Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Here Comes the Autumn Bride

Autumn Wedding Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.
Circus, leonidas and yellow roses are gathered in a
clutch bouquet with red hypericum berries, plum
dahlias, variegated pittosporum, and preserved oak
leaves and are surrounded by a nest of shiny copper
wire. A beautiful autumn palette of seasonal blooms.
Now that it is officially autumn and the days are getting shorter, everything is flavored with a perfumy pumpkin spice, the landscape is emblazon with warm hues of red, orange, gold and bronze, there are more hayrides and corn mazes than a person can possibly take in in one season, and the air has that refreshing crispness that makes us all want to snuggle the one we love just a little bit closer. It seems like the perfect time to plan an autumn themed wedding!

Planning a great party or special event can be a daunting task. The stress seems almost doubled when planning your dream wedding. From choosing a date, a venue, who to invite, designing a theme, picking a color scheme… many couples find themselves overwhelmed before they’ve even begun! Every wedding is as unique as the couple themselves. We at Stein Your Florist Co. have been in business more than 128 years, and with an average of 10-12 weddings, both big and small, a month… well you do the math, it’s a lot of weddings!

Autumn bridal cascade by Stein Your Florist Co.
A traditional bridal cascade of orange
Asiatic lilies, red roses, solidego, caramel daisies,
and red hypericum berries with assorted foliages in
warm fall hues.
We can’t stress enough to our couples the importance of maintaining a theme throughout their wedding. You don’t want your guests moving from your ceremony decked in pretty pinks into a dark and gothic reception… at least not without a costume change, a narrator and perhaps some movie magic. If your theme isn’t cohesive your guests may end up feeling like they’re crashing the wedding next door!

We recommend choosing a theme early and carrying it through every aspect of your big day. If you stay on track this will help alleviate some of the stress that comes with the vast array of choices you’ll be faced with when planning your wedding. If you’ve decided on warm autumn hues, then there’s no reason to even look at all those baby pink table linens and all those cool blue blooms you saw at your friend’s wedding can take a hike!

Autumn Color Palette by Stein Your Florist Co.
Autumn Color Palette:
Yellow, Gold, Caramel, Orange, Rust, Apple Red,
Chocolate Brown  and Olive Green.

One of our favorite autumn color palettes includes a sunny yellow, a warm gold, caramel, orange, rust, deep apple red, and chocolate brown with an accent of olive green, our homage to the last bits of verdant foliage that hangs on through autumn until it’s covered by winter’s snowfall.



"Autumn Boughs" invitation by Paperless Post
"Autumn Boughs" invitation by
Paperless Post
Introduce your theme and color scheme to your guests early. This means the initial save the date card and the following invitation should give your guests a taste of what’s to come and leave them wanting more. The good people of Paperless Post offer beautiful, customizable online and paper stationary to reflect your individual aesthetic. You can even upload your own pictures to make your invitations truly unique. Their lovely “Autumn Boughs” design suits our theme and color palette perfectly. The wispy branches still laden with fall’s changing leaves across the top is complimented by the pile of fallen foliage at the bottom of the invitation, while the gentle ivory background keeps it wedding elegant. (Follow up your event with matching thank you cards to say thanks and bring back memories of the awesome time everyone had!)




Autumn Centerpiece by Stein Your Florist Co.
This rustic autumn centerpiece captures all the
colors of our fall palette:  red and orange roses,
rust dahlias, caramel daisies, yellow solidego,
golden ranunculus, orange alstroemeria and
Asiatic lilies, brown lotus pods, branches, and
millet with accents of olive green seeded eucalyptus.
Now that the stage has been set it’s time to put on the show! The best way to put on this production with a cohesive look is with flowers and botanicals… though we may be a bit biased ;) Though your venue may change throughout your wedding day your decorations should be the glue that binds your theme together. That means the ceremony, the cocktail hour, the reception, every aspect of your wedding should be decorated in the same color scheme and flower varieties (though flower variety isn’t as important as keeping to your color scheme, so using less expensive blooms in your centerpieces compared to the bridal bouquets is a valid substitution).

Of course the bridesmaids’ dresses and the groomsmen’s ties are important too, as are the table linens… their color will serve as the background of your wedding and give your blooms something to pop against. We love the look of olive green as a background color and as a floral accent; in the floral business green is somewhat of a neutral for us. It’s Mother Nature’s color and is perfect for displaying her autumn bounty, plus your guys and girls will look great in it, but you can’t go wrong with any autumn hue.

