Tag: flowers in new york city

Having a Corporate Flower Policy

Flowers are great for business!
Flowers bring appreciation, create strong bonds and boost morale.

Are you in Human Resources?  Perhaps an Office Manager? Perhaps you are the owner of a small to medium-sized firm?

Does your company like to send gifts to clients and employees alike?  Is it a cost that is outside of your normal budgets and you cannot seem to get a handle on how much money is being spent on flowers and related gifts?  If so, read on!

Starbright Floral Design (www.starflor.com) has helped many companies organize their gift giving so that it is both fair and a controlled expense.  Our clients send the occasion-appropriate gift and they always do so with great savings.  Here  is what you need to do:

  1. Pick ONE florist to do all your business with.  We would like it to be Starbright, but even if it is not, you still want to use one source and become one florist’s good customer.  It makes no sense to go to the yellow pages or to the  internet and say “gee, I wonder which florist I will pick today”.  By having one vendor you know that this person will take care of you.  You are an important client to the florist and you will get a few extra flowers, an upgrade and even issues that arise are more likely to be resolved in your favor.
  2. Standardize your occasions (both for employees and clients).  Do you want  to send gifts for maternity? sympathy? promotion? anniversary? get well? birthday?  If you know in advance what occasions automatically call for a flower gift, then there is no thought involved (should we do it? should we not?).  It is a task that has been pre-decided, delegated and the vendor has been pre-selected.
  3. Do you classify your team?  Executives, front line employees, new hires, etc. Do you want to plan on a certain expense for floral gifts based on an employees title?
  4. What about budgets? Typically in a Flower Policy, you will see something like: Sympathy – $125, Births – $75, Get Well – $50 and so on.
  5. You may also want to consider other offerings besides flowers that your local florist may have like Fruit and Gourmet Baskets, Plants, Orchids, Stuffed Animals, Balloons, and so much more.  The greater the specificity in your policy the more standardize the procedure becomes and the greater the chances of success.

Flowers are a great way to boost employee morale and a Flower Policy will take the guess-work out of the equation.  Oh! There is one added benefit – EVERYONE gets treated equally!  Imagine if one assistant sends a $75 get-well arrangement and the next assistant a $40 one! Employees talk… Employees wonder… Flower Policies are great!

Now that you have decided that you need a flower policy all of us at Starbright will be thrilled to help you write one and to work with you so that your program becomes a success.  We have helped many small and large, local and international organizations benefit from our experience  in this area.  Whenever  you have a free moment, please feel free to visit our website at www.starflor.com or our gift-giving portal at www.starbrightnyc.com.  All of us at Starbright will be thrilled to have the opportunity to be of service to you.

With our warmest regards,

 

The Official Florist

NOTE: You can also find us on Facebook!

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!

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 Floral Design gets more accolades…

Starbright Floral Design was recently named a member of Teleflora’s National Account Program, an elite incentive and loyalty program that is created exclusively for the tom member florists in the United States.   This program was created by Teleflora as a way to recognize the top tier florists throughout America and to recognize/support hard work, excellent quality and tremendous customer service.

Starbright Floral Design was founded in 1994 and is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District on 28th Street (150 West 28th Street, Studio 201).   Over the past twelve months we have  been recognized in several other categories of quality and service – including: The top pick florist in Manhattan for weddings by The Knot and also The Best Florist in New York City by Citysearch for 2009.  In addition we are both the highest rated and most reviewed florist on line with over 70 reviews and  five stars.

We are very proud of all the awards and accolades that have come our way.  None are we more honored of than the oooh’s and aaah’s that are expressed by receiving a gift from Starbright.  Give us a call (800.520.8999) or visit our website for worldwide delivery of the most amazing flowers and gifts!

We will be thrilled to be of service!

The Starbright Team

Flowers, Festivals & Celebrations...

A smile on a child is only surpassed by a mom’s smile….

Mother’s Day at the Ronald McDonald House is really special.  This year it touched our hearts in a very special way.   The New York City Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org/nyc) organized a very special Mother’s Day at the Ronald McDonald House in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  Moms and kids got to spend the day together.  There was fun, there was laughter and it was a very special day.  Hearts were touched as only hearts can be.

Starbright Floral Design proudly provided floral decor and centerpieces for the room where  food was served and everyone lounged for a lazy afternoon.  The real highlight?  Every child got  a rose to give to his/her mom.  For many years now we proudly support and sponsor both of these organizations and we have worked with both very closely.  When the LLS called us to ask us to do this event, they did not know that we already work with the RMH and bringing these two groups together was really special for us.   We would like to encourage everyone we know to support these two amazing groups that do so much for all of us.

Starbright Floral Design with Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the Ronald McDonald House in New York City
Mother's Day was really special this year!

About Starbright Floral Design – Starbright (http://starflor.com/) is a full service florist and floral delivery company located in Manhattan.  Our store, our studio and our offices are in the wholesale flower district on 28th Street and 7th Avenue.  We provide same day delivery of flowers  everywhere, event decor, corporate and institutional services, etc.  Starbright is the most reviewed florist on the web and we have a consistent FIVE STAR ranking everywhere.  Please feel free to visit our website to learn more about us, our flowers and the work that we do.

http://www.rmdh.org/Page.aspx?pid=196

Starbright Goes to School… Kindergarten to be exact!

It is rare that you can have this much fun at work!  It is even more  rare when you can say that the work you do is this rewarding….  About a week ago a bunch of folks from the Starbright team, headed down the block in our neighborhood to a local school and spent some time with some really young farmers and gardeners.

School children at that young age can really change your  perspective  with the way they see  things and their eagerness to learn.  The questions they ask and the curiosities that they seek to satisfy.  For the rest of the school year they will watch their seedlings grow and their imagination will run wild.  Going to the farmer’s market will never  be the same for them, the plant that they will help mom water on their terrace, or the impatiens outside their building will have a whole new meaning.

Truth be told this experience  has a whole new meaning for us too.  Spending the day in the classroom enlightened our team on what the true rewards in life really are.  Our hats are off to their teachers who spend so much time and are  so dedicated to their daily lives.  Thank you for sharing such a moment with us.  We were enlightened and we learned more  than you can imagine!

About Starbright Floral Design – Starbright is a full service floral design studio and florist.  We server  the greater New York City community from our hub in the center of the historic flower district on 28th Street and 7th Avenue.  For more information on our organization and on the services that we provide, please visit our website at www.starflor.com or give us a call at 800-520-8999.  World wide delivery.  Amazing flowers, award winning designs and phenomenal reviews online.

The Peak of Hydrangea Season

It is the peak of the season for hydrangea!  We have selected a few of the very interesting varieties and colors that are coming to us from Holland to showcase… Starbright Floral Design is showcasing these varieties of flowers for delivery anywhere in New York City over the course of the springtime.  To order these amazing blooms, you may need to pre-order and keep in mind that they are in short supply and very high demand.  For this reason we ask for your flexibility in delivery date, etc.  For more great ideas, please visit our website at www.starflor.com or give us a call at 800-520-8999.  Flower delivery worldwide.  Starbright Floral Design is located in the heart of New York City’s Historic Flower District (on 28th Street in Manhattan).

Scroll down and enjoy the hydrangea!

The Emerald Classic Hydrangea By Starbright Floral Design
"Expression" a Springtime Favorite Hydrangea Variety - By Starbright Floral Design
The Harlekijn Hydrangea - Dutch by name, Starbright by Design
Verena Rose - a hydrangea variety like no other. Delicate and Soft... Brought to you by Starbright Floral Design
The Bela Hydrangea By Starbright Floral Design