Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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We were lucky to have Cassidy Dart from Pol Roger spend some time at Flowers HQ for a tasting session of some of their Champagnes  (yep, it was a good afternoon!).  Champagne is available on Arena Flowers, so it was great to have Cassidy share some of his insight into production of Champagne and some of the anecdotes related to Pol Roger (traditionally, Wintson Churchill’s favourite Champagne).

Cassidy was kind enough to send over his tasting notes.

Both champagne and flowers have long been touted as the ultimate in celebration, thus it was about time that the Arena Flowers team have a little tutored Pol Roger Champagne tasting, as Arena Flowers has been a Pol Roger fan since they started back in 2006.

The plan was to taste three champagnes from Pol Roger; the Brut NV, Vintage 2000 and Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1998.

After a little explanation of a few facts about the Champagne region (a total area of 35,000 hectares, which an annual total production of about 330 million bottles for the world) and a brief history of Pol Roger (one of the very few family owned Grand Marques left in Champagne) it was onto the most important part – tasting the Champagnes. Here are our tasting notes from the day:

Pol Roger Brut NV Champagne

Fresh, clean biscuity and apple nose – refined and elegant. It is dry, but not overly acidic, with a lovely interplay of clean fruit flavour, biscuity depth of flavour and a refreshing and long finsh. Extremely drinkable and enjoyable with balance and elegance being the defining features. So very easy to drink. Aged for at least 3 years before being disgorged.

Pol Roger Brut Reserve Champagne

Pol Roger Brut Vintage 2000

Immediate step up on the aromas; more brioche, red fruits and greater intensity. On the palate it is more biscuity, bready and much greater depth and flavour. Very long finish with the impression that it will keep over time. In fact it turns out that Pol Roger Vintage is in fact very long lived (1914 is a real favourite!).

Pol Roger Brut Vintage Champagne

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 1998
This is the prestige cuvée from Pol Roger, their top champagne named after their most famous devotee (who reportedly drunk over 10,000 bottles of Pol Roger in his lifetime- though he would have drunk Vintage; with his preferred vintages being the 1921, 1928 and 1945). This is truly a wine of Churchillean proportion; lots of body, texture and real power to it. Complex, magnificent and very long – made in the style that Churchill himself preferred; robust, mature and one to age, or if enjoyed now with the finest cuisine (Lobster anyone?).

Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Vintage Champagne

Thank you Cassidy for coming over.  It was a very fine way to spend an afternoon at work – sipping Champagne. My favourite part was learning about the remuers who walk the Pol Roger cellars daily, turning each bottle a small fraction at a time.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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Sarah Holland is part of the crack team at the Flowers & Plants Association plus she also pops by every now and again to fill us in on the latest flower fashion trends, arrangement tips and to answer any questions you may have about flowers or plants. Our ‘Bouquets of Emotion‘ helped the FPA to win a Silver Gilt Award at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show a couple of weeks ago. Here’s Sarah’s story from the front line…

Death, disaster, delight… ok, so the show wasn’t that dramatic, but perhaps the meanings of flowers can be.

We did have flooding, the threat of electrocution as water dripped onto a live mic, a stand so busy we couldn’t get to it ourselves in the morning, and a silver-gilt medal for our efforts… but what we were actually showing was the variety and crazy nature of meanings of flowers from around the world, or that a particular person assigns to them.

The Flowers & Plants Association took our customary demonstration stand at the show, which we’ve done since the show’s existence. Our aim is to educate, inspire and promote flowers to the audience who come along and watch the designer demonstrations, and throughout the years we’ve created fantastic stands to showcase our theme for that year.

We were in the ‘International Language of Flowers’ marquee, a totally new idea in a totally new location, which sat really well with our summer fashion flower trend, ‘Talking Flowers’. We produce four seasonal trends a year to show you what’s happening in the world of flower fashion. “Flower fashion?” I hear you say, “Don’t I just get what I like?” Well, this is exactly what ‘Talking Flowers’ is about – using flowers in a way that is personal to you, to create meanings of your own. That means creating fun pieces of flower jewellery and wearing them just because you feel like it, or making big heart-shaped arrangements for the one you love.

