Beautiful Traditions in Pink

There are some weddings that take your breath away. This was one of those. The decor for the ceremony was stunning! The Forest Deck gazebo was draped with our custom white curtains and a ribbon curtain with rose buds that moved with the wind, while underneath a traditional chuppah was decorated with a garland of flowers in beautiful pinks and whites. To top it all off there was an additional ribbon curtain that hung from the back of the chuppah with white and dusty pink rose buds that danced in the breeze.
The garland of smilax vine created a beautiful backdrop for the dusty pink lilies and white spider mums. At the beginning of the aisle they had 2 beautiful arrangements in tall cylinders filled with curly willow and big beautiful roses.
The wishing tree was a beautiful introduction to the Vista room. It was a place where the guests could make a wish for the couple and take a wish from the couple. Each wish would hang in the trees for the couple to enjoy later.
Luscious centerpieces filled with antique green hydrangea, two tone dusty pink roses, lisianthus and curly willow were the perfect touch on the tables, while a beautiful longer more fluid piece sat across the top of the mantle. It was a beautiful room that set the perfect ambiance for the bride and groom to celebrate their sacred day.

Dream Weddings Bridal Show Showcase...{part 2}

{Part 2 of our Dream Weddings bridal show showcase}

We love to make beautiful bouquets and the bridal show is a perfect time to try out new techniques and show you all the latest and greatest bridal trends.
Whites and greens are always a fresh combination with accents of hypericum berries and rolled ti leaves among a bed of creamy white roses. While in contrast we also created a gorgeous contemporary style bouquet with blue hydrangea silver wire and green anthirium.
Here is a beautiful bright bouquet in pinks, purples and greens with roses, ti leaves, orchids, lisianthus, trick and stock, in contrast to a beautiful white bouquet with crystal accents amongst roses, anthirium and miniature calla lilies.
Then of course we have to show off the vibrant colors of fall with rich orange roses and dark ti leaves, and a vivid hot pink cascade bouquet of all roses and grass.
Fall colors are always a hit with two tone roses in a traditional spiral stem wrap where it stands up by itself, or a modern cascade in a teardrop shape with callas, roses, orchids and amaranthus.

Stay tuned for part 3 of our showcase!

Dream Weddings Bridal Show Showcase...{part 1}

Hello February 15th! (All florists everywhere can now take a deep breath and start to clean up from the ensuing chaos that was Valentines Day... just kidding). But in reality we've been having way too much fun making gorgeous arrangements this lovers holiday. We finally have time to post all the fabulous pictures from the Dream Weddings bridal show at The Marriott in The Woodlands.
This was a piece we did for to show off our beautiful square wrought iron arch (that can also be turned into a chuppah!) With gorgeous dark purple hybrid delphinium, green bells of Ireland, purple lisianthus, curly willow and draping crystals.
This was our center table showing off all of our gorgeous bouquets and coordinating centerpieces. We always love having a variety of styles and colors for the brides to hold and admire.
This was the curtain of flowers that we did for The Club at Carlton Woods' booth. it was quite the show stopper. We love doing ceilings or walls covered in flowers, it always has amazing impact.
These were our fun filled pieces for The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center booth. Our 32" clarinet vase was showcasing a beautiful tall centerpiece with stargazer lilies, hot pink roses, hanging amaranthus and hydrangea was just luscious!

Stay tuned to see all the beautiful bouquets and centerpieces we created next time!

Valentines Day Spotlights Part 2

We just can't stop creating and wanted to show you more beautiful ideas for your sweetheart. We are now at 4 days and counting! Have you ordered your flowers yet?

We showcase some of our most beautiful glassware for this fabulous holiday. An custom hand blown glass vase is a perfect addition to any arrangement and will long remind her of the beautiful flowers that it came with. Plus she can bring in the vase and we'll gladly fill it again!

We can even do something adorably simple with paved roses in a tall glass cube tied with a bow to make it look like a present. You can even add a pearl or crystal bracelet if you like.

