Category: Event Decor

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS AND HOW TO KEEP THEM

Happy New Year!

It’s that time of year again.  Time for introspection and goal setting for self-improvement.  Time for our New Year’s resolutions destined to fail.  All of us at Starbright are here to help.  Here are a list of the Top 9 New Year’s resolutions and our guidance in successfully accomplishing them.  Think of it as public service announcement…

1. Lose Weight and Get in Better Physical Shape

Everyone knows the benefit of physical activity to one’s health.  A suggestion to help accomplish this very important, perhaps lifesaving, goal.  When ordering your flowers and/or gift baskets think about coming by in person rather than telephonically or via internet.  Centrally located in the flower district we are walking distance to Times Square.  For an added benefit try using the stairs as we are located on the second floor.

2. Find My Soul Mate

Romance is alive and well as more and more people are looking for that special someone, their soul mate who lights their fire, the ONE whom they love unequivocally and who shares their worldview.   This one is easy.  What’s better received by a romantic interest than a beautiful bouquet of flowers by Starbright (with an added benefit-zero calories)?

3. Find a Better Job

A new year provides a sense of getting a free do-over, so you can try again and get it right. Many people resolve to find better jobs or to take a new approach to the jobs they’ve already got.   What better way to help a friend take the leap of faith than with delivery of flowers and/or gift baskets with an encouraging message attached.  Disregard this resolution if your friend is a concierge at one of the many hotels who choose Starbright for their needs.

4. Stick to a Budget

Many people find it very difficult to stick to a budget. It does take hard work and a lot of self-discipline, at least in the beginning.   Again we are here to help with a helpful suggestion.  Come the New Year send yourself a regularly scheduled weekly arrangement with a motivational reminder on the message card such as “STICK TO YOUR BUDGET BUT DON’T FORGET TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES”.

5. Get Organized

Resolve this year to plan your days, reduce interruptions, and clean off your desk.   The benefits of getting more organized include being able to save time, as you no longer look for the same things over and over again or need to replace things you can’t find at all.  Starbright is here to motivate.   Just think how beautiful any of our wide array of floral arrangements would look on your freshly organized desk or clutter free home.

6. Enjoy More Quality Time with Family & Friends

Resolve to spend more quality time with family and friends this year.   This one is easy as well.  Starbright offers quick and courteous delivery with the purchase of any of our products allowing you to spend quality time with loved ones.

7.  Go Green

More and more people are resolving to “Go Green”.  Starbright is all over it.  As one of the largest retailers in NYC we have a large collection of green flowers.  Including Hydrangea, Jade Roses, Bells of Ireland, Spider Mums and Cymbidium Orchids.  However, our designers would urge you to accent these green flowers with others such as red/yellow/pink Roses, Tulips, Lilies, Carnations etc.

8.  Passion

Resolve to become more passionate.  No doubt an amiable goal in life is to attack every day with love and youthful enthusiasm.  What leisurely pursuit can be more rewarding than creating a thing of beauty such as a bouquet of flowers.  Starbright is open to the public seven days a week.  Come tour our facility and pick out the flowers that light that passionate fire within you.  Along the way our designers will happily give you suggestions and/or assistance as you need it.  Come choose from a multitude of roses, lilies, orchids, tulips, peonies.  Anything your passionate heart desires we have it.

9.  Decrease Stress

Resolve to lower your stress and the stress of the people around you.  It is impractical to send people you love fish tanks filled with fish.  According to a recent MSNBC article flowers are the new fish tank.  Fish have been shown to lower stress levels in people who don’t fear being confined in small places.  Getting lost in the beauty of colorful floral arrangement has been shown to lower the stress level in all.  Send more flowers to those you love and encourage them to send you flowers.  Your health depends upon it!  Starbright Floral Design (800) 520-8999 (the 911 for stress relief).

Just jump on Facebook and give us some of your New Year’s Resolutions and our team of floral designers (humanitarians) will endeavor to suggest ways on how Starbright can help.

 

Starbright Floral Design is the “Official Florist of Romance” and  we deliver flowers, love, passion and hope everywhere in Manhattan and worldwide.  Now we deliver on New Year’s resolutions too!

 

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

150 West 28th Street, Studio 201.

T. 800.520. 8999

Web: www. starflor.com

E-commerce portal: www.starbrightnyc.com

 

 

The Season of Cheer is Here!

Holliday Flowers of the Season - Brought to you by Starbright
May the season's joy be in your home every day of the year!

To all our friends and clients… The season has arrived where we all take a deep breath and take the time to appreciate the little things that mean so much.  We celebrate all those who are in our lives and help make the season special.

