A major announcement will be made by Starbright Floral Design at 7PM today. The event will be covered by industry and fashion editors. Press coverage will be extensive.
Starbright Floral Design has funded horticultural research in varietal roses. These varieties will be introduced at the press conference and will be posted on this blog as a press release immediately afterwards. Stay tuned for more details.
Roses will be available to our retail clients by tomorrow for purchase and to volume buyers for pre-Mother’s Day ordering.
Hope you visit back late this evening for the exciting news….
These thoughts are brought to you by The Official Florist.
The Official Florist is the blogging arm of Starbright Floral Design. We are a full-service corporate and retail florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District located at 150 West 28th Street (Studio 201). To learn more about our organization and about the type of work that we do, please visit our website at www.starflor.com.
You may also order a gift by visiting our e-portal at www.starbrightnyc.com. Starbright is open seven days a week and we deliver flowers and other gifts in Manhattan and worldwide. We invite you to give us a call or visit our website.
Thank you for visiting our blog. Always “at your service”,
The Official Florist – Starbright Floral Design
“The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”
From an industry newsletter, we are sharing a bit of press coverage that we received recently. Our Creative Director, Tom Sebenius, worked with the production team of the Rachael Ray show to create some really fabulous bridal bouquets…
Read the post and click on THIS LINK to see the Rachael Ray excerpt!
These thoughts are brought to you by The Official Florist.
The Official Florist is the blogging arm of Starbright Floral Design. We are a full-service corporate and retail florist located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District located at 150 West 28th Street (Studio 201). To learn more about our organization and about the type of work that we do, please visit our website at www.starflor.com.
You may also order a gift by visiting our e-portal at www.starbrightnyc.com. Starbright is open seven days a week and we deliver flowers and other gifts in Manhattan and worldwide. We invite you to give us a call or visit our website.
Thank you for visiting our blog. Always “at your service”,
The Official Florist – Starbright Floral Design
“The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps”
Controversy surrounds the true birth flower for February. There is no consensus and conspiracy theories are abound. The battle is between the Iris and the Violet. Both make good cases for being the birth flower. The Ancient Greeks considered the Violet a symbol of fertility and love and used it in love potions. The Iris’s claim stems from it being named after the Greek Goddess “Iris”, the messenger of love linking heaven and earth via the rainbow. February is the month containing Valentine’s Day whereupon millions of people send their messages of love. The floral industry is an industry designed to bring smiles and the spread of love, not litigation. Accordingly there is no high court to settle the dispute. Both combatants have a claim to the throne and deserve their place as a representative flower of birth. One reason, perhaps a biased reason, to choose the Violet over the Iris, is that the Iris is one missed key stroke away from being a symbol of fear and detestation (IRS). Nevertheless, we will treat them equally with love and respect.
Iris is a sure favorite for February
Iris
Iris meanings include faith, hope, wisdom, courage, and admiration. There are many species of Iris widely grown and distributed throughout world. From their earliest years, irises were used to make perfume and as a medicinal remedy. Today, they are primarily seen in gardens, in bouquets, and in the wild all over the world. The Iris family includes over 200 varieties in a wide spectrum of colors. Irises are one of the easiest perennials to grow.
While garden irises can come in any of these varieties, the flowers’ commercially cut versions include the most popular blue variety, white, and yellow.
The Fleur-de-lis is the national symbol of France. The Iris is the state flower of Tennessee, and the Fleur-de-lis is the emblem for the city of New Orleans.
Know someone born in February? Violets are a sure fave...
Violet
The Violet’s story stems from Greek mythology. Zeus was in love with a nymph named Lo. Zeus’s wife was suspicious and jealous of Lo. Zeus being fearful of what his wife might due to Lo, turned Lo into a cow. As a cow Lo had no choice but to eat the plain dry boring grasses bringing Lo to tears. Zeus, distraught by the tears of his love, he decided to turn her tears into edible flowers. Thus the Violet was created.
The Violet is mainly found in the Northern Hemisphere. They grow best in moist shaded areas but are tolerable of diverse conditions. The flowers are formed from five petals; four are upswept or fan-shaped petals with two per side, and there is one broad, lobed lower petal pointing downward. With over 400 different variations of the Violet there are a multitude of colors to choose from. Including blue, purple, white, cream yellow and combinations thereof. The purple Violet, hooded blue Violet and butterfly Violet, is very popular in the eastern United States and is the Wisconsin State Flower.
