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SALT LAKE CITY — The prospect of Mother’s Day can be so overwhelming. How do you adequately honor the woman who gave you life or who gave that to your children? While many mothers would say that they need little, a bit of recognition is always a good idea.
Having spent time working as a florist, I hope to debunk a little bit of mystery surrounding what some people may find a mystifying pursuit: ordering flowers. Here are five tips to help make your flower-ordering experience smoother.
Buy local
While online services may seem convenient and enticing, they’re actually full of hidden fees and Photoshopped product images. When you order from a website like Teleflora or Blooms Today, that order is actually being fulfilled through a local shop anyway, but with a percentage taken out of your order to compensate for the wire service subscription.
Do yourself a favor and order directly though a shop in your area. Not only are they friendlier, they’re easier to deal with if you have any issues.
Order early
It may be easy to forget about Mother’s Day until Friday or Saturday, but if you’re planning on making an order through a local flower shop, calling in as soon as possible is the best way to make sure you’re accommodated.
If you have a specific flower request, this gives the shop sufficient time to get the order in, or if you’re getting something like lilies that need time to open to look their best, you’ll give the florist plenty of cushion to allow for that. Ordering early gives you a better chance of getting what you want and in a timely fashion.
Think about what you want
No, you don’t have to be a flower expert to be able to help your florist pick something for mom. First, think about whether or not you want the flowers delivered or have something ready for pickup. Delivery is great because it’s an added surprise for the person on the receiving end. Just keep in mind that many local shops may not deliver on Sunday, so plan to have it go out Saturday.
Next, think about what the person getting the flowers would like. Does she have traditional sensibilities? It’s hard to go wrong with a good spring mix of tulips, roses and daises. Does she like fragrant flowers? Stems of stargazer lilies, hyacinth and stock are beautiful and smell amazing. Does she like having her flowers around as long as possible? Consider a long-lasting mix of alstroemaria, carnations and mums. If you want to go the non-traditional route, request tropical flowers or a tray arrangement in floral foam as a modern option.
If she has a favorite flower that you know about, that’s great, too! Talk to your local florist about whether or not it’s available. Keep in mind: a wildly popular wedding flower — the peony — is often requested, but has a very short growing season and can be very expensive. Luckily, not many other flowers' price goes up significantly around Mother’s Day the way roses do when growers jack up the price per stem during Valentine’s Day.
If you make an order over the phone, be prepared to have a message for the accompanying card to go with it. You’d be surprised how many people have no idea what to say when put on the spot.
Think about money
Have a price point in mind when making a floral order. Unless you have a very specific request (a dozen roses, three sunflowers, etc.), the florist will ask you how much you want to spend. I worked at a smaller shop whose average Mother’s Day arrangement ran between $35-$40 with a delivery fee added on top of that. Most flower shops also have a minimum order amount they’ll take and still deliver it, so keep that in mind.
If you’re looking to save a little money, there are a few ways to accomplish that. First, don’t put a lot of money into fancy vases if you’d rather spend more money on the flowers themselves. Particularly around holiday seasons, shops carry a wide variety of novelty containers. If you’re willing to spend money there, it’s a fun added gift for mom, but if you’re looking to keep the money in the blooms, you can make that request.
Some shops will even accommodate you if you bring in a vase you already have — just be sure to get it to them plenty early. You can skip the vase altogether and get a bunch of flowers wrapped in cellophane, but you do lose the added benefit of having flowers arranged and tabletop ready. You can also save money by picking up your order instead of having it delivered.
Trust the florist
Speaking from experience, my favorite orders were ones where someone placed an order, knew how much they wanted to spend and ended the call with my three favorite words: “I trust you.” This meant creative freedom, which always resulted in my best arrangements. It’s good to have some direction, but also nice to have the kind of autonomy conducive to good work.
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