Hickory NC Florist

FTD Florist – Can They Be Better Then a Local Florist?

FTD is the world’s first flower service to deliver beyond the reach of one florist’s geographic area. It was started in the United States back in 1910 when 15 florists agreed to exchange out-of-town orders between each other. FTD originally stood for Florists’ Telegraph Delivery because orders were exchanged via telegraph. Come 1965 FTD began to include international florists. FTD then changed its name to Florists Transworld Delivery to reflect the international presence of the company.

When you deliver with an FTD florist they find a florist closest to the home of the flower recipient. That florist is then given your order and the delivery address via their computerized system. The flower arrangement you selected will be prepared and delivered from the florist closest to your recipient.

So, how do you know who is preparing your flowers? You don’t. When using a FTD florist company you will simply select an image of what you would like and then pay for them online. The problem that tends to happen with that method is that you have no idea what you’re really getting in the end.

Now, how do you know you’re getting what you paid for? You don’t once again. You are working with a large company and most likely the recipient will receive a dozen roses when you purchase a dozen roses. Will they look just like the image you selected? Most likely they will not be exact or even the same quality. You will not know exactly what you are sending or be able to customize them to have the personal touch desired. You will also be paying two companies for their services by the end of the whole process.

FTD Florists are not bad by any means, in fact in many cases they can be good. I recommend using them when you are sending in a location where you do not know anyone. I would also use a FTD florist for general purpose flowers. I would not recommend using them for special occasions. When it comes to weddings, holidays or telling someone you love them I would go with a local florist preferably. Why? Simply because you can work together to make a special creation that comes with effort used into making someone know you went the extra mile for them.

Do local florists and custom creations cost more then a FTD florist? In many cases no, a local florist can match or beat the price on many flower arrangements. This is because you are dealing with them directly instead of paying the “middle man”. Local florists can work with customer’s to create an unique creation by applying all your money to your order.

If you need flowers for any occasion the best thing you could do is order from a local florist you will create what you need for the price you can afford.

Proof as to why FTD Florist can be bad, check out these reviews… (Read More)

We highly recommend Rachael West who is a Hickory NC florist that is truly the best!
828.326.7100

Using Fresh Flowers for Your Wedding Flower Arrangements

The one thing in any females life that she always looks forward to is her very own wedding day. There is much planning involved with a wedding and one important process is deciding on your flower arrangements. Many florists utilize fresh flowers for the arrangements, but there are some that will use silk flowers instead.

Using fresh flowers for your wedding flower arrangements can really help spice up any wedding. They give off a beautiful scent and look quite elegant when arranged properly. If you are planning on having a wedding that is absolutely radiant consider utilizing fresh flowers. There are many florists that would prefer using fresh over silk as they appear better usually.

There are many ways you can have fresh flowers arranged. If you can think of it, it is probably possible. People now a days are known to also include various items such as jewelery, fruit and accessories. These are not too difficult to incorporate with the right florist. There are many florists available that work with fresh flowers. A Hickory NC florist, Rachael West, has been working with fresh flowers for several years now and provides some of the most astounding options.

It may seem hard at first to decide on your flower arrangement designs so why not have a qualified florist help you. Living in Hickory NC has its benefits, especially with the amazing Hickory NC florists that are available. Rachael West Designs not only does flowers for weddings, but also any special occasion you want flowers for. You no longer have to wait for your wedding day to get a fresh flower arrangement created. Make any day a special day with the addition of flowers.

We recommend Rachael West Designs for any of your flower needs. She is the perfect Hickory NC florist that will go above and beyond to make your floral arrangements perfect, with the freshest flowers as well. Do not wait for any occasion to buy flowers when you can get them whenever you feel the need to make your day brighter and better.

828.326.7100

Most Popular Wedding Flower Choices

A wedding is already a very important day and the wedding flowers are becoming a very important aspect to a wedding as well. They seem to be taken care of much faster then other areas of the wedding, but they really help pull every aspect of the wedding together. Flowers are utilized within a wedding everywhere and when sitting looking around the wedding ceremony and reception they are bound to be in every corner. Some flowers are more popular then others and used more often within weddings. There are different uses for the flowers and understanding the uses will assist with developing a better understand of these popular wedding flowers.

The Bridal Bouquet

When working with a bridal bouquet two things will drive the popular flower choices for it. The first thing is the actual flower color. Most bridal bouquets involve the use of a white or off white color. The popular flowers used for bridal bouquets with a white color happen to be stephanotis, gardenias, roses, orchids, carnations, sweet peaks and lilies.

Another important area that is focused on with the bridal bouquet is the scent of the flowers. It will depend on the brides preference of scent, but for those that prefer having a bouquet with scent the more popular flowers of choice happen to be tuberoses, gardenias, stephanotis and peonies.

The Floral Decorations

Throughout both the ceremony and reception halls there are guaranteed going to be flowers throughout. It is rare to go to a wedding and there not be some sort of floral arrangement utilized throughout. Flowers can make a great decoration piece and the flowers will vary within each wedding, but usually follow suit with the bridal bouquet.

The decoration throughout a wedding will help pull everything together and give off a little added beauty. With flowers placed throughout all areas of the wedding as a decorative piece the beauty will be more extensive and elegant. Whether the flowers have a strong scent or not they will be a delightful scent to have within the wedding. Be aware though that some people may have allergies so going with flowers that are not strongly scented within the arrangements may be a better idea.

