Written By: Phaedra, an Element Designer
Congratulations! We are so excited to get your flowers, so we can give them back to you! We know that there’s about a million things to do before and during your wedding, but after your event, there are just a few things left to do. If you’re asking us, the main one is to get your flowers from your hands into ours! While that may make you a little nervous, each step of the way is laid out here for you, so you can go into your special day knowing that your beautiful bouquet will get safely on its way to us. If you’re handling the process on your own, keep these things in mind. If you’ve delegated the task to a trusted loved one, pass this along to them and go about your wedding free of worries!
It’s very important that, before following these steps, you ensure you’ve placed your order. We do accept orders placed after an event, but we will need your order number before your flowers arrive.
1. Keep Your Bouquet Fresh
The most important thing you can do is keep your florals as fresh as possible, and we have plenty of tips to help! This is especially important in the hot summer months.
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After the ceremony and photos, your bouquet should go into fresh, clean water. While this means skipping the bouquet toss, it does mean you can keep your flowers close by letting them sit in a vase. We love the idea of utilizing your own bouquet as table decor at your sweethearts’ table. If you have ribbons, be sure to keep them out of the water as best you can– a casually draped ribbon will add to the beauty of the displayed blooms.
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When the festivities are over, be sure to move any florals you plan to send our way to a cool, dry space. If you’re keeping any flowers in the refrigerator, make sure they are as close to the center of the fridge as possible, and check that your settings aren’t too cold. Freezing can be just as tricky to overcome as flowers drying out (though, we have ways to help if either happen! You can find more information on our Rose Experience, our floral insurance, which will allow us to order more florals if needed).
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If you know that your flowers won’t be on their way to us until a few days after the event, be sure to change the water daily, and continually check on the blooms.
2. Packing The Flowers
Packaging your arrangements for shipping can seem daunting, but is not too hard at all! If you are a visual learner, we have a detailed video here. For those who prefer written out directions, we listed everything you need to know here!
- Before beginning, make sure your order is placed, and print out our shipping sheet, which you will be able to find here. On this sheet, you can list out each item you are including in your box, so nothing will be missed! If there’s anything you want us to note, such as important or especially sentimental flowers, or concerns about the quality, email or call us after sending in your flowers.
- For packing up fresh flowers, you will first need to wrap the stems in damp, but not soaked, paper towels, and then a layer of aluminum foil. This will keep the stems fresh, but will avoid anything getting too mushy by absorbing too much water. You can do this with both a bouquet and a boutonniere. If you are sending a boutonniere, tuck it among the other blooms within the bouquet and make sure to let us know on your shipping print out.
- If you are unsure of how much to send, you can refer to our ordering guide.
- Once your stems are wrapped, take a small box and cut an X in the top of it, which you put the stems into. Before you do, secure the smaller box into a larger one. Once it is secure, put the stems into the hole created by the X and surround the flowers with packing paper, crumbled newspaper, or other packaging material that has plenty of give so it will not crush your blooms in transit.
- If you are packaging a dried bouquet, carefully lay the arrangement in a nest of bubble wrap, packing paper, or foam– anything soft and cushiony for the delicate dried elements! Then, place more packing paper on top of the bouquet, so it is softly sandwiched between.
- Tape the shipping print out to the top of the box, and be sure to include your order number, and the name of the person receiving the finished products if you are not ordering for yourself.
- On the outside of your box, be sure to indicate which side is meant to face up (stems on the bottom, flowers on top) by either writing on the box or using stickers.
3. Shipping and Drop Off Appointments
We’re almost there! The final piece is to get your bouquet on the road to us.
- If you are dropping off, please make sure you have a drop off appointment scheduled. You can schedule your appointment when your order is placed. You can skip the packing bit and just focus on keeping the flowers fresh! We recommend not keeping your vases too full while in the car– no need to have any spills!
- We are located in Easton’s West Ward, convenient to both the 78 and 22 highways. We very often have parking in front of our building, but please note that we are on a busy city street and that is not always guaranteed. Perhaps consider having two people drop off if you are bringing a large amount of florals.
- If you are shipping, we urge you not to use USPS. While we appreciate our national postal chain, they are less able to guarantee a speedy arrival, which is imperative! Please use FedEx, UPS, or another mail courier.
- We are not at the shop during weekends, so please wait until the Monday after your event to send in your flowers. Check our holiday schedule, and if you are getting married over one of the weekends before a holiday, you will likely want to overnight the bouquet on the first available business day.
- Keep your tracking number handy, so you can check on the progress of your flowers. When your arrangements are in our shop, we need a little time to intake them (our instagram followers know Tuesdays are big delivery days!), but as soon as the flowers are photographed and logged in our system, you will receive an email letting you know they’ve arrived and their condition.
4. Get Excited!
Yay! You did it, and now you have your beautiful keepsakes to look forward to! Here are a few things to note while you await your finished pieces.
- Our current turnaround time is six to twelve months. If your flowers are received during our busy season, you can expect your preservation to arrive closer to the end of that timeframe.
- No news is good news! We are not likely to reach out during the preservation or design process, unless we have a specific question.
- If you are taking advantage of our Peony Experience, look out for an email to schedule your first design consultation.