Time is ticking, so make sure you give us a call and order your Valentine's Day flowers today!

We've done it again, in the press!

We've done it again! We found this little beauty of an article this morning by Lindsay Peyton, a chronicle corespondant! Enjoy:

Area florists are preparing for their busiest day of the year. For these business owners, Valentine's Day translates to an increase in deliveries, longer hours, a frantic week and an onslaught of last-minute shoppers."Valentine's Day means a lot of work," said Sharon Hoke, owner of Botanical Flowers said.Trisha Hurley, owner of Antique Rose Florist, has been in the business for 20 years and said she still has to brace herself for the holiday."The phones will be ringing off the hook," she said.The Blooming Idea owner Mary McCarthy agreed. "It's a pretty hectic time of year," she said.McCarthy explained that people usually forget to think about flowers until the night before or on Valentine's Day itself."Guys order at the last minute. So we like to be prepared," McCarthy said. Flower shop owners have several factors to consider – how much to order, how many people to employ and what to offer that will set their arrangements apart from the rest."It's all about being organized," Hoke said. The Blooming Idea will add an extra staff member, and all the regular staff plan on working extra hours. The shop will also stay open the Sunday before Valentine's Day. Antique Rose Florist will add four or five extra people to their staff and all plan on working overtime. "We want to encourage people to order early," McCarthy said.

Popular trends

Red roses are still the most popular item, followed by mixes including tulips and stargazer lilies, McCarthy said. The roses are typically imported from Ecuador and Columbia. The Blooming Idea starts receiving shipments the Thursday before Valentine's Day, and they go directly into a cooler. This year, McCarthy is ordering a special item – extremely long-stem roses. The featured rose will have a four-foot long stem. "We're always looking to bring in something different," she said. "These roses are enormous and beautiful. They'll be pretty spectacular." Botanical Flowers will offer a Hershey's Hug Bouquet, an arrangement that comes in a ceramic Hershey's kiss vase. The special item at Antique Rose this year will be a more compact and shorter mixed arrangement. The tight cylinder of roses and tulips fits a more contemporary style house, Hurley said. "Traditional arrangements are light, tall and airy," Hurley said. "This compact design is more popular now. A lot of people like a more contemporary look." Hurley said red roses are still their most popular flower. She explained that yellow roses and pink roses are good options for less serious relationships. "Red means love, always," Hurley said. "If you don't want to say the 'L word' yet, you might want to go with pink."

Considering competition

While grocery store flowers may be convenient, the florists said their arrangements are fresher, longer-lasting and more unusual. "People who aren't used to buying flowers go for the cheapest and easiest thing they can find," she said. Hoke said she believes that the personal attention of a floral shop sets them apart from grocery stores. "Our designs are more original, and the service we provide is more personal," she said. McCarthy agreed, explaining that retail florists carry higher quality flowers and unique arrangements. She feels that internet shopping is their biggest competition. Hurley said sometimes they get caught in the middle. "We can be really busy the day after a holiday. People are trying to makeup for online ordering mistakes and lost internet orders," she said. The florists agree that once a customer shops at their stores, they tend to come back. "We do have clientele that repeat year after year," McCarthy said. "A lot of times, guys buy flowers only once a year. We want to make a good impression so they'll come back year after year." For Hoke, the repeat customers are what make her job rewarding. She said several of her customers have become her friends. "Owning this store, I get to meet a lot of neat people," she said. "Everyone is very nice and understanding on Valentine's Day." Hoke opened her shop in August 2010 after working for the same florist for 17 years. "People thought I was crazy to start a business in this economy," she said.Hoke, however, just thought it was an interesting challenge. "It makes me work twice as hard to build the business," she said. "And there's nothing wrong with that." Hoke said the economy forces business owners to pay extra attention to what they are spending. On Valentine's Day, florists have to forecast the amount of shoppers they will have, so they can order enough inventory. Hurley said the slower economy has definitely affected her shop. She estimates that her business is down about 20 percent. "During the holidays, people still splurge," she said. "But when they used to send flowers just-because, now they don't." Hurley said she is good at estimating what she will need. Still, she ordered fewer flowers last year and ended up selling out of roses. McCarthy, however, said her business has been fairly consistent. "I'm optimistic about getting out of the slump. People do seem to be buying more," she said. "Valentine's Day is our biggest day of the year. We're looking forward to being busy and selling a lot of flowers," McCarthy said.

