t crack under pressure of the up-sell! That diamond-encrusted designer dress, the fancy five star hotel suite, the vintage champagne – they might seem like good ideas at the time, and it’s easy to get carried away, but they all add up. It’s important to understand which details are truly most important to you.  Be strong, prioritise what you want beforehand and you’re less likely to face a nasty surprise later.

Similar Posts: If you liked this post you may find our credit crunching post Lessons From Flowers – Tulips & the Economic Crisis interesting as well as our oodles of wedding related posts!!

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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A quick ‘Pop Quiz’ for you: What do Jon Bon Jovi, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Steffi Graf, Jodie Foster and Tiger Woods (pictured, right) all have in common? Apart from probably having a few bob to their names, they are all reported to be famous hay fever sufferers and/or allergic to flowers.

With an estimated 20% of the UK population suffering from hay fever this summer, watch any weather report from now through to September and you’ll see the emphasis increasing on the ‘Pollen Count’ as the allergy season progresses and airborne allergens attack their hypersensitive victims. We all know somebody who suffers from hay fever, and you may even have thought twice about buying flowers for them over the years.

But why should a seasonal dose of rhinitis stop you from receiving or indeed sending flowers? Truth is, if their allergies are particularly severe, many flowers are going to affect the recipient negatively but, in general, the more dangerous flowers are the ones with the most pollen. So a good guideline for sending flowers to a someone who may potentially explode into an itching, weeping, snotty mess is to avoid choosing flowers that have visible pollen.

Flower No-No’s(e)

Asiatic and Longiflorum Lilies are some of the most dangerous flowers for allergy sufferers, as parts of them are covered in powdery pollen. Songstresses Tina Arena and Britney Spears (pictured, left) are both alleged to have a lily allergy.  As the story goes, knowing of her allergy,  chart rival Pink once sent Britney a bouquet of lilies when they were feuding.

However, Lilies can be a good choice for allergy sufferers, as it is easy to simply remove the stems of pollen from each flower. Just try to find a non-allergic chum to do this particular job, as it will probably have the most robust nose and eyes and running at the earliest opportunity!

Another type of flower that is particularly bad for allergy sufferers is tree flowers / blossom. When choosing a spring flower arrangement, be careful not to include almond, cherry, apple, or any other kind of tree blossom.

Top Flowers for Allergy Sufferers

Andrew, our Head Florist here at Flowers HQ recommends chrysanthemums and gerberas, with new hybrids coming onto the market bred so that the parts of the flower that used to produce pollen now produce extra petals. But watch out for regular chrysanthemums and daisies as they can be highly allergic.

Another great choice for the allergy sufferer is roses. Not only are roses the most popular cut flower to send, modern roses used in floristry don’t have much of a negative effect on allergies. The reason for this is that their pollen is too large in size to be able to become airborne and truly infiltrate the respiratory system. To allergy-proof your bouquet arrangement, choose roses with little or no smell as these will contain the least pollen.

One of the best kinds of flowers for allergy sufferers are orchids and exotic flowers. Very few types of orchids cause any pollen-related allergies, and so are quite safe for those allergic to most flowers. It is important to note, though, that some orchids may cause a slight skin rash on sensitive individuals.

If in doubt, do contact us first before placing our order.

Hypo-Allergic Wedding Flower Tips

Traditional bridal gowns don’t normally include pockets for hankies, so the last thing a bride needs are snail trails up her lace sleeves from a runny nose. If the bride or groom is known to suffer pollen allergies, here are some simple tips to keep in mind when choosing wedding flowers which will help minimise hay fever symptoms:

1. Wedding Venues
   The best strategy is to avoid airborne allergens completely by holding your wedding ceremony indoors during the peak allergy season, especially if the main culprits are tree and grass pollen. So, no posing around in country meadows for those arty post-ceremony wedding photos, then!
2. Wedding Flowers
   Allergies to flowers are mainly due to their pollen count rather than fragrance.  Flowers begin to release pollen due to the aging process, so using Arena Flowers, the freshest flowers available, will prevent this problem. As for bridal bouquets, buttonholes, and other wedding flower arrangements, there are many flowers that don’t trigger severe allergies (see above for some suggestions).
3. Other Wedding Day Triggers
   Although many people may not realise it, hay fever symptoms do not always come from allergic reactions, but instead can be caused by everyday non-allergic triggers — and not just during the allergy seasons but at any time of the year.  So beware of perfumes and hairspray, sudden changes in temperature and even cooking odours.

Allergy-Free Artificial Flowers

If you want an absolutely 100% allergy-proof alternative for hay fever sufferers, then artificial flowers are the product of choice. No-nonsense and low maintenance, we are pleased to announce the launch of our new Artificial Flowers section added to ArenaFlowers.com — due to popular demand.

We will be adding more flowers to this section throughout the year, so let us know which artificial flowers you would like to see in the future.

Click to see our full range of allergy-free artificial flowers.

By following some of these simple guidelines, we hope you enjoy a pain-free summer this year, and don’t forget to consult a GP or pharmacist if symptoms persist!

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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It’s nearly a week since Valentine’s Day and like previous years, this year too was manic with customers rushing to send flowers to their loved ones. Despite all the economic gloom and the discomforting worries about how we would compare our sales to previous years, sales were surprisingly strong adding to the notion that love conquers everything. It seems like the Cupid’s arrows were right on target and fortunately for us, we were well equipped to counter the minor irritants such as combating fraudulent orders, managing an external fleet of drivers & couriers, and responding to customer queries and concerns to ensure that flowers were delivered to recipients on time. Without delving too deep into numbers, we can assure you that there were many more happy hearts receiving flowers sent from Arena Flowers Valentine’s range.

Last year, post Valentine, we had showcased behind the scenes activities of the hardworking team of flower fanatics at the Flowers HQ, but thanks to the new micro-blogging / social networking phenomenon called Twitter, everything was posted in real time this year. It was definitely fun posting pictures from phones when loading flowers to the delivery vans and driving to deliver them. Anyway, to cut the story short, for all those who didn’t follow us on Twitter, here’s a photoblog of the team, flowers, vans, and more…republished from what was posted on Arena Flowers Twitter Account.

In the beginning there was love…and balloons

Our very own Willy Wonka…Bill Keeling, MD, Prestat Chocolates, our exclusive chocolates partner

David and Goliath getting ready for the Valentine duel…Arena Flowers Delivery Van -Vs- our delivery partner’s truck

The Arena love machine kicks in, but let us not forget those with a birthday.

Love is in the air. Roughly 8’6” in the air.

Blast from the past – From I Love You Balloons to Heart of Chocolates

The One – The flower arrangement we mean…

And love is all around us…

Fraud Ninjas…

Men (& Women) at work…The Arena Flowers Assembly Line

Fighting Fraud With Apples

Trailer Attack at the Flowers HQ

Nick and the Boxes of Love

Be My Valentine – Will & his Co-Pilot

That’ll be all unfortunately, although we have plenty more on our Twitter account. If you liked our team and our flowers, please feel free to read our previous Valentine’s day post here. In case you are already on Twitter, and have been unaware about our Twitter account, please follow Arena Flowers here.

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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