flirty fleurs floral industry blog

How to Sell a Wedding by Alison Ellis

Years ago I attended an educational seminar for florists where we were taught “how to price a wedding”. It wasn’t a tutorial on how to multiple by 3 and add labor to determine the cost of an arrangement, rather it was about how to sell the wedding to the customer. I was so eager to […]

The Customer Isn’t Always Right by Alison Ellis

When I first started in the floral business I was trained by some pretty awesome retail florists. I learned how to describe my product, how to listen to what the customer wanted and how to sell it to them in a way that made them feel good. “The customer is always right.” If you’ve worked […]

Callas Are Not Lilies By Alison Ellis

Callas are not lilies and as a professional florist I think it’s time we get this terminology right in our industry. Somewhere along the line callas became known as “calla lilies” and they are constantly referred to in wedding magazines as such, however, they are clearly different flowers and it’s time to draw a distinction […]

Maintaining Floral Integrity by Alison Bucholz-Ellis

A recent Consumer Reports revealed something that I’m sure many people in the flower industry already know—duplicating floral arrangements from a wire service image results in disappointing designs. Multiple deliveries to Consumer Reports left much to be desired as the product received did not resemble the original photos (which in my opinion are hideous to […]

15 Tips: How to book more weddings

Thank you Alison Ellis of Floral Artistry for sharing 15 tips for florists on how to book more weddings! · Be easy to reach via e-mail. E-mail is essential to coordinating with your clients. · Schedule consultations with the lead wedding designer—someone who is skilled and versed in weddings, works well with customers and translates […]

IMHO :: Supermarkets killed the local flower shop by Alison Ellis

I have been working in the floral industry for over 16 years and there is one disturbing trend that cannot be denied; supermarkets are killing the local flower shop. Look around your hometown to see how many locally owned flower shops have survived on the main streets of your town and I bet you’ll see […]