Valentines Day Spotlights

Here at The Blooming Idea we love to create custom pieces for you to enjoy, especially for Valentines day. Here are a few of our own creations:

The Mary: A beautiful tall rectangle in a sleek more contemporary style filled with antique green hydrangea, red tulips, red roses and red alstromeria accented by a beautiful monstera leaf.

The Frances: A filigree white frosted vase filled with vibrant hot pink roses, purple hybrid delphinium, stock and lisianthus, green bells of Ireland and white anthirium accented by rolled varigated green ti leaves and steel grass.

The Sarah: In a funky lime green hand blown glass rippled vase this tropical arrangement is a show stopper with birds or paradise, miniature calla lilies, asiatic lilies, roses, king mink protea and bells of Ireland.

The Elizabeth: Simplistic and so elegant. Our orchid plants are hand selected with care and dressed to the 9's. Each comes with a care instruction kit. Orchids are perfect for those who would appreciate something that will last a little longer.

The Carol: Arranged in a birch wood vase this contemporary arrangement is all about line and texture. With monkey tails, protea, anthirium, eucalyptus, tulips and thistle. This is the perfect arrangement for the person in your life who appreciates texture and visual interest.

The Yvonne: In a faded red pedestal vase this traditional arrangement of two tone roses, vibrant blue iris, fragrant purple stock, red tulips and liatris has beautiful shape and will be a crowd pleaser for anyone.

The Sari: There is nothing quite like this show stopping 4 foot tall arrangement of a dozen red roses. If you are looking to send something that is truly amazing, this is the arrangement for you.

The Kim: In a classic black tall rectangle vase this contemporary style arrangement showcases the long stems of a dozen beautiful two tone pink and white rose with a bed of antique green hydrangea accented by a band of ribbon and black wire.

The Amy: This non traditional dozen long stem roses is a combination of gorgeous creams, peaches and pinks is accented by green anthirium and bells of Ireland for a pop of beautiful color with tropical monstera leaves and wire accents.

The Gena: In a beautiful black filigree vase this stunning arrangement is filled with hybrid delphinium, red roses, oriental lilies, orchids, calla lilies, and gorgeous hanging amaranthus accented by varigated and dark rolled ti leaves and mixed greens.

The Fiona: This adorable arrangement is perfect for a nightstand or office desk. With beautiful red roses, white hydrangea, draping miniature callas and miniature garden roses accented by red glitter hearts and stunning ribbon in a red hand blown glass cube.

The Veva: This beautiful arrangement is perfect for those who love color and texture. With hot pink peonies, purple hydrangea, white spiders, green trick, purple lisianthus, rolled varigated ti leaves encased by curly willow and dancing orchid blooms.

The Janice: In a hand blown glass red striped vase, this 18 red and white rose arrangement shows off the fabulous long stems of our roses accented by red glittered birch branches and an assortment of greenery.

Make sure to call today to order your favorite Valentines day arrangement. For more arrangement ideas you can visit our retail website: Bloomingidea.com

It's that time of the year again! Woodlands Online is holding their yearly "Best of the Woodlands" poll and we need you to make us #1 for 2 years in a row! So here's how:

Log in to: Woodlands Online (Click here)

Scroll down and vote for THE BLOOMING IDEA as the best florist in The Woodlands!

If you've ever received or sent gorgeous flowers with us then help us keep that coveted #1 spot for 2011! It will only take a minute of your time and I promise you that we will live up to your reputation! So take a minute today and vote for The Blooming Idea as the best flower shop in The Woodlands. Voting ends February 28th so vote today and tell your friends and family!