Our trends are actually consciously based on trends in interiors and the catwalk, but that doesn’t mean we have flowers tottering around in high heels – but we do have pictures of flowers inside high heels, or even in wellies, or worn as a dress. The trends are about what colours, shapes and styles are hip right now – but they never lose the emotional message of flowers, either.

One way we showcased this was to get a super-talented team of florists at Arena Flowers to come up with a range of ‘Bouquets of Emotion’ – whether it was jealousy, passion, fear or loneliness. We had quirky designs, such as a bouquet in the shape of two bespectacled eyes for our ‘Stalker’ bouquet, and a gorgeous yin and yang design of white roses and peonies for our ‘Soulmate’ bouquet. The bouquets were stunning, really popular with the visitors, and really showed how creative you can be with the emotional messages flowers can convey. The lucky staff at the Flowers & Plants Association also got ‘the pick of the bunch’ at the end of the show – my bedroom is now bursting with my favourite flowers, roses, that are still going strong after a week in a hot marquee! See some pictures of the Arena Flowers bouquets on the F&PA site here.

To recognise the brilliant work by our super talented senior florists, Andrew and Judith, Arena gave them both a bottle of our vintage Pol Roger champagne. Congratulations to them both!

We also showed the sometimes bizarre, sometimes untrue meanings of flowers on our ‘Tree of Knowledge’, which displayed colourful tags of meanings of flowers from around the world. Some visitors even added their own meanings – you can see the full list on our website.

The most cutting-edge design was demonstrated every day by florists who’ve joined up to the Association as a member. Taran Vernon showed Indian design, Rosa Ashby showed modern flower design, Linda Day showed typical Spanish design, and Tracey Griffin, Hans Haverkamp, and Sarah Horne showed European flower design.

If you want more inspiration from the summer fashion flower trend, you can see over 80 fun, fast, fashionable designs to express your own meaning of flowers at our website.

Similar posts: If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy this one about the first day of the Hampton Court Flower Show.

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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Our latest guest editor is Alicia, from MOO.com.  MOO is one of the darlings of the “web 2.0″ world.  Why? Because it tries not only to do the big things right, but all the little things too.  MOO helps personalise things through print, and it’s a pretty unique business.  At Arena Flowers we love personalisation and we try to be different; that’s why we tried out MOO’s new bespoke business cards.  We thought they were so cool that we invited MOO to write about them here.  We then dashed off a quick run of 300 bespoke cards to take to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show this week, to hand out to admirers of our “emotion bouquets”.

Hello.  We’re MOO.com; a London-based, online stationer that turns our customer’s digital photography and designs into lovely printed products.  We print Business Cards, MiniCards, Postcards, Stickers and other products using ‘Printfinity Technology’ to print a different image on every single card in a pack, perfect for showing off a product range, portfolio or different company services.

Recently, we worked with Arena Flowers on the launch of our newest product; Business Cards.  Arena Flowers was a perfect case study for the launch of Business Cards as they have a wealth of beautiful product photography that look great printed on a pack of cards.  Arena Flowers chose a selection of images of their favourite bouquets, added their contact information and website url to the reverse, and created a beautiful pack of cards; almost as lovely as the flowers themselves!

Click To Enlarge – Cool Aren’t They?!

Because the cards show images of the flowers that they sell, when meeting with new suppliers or clients, Arena staff can show the bouquet in question, there and then (no more ‘oh, you can look it up – let me get a pen…’)

Like many small businesses, budget is often a leading factor in marketing decisions. With MOO’s short-run boxes of 50 cards every Arena employee can carry their own cards to promote the company – but, no one is left with thousands of cards they’re unlikely to use, just because they’ve changed a phone number.

For companies like Arena Flowers however, there‘s more than just money at stake. With ethical accreditation achieved for the flowers they sell, they wanted to keep these values running through everything they do. By choosing MOO‘s Green stock, they know it’s recycled fibre, totally chlorine free and 100% biodegradable. Even the recyclable box is made of 100% recycled pulp – which makes it as green as their fingers.

All of our products are printed in London and shipped worldwide (at one flat rate) so pop over to moo.com to have a look.