A local Hickory NC florist has been putting together bridal bouquets and flower arrangements for weddings for several years now. Rachael West from Rachael West Designs is a florist that has the drive to make everything perfect and knowing what the most popular flowers used for weddings is one little piece of information she knows. There is not one trend that has passed this florist yet without her learning how to do it.

828.326.7100

What You Can Expect From A Local Florist

When it comes time to order flowers many often go to FTD floral sites. They seem easy to use and display a lot of different arrangement options. However they are usually high priced and there is no customization that you can do to them. You will learn very quick when ordering from a FTD florist that they often do not have what you order. This can make the process even longer as you will now have to go through the entire process again and hopefully this time they have what you wanted.

You will also learn that after you select the arrangement you want you will go through several screens to choose the size of the arrangement which will then quickly take the price of a $39.99 arrangement to $59.99 plus delivery charge. This makes the not so expensive floral arrangement become quite expensive and not what you were expecting. You will also find out the websites are usually 3rd party sites and a portion of your money goes to the large FTD company that is running the site, which hikes up the price of the flowers on your end so all parties receive a good portion of money.

So… What is the alternative? Just calling your local florist and discussing what you want with them. The process is usually a lot faster than FTD as well. Why? Because with most FTD sites you need to call them after you place your order to finalize it or to discuss alternate flowers. You will also be buying from the source so your arrangement will be a lot less and delivery is usually included.

This arrangement is from our favorite local florist. The arrangement is unique and very high end…. However the pricing was incredible.

Photo Provided by Rachael West Designs

This type of arrangement can be easily created and can be customized for any occasion needed.
Call Rachael West … She is Simply the best!
828.326.7100

Floral Centerpieces – The Grabber of All Attention in a Room

When you walk into the room of a reception hall that is setup for that special day the first that catches your eyes is the beautiful floral centerpieces placed throughout all the tables awaiting your arrival. There are many different ways that these centerpieces can be designed which has allowed for every wedding to have their own unique touch each time.

A floral centerpiece is something that should be elegant, beautiful but not too large. The guests should have the ability to see past the centerpiece so that conversation between each other isn’t obstructed but there are going to be instances where the centerpieces do tend to be much larger.

Most people are worried about the price for floral centerpieces but as the years go on there are many cost effective ways that can be used to make the overall price of a wedding cheaper. Lots of people are turning towards creating centerpieces on their own while others are going with minimalistic designs that still give off a lot of beauty created by a florist. Either way there is going to be one way or another to cut costs drastically to match any budget.

The choice of flowers is pretty much endless with the possibilities. This is where the knowledge of what flowers are in season can come in handy. By knowing what flowers are in season there is the ability to avoid considering flowers that are out of season. Out of season flowers have a larger price tag that will of course increase the price for the centerpiece itself. For those willing to pay more for out of season flowers though give the florist notice and they should have the ability to get the flowers in by the actual date of the wedding.

Finding a florist that creates floral centerpieces will not be a difficult task. Most florists offer some sort of wedding package or can develop a pricing agreement for multiple floral centerpieces if several are needed.

If you are looking to get floral centerpieces for a special occasion or a wedding I’d recommend a local Hickory NC florist, Rachael West from Rachael West Designs. She does some astounding work and really does make the centerpiece become the center of attention in any room.

Pictures Provided by Rachael West Designs
828.326.7100

Wedding Cake Flowers – An Added Piece of Elegance to Your Day

There are many different pieces to put together for a wedding day and one of them happens to be the actual design of the wedding cake. Recently there has been a rising popularity in having flowers on the wedding cake. With the addition of flowers there is a little extra pop in color and beauty for the wedding cake and of course the rest of the wedding.

For the actual flower types that can be utilized on wedding cakes there are three different types that are used on a regular basis. These types happen to include real flowers, silk flowers and sugar flowers. Each of these will give their own little touch of beauty to the cake and if real flowers are utilized there is a vast amount of flower choices that are actually edible even though they are real.

When first beginning the designs for wedding cakes take the time to look through all the design options that are available. Not all florists will actually offer the option to incorporate flowers onto a cake so if this is one options that will need to be determined right away. There are of course many florists available that are willing to help incorporate flowers onto a wedding cake.

For those located in North Carolina there happens to be a Hickory NC florist that has taken the time to master the elegance of combining the wedding cake and the wedding flowers together. This florist will have the ability to combine various floral arrangements surrounding the cake while also if chosen design a top piece for the cake that holds all the colors of the wedding.

Rachael West Designs has been working within the wedding market for several years now and has expanded their abilities quite drastically. They can provide you with a vast amount of options as well as help pull together the entire wedding. Elegance and beauty is key to a wedding and the flowers always seem to help top everything off. Even though combining flowers and wedding cakes is still fairly new it is something Rachael West has taken the time to master with the demand for it to be done.

Weddings can take a lot of effort but in the end it will be a blissful adventure that both the bride and the groom should love taking part in. A wedding is something every women dreams of for many years and having the right wedding florist can really help get there.

Photos Provided by Rachael West Designs

Rachael West is perfect for helping you do just that and make that dream come true!
828.326.7100