Autumn Wedding Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.
This bouquet takes a walk on the wild side with accents
of leopard print ribbon. A gathering of sunflowers, thistle, black
ornamental peppers, bronze chrysanthemums, orange calla
lilies, solidego, seeded eucalyptus and touches of wispy
plumosa are surrounded by a collar of chocolate
curled ti leaves.
We also recommend choosing flowers that are in season. While off-season blooms could be specially grown just for your big day, they are going to be expensive and the quality will not be as good as flowers that are in season. Some of our favorite autumn flowers are:  Asiatic lilies, celosia (aka coxcomb), dahlias, gerbera daisies, alstroemeria, calla lilies, chrysanthemums, leucadendron, roses, yarrow, solidego, hypericum berries, sunflowers, carnations and ranunculus. You’ll see many of these flowers represented in the bouquets pictured throughout this post. In the right hues, your bouquets will capture the warmth and beauty of the fall season and your big day will be unforgettable.


Have fun planning your autumn parties and weddings and enjoy all the season has to offer!

If you're in the Philadelphia, PA or Burlington, NJ area and would like to meet with one of Stein Your Florist Co.'s expert wedding consultants call us at 800-887-4013.


Autumn Rose Clutch Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.
One of the largest clutch bouquets we've made in recent memory... This
bouquet has more than four dozen fall toned roses!

Take your autumn theme to the next level by decorating your venue with fresh apples or pumpkins.



Autumn Wedding Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.
An autumn clutch bouquet of circus, leonidas, red, ivory and champagne
roses with red hypericum berries, solidego and seeded eucalyptus.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Beautiful in Blue Bridal Bouquet

It’s Wedding Wednesday again!! This week’s bouquet has a definite WOW impact and these bold blue roses are for a bride equally as bold.

Our bouquet of blue roses stands alone, without any accent flowers, and just a simple collar of variegated pittosporum to make the blue really pop, not that it needs much help. Blue roses have been a favorite of our customers for as many years as we’ve carried them, with good reason, blue is statistically the favorite color of more people than any other color!

This bouquet is beautiful year-round, is especially lovely for an icy blue wedding theme and definitely covers the “something blue” in your wedding collection.

Blue is all around us, it’s nature’s color for ocean and sky and some of us wear it almost daily from our casual denim to our blue business suits. This bouquet left our bride feeling anything but blue on her big day!


Beautiful in Blue Bridal Bouquet - Stein Your Florist Co.
If you're in the Philadelphia, PA or Burlington, NJ area and would like to meet with one of Stein Your Florist Co.'s expert wedding consultants call us at 800-887-4013.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

A Single Rose

This week’s Wedding Wednesday bouquet is super simple, but still romantic and sweet.

Known as “the bridal flower,” the white rose is said to symbolize the new and pure bond of two people. The white rose signifies a bride's worth, innocence and loyalty to her husband whether the rose is part of a bouquet or standing alone. And, of course all roses, no matter the color, symbolize love.


We’ve accented our single rose with some long blades of lily grass and a generous cluster of seeded eucalyptus with a champagne bow. This bouquet is also perfect for the budget conscious bride, a single rose isn’t just elegant, but affordable too!

If you're in the Philadelphia, PA or Burlington, NJ area and would like to meet with one of Stein Your Florist Co.'s expert wedding consultants call us at 800-887-4013.
Single White Rose Wedding Bouquet - Stein Your Florist Co.
Single White Rose Wedding Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Blue Hydrangea on Wedding Wednesday


Happy Wedding Wednesday!! This is starting to become our favorite day of the week...
 
This week's Wedding Wednesday bouquet is simple and dramatic at the same time. The only flower is this bouquet is blue hydrangea, which would certainly covers your something blue.

Silvered blue hydrangea bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.
Dramatic Bridal Bouquet of Blue Hydrangea by Stein Your Florist Co.
Six stems of blue hydrangea are gathered tightly and are surrounded by a nest of silver wires with more delicate silver wires forming a cage over the top of the blooms. The stems are wrapped in a pewter satin with two long streamers of ribbon cascading down the front with long strands of silver wire adorned with dainty metal leaves and clear crystals for drama.

This bouquet isn't for every bride, but if it's for you we promise that it won't be one that your guests will soon forget!

If you're in the Philadelphia, PA or Burlington, NJ area and would like to meet with one of Stein Your Florist Co.'s expert wedding consultants call us at 800-887-4013.