Throughout the year, you have all been a source of inspiration to us all.  All of us at Starbright Floral Design are getting ready to go to our families and raise a glass and we wanted to take a moment to thank you for all the opportunities that you have given us to be of service.

All the fresh flower arrangements, all the fruit baskets, and all the gifts that you have asked us to deliver big and small; all year long; we will be forever grateful for.  Thank you for all  that you have done to help put Starbright on the map and to make this year (our 15th year) a truly special one!

By visiting our website at www.starflor.com and our e-portal at www.starbrightnyc.com, you will be able to see all that the new year and  the seasons ahead have to offer.

It is now time to turn down the lights and go home…Let’s have a wonderful holiday season that is warm and joyous.  We should continue to make memories with our friends and family that will last a lifetime.   Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Greetings of the Season and Good Cheer to all…

Thank you for all you have done to support us –  May 2011 be the year of successful endeavors for us all….

My personal warmest regards and gratitude,

 

Nic Faitos, Senior Partner

Starbright Floral Design – The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps…

150 West 28th Street, New York City – We are located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.

To Contact Us: 800.520.8999

Web: www.starflor.com

E-Portal: www.starbrightnyc.com

 

 

 

Dutch Hydrangea in Short Supply…

Hydrangea From Holland
Hydrangea - Fantastical Love

Good day everyone…

We all love hydrangea and no doubt that this is the time of the year for it.  I just got word from our friends in Holland that the Dutch varieties are almost done for the year.  If you  are planning a wedding, have an event coming up and are planning to use these magnificent blooms, please consult with your team, your experts and you may want to consider a second choice.  Here is a verbatim copy of the notice I received in the past day or so…

Good morning, we just would like to update you on the Hydrangea situation as it is at this moment.

Hydrangea are getting more and more limited, and difficult to get good quality ones.  Especially the fresh colors like pink, white, blue are almost done.  They will be available for another week or two, but because they are so limited available, they are very, very, very expensive, please keep that in mind when you take wedding orders for these fresh colors!

The Green and Green-Red Antique ones are plenty available, green-red, red-green, antique red, antique green are all available, and in good quality, decent priced.

Antique blue is available pimpernel antique, really, really nice, but are expensive!

Antique pink is done, we really do not like the quality no longer of those.

This is an unedited note from one of our main suppliers in Holland and we are posting out there so that if anyone has made plans to use these varieties in  the next few weeks, please check with your supplier for alternate colors or alternative sources (South America).

All of us at Starbright are truly grateful for every opportunity that you offer us to be a part of your special events, to decorate for your corporate events, your weddings and to send every day flower gifts in New York City and worldwide.  We invite you to visit us at http://www.starflor.com or to give us a call at 800-52-8999.

Starbright Floral Design is “The Official Florist of the City That Never Sleeps” and we are located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District – at 150 West 28th Street, Studio 201.

To send a gift anywhere  in the world you may do so by calling us or by visiting the E-Commerce  portal of our website by clicking HERE.

Have a great day (and sorry about the Hydrangea news!),

 

The Official Florist

 

 

 

Starbright Floral Design is Back in the Blogosphere…

Visit Starbright for Bright Fall Sunshine
There are many bright colors available year-round... These are just some of them!

Hello Friends!

After a long hiatus from our blog and as our scribes grew stale, we needed to jump-start our adventure all over again.  I wanted to title this entry “Starbright is Back” but that would not have been accurate as we never went away.  Our amazing flowers have been around all year-long and our decor has graced more venues than you can possibly imagine.  We have really had a fun year so far.

So much fun in fact that while we did not forget to blog, the truth is that we lost our stride.  Our fingers clamped up and the writing side of our brain stopped thinking (or writing what we thought!).  Anyways, here we are and  I almost would  like to take a moment to reintroduce ourselves, who we are and what we do….

Starbright Floral Design (www.starflor.com) was started in 1994 fifteen years ago as a premier floral provider to the special event and hospitality markets of New York City.  Since then we have grown to offer world-wide delivery of flowers, plants, orchids and gifts of all  sorts.  We have  won many awards and  accolades (both local and national), but what we are the most proud of is the reviews that you will see about Starbright online.

If you  go to Citysearch, Yelp or even Google, you will see that we are one of the most reviewed florists nationally and certainly the most reviewed in Manhattan.

Stay tuned for many great articles that are getting ready to come down the pike.  In the meantime, if you would  like to send someone amazing flowers give  us a call at 1-800-520-8999.  Or you can visit our website at www.starflor. com.  We would love to hear from you and help in every way that we can.