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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Joining us as guest writer this week is David Hamilton from Wakefield, Yorkshire who has taken his passion for gardening to an informative obsession with his regularly updated Gardens blog. We invited David to tell us more about how flowers evoke an array of feelings and emotions.

Florists are passionate, informed, and love the flowers that they turn into bouquets, so I wonder what the flowers mean to both the florists and the people who buy them.

Floragraphy is a word that has been used to describe the language of flowers. This changes over time and with culture. Victorians used the language of flowers to signify their feelings and intentions, which although good in the era of Queen Victoria and the Empire, emotions were always hidden, reserved. Flowers gave people a chance to break through their starched collars and stiff upper lips.

Looking up some Victorian meanings of flowers, daffodils were sent to tell someone they were their “sunshine”, Baby’s Breath signified innocence and pure of heart, while – as now – roses symbolise love. Time has moved on. We have an enormous selection of flowers now ready to buy online or in supermarkets, but I bet if we looked at the bestsellers it would be a cultural memory of flowers.

I have thought about which flowers have moved me through my life. Those memories from the distant past that have stirred my blood, and turned my knowledge for horticulture and gardening into a passion. We all have memories of flowers, partially remembered but in our heads. These first flowers start the process of gardening to grow flowers, or make us buy them to be displayed in a vase in our homes.

My nan’s sister said I always stood in front of her lilac tree when I was about three. I do not know why I was drawn to it, but now I love the smell and flowers of the Syringa Vulgaris (lilac lree).The purple flowers have a heavenly smell and take me back to an innocent time.

One of my first jobs was to clear up after our greyhound Lizzie, a sweet placid light coloured dog. I followed her and dug her mess into the Rose bushes in Barlby. I have always thought gardens need at least one rose bush, to savour the flowers, the scent, and the romance of the plant. I have seven rose plants in my garden.

My mum’s first garden was always full of self-seeded wallflowers and foxgloves. These flowers mean home to me. Mum showed me the original meaning of the cottage garden by letting them run wild down one border along the lawn.

My sister and I used to make daisy chains for necklaces and bracelets, and soft downy pillows from dandelions. These wild flowers always make me smile, and my sister will still not mow grass that has daisies in flower.

I work in a hospital and I am amazed how many flowers are brought in. Spray carnations, roses, lilies, gypsophila, tulips, and orchids too. I wonder if the people who bring them have flowers in their past that makes them select the displays that they do.

As we look back, we can remember the flowers that influenced us and made their way from our memories into our gardens or vases. Our own past experiences make the meanings of flowers to us personal. I love hearing what people’s flower memories bring to the surface.

People’s personal memories are like treasures and are great shared. What are people’s favourite memories of flowers that have influenced them the most?

I hope you comment on this post, telling us of your fondest floral memories. Here’s to the flowers that make us imagine, dream, and endeavour.

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My name is Sarah, I work for the Flowers & Plants Association, and I’m here to offer hot tips and advice every few weeks on flower fashion trends, quick arrangement tips, and to answer any questions you may have about flowers or plants – care tips, what to have for your wedding day, what your Mother-in-law will like – you name it, I’ll answer it. Email your questions to sarah(at)flowers.org.uk.

After the recent shock secret wedding of Mariah Carey to Nick Cannon, we could be seeing a change to this mega-star who helped coin the term ‘diva’. Who would have thought that the woman who demanded her Jack Russell be flown in to the hotel she was staying at a cost of $1500, as well as a pink rose bouquet on arrival, would settle for a small, secret ceremony without a fanfare or thousands of guests?

Whether she will become more down to earth or not after her small-scale wedding, I’ve got the perfect diva for you to admire this month. She’s from-the-earth, beautiful, with a full body and a satiny-smooth texture – and doesn’t make too many demands (hey we’re talking about a diva here so there’re going to be one or two, right?). Like the stars, she likes the right water (but not like Madonna and her requirement of chilled kabbalah water) and the best conditions (but not a thousand-dollar hotel room) – but I guarantee you’ll get endless pleasure from her. Her name is Rose – and she comes in all colours to match your décor, your mood – or even your outfit!