So what to do for a February birthday? How do you choose between the Violet or the Iris.
The personality traits of people who have this birth flower are said to be calm, friendly, faithful, hopeful, and enlightened. Perhaps a person like that will be thrilled with the thought of the gift and not be troubled that you chose one flower over the other. Perhaps to be safe a bouquet of both the Violet and the Iris is best.
Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of Romance” and most of the time we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide. Sometimes we deliver yellow carnations.
Give us a call, visit our website or pop on in! We would love to meet you….
Passionately yours,
The Official Florist
Starbright Floral Design
Located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District
On any team, in any company or in any organization people join in every now and then that you “just know” are going to be around for a very long time and will contribute in a super meaningful way… Barbara is just such a person. Last year we were short-handed for what was the largest wedding production that our organization had ever been involved with. It took our entire team, plus a freelance group (that Barbara was a part of) to basically decorate the Brooklyn Museum. That is when we met Barbara and have not let go since…
Flowers, Festivals and Romance
In her own words, life in the wonderful world of flowers –
At ten years, the floral design industry is one of my two longest-lasting relationships, (the other is my husband, who’s been my partner for seven.) Following are a series of brief descriptors of the business.
In a cash and carry shop I worked at, customers were constantly walking in and saying how wonderful the store smelled. I’d smile and agree, and even lead them to the fragrant flowers if they asked, although I’d been in the store long enough that I couldn’t actually smell them anymore. A favored expression in this business is, “hurry up and wait,” meaning that work is not a steady flow; rather, everyone rushes to meet a deadline, or prep to begin work on an event…and then we just hang around for go time. The florally-related holidays, such as Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Easter, and so on, do produce weeks’ worth of intense work. Sometimes, if a store is lucky, there is more work than even the best-equipped store can handle. Those times generally wear on everyone’s nerves- frazzling coworkers to the point that they want to strangle each other. The hours become long and the amount of work slavish. These periods are counter balanced by the quiet periods, such as January or midsummer, when customers are traveling, or the calendar is empty of a special occasion which calls for flowers. Since flowers are generally short-lived, a commodity rather than a necessity, customers also frequently haggle about the price, or the fact that, yes, there is tax on flowers.
How does the floral business sound after the above descriptions? If the job had been described as such, I probably would’ve looked for a job elsewhere before walking into my first interview with a shop. The truth is, however, that I am, and always have been, hopelessly addicted to flowers. My interest was piqued at an early age by my grandmother, who was a landscape architect. But familial dedication isn’t really enough to explain why I’ve returned again and again to the floral business over a decade. Flowers, if you can stop to take a deep breath and appreciate them, are beautiful in themselves. But let’s face it… how many people can stop to smell the roses? This work is worthwhile to me for the good moments, to be found in every day. When an arrangement comes together, it gives a sense of satisfaction that is immediate and complete. When coworkers also find beauty in something you’ve made, it’s an additional bonus. The maximum gratification comes when a customer’s eyes light up at seeing what you’ve made for them. I’ve also been fortunate to work with many excellent people, not least among them the crew at Starbright. (Especially Brian!!!) There are always laughs to be shared, as well as the sense of accomplishment when a large job is completed, at having contributed to a significant moment or event in someone’s life. If I’m waxing too poetic, sometimes there’s satisfaction at simply having gotten through another day, and having managed to create something in the meantime.
A little bit about Starbright…. Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s historic flower district. Our studio is centrally located in Manhattan. We offer local and worldwide delivery of flowers, plants and gifts of all types. In addition, we are a premier provider of decor in Manhattan for corporate and social special events. To gain a bit of a broader perspective on our organization and on the work that we do, please visit our website at www.starflor.com or reach out to us by phone at 800.520.8999. We are located in Studio 201 at 150 West 28th Street. We hope to see you soon!
So you decided to get married? Congratulations! Your special day is coming! It is truly a big day for you, your partner, your family and your partner’s family! A big congratulations to you all…
Tom and I were talking and in casual conversation the subject turned to what some of the more common mistakes are that brides make when planning their wedding. Well in his own words, some of the pitfalls… Read On!
In my humble opinion, the most common mistake couples make in regards to their wedding flowers is listing too much to other people’s opinions. A wedding celebration should ultimately be a reflection of the couple and THEIR tastes, not a conglomeration of their friends and family’s style.