Many thanks to all our friends and  clients.  We will always look forward to being of service.

Warm regards,

The  Official Florist.

Starbright Floral Design – The Official Florist of the City that Never Sleeps

We are  located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District.  On 28th Street, in Chelsea – between 6th and 7th Avenue.

 

Starbright in the Community…

Just this past week we had the opportunity to work with the Etheopian World Federation (an NGO based inside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City).  A memorial service  was held and we donated the flowers for the Meditation Center at the UN.  While we are extremely proud of every donation that we make and every cause/event that we are a part of, this one was very dear to us.  It is always an honor for us to help and to assist those that need it the most and those who are not the popular or “in” charities that easily obtain funds and donations. Below are the thoughts that were shared with us by our client…

Hello Mr.  Faitos
The Ethiopian World Federation just wants to thank you for your donation.

On July 30th at the United Nations Meditation Center The “YEWMBA” Ye Ethiopia Wiyen Mahber Be Alem celebrated the Birth and life of Emporer Haile Selassie. The Memorial for Emperor Haile Salassie was a memorable and inspiring celebration of  a great king and African pioneer. He was a man that stood for international Human Rights and Africa’s Human rights. He believed that in order for a country to prosper there must be modernization and centralization. In honor of his legacy Delegates from the Ethiopian Federation attended the ceremony along with many spectators. Highlighting the celebration three dozen beautiful white roses was the center piece signifying spiritual love and respect. We will all remember his movement, his voice, his struggle and his courage.

Pamela Vera
(917) 536 – 6465
Ad Hoc Unit Coordinator
New York City Headquarters
Ethiopian World Federation

Ethiopian World Federation
501(C)(4)NGO
In United Nations-ECOSOC Consultative Status
P.O. Box 2382 – New York, NY 10027
NYC: Tele: 1-646-201-3372
Email: humanaffect.org or ethiopianworldfederation@yahoo.com
Web: ethiopianworldfederation1937.com or humanaffect.org

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!

Flowers and Passion Through Barbara’s Eyes…

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 by Starbright...
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!

Getting Married? Mistakes to Avoid With Your Flowers…

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!

Meet the Starbright Team!

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!

We LOVE the Newest Member of the Starbright Family!

Every year in January, Tom Sebenius (our Creative Director) takes a sabbatical to go to his home state of California to work decorating floats for the Rose Bowl Parade.  This past January there was a professor and some students from BYU that were a part of the creative team in Pasadena as well.  Through good old fashioned networking, Tom heard about Jaime Garrett (A BYU – Idaho) who was just dying to find an internship in a high impact florist and would just be thrilled with a New York City experience in the Summer of 2010.

After a few back and forth emails, Jaime packed her bags from Idaho and headed East for the summer.  She has been  with us for about six weeks now, taking in the New York City experience and having the time of her life in our store.  All I can say is that I truly hope that she is enjoying her time with us and getting as much out of this experience as we are by having met her.  Jaime is an amazing, dedicated and super dynamic person that will truly be missed when she heads back to school at the end of her internship.

They say that a worthwhile life is a life that you spend positively touching the lives of others.  Jaime has touched us all with  her smile, her positive outlook and her attention to detail.  A true pro in the making.  JAIME:  You have made lifelong friends at Starbright!

Here is a short version of Jaime’s experience at Starbright in her own words:

I am Jaime Garrett and I am a student at Brigham Young University Idaho. I am currently studying horticulture with a floral design emphasis. One requirement of a horticulture major is to do an internship. Ever since I learned that I would need to do an internship, I knew I wanted to intern in New York.  There was something about the city the never sleeps that always intrigued me.  So, when the time came for me to find an internship I made a list of different floral shops and began my hunt to find the right place for me. I found Starbright Floral Design through students and teachers from school who had worked with some of the Starbright team at the Pasadena Rose Parade. When Starbright said they were willing to take me on for the summer I could not have been more excited.

When I arrived in New York I was overwhelmed with the millions of people, the crazy taxi drivers and the very confusing subway system.  But, I was not going to let a little culture shock bring me down! I was ready to start work at Starbright. Things were definitely different and new to me when I first started working and I had a lot to learn.  I was excited to learn more and adapt to their style of design. Everything about they way the designed impressed me and made me want to learn more.

I have now been working at Starbright for a few weeks and am really enjoying myself. Some of the things I have had the great experience to be part of are; working on events and parties, working on site at hotels, and helping with wedding work. I have learned more than I could ever imagine and am still learning more each day. My time here is not done, and I am really grateful for that!

