Answers
Why Choose Us
Q. How are you able to charge 30-40% less than retail florists?A. We are able to offer these savings due to the fact that we operate as a home-based business. This means that our overhead costs are significantly less than that of a retail flower shop. Therefore we don't have to compromise on quality or skill in order to offer you our competitive prices.
Q. How does a home-based business compare?A. Since we don't have any walk-in business, any product we order is used in your wedding, which results in larger and more full arrangements. And because we specialize in weddings we are able to offer upscale and trendy floral design according to changing trends and styles. Most importantly I work with you to design your floral order from concept to arrangement, whereas a lot of retailers rely on part-time help to produce the bulk of their finished product.
Q. How are you different from an event decorator?A. Because I am actually a florist! Although many event decorators offer floral packages most have not been formally trained in the floral industry. By choosing us as both your florist and your decorator you can be assured of our in depth knowledge of the care, design and arrangement of your flowers along with the coordination of your décor.
Q. A competitive price is great, but what value do I REALLY get for my money?A. Design and service! While most retail florists simply take your order and provide limited direction, we custom design each and every wedding for free. We will sit down during a one hour consultation and direct your through the flowers that are available during your season, in your color and within your budget. We also custom design or order almost anything! Whether its your flowers, linens or décor, we enjoy the challenge of any special requests - again for no additional cost. We'd much rather have an inventory of unique and exciting weddings to show off!
Quality and Pricing
Q. Where do you get your product from and why is it unique?A. We do our best to try and purchase our product from local growers in B.C. and Alberta. Obviously not every variety of flower can be grown in Canada so some of our product has to be shipped in from the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia. By searching for these suppliers our product is usually bigger and of better quality and often freshly picked from the growers.
Q. How does the quality of your product compare?A. Not only do we use some of the EXACT same wholesalers as the high-end retail florists in Calgary we've also sought out better ones! We use a network of a variety of local suppliers and wholesalers, which ensures our product isn't just as good, its often better!
Q. How does the quality of your linens compare?A. We've done our research and not all chair covers are created equal. You may find them for a bit cheaper but you get what you pay for, look out for thin, see-through fabric that is coarse and poorly sewn. We've searched through dozens of samples to ensure that all of your linens, whether it is chair covers, sashes or overlays, are of high quality.
Q. What if I need more time than your one hour consultation?A. We offer a free one hour consultation, anything above and beyond this will be charged according to our packages or our hourly rate. See our Rentals & Décor page for more information.
Policies and Procedures
Q. How far in advance should I book a consultation and what should I bring?A. We generally attend a Wedding Fair in September and begin our consultations for the following wedding season (spring-fall) shortly after. We only accept a limited number of weddings each weekend and tend to book up fully by the end of winter/early spring depending on your date. Feel free to bring any photo's or fabric samples and please come prepared with a list of questions. Due to the high volume of emails we recieve it is best to address all questions either at this time or during our follow-up.
Q. How do I secure your services / payment information.A. We take a 50% deposit to book your date (based on your initial quote), until this is recieved we do not guarantee our services. We operate on a first-come first-serve basis regardless of a consultation. We require the remainder of the balance to be paid 7 BUSINESS days prior to your date if paying by cheque. We will accept cash, certified cheque or email money transfer up until delivery or pick-up. We do not accept credit or debit card payment. We will not send your order without full payment.
Q. Do you offer delivery or set-up and to what areas?A. Yes we do, we charge a seperate fee for delivery (drop-off only) and another for set-up (based on labor). We can deliver to Calgary and surrounding areas, Canmore, Banff, and Kananaskis.
Q. How often should I contact you with changes after I've booked with you?A. Please come to our initial consultation with your quesitons prepared. Any additional questions or changes should be saved until our follow-up conversation (phone or email), which usually occurs about 2 months prior to your date. This helps us to keep everything organized for your wedding. Of course if you have any pressing issues that are time sensitive feel free to send us an email and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can.
What You Should Know
Q. I saw this flower online or in a magazine...A. Let's be realistic, we live in Canada and most wedding websites, magazines and blogs are American and they usually profile million dollar weddings or obscure varities of flowers just to get your attention. I will let you know if your flower choice is available, if its reasonably priced and if its going to hold up during the day. It may look nice during a photo shoot but a lot of specialty flowers just aren't worth the price and won't hold up.
Q. What can I expect with seasonal flowers or my specific color?A. The reality of the floral industry is that it can be inconsistent. If the weather changes from one year to the next so does the growing season and the availability or appearance of certain flowers. There are instances where last minute substitutions need to be made and it wouldn't matter which florist you chose because if I can't get that certain flower neither can anyone else. However, it usually works to your advantage because I always substitute for higher end product at my own expense according to your color scheme. On the other hand, there are a lot of flowers that are always available and never vary in color.
Q. I can't find this rental item, what do you custom order?A. Almost anything! We strive to keep an inventory that is trendy and up to date so if you can't find an item in Calgary (or you can but it's rented at a premium price) we will ship it in without any extra charges. Bear in mind there are certain items that we don't wish carry in our inventory but feel free to send a request!
Q. Can I just order flowers from you and do them myself?A. Sorry but we don't offer wholesale or bulk flowers. Our passion is the design and creation of your wedding flowers. Besides it may look easy but you may be unpleasantly surprised with the amount of work that goes into making a "simple" bouquet properly.