Did you know that rose fragrance hides a scientific secret that aids ‘falling in love’? PEA, phenylethylamine, is a substance found in fresh roses, which helps give them their distinctive scent. PEA contributes to giving us the high and the euphoria of being in love. The effect of PEA has been described as a mood-altering chemical that is able to prolong feelings of sensuality. No wonder roses are a favourite at Valentine’s Day!

But they are perfect for Summer, too. They express our happy feelings sunshine brings in a way no other flower can. The Victorians used to have a meaning for every single colour of rose – so much so that you could have a whole conversation by just exchanging a few stems! Take this to another level and create wild, wacky mixtures of colour with roses just to let everyone know you’re in a good mood.

Roses are thirsty flowers and like just a little care and attention. When you get them home, take them out of their wrapping, and cut at least a thumb’s length from the stem at a slant with sharp scissors or a knife. Take off any leaves that will fall below the surface of the water, and stand deep in water for at least 4 hours. If the flower droops, remove more leaves, place in an inch or two of boiling water for a few moments, then plunge into deep, cool water. You can also wrap the heads individually in damp newspaper. Go crazy with your roses – make petal pictures, thread the flowers on a wire to make a necklace, cut down short to make a chic posy for your best friend.

Old divas die hard – I hear that after such a small ceremony Mariah and Nick plan to hold a large wedding ceremony after all – every year. Roses are a great flower to bring out her diva ways for her wedding bouquets – and to make you feel as pampered as a princess, too!

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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Many established online businesses still rely heavily on the Internet’s gatekeeper, Google, for traffic. So much so, that whole industries have sprung up to help business mangers optimise their site to suit the world’s leading search engine. Search engine optimisation throws up some interesting new challenges and opportunities. But rather than give away all our secrets (such as they are!), we invited friend of Arena and search engine optimisation expert Pascale Perry to write a guest post about how to manage your brand in this brave new world.

Search engine optimisation involves maximising the visibility of a website to draw-in relevant visitors. Consider it a spot on the high-street. If someone goes out wanting to buy some shoes, you want your shop to be the first shoe shop they see on the high street (or first on the Google search results page for the term ‘shoes’).

But grabbing the attention of the willing but brand neutral consumer is not the only reason to be visible. Some people go to the high-street with a specific brand in mind. They come intentionally to you, expecting a good brand experience, to reinforce their loyalty (or cement it if they have doubts about you).

A similar effect is seen online. Google’s search box has become fairly synonymous with the browser address bar. You want to visit a site, you want to experience its brand or products, but can’t remember the exact URL – “hmmm…was it ShoeLand.co.uk or .com? Google will know…I’ll just type in ‘ShoeLand’ and see what I get.”. 76% of UK searches are exactly this: navigational (source: Hitwise, April 2008). And how a website appears in the search space is the first message these potential consumers see.

The message shown below the title, called the page meta description, is a nice attractive, “beautiful, fresh flowers” all over the UK on Arena Flowers’ search result.

The ‘UK’s leading online florists shop’ makes a consumer feel confident.

This is a relatively simple tag to insert into a webpage – and although doesn’t affect the visibility or ranking of a site, it does play a role in click-through to a site, since it presents a message about your brand and the page being linked to.

For some brands, this message gives an opportunity to combat negative press reports that rank alongside the brand itself in a brand search (result 4):

A similar example of negative news ranking highly for a brand name famously happened in the flower business not so long ago (result 3):

Such unfortunate situations have lead to the emergence of a new theme in search engine optimisation, known as “brand reputation management SEO”. This involves careful consideration of the results pages for brand searches and attempts to ensure that as many as possible of the results in the first page are controlled by the brand and present a positive message.

Here, Nestlé has used a specially-created sub-domain which appears amongst negative content for the search term ‘nestle baby milk’ (result 3).

This is a clever tactic to make sure that Nestlé has a chance to get its message across about a particular issue.

For brands not facing controversy or negative results in the listings, it is still important to get the messaging right in the results listings. The search landscape is part of the brand experience and most sites get the lion’s share of their search traffic from brand terms. Whether on a conscious or subconscious level, research indicates that the meta description is part of the consideration set of a consumer when deciding which search result to click on and it is an easy opportunity to give consumers a good experience even before they walk through the virtual door. Savvy brands use this space to try and increase click-through to their site:

This space can also be used to complement any brand paid search copy to ensure that appropriate messaging is displayed to consumers with a variety of different search intents.

