With spring and Easter fast upon us, our central design department is hopping to it.
This team was hand-crafting our Mixed Spring Garden, which includes a three-bloom hyacinth, mum, tulip, birch branch and silk forsythia bush.
Valentine’s Day is to the floral industry what the Super Bowl is to professional football.
But it’s not a perfect analogy because everyone wins when it comes to beautiful flowers, whether you’re on the giving or receiving team.
Our pre-game festivities are in full bloom, as evidenced by these photos from our Lebanon distribution center and central design department.
Kate Carver is assistant manager of our Harrisburg East store, but on this January Sunday she was filling in at Royer’s sister store, Stephenson’s Flowers & Gifts on Jonestown Road near Harrisburg.
As sometimes happens on Sundays, the store was quiet for a spell until two customers came in, one after the other.
The man, in his 30s, told Kate of his impending military deployment. That night, there was to be a going-away party in his honor. He wanted flowers for the family he would be leaving behind: his wife, 5-year-old daughter, and 2-year-old son.
He was emotional, Kate said. He wasn’t crying, but he was nervous and there was a catch in his voice. He had been overseas before but not since his children had been born.
“He said, ‘It’s definitely feeling different,’ ” Kate said. He said he could not say where he was headed this time.
Meanwhile, the other customer, a woman, browsed while Kate and the man talked. Kate said she would be with the woman shortly, but the woman betrayed no impatience.
The man settled on a mixed bouquet for his wife, a rose with filler and a bow for his daughter, and a Gerbera daisy for his son. He added smiling stick-in balloons for each of the children.
The woman had overheard the conversation. As Kate began to ring up the man’s order, the woman rushed over to the counter.
“I’d like to take care of that,” the woman said.
No, no, no, the man said. That isn’t necessary.
Please, it’s the least I can do for your service, the woman insisted.
The man, the woman, and Kate teared up. The man and the woman hugged.
The man gathered up his flowers and headed out. Kate sensed that he was on the verge of breaking down with emotion.
The next day, Kate sent the woman a bouquet of tulips.
“It was one of those moments that I wanted to thank her for creating that moment,” Kate said.
Into each life, some rain – and snow – must fall.
And with plenty of snow in the forecast for this weekend, we’re playing it safe and moving our Royer’s Kids Club event to Jan. 30.
If you already had reserved a spot at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m., your registration automatically will move to Jan. 30. Only if you can’t join us on the new date do we ask you to call your local store to cancel your registration.
Otherwise, we look forward to kicking off the 2016 kids club schedule and making Valentine’s Day arrangements with you on Jan. 30.
We’re asking participants to put their hearts into our free Royer’s Kids Club event on Jan. 23.
Children ages 5 to 12 will have an opportunity to create a Valentine’s Day arrangement. Participants also will receive a free balloon.
Time slots are available at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Registration is required by calling your nearest Royer’s store.
This is the first of five kids clubs events planned in 2016.
Royer’s will salute military veterans with free red, white and blue bouquets on Nov. 11.
Any veteran who stops by one of our 16 area stores on Veterans Day will receive a bouquet.
“The men and women who have served in our military protected our freedoms every day, often in far-off places and always at great personal sacrifice,” said Greg Royer, president and CEO of the family-owned florist.
“This is our small way of recognizing and honoring their selfless service to our country.”
Click here for store locations and hours.
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On this particular September wedding day, the misty weather presented some logistical challenges for the bride and groom.
The ceremony that had been planned for a beautiful garden had to be moved indoors on short notice. A ballroom had to be transformed into a beautiful garden setting, complete with an arch and flower-festooned aisle.
As they say, into every life some rain must fall. And it was a good reminder that weather is one variable that no one controls, no matter how good of a wedding planner he or she is.
If you want an outdoor wedding, it’s best to have a Plan B just in case. We all know how variable the weather can be in Pennsylvania, after all.
A number of years ago, the Farmers’ Almanac solicited submissions for its “Worst Wedding Weather Contest.” After Texas and Florida, Pennsylvania tied Ohio and Indiana for the most submissions.
Couples from those states “have experienced the soggiest, snowiest, windiest, most hurricane-hampered and hail-ridden wedding weather,” according to the Farmers’ Almanac.
In fact, a Philadelphia-area couple won the contest’s grand prize (a warm-weather cruise) with a tale of how a record snowfall interrupted their wedding plans.
So what should you consider when it comes to creating that Plan B for your outdoor wedding? There are many factors, none more important than the safety and well-being of the wedding couple and their guests.
An article from about.com wedding expert Nina Callaway offers “10 tips for the perfect outdoor wedding.”
Of course, we’re pretty protective of the flowers, too.
We were on hand for that misty September wedding mentioned above. Being a perishable product, flowers require a tender touch. While do-it-yourself can be tempting when it comes to flowers (and other aspects of a wedding), it’s also comforting when a professional is on hand, in good weather and bad.
A florist will ensure that your flowers look their beautiful best. Unlike the weather, this is an aspect of your wedding that you can control.
It was another egg-cellent visit to Fox 43 Morning News for Barry Spengler, our vice president of operations. He joined host Amy Lutz to discuss spring and Easter flowers and plants.
“Winter’s kind of getting out of the way,” Barry said, “and let’s get some spring.”
Among the highlights:
Here’s the entire segment:
To make a sports analogy, Valentine’s Day is a florist’s version of football’s Super Bowl.
So consider what you are seeing in these photos — taken at our distribution center and central design department in Lebanon — as our pre-game show.
Kickoff is five days away.
Our 40-page fall catalog arrived in tens of thousands of mailboxes in October. (If you didn’t receive one, you can pick up a copy at any of our stores.)
With each of our catalogs, we change approximately 20 percent of the product lineup. Ultimately, it’s our customers who determine which arrangements stay in the lineup over the long haul.
How an arrangement makes it into the menu is an exhaustive process. It’s a long way from auditioning for a role to walking the red carpet, in other words.
Weak-selling arrangements are removed, or they are redesigned to give them a more current look. Sometimes an arrangement is discontinued because its container is no longer available.
Once we know how many items are being removed, we begin developing the new items. Inspiration comes from visiting other florists; from walking through gift trade shows in Atlanta and Dallas; from visiting container suppliers to spot trends in colors and styles.
Some of the ideas come from previous holiday selections. If a Mother’s Day item sells out early, for instance, we know there is strong customer demand for it, and it could get into the lineup.
Flower growers are part of the process, too, as we constantly seek out new suppliers. They must be able to provide premium product on a consistent basis. Currently, we are testing flowers from Ethiopia.
In late May, a small team pulls together new containers, flowers and ideas in order to develop new arrangement concepts.
Value engineered
Once we have the concepts, a team of designers turns them into actual arrangements, collaborating on some items or coming up with their own interpretations on others.
We buy flowers in all varieties and colors to keep our lineup fresh and interesting for our customers and designers alike. We also want flowers that we know will be available for at least a year.
With the arrangements made, the original group reconvenes in June/July to make final selections.
The arrangements are “value engineered” to give the best value to our customers. Perhaps better-priced flowers or containers can be used without upsetting the integrity of the designs.
Finally, the approved arrangements are professionally photographed for inclusion in the catalog.
And now it’s in the hands of our customers, who will vote with their pocketbooks and ultimately determine which arrangements stay in our lineup.