Iremember years ago, before I opened a florist, I attended a funeral for a gentlemen I had worked with for many years. I knew how well Don was loved, admired and adored by many friends and family. I went into the funeral home, and I was horrified. There were only a few flowers, no casket spray, basically a empty room. My first thought was "Why?" Don was well loved and liked, thought highly of, where were the rest of the flowers? I just stood, not knowing what to say, a mutual friend came over and said "Isn't this sad? There aren't many flowers." The room was so stark and empty, and most of all, it was lonely. What a statement of Don's life, our last moment to rejoice and honor his memory, instead, emptiness.

Years later, my beloved Aunt Carolyn passed away. When my Mom and Aunt Peggy first saw my Aunt's casket in the room at the funeral home, there were no flowers, later when they returned, and the room was filled with flowers, they broke down. They could "see" how much their their sister had been loved, and important she was to people.

Can you think of a wedding without flowers? Of course not, so why should there be no flowers at a funeral? Flowers satsify certain needs, they really do make people feel better. There are many parts of a funeral that are distressing and stressful, but when you see the flowers, the instant gratification that their loved ones made a difference in this world is worth everything.In a time of grief, family and friends need a diversion from just looking at the person lying in that casket. Flowers are there to offer comfort, and at a time that is very hard to come up with the right words, they offer conversation.

It is noble to give to charities, and to churches, but family and friends need to have the instant knowledge that their loved ones made a difference in this world. Yes, the family might get a postcard in the mail two months down the road stating " a memorial of $ was given in your Aunt's name....", but this will not convey, at the most pivotal time of grieving, what a family so desperately needs, flowers that are touched, smelled, and seen and offer instant peace.

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year for any florist, especially The Bloom Closet Florist. What better way to show your love and affection for someone than with the gift of fresh flowers? They bring a unique, fragrant beauty to your Valentine’s office or home and are a great way to show you care, or, your flowers may say something even more. Some people choose Valentine’s Day to share their true feelings about another person and often send the message on the flower’s card. So, Valentine’s Day flowers have meaning far beyond the floral gifts given the rest of the year.

If you are choosing the gift of flowers for Valentine’s Day to tell that special person how you feel, there are several things to think about to help you make the perfect impression on your Valentine. Don’t feel pressured or overwhelmed when decided what flowers to choose. There are some great guidelines and traditions associated with the day that will make things easier for you, here are some suggestions...

The color red is everywhere on Valentine’s Day. This is not a coincidence. Red signifies passionate love. Red roses are a very popular choice this time of year. If you choose flowers that are not red, you can add red accents such as a vase or ribbon to the arrangement or bouquet you decide on.

Love has been represented by hearts for years and a heart charm, locket or decorative ribbon with hearts make a sweet addition to any floral arrangement. Another neat twist is lily grass in the shape of a heart.

Your Valentine will love receiving their flowers at the office where they will be the envy of all their co-workers. Think of what a bright spot a flower delivery from The Bloom Closet will be on an otherwise typical workday!

If you are not sure what to get your Valentine this year, check with The Bloom Closet Florist. It is the biggest day of the year for The Bloom Closet and we love helping our customers share their love through flowers and make memories forever.

Here are some ideas of what to put on your card if you are having a hard time with the perfect message...

I send a kiss inside the petals of each rose...

With you it's Valentine's Day 365 days a year.

Cupid's aim is still pretty good.

When I think of love, there's only one thing that comes to mind... You!!

I don't want to set the world on fire,
I just want to start a flame in your heart!

All of my heart, I send to you.
All of my life, I'll spend with you.
I love you!


I love you for not only who you are, but for who I am when I am with you.

I love your lips, I love your style,
but most of all I love your smile!

I offer you my heart, right here, right now, forever!

You will always be my valentine.

I love you today,
as I did from the start.
I'll love you forever,
with all of my heart.

Love makes every day a joy, every moment a memory! 


Thank you for the memories of
yesterday, for the happiness today,
and the promise of all tomorrows!

You take my breath away...today and every day.

You are the love of my life.

You are the reason I'm alive.

"True love is friendship set on fire." (French Proverb)

I wish there were more ways to say all that you are to me. Love always.

My heart is filled with love for you.

Flowers today. Fireworks tonight!

You're all I ever dreamed of, a fairytale come true.

I never dreamed that one touch could change my life until you took my hand in yours.

When you go from Florist website to Florist website looking for Valentine's Roses, and you view different prices and wonder why one set of Valentine's Roses is different from the next? Well, I thought The Bloom Closet would explain some of the reasons...

 

A dozen red roses arrive perfectly arranged in a clear glass vase.

This design features roses in what looks like a 8" tall vase, but notice there is no description on how tall the flowers are, really no description at all. One reason for this is that a Teleflora florist will be more likely to fill this order since no size is listed, so instead of getting the nice size arrangement you are looking at, you may get Short Stem Roses, sometimes labeled medium, the total length of the rose is 15" long (40cm), and the buds are generally 1" in diameter and 1.5" high. They cost $59.95 and a 13.99 service fee.

 

 

 

 

The Roses from 1-800Flowers look about the same, except they are one sided, meaning that you have a wall of greenery in the back, nothing wrong with that, just not the usual style for the holiday. So if your Valentine sits in the office they can look at there flowers or they can look at the back of their flowers so everyone else can enjoy them.

 

They do list a size though, 22" high. So they are probably using a 19" rose (50cm), which is a little larger and the same price point at $59.99.
But they are offering a free delivery, but then they charge a $13.99 Service Fee.



These are the Roses from FTD. They are listed as long Stemmed, but they have no length listed. They also are priced higher at $69.99 and their service charge is $14.99, but you still don't know what size you are getting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, here are The Bloom Closet roses. The Bloom Closet uses our 60cm Red Freedom Roses. We use a color 9" Vase, pink for pink roses, red vase for all other colors, different greeneries, such as ruscus, tree fern, Leather leaf, lily grass and long stem, 23-25 long (60 cm) roses, with nice size buds. We also like to add decorative touches to our arrangement, such as a dragonfly, bee or a butterfly. Our rose arrangement is about 26-28" tall. Our roses will cost $59.99, and our delivery is $8.95. That's it, no special handling or service fee, just the roses.

 

And if you purchase your Valentines Flowers today, pay regular price and save some money, the rose prices rise closer to the holiday, so order from The Bloom Closet Today and save some money!

We are very happy to say we came in 3rd Place in the Columbia County's Top 100 in the Best Florist category. So thanks to all the customers that voted for our shop, I really appreciate it!