I often find myself repeating the mantra, “It’s your day, it’s about you two!” Brides are commonly overly concerned with what their guest’s opinions may be and often fear being judged for making certain bold choices. If your friends are critical and negative in regards to the choices you’ve made, are they really friends worth having?
Selecting décor that is opposition to the colors or architecture of the venue is another error that is common. Don’t fight it! Go with it! It will always look better if you chose a color scheme that works within the room’s existing décor. If you don’t have the budget to drape the room completely and create a blank slate, you will always have a more harmonious design scheme if you complement the surroundings.
You will spend less of your budget if you are not trying to distract from or cover over the undesired elements of the room’s trappings.
Here in New York City we have many venues with incredible views. If your venue has stunning skyline or river views, why distract your quests with overly complicated, tall centerpieces?
Generally, you’ve paid a pretty penny for the view! Why take away from that?! I would suggest doing a lower centerpiece so that your guests’ eyes go toward that stunning vista. Perhaps it would be better to create a composite style of arrangement with multiple vases that echo the skyline your quests will be spend the evening admiring.
A little bit about Starbright Floral Design… Starbright is a full-service florist that offers a wide array of services to its clientele. We are located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District (on 28th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue). We serve the general public, our corporate clientele and the Manhattan Hospitality and Special Events Industry all from one central location. Delivery of Flowers, Plants and all types of gifts is available from our store at 150 West 28th Street, by phone at 800.520.8999 or by visiting our website at www.starflor.com. We hope to see you soon!
This year, like every year, Tom S. (Creative Director at Starbright Floral Design) takes a two week sabbatical and goes home to California. While there he works with the organizers of the Rose Bowl Parade and directs the floral decor of several floats. This year he helped create three floats and two of the three won major awards!
Check out the photos that Tom shared with us of his great work! We are so proud to have him on our team! For many of our clients, Tom has directed their weddings, their corporate events and even retail displays throughout Manhattan. Tom is an integral part of our organization, a graduate of Fordham University, one of our most commented team members on Citysearch and just a great human being.
All of us love Tom and we love working with him. We hope you like his work as much as we do! Go Tom!
Look at all these amazing colors that Cymbidium Orchids come in!
It is January and that means that orchids from Holland are back in season! They are available in an amazing array of colors! Selecting the colors you like is probably the hardest part!
Orchids make great gifts, modern stylish and striking floral compositions… They are also used for corsages, bridal bouquets, etc. Give us a call at 800.520.8999 or visit our website at http://www.starflor.com. Ideas galore!
May the year that just started, be the best ever for everyone!
Tom, our Creative Director writes about a “simply divine” wedding that we decorated about a month ago…
“Several weeks ago, Starbright Floral Design participated in an an amazing event at the Brooklyn Museum. It was a wedding that was simply divine. It was an incredible experience for all of us at Starbright and it provided us the opportunity to show just what we are capable of with creativity, teamwork and patience. From cocktails to the ceremony to the elegant reception… the evening showcased florals that were simply out of this world.
What made the evening even better was seeing our clients’ joy and delight. Not only were they relishing the overwhelming happiness of new marriage; they were unbelievably pleased with our hard work. That is what makes our jobs worthwhile. Adding to what is already to what is already one of the happiest and most memorable days in a person’s life is a true and rare gift.”
To visit with Tom, or any one of our team members about your most magical wedding day or for any other event, please call us at 800-520-8999 or visit our website at www.starflor.com. All of us at Starbright Floral Design will be thrilled to hear from you and to be of service in every possible way.
At Starbright we are involved with many destination weddings for brides from all over the world. It is amazing how many folks come to New York City for their special day… One such bride wrote us a note of thanks for our assistance on their wedding day. Included with the note was the above photo of the bouquet we created and the note in part read:
Hello Nic, I am a month overdue on this but I just wanted to thank you for taking such good care of us on our very special and first visit to New York. Arranging the flowers for my friend was such a joy and came with such ease and I must thank you for that. You and your team greeted me with such professionalism. The flowers were perfect and we could not have asked for more. I’m not sure how often you get to see your creations in action so I thought I would share a couple of pics with you.
Thank you again for the great service!
Cheers, Dena
Whether you are coming to New York City for your wedding day, or if you are a native New Yorker, we will always look forward to hearing from you and assisting in every way possible…
For more information on our organization visit our website or give us a call at 800.520.8999. You can always send an email directly to me as well…at nic@starflor.com.
Blooming Thoughts 