Where some sites fall down is by building multimedia ‘Flash‘ sites rather than plain HTML sites. Flash sites can offer a more dynamic experience but can’t be read nearly as easily by search engines. This often leads to unintelligible meta descriptions showing in the results:

Similarly, websites with a navigational splash or landing page need to think about their meta descriptions in order to send a more attractive message to the searchers:

Whether or not a site has an optimised, meta description may not currently impact the site’s brand traffic, especially if people are using search purely for navigation. Brand search, however, is going to get increasingly complicated for marketers since the landscape of this type of navigational search has just changed. Google lifted its trademark policy yesterday (5th May), allowing companies to display ads besides searches for competitors’ trademarked brands – eg you type Sainsbury’s into search and get paid ads from Tesco appearing. Having competitors visible for searches on your own brand increases the importance of making sure that a strong, confident brand message is being displayed in the natural search results to prevent these competitors getting any of your search traffic.

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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The Flowers & Plants Association is the UK’s promotional organisation for all commercially grown cut flowers and indoor plants. The FPA offers expert, unbiased advice on fresh flowers and indoor plants to consumers, press and trade. So we invited Andrea Caldecourt, who runs the Flowers & Plants Association, to write a guest post for us and we’re delighted to say that she accepted! Without further ado, here’s a friendly “Hello” from the head of our industry body, with some questions and thoughts on the flower market. Please comment or reply by email if you wish!

Hello,

I’m Andrea and I run the Flowers & Plants Association. We’re the UK’s promotional organisation for all cut flowers and indoor plants.

We don’t advertise ourselves, but we do give inspiration, ideas and advice to members of the public like you. We do this in a wide range of ways – through websites and TV programmes, radio interviews and billboard ads, magazine features and newspaper articles, emails and workshops, events and exhibitions. So you’ve probably seen our promotional work, even if you didn’t know it was us behind it!

I am always interested in finding out more about why you buy flowers, because that helps me give you the right information and advice. So I want to ask you a question – When you are in the florist or supermarket, or online at websites like Arena Flowers, what makes you decide to buy a particular bunch of flowers?

Is it the colour, which perfectly matches your curtains? Is it a flower with a short season, such as daffodils, to remind you that spring is finally here? Does an unusual flower you’ve never seen before catch your eye – or do you stick with familiar ones you know you’ve had success with? Do you look for long-lasting flowers; or would you rather have a few short but spectacular days of exuberant flamboyance? Maybe you don’t care what the flower is, or how long it lasts, so long as it’s at a bargain price!

If you want ideas on what to choose next time you’re shopping, or how to look after what you’ve bought, take a look at our website flowers.org.uk. If you want to drop me a line to let me know what makes you choose one bunch over another, feel free. You can reach me at andrea@flowers.org.uk.

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As consumer demand for sustainable and ethical living grows, people are increasingly buying products that boast strong ethical credentials. This trend is equally true in the flowers industry, but consumers can be confused by the numerous different “ethical” standards for flowers, “Fairtrade” and “Fair Flowers Fair Plants” (FFP) being the two most widespread. In the 2.5 years since its inception, the FFP standard has grown tremendously but is still new and not fully understood. So, we arranged an interview with Regina Dinkla, Project Manager for the FFP organisation, to ask her all the questions we thought our readers might have about FFP (and how it differs from Fairtrade).

ArenaFlowers.com: Let’s get this one out of the way straight away! Shouldn’t “Fair Flowers Fair Plants” shorten to FFFP rather than FFP?
Regina: Everyone always asks that! Originally our name was supposed to be Fair Flowers & Plants (so FFP) but that was already registered. Then becoming Fair Flowers Fair Plants, the acronym was FFFP but that was a bit of a mouthful so we cut one of the ‘Fairs’ from the acronym.