Blue Hydrangea - Stein Your Florist Co.
Blue Hydrangea
 

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Perfectly Pink on Wedding Wednesday

It's wedding Wednesday again and this week's bridal bouquet is another simple one. 

Soft and romantic these pink roses are perfect for the blushing bride to carry down the aisle. Wispy pieces of plumosa foliage surround the roses creating a feathery collar of greens.

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!

Pink Rose Bridal Bouquet - Stein Your Florist Co.
Pink Rose Bridal Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

A Tropical Wedding Wednesday

It’s Wedding Wednesday!! This week’s bouquet takes us to a tropical paradise! It’s certainly not for the traditional bride, but if you’re into contemporary design, exotic flair and brilliant color then this is the bouquet for you!

Bamboo Brilliance Exotic Bridal Bouquet by Stein Your Florist Co.

Spirals of lucky bamboo trumpet from the center of the bouquet and are surrounded by birds of paradise, ginger, craspedia balls, solidego and statice. The bouquet is finished with a collar of rolled ti leaves and the gathered stems are wrapped tightly with a bit of raffia.

The brides and grooms that we meet are as diverse as the flowers they choose! Congratulations to the happy couple!

If you’re in the Philadelphia region give us a call to schedule your wedding consultation at 800-887-4013.


Flowers make the moment… Let us make a moment for you, at Stein Your Florist Co.
Birds of Paradise - Stein Your Florist Co.
Birds of Paradise

Craspedia Balls - Stein Your Florist Co.
Craspedia Balls

Ginger Flower
Ginger

Spiral Lucky Bamboo - Stein Your Florist Co.
Spiral Lucky Bamboo

Solidego - Stein Your Florist Co.
Solidego

Statice - Stein Your Florist Co.
Statice

Ti Leaves - Stein Your Florist Co.
Ti Leaves

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Red Roses on Wedding Wednesday

It's wedding Wednesday again and this week's bridal bouquet is simple, sweet and full of romance. Red roses are the ultimate symbol of passionate affection. They're classically romantic and absolutely perfect for a walk down the aisle to say "I do."

Happy Wedding Wednesday!!

Red Rose Bridal Bouquet - Stein Your Florist Co.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Wedding Wednesday

A bridal cascade of purple and lavender blooms by Stein Your Florist Co.
A bridal cascade of purple and lavender
blooms by Stein Your Florist Co.
Here comes the bride!! 

Being in the floral business since 1887 we have seen more happy couples than we can count! From traditional to contemporary and everything in between we have designed custom bouquets for a myriad of wedding styles and themes.

Today is, what we like to call, Wedding Wednesday and our bouquet of the week is this bridal cascade of purple and lavender blooms. The bouquet features lavender roses with accents of purple larkspur, lavender lisianthus, purple statice, novi belgi asters, and white Queen Anne’s lace.


Congratulations to the happy couple!
Lavender Roses - Stein Your Florist Co.
Lavender Roses

Purple Larkspur - Stein Your Florist Co.
Purple Larkspur

Lisianthus - Stein Your Florist Co.
Lisianthus

Saturday, July 25, 2015

For the Love of Cats

Shop Cat Poly on the Green Roof at Stein Your Florist Co.
Shop Cat Poly on the Green Roof at Stein Your Florist Co.
We love our furry feline friends! They are wonderful companions without the over neediness of their canine counterparts. Our shop cats, Cat and Poly, make our work days a joy and remind us to play, stretch, relax, gaze out the window and enjoy the occasional catnap or two.



Isosceles Cat with Gerbera Daisies - Stein Your Florist Co.
Gerbera daisies are non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Cats are the furry part of our families that make our houses homes. They tend to be curious, eager to take a nibble or two (or many many more) on that beautiful bouquet of flowers your beau just brought you, so it is important that when you’re enjoying your flowers and plants they can be enjoyed by your kitties too!



Ceclia Cat with a Collar of Carnations - Stein Your Florist Co.
Carnations are toxic to dogs and cats,
but they make a lovely collar.
Sam and Dean Cats with Roses - Stein Your Florist Co.
Roses are non-toxic to cats and dogs.
So how will you know if a particular plant or flower is potentially toxic? Thanks to the internet we can check these things out in a flash! We recommend starting with the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center website where you can find a searchable list of both toxic and non-toxic plants for both cats and dogs. It’s best to know the scientific name as well as the common name of the plants or flowers when doing your pet homework, since sometimes multiple plants with different characteristics may share the same common name.

