New member Central Park Flowers www.centralparkflowers.com owner Dorian Butovich was prominently featured online in the Times-Tribune recently.
With 16 years experience in the business, this experienced designer has been providing luscious floral creations for such esteemed clientele as Donatella Versace, Madonna, Meg Ryan, George Soros, and the Clintons. Also, five-star restaurants such as Le’Bernadin, Lutece and Restaurant Daniel and for venues such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim for more than half of his life!
A recent transplant to Olyphant, PA, Butovich had previously called NYC home. Butovich and his wife Eloise chose Northeast PA after much research. They saw an incredible need for true flower design and were looking for a hometown feel to raise their family.
In Butovich’s own humble words, they are “an everyday flower shop catering to all needs” including Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, dinner parties and Sweet 16s. Bring it on Northeast PA! The Butovich’s are ready!
Our member Flore in Southbury, CT has been nominated as a finalist in the 2009 Retailer Excellence awards, in the Store Design/Redesign: Under $1 Million category. Proprietor Lori Friedlander and her co-designer Christopher Isaacson had the challenge of creating a centuries-old European-style flower market and apothecary shop out of brand-new, raw commercial space, with just a 60-day time frame and only $10,000.
Both of them previously worked as professional interior designers, so this helped them to think more creatively about seeing materials and products, and envisioning new ways of using them. Ladders, antique shoe racks, carts, and various pieces of furniture were recycled and reused in a different manner than their original design or intent.
Flore offers eco-friendly fresh flowers and a signature line of flower- and plant-based products for aromatherapy and beauty, as well as books on natural flower essences and oils. They also provide highly-personalized service for design and gift ideas assistance, custom silk floral designs, interior décor consultations, and wedding, birth and funeral flower arrangements.
Los Angeles based member florist Krislyn Design’s, www.krislyndesign.com innovative, long-lasting alternative to fresh product was featured in the May/June 2009 issue of California Home & Design. A five-foot-high sculptural piece made from reclaimed forest clearings and dried magnolia leaves, that will stay green thanks to natural vegetable dyes, can be admired and enjoyed for years to come!
So, your client is planning her wedding flowers, and she’s asking for something way out of her budget. You want her to be pleased with her bouquet, but you can’t do the impossible. What’s a florist to do? Take a tip from bbrooks’ member LMD Floral Events Interiors in New York, www.lmdfloral.com. They were featured in the July/August issue of Brides magazine. Take a look at these 2 wedding bouquets. At first glance they may look very similar, but look a little closer and you’ll see that they’re totally different.
This stunning $275 bouquet is about half the price, but has the same look as the “designer” one. South American hothouse grown roses are less expensive than the garden variety, and ranunculus and tulips give great bang for the buck.
This gorgeous $550 creation contains rare orchids that must be wired, which takes time, and costs money. Garden variety roses have a lovely fragrance, but they also increase the bouquet’s cost. The bow is a French silk ombre picot ribbon, and you guessed it, it’s expensive.
All in all, a great florist can stay within the bride’s budget AND give her the flowers of her dreams. Stay tuned to the bbrooks fine flowers blog spot for more great “happy bride” tips!
Lewis Miller of LMD Floral Events Interiors, www.lmdfloral.com was featured in the “new ideas” section of the Spring 2009 Elegant Brides Magazine.
Miller began designing beautiful wrist corsages tied with long, dangling ribbons for important ladies not in the bridal party. They’ve become so popular that he now makes them for brides and bridesmaids, too, as an alternative to the traditional bouquet. He usually recommends flowers that hold up well, like orchids or firm peonies, ranunculus or gardenias.
Cathy Hillen-Rulloda of member florist Avante Gardens in Anaheim, www.avantegardens.com was featured in an informative marketing article from the April 2009 Floral Management magazine.
Cathy addressed the challenges faced by florists in this economic climate saying that web and email campaigns have been a useful tool for her to reach customers with her latest shop information. She encouraged florists to continue advertising and marketing of their orders as diligently as before. Cathy especially feels that keeping customers who are seeking unique designs, and are willing to pay a premium price for a florist’s services, apprised of your current product will go a long ways towards maintaining your annual numbers. Thanks to Cathy for sharing her positive approach to maintaining business during through trying times!
Event designer and member florist, Matthew Robbins of Artfool in New York City, www.artfool.com created three springtime bouquets exclusively for Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine Spring 2009 issue. All three are unabashedly romantic yet decidedly unfussy, perfect for the modern bride.
Belle Fleur has been featured yet again in the current issue of Modern Bride magazine.
Floral and event designer and owner of Belle Fleur (bellefleurny.com), Meredith Waga-Perez has created a posh and polished crystal fantasy venue, at a Manhattan loft – aptly named The Glasshouses.
The concept was to play the reflective qualities of different transparent surfaces – crystal, rhinestones and ice – against one another for a glittering gala.
Waga-Perez crafted a “free-flowing floral tablescape,” as she puts it: Instead of individual centerpieces, organic clusters of roses, sweet peas and phalaenopsis orchids in soft shades of peach, blush and pink cascade down the runner. The interspersed butterflies throughout the table, add a touch of whimsy.
Everywhere you look, dazzling details catch the light – and your eye.
Member florists LMD Floral Events, www.lmdfloral.com and Banchet Flowers, www.banchetflowersct.com are featured in stunning full page displays in the May/June ’09 issue of Brides magazine.
CLASSIC
Lewis Miller of LMD created a classic arrangement in soft pink, perriwinkle, lavender and green combining Finesse, Pierre de Ronsard, and Dorben roses, muscari, Campanula, leucocoryne, geranium, grape ivy leaves and trailing clematis in a silver pedestal bowl, as well as, a gorgeous hand-held bouquet of fuschia anemones, sweet peas and clusters of muscari – all held together with a beautiful striped satin ribbon in complementing colors.
EXOTIC
Banchet Flowers went for a bold presentation with an exotic hand-held offering of mango and aubergine calla lilies color-blocked with red and orange Jaguar makara orchids, and red James Story orchids complete with a treatment of Thai leaves. In keeping with this warm, sultry palette, their vase arrangement is a simple, but effective mix of fire red James Story orchids and buffalo orange Vanda orchids, arranged in a deep crimson glass vase.
New member Central Park Flowers www.centralparkflowers.com owner Dorian Butovich was prominently featured online in the Times-Tribune recently.
Our member Flore in Southbury, CT has been nominated as a finalist in the 2009 Retailer Excellence awards, in the Store Design/Redesign: Under $1 Million category. Proprietor Lori Friedlander and her co-designer Christopher Isaacson had the challenge of creating a centuries-old European-style flower market and apothecary shop out of brand-new, raw commercial space, with just a 60-day time frame and only $10,000.
Los Angeles based member florist Krislyn Design’s, 
This stunning $275 bouquet is about half the price, but has the same look as the “designer” one. South American hothouse grown roses are less expensive than the garden variety, and ranunculus and tulips give great bang for the buck.
Lewis Miller of LMD Floral Events Interiors,
Cathy Hillen-Rulloda of member florist Avante Gardens in Anaheim, 