ArenaFlowers.com: What is the FFP?
Regina: Fair Flowers Fair Plants is an international initiative developed to create a uniform, global standard for the floristry industry. FFP is a non-profit organisation set up at the end of 2005 and it is the first truly international consumer label for sustainably cultivated flowers and plants. FFP is a broad network of trade unions, non-governmental organisations and international flower trade and production organisations adhering to an International Code of Conduct and a high environmental standard (MPS-A) for the production of fresh flowers and plants. In essence, FFP controls the florist supply chain in its entirety in order to regulate the use of pesticides, land energy and the working environment. Under the FFP initiative, participants in the florist supply chain, be they growers, traders or retailers, must guarantee that FFP requirements are met. This ensures that FFP products path through the supply chain is traceable at all times.

ArenaFlowers.com: Why was the FFP setup?
Regina: FFP was set up in response to a number of needs in the flowers and plants market. Until FFP, there was no clearly identifiable consumer label for sustainably and ethically produced flowers and plants from around the globe. To fulfil this brief, FFP had to unify a diverse set of existing global standards under a single standard. In addition, the FFP standard had to encompass not only ethical standards, but also environmental standards. FFP is the first truly global flowers programme as it is not limited to specific economic or geographic regions. FFP is flexible and transparent system and affords florists the opportunity to source flowers directly from FFP growers should they wish to (in the way that Arena Flowers does). This approach ensures fresher floral produce and reduced wastage resulting in fresher flowers for consumers while keeping a check on wider environmental aspects. Since it is a non-profit organisation, there is no automatic premium on FFP flowers, so the consumer doesn’t pay more for the privilege of buying FFP flowers.

ArenaFlowers.com: What are the key requirements for people to register?
Regina: The requirements for registering with FFP are fairly straightforward. Growers, traders and retailers register through the FFP website and sign up to a contract. Once the contract is signed, each entity has to adhere to individual requirements. For example:

Example FFP Rules For Growers:

• Adhere to International Code of Conduct for social requirements and to the MPS-A certificiation (or comparable) for environmental requirements;
• Specify the assortment (and volume) of FFP product grown on the site;
• Provide traceability for flowers & plants.

Example FFP Rules For Traders:

• Only sell genuine FFP products under the FFP banner;
• Demonstrate from which FFP supplier products have been purchased;
• Demonstrate which FFP products have been sold to which FFP clients.

Example FFP Rules For Retailers:

• Purchase of numbered FFP consumer labels linked to the point of sale;
• Attach FFP consumer label to the FFP product;
• Demonstrate which FFP suppliers were used for purchasing the products.

The FFP carries out surprise checks to monitor traceability. Detailed conditions for each participating entity can be viewed here: FFP Member Requirements Document.

ArenaFlowers.com: So are FFP flowers also Fairtrade flowers?
Regina: Yes. Fairtrade is a standard which upholds the production of many agricultural products, including flowers, in a socially sustainable manner, with the producer receiving a fair price for the products. Since FFP adheres to the same principles, FFP accepted flowers and plants qualify as Fairtrade.

ArenaFlowers.com: So what is the difference between FFP & Fairtrade?
Regina: We think that the Fairtrade movement has been a great thing for 3rd world producers and a great power for good, lifting many out of poverty. FFP is not trying to replace Fairtrade – it differs from Fairtrade in a number of ways:

• The Fairtrade movement was started to benefit producers in the third world, so participation is limited to selected farms and growers in developing economies. FFP is a global standard applicable to all the entities within the floristry industry, with free membership and no restrictions on eligibility.
• Fairtrade covers many agricultural sectors, whereas FFP is focused on the needs of the flower and plant growing sectors only.
• Fairtrade is supported mainly by commercial organisations and local / national Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). FFP is supported by the Global Horticulture Association, international trade unions, and environmental and human rights NGOs.
• The environmental demands of FFP are higher, more specific and more transparent than those of Fairtrade. Traceability is a key part of the FFP system, with the whole supply chain involved in the FFP system, not just the growers.
• Fairtrade products tend to attract a pricing premium of 15-20% whereas no premium is applied to FFP products; they are available at normal market prices.
• As international production is involved in FFP, consumers can not only buy flowers but also plants with an FFP label.

This is a more detailed breakdown of the differences between Fairtrade and FFP.