Sam Cat and Coxcomb - Stein Your Florist Co.
Coxcomb are non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Many plants that your cats may munch of will cause nothing worse than a little digestive upset, but some may cause more serious health issues. Some common flowers and plants that are toxic to both cats and dogs are:  aloe, amaryllis, azaleas, baby’s breath, begonias, bird of paradise, and tulips. Members of the Lilium genus, including asiatic, casablanca, Easter, and stargazer lilies, can cause serious kidney problems (and possibly even death) if ingested by cats.

Phillip Cat ready for date night with his red rose - Stein Your Florist Co.
Phillip is ready for date night with
his top hat and non-toxic rose.
So what is a pet friendly bouquet? A bouquet consisting of plants and flowers that are not considered to be toxic to pets (primarily cats and dogs) of course. Flowers such as roses, African daisies, orchids and most ferns and plants such as bromeliads, African violets and Christmas cactus are non-toxic (although any ingested plant material might occasionally cause mild upset) and would be suitable as to have in households with pets.

Here is a brief list of "pet friendly" flowers and plants courtesy of Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, Vice President and Medical Director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

·        Common Name | Scientific name
·         African daisy | Arctotis stoechadifolia
·         African violet | Saintpaulia spp.
·         Alyssum | Allysum spp.
·         Bachelors buttons | Centaureaa cyanus
·         Begonia | Begonia spp.
·         Celosia | Celosia spp.
·         Common Snapdragon | Antirrhinum majus
·         Easter Daisy | Townsendia sevicea
·         Orchids | Barbrodia, Sophronitis, etc.
·         Peruvian lily, Brazilian lily | Alstroemeria spp. (Not a true lily, so it’s a great alternative!)
·         Rose | Rosa spp.


Sophie Cat with flowers from Stein Your Florist Co.
Chrysanthemums are toxic to dogs and cats,
but ok for stuffed dinosaurs.
So love your cats and your flowers too! Be sure to seek out or create “pet friendly” bouquets and plants when looking for something special for yourself or when sending a gift to a pet owner. Call us at 800-887-4013 and we can help you in your cat friendly quest. Meow!

Cecilia is catching up on some of her cat reading - Stein Your Florist Co.
Cecilia is catching up on some of her cat reading.

Dean Cat is ordering flowers online from his favorite florist,  Stein Your Florist Co.!
Dean Cat is ordering flowers online from his favorite florist,
Stein Your Florist Co.!
  
Dr. Isosceles Cat is in. - Stein Your Florist Co.
Roes and orchids are feline friendly, but avoid chrysanthemums.

Cats and flowers - Stein Your Florist Co.
These kitties love flowers. Roses and liatris are thier friends, but avoid tasting
the chrysanthemums, solidego, and delphinium.

Painting cat Phillip - Stein Your Florist Co.
Paintings of flowers are always feline friendly!

Photography cat Phillip - Stein Your Florist Co.
Flower photos are always safe too!

Psychic Cat Cecilia - Stein Your Florist Co.
Psychic cat Cecilia sees bad things in your pet's future if they much on
these blooms! Avoid hydrangea and carnations around your cats and dogs.

Penelope Cat with Flowers - Stein Your Florist Co.
Penelope is pleased that she's safe to sample these rose petals.

Cat on Computer - Stein Your Florist Co.
Avoid stock, aka gillyflower, around your cats and dogs.
Find more cats on our Facebook page!

Penelope cat, flowers and magnifying glasses - Stein Your Florist Co.
Look, but don't much on chrysanthemums, calla lilies, and carnations you curious cats!
The orchids are pet friendly.

Kitten with roses - Stein Your Florist Co.
Mom, may I taste the roses?
Yes you may, roses are feline friendly.

Orchids and kittens - Stein Your Florist Co.
Orchids look like a tasty snack... they are pet friendly after all.

Kitten and zinnias - Stein Your Florist Co.
Zinnias are pet friendly!

Samurai Cat Isosceles and Lucky Bamboo - Stein Your Florist Co.
Look, but don't taste the Lucky Bamboo samurai cat,
they are toxic.

Sophie cat walking through rose petals - Stein Your Florist Co.
Rose Petals are pet friendly!

Feline Fred and Flowers - Stein Your Florist Co.
Feiline Fred isn't too sure about this bouquet...
Some of the flowers are pet friendly, some are not.
Call us at 800-887-4013 and we can help you create an
arrangement that is perfect for pets!

A collar of daisies is all the rage in feline fashion, but they are for
looking, not eating, as they are toxic to dogs and cats.