Todich Floral Design Blog

It’s your perfect day and you want it to go well. How can you ensure your whole wedding is going to run smoothly from start to finish? OK - unfortunately, we can’t tell you that, but what we can tell you are some safe steps in ensuring the floristry side goes well.

Here is a handy list of how you can prepare for your wedding flowers to be perfect on the day.

1) Congratulations! As soon as you have secured a date for the wedding, call or email your selected florists and ensure the date is available. Tips on selecting a florist - firstly, make sure you have seen pictures of their previous weddings and other event work. It is good to gain confidence in a florist, which can also be done by asking what they have done previously - ask about what contracts they fulfill with hotels, offices and restaurants. Generally, if they can supply to a 5 star hotel on a contractual basis, you are safe to assume they can carry out your wedding to meet your precise requirements! Secondly, make sure your florist has experience dealing with your culture of wedding. In Britain, it is generally safe to assume your florist has handled Christian weddings before. But have they handled Persian or Chinese weddings? Best to ask (We have! Amongst several other cultures - Have a look here for our others). You don’t want to spend 3 hours explaining what the Sofreh Aghd is, only to find it’s done wrong!

2) Make sure what your florist charges is good value for money! Especially important in an economic downturn is knowing that your money is going the full mile. Not to blow our own horn here, but for example, we operate from a warehouse instead of a high-street shop. This means we’re not blasting thousands of pounds a year on rental fees - if we were, those fees would inevitably be passed onto you as the customer.

3) You’ll probably have your initial colour schemes in mind - discuss with your florist your chosen colour scheme and particular choice in flowers if you have a specific variety in mind - while most flowers are generally available all year round, it is important to consider the seasonality as this can raise the budget dearly if your selected flowers are out of season. If you’re not sure at all, contact your florist for some advice on the phone or arrange a face to face consultation.

4) Think carefully where you want flowers placed - besides the standard bridal bouquet and buttonholes, there are many aspects to consider - almost every surface can be decorated with flowers and it is up to you (with advice from your florist of course) where you want these to go. The possibilities are limitless - from table centre arrangements, candelabra’s and chair back bouquets, to buffet table displays’ and reception entrance decorations. You can even get everything from your dress and your shoes made in flowers! This is where your budget will start skyrocketing - stay safe and realistic with our guideline downloadable pricelist. It is also important to consider the size of each arrangement as it can vary massively in the minds of different people (for example, our picture at the top has two sizes of table arrangements and also two very different budgets!). Also consider the number of people attending - how many buttonholes and bridesmaids bouquets will you require and how many table arrangements and thank you bouquets will be required?

5) Contact your florist to let them know precisely what types of locations you want to fill (and make sure they can do it in the case of the dress and shoes made with flowers!). This is probably the best time to arrange a face to face meeting with your florist. Here, you can discuss your colour scheme, flower choice and types of floral decorations you require in further depth. The florist should then provide you with a comprehensive quotation. Once you’ve agreed to this you can relax! The florist will take it all from here and contact you if and when necessary.

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the World’s Largest Flower Garden

Spring Tulips in bloom

This spectacular annual event was opened to the public by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands’ on the 19th March in Lisse, Holland. Keukenhof, known in Dutch as ‘Kitchen-Gardens‘, has been the world’s largest flower garden for the last 50 years running.

This year, Keukenhof is not only celebrating it’s own 60th anniversary, but also the 400th anniversary since English explorer, Henry Hudson, sailing under Dutch authority, landed on the ‘New World’, now known as Manhattan, which led to the founding of New Amsterdam (New York).

The floral tribute to the 400th anniversary is made of more than 53,000 tulips and has been designed to mimic the Statue of Liberty to celebrate ties between the Netherlands’ and the United States.

Hosted in a 77 acre park, an estimated 7,000,000 flower bulbs get planted annually for this two month attraction. Known most famously for its bright tulip displays which are best seen around mid-April, Keukenhof sees over 600 stunning varieties of this particular flower, amongst many others. The best time to visit is now, where you can see almost everything blooming in symphony.

In March, visitors can see the beginning of spring blooms with flowers such as crocus, daffodils and narcissi. By April, tulips begin to blossom and towards the end of April, hyacinths start emerging. Other displays include orchids, Japanese cherry trees, lilies, azaleas, rhododendrons and many more. Growers compete amongst themselves for the most imaginative display in the gardens.

Keukenhof is only 30 minutes away from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport by bus, so it is no surprise it attracts over 750,000 visitors a year, making it one of Holland’s top tourism attractions for many years. The serene flower garden first opened in 1949 when the mayor of Lisse decided to hold an event that enabled European flower growers to showcase their hybrids and boost the flower export industry, one of the most important exports to Holland.

If you’d like to attend Keukenhof, it is open until 21 May and there are still many events left this season, such as the ‘Biggest Lily show in the World’, Bird of prey displays, the flower parade, traditional costume festival and Orchid Weekend, which is the 8-10th of May or you can have a look at their brochure here.