A few words  about Starbright Floral Design:

We are a premier New York City Florist (highest rated on Google and Citysearch) that specializes in décor (plant and cut flower) for corporate and institutional clientele.  Our plantings and floral is featured in many prominent New York City offices, hotels and restaurants throughout Manhattan (references are available).  We are permanent members of NYC & Company and HSMAI.  Our presence in the corporate community has been well documented since our inception in 1994.

Starbright is located in New York City’s Historic Flower District on 28th Street.  Our location enables us to provide outstanding service and prices while offering displays whose freshness is at its peak.

You may visit us online at www.starflor.com or call us at 800.520.8999

Starbright Exclusives…

Our new designs are here! Introducing the Starbright Exclusives…

We invite you to visit our website at www.starflor.com and once on our site click on the giant “G” for gifts.  There is an entire section devoted to Starbright Exclusives.  (It is listed on the top left).  In this section you will see new, modern and unique gift ideas that were created at our own design table.

Apple Lime Ice

These gift selections are not part of a mass catalog that any FTD-type florist can recreate.  Rather they are bespoke and created with individuality and to your taste.  The Starbright Exclusives section is a line of floral gifts that is available in New York City (within our own delivery area) and in most major markets where  we have developed strong partnerships with florists that adhere  to the same principles of design and customer service that we do.  This is a group of stores that has developed a code of standards that exceeds the typical flowers by wire environment.  By placing your flower order with us, you know that your request is in great hands and your gift will always be delivered just as you requested. Click on THIS LINK to see all our unique designs.

What is even more  fun, is that as our designs are being rolled out we are giving our clients the opportunity to name the arrangements!  Every time we are about to add a design to our collection, we will post the photo on our Facebook page and we will ask our fans (over 1600 at the present moment) to submit their ideas of  what we should call each composition.  Names have been created like “Purpleberry Lady”, “Orchid Alleycat” and “Apple Lime Ice” and they have all come from our friends and fans.

Exotic orchids, amazing calla lillies, elegant presentations of spring flowers and the most modern presentations imaginable are all there.  Have a look at our collection (CLICK HERE) and have a look.  We hope you find the presentations to be both refreshing and an interesting alternative  to common flowers!

Starbright Floral Design is a leading floral organization in the New York Metropolitan Area with our studio located in the Historic Flower District on 28th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.  We have been honored by our audience as the most reviewed florist in New York City (consistently earning five stars), recognized by Citysearch and The Knot as the top florist in New York City for 2009 and 2010.

Flowers, Festivals and Celebrations.  It is what we do!
Cheers, Nf

Find us online, give us a call (800.520.8999) or stop on by.  We would love to meet you!

Opening the Eventi Hotel

On the 08th of June it was a very special day in the history of hotels and hospitality for New York City.  The newest hotel opening in our city took place.  The Eventi officially opened its doors with a spectacular opening bash and a party for the press and everything travel, tourism and hospitality.  The hotel opened in the center of New York City’s historic flower district and the property naturally has a flair for “everything flower”.

On the opening day, we were involved with many areas of decor throughout the hotel.  Here  are some examples of what we did:

There was a “Flower Garland” cutting ceremony instead of a ribbon cutting ceremony.

We supplied thousands of flower blooms that were on display in compositions throughout.  The lobby of the hotel, the meeting rooms, the suites and even the spa were all decorated…

The front sidewalk of the hotel was converted into a public flower market where the general public walking past the hotel was  welcomed with rare seasonal blooms.

The hotel ballroom was decorated with flowers, balloons, champagne and votive candles in the theme of a New Year’s party to depict the start of a New Era in hospitality for New York City and beyond.  We want to thank our partners who invited us on the team to be a part of this historic day at the Hotel.  The Eventi (a Kimpton Hotel) and M. Silver Associates (msilver-pr.com) the PR agency that we worked so closely with to make so much of this happen and to make it a reality.

Here  are some photos of the day – enjoy!

Celebrating a New Begining in Manhattan Hospitality!
An Outdoor Flower Market… Starbright Flowers Everywhere!
Amazing Blooms and Blue Skies Over Manhattan!
Cutting the Garland Ribbon to Officially Open the Hotel.

Starbright Floral Design (www.starflor.com) is a full service floral design studio in New York City.  We carry the most amazing seasonal blooms and deliver gifts daily (seven days) up to 8PM.   In addition to local flower deliveries, we also handle worldwide flower requests, special events, press junkets, plant care and much more.  Give us a call (1.800.520.8999) or visit our website (www.starflor.com) to learn more about our organization and the work that we do.  We look forward to hearing from you and to meeting you soon!