ArenaFlowers.com: Where do you see the FFP going in the future?
Regina: The FFP’s aim is to become the de facto standard for ethical and environmental compliance in the flowers and plants industry, making it simple for industry members to demonstrate good practice and easy for consumers to choose ethically sound products. To achieve this goal, on the supply side, we need to keep signing up growers, traders and retailers. We have about 1400 registered members right now, which is good, but want to keep adding to that. The best way to do that is to demonstrate consumer demand to suppliers. So on the consumer side, alongside our own marketing efforts, we need retailers such as ArenaFlowers.com to keep pushing the FFP concept in their marketing in order to drive consumer awareness of and demand for FFP products.

ArenaFlowers.com: Thanks for your time!
Regina: No problem!

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We invited Emma Cake from “The Big Bouquet Wedding Photographer” to write a guest post for us. Here is her very helpful post on how to hire a great wedding photographer. Thanks, Emma.

Type in ‘Wedding Photographer’ and your location into Google and take a look at how many results come up on your screen. It’s a daunting challenge picking out a photographer isn’t it? Especially if you are easily confused by all the photographic jargon some like to rant and rave about. Being absolutely certain that you have picked the right one for your wedding is essential.

With so many different packages, prices, styles and approaches how do you go about finding a photographer that’s right for you quickly and easily?

Well, here’s a Top 5 ‘Tip List’ to help you along your way:

1. Be clear on your budget
A lot of photographers like to act quite the car salesman, going for the hard sell and throwing in all sorts of extras at you in the hope you’ll get caught up in the moment. Before you even start to look for a photographer work out how much you can afford. Be wary of photographers who don’t have clear price listings and make sure the package you’re interested in includes any details you may be interested in, like bridal preparation photos or bundled books and prints. A £700 package may sound ideal, but if you’re only going to get basic ceremony shots and a few family photos out of it it’s not as good as it may initially sound.

2. Quick searching
To start with you may have to set aside a bit of time jotting down some potential photographers to get in touch with. If you haven’t had any recommendations from friends and family then the easiest way to do this is by using an Internet search engine. Don’t just type in your area – think of some additional keywords that neatly sum up the style of shot you’re interested in such as ‘Wedding Photographer London Contemporary Relaxed Fun’. Try and get your list down to around 10, making sure you jot down all the essentials like web address, phone number and package costs and your initial thoughts on their gallery examples.

3. Test the water
Meeting ten different photographers could be a hassle, especially if you’re out at work all week. Test the water by sending out e-mail enquiries. Don’t just ask if they’re available; feel free to ask them as many questions as you can think of. If they’re professional enough to be tolerant of your enquiries then this stands them in good stead. If they take ages to get back to you, or come across as abrupt then you may as well take them off your list straight away. If you decide to book them you will need to make use of their customer service later on so it’s important you can rely on them and they don’t make you feel like a burden.

4. Suss out the relationship
In order to achieve great wedding photos there has to be a good, friendly connection. The only way to see if one exists is to meet up in person. If your photographer makes you feel uncomfortable or would rather talk about their kit and how many letters they’ve bought to go after their name than find out about you and your wishes for the day, then chances are they won’t make you feel relaxed on your wedding day.

As well as asking about their packages and prices don’t be afraid to get personal and ask them questions about their background as a photographer. Do they come across as too nervous or pushy? Wait and see how they follow up your consultation – do they give you a detailed breakdown of your meeting or do they just hassle you to make a decision. If it’s the latter, don’t be afraid to let them know that they weren’t right for you.

5. The ins and outs
It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning out your style of shots and the run-down of your day, but what happens when if your photographer’s car breaks down on the way to the wedding, or your wedding changes date at the last minute? Make sure your photographer has a clear contract detailing all the circumstances you think of. Also, make sure they are covered for any mishaps with Personal Indemnity Insurance… boring admittedly, but you could be thankful for it later!

Finally, make sure you’re clear on the process after your wedding. Find out how long it would take for you to get your photos, and how easy it would be to buy additional prints and at what price.

If you think you need a bit more of a helping hand on finding a good photographer, The Anti-Bride Wedding Planner book from Abundance (£12.99) has a great selection of questionnaires for potential wedding florists, caterers, musicians and photographers.

Post from: Arena Flowers - Flower Delivery London & UK

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