This Little Piggy Went to the Market...

Behind the Scenes: flowers at the Honeybadger Bistro

The Bistro and I have an arrangement that I provide them with flowers every ten or so days. They want plain and simple designs; which means only one flower per vase. This can be a bit tricky as there aren't many flowers which allow theme selves to stand alone, especially on a tight budget.

I am going to the market in a few minutes...in fact, as soon as I finish this post...to get some flowers for the Bistro.

The first thing I do to prepare is to grab The File with a list of (mostly) all the flowers at the market in order to get a visual. Today I would like to try and get Asters (Callistephus) as they are a bit quirky. The vases are quite small, so I might be able to cut the flowers short and fit them in.

 

 

I need to fill 15 small vases and then one larger vase. Hopefully we can find some Golden Bird (Solidago) and beautiful Deep River Iris'.

 

 

This might seem a little loud, but the Bistro is all about pairing strange colours together to create a perfectly peaceful atmosphere.

 

I will keep the details of the auction at the market for another day...especially for the day that I get a big order that necessitates me to go. The orders for the Bistro are too small to buy from the auction, so I buy from the smaller wholesale shops instead.

 

Here are some pictures of the market.

 

This is the entrance:

 

 

This is the auction floor which I will tell you more about on another day.

 

 

This is how flowers are displayed at the shops (even though the photo is the right side up on the computer..I cannot get the blogger to keep it that way...sorry guys 0_o )

And this is what my trolley usually looks like..you'll need to turn your head to the right...sorry!

 This concludes the tiny section of one of my days in the week. I will keep you posted on how the flowers at the Bistro turned out!

Do you really need a florist?

I have been asked many questions about DIY wedding arrangements. With today's 'vintage-rustic' wedding styles it seems so easy to arrange your own flowers that people consider the option very strongly.

There are, however, a few things to consider when you come to this decision. Where will you purchase your flowers? When will you purchase the flowers? How many flowers do you need? How will you ensure that you have enough flowers (and seeing that this option is mostly considered when on a tight budget) or ensure that you don't buy too many flowers? Where will you purchase the oasis, wire, etc. needed for the arrangements? When do you plan to arrange your flowers? Do you know how much time you will need to do all the arrangements?

Are you still considering doing you own flowers?

There is no doubt that you will get a lot more 'bang for your buck' if you know where to shop for flowers. The thing is, the money that you've save would have been spent on the knowledge and experience of a florist...one who is up to date with the latest styles and must-haves. It will also be spent on the authority to say to your florist: "this is not exactly what I had in mind" or "I loath carnations, d-o n-o-t use them!!" or even in the unfortunate situation "this is not what we discussed, I said I don't want carnations!". If you leave the arrangements to dear aunt Margaret who happens to love red carnations, especially if you pair it with ivy and baby's breath, then you might have to hold your tongue.

The advantages of having a florist is that he or she has the contacts and experience (and a reputation to uphold) to provide quality arrangements to your wedding or event. What is more is that (if they are reputable florists) they will always have a little bit of extra flowers with them for whatever you need - the groom was in charge of the cake and neglected to arrange for flowers, the restrooms look dull and dreary, you said you will arrange your own confetti and you forgot (this one I can say is from experience at my own wedding). A florist is always a good investment as he/she will be at the reception area and will (should) always be willing to help if something goes wrong. It is an extra person with experience on board to make your day the most memorable day of your life.

 

Yes, flowers are not cheap, they are delicate and need a lot of care and attention when they are cultivated, harvested and transported. They need even more care when they are being arranged, but in the end your florist will buy quality flowers which will last long to make beautiful arrangements which you can give as (quality) tokens of appreciation to the family and friends which made your day flawless.

The question is therefore not 'Do you really need a florist?" it is "Is it worth it to invest in  a florist" and in my honest opinion, yes, it is. You should be focused on yourself and your guests on the big day, not on worrying if persuading aunt Margaret not to use the red carnation actually worked! It is your spescial day, enjoy it!

DIY Photobooth

My cousin phoned me yesterday for some advice on DIY flower arrangements as her budget is a bit tight. My advice, was to get quotes from florists and compare it to the price of flowers that you plan on buying to arrange yourself; keeping in mind that a florist knows what she is doing and will do exactly what you asked her to do....as opposed to over-eager aunts.

This made me think about where I thought we saved money on our wedding. The one thing trending amongst our friends at the moment is the photo booth we had.

When clicking your way through pinterest and flipping through magazines you are bound to find ideas on photo booths. After seeing all the cute props and wonderful ideas I just had to have one! The problem is that photographers charge a pretty penny for the setup an the photos.

Enter Pocketbooth....notice how his expression changes as he realised how it works! [Thanks Hubby for letting me use your "I'm eating my breakfast" photo...]

We installed Pocketbooth on to our iPad and used it as the photo booth at the wedding. All we had to do was rent some props from a fancy dress rental shop, put it in a box next to the iPad and some instructions (which no-one read as it is self explanatory)! Here's one of the photostrips [Thanks to my fun-loving friends!!]

 

You can download the app on your iPad or iPhone http://www.projectbox.com/pocketbooth/. It worked perfectly as you can move it around withyou guests as they move from the 'welcome-drinks' area to the reception.

Please note I was not paid to advertise the above mentioned product.

Welcome!!

With a youthful and vibrant attitude; we are focused on supplying our clients with the latest and most unique floral designs to frame the vision they have for any special occasion. Our floral designs and carefully selected decor will reflects your personality and personal style. This is your moment, the one day you have planned down to the finest detail. The decor should therefore guide and compliment the atmosphere and vision you have chosen for the occasion.

The aim of our business is to provide our clients with unique and memorable designs. We create floral art which represents everyone with quirky personalities to designs which will compliment an elegant evenings

 

Although we are based in Pretoria we cater for weddings, functions and parties throughout Gauteng. Apart from floral design we also provide decor to compliment our floral creations.

Time is limited in today's busy world; therefore we will discuss your vision for your event with you and compile all the decor, choose the flowers and create the floral designs on your behalf. This allows you to carry on with your daily activities while we worry about the details of the special occasion.

Should you prefer to pick everything yourself; you are more than welcome to do so. We will assist you in every way we can.

Apart from creating floral art for weddings and functions we also provide restaurants and shops with our creative designs.

 Nothing creates an inviting atmosphere like fresh flowers. Contact us to discuss the various options we have available to provide your business with a personal touch.

 

Visit our website www.uniqueflowers.co.za for all our contact details. Follow us on

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