Just a quick entry to reiterate the fact that the FlowerHaus has closed its' doors and is no longer accepting orders. Thanks to all for your support over the years.

Sincerely
Mark and Stephanie

Dear FlowerHaus Friends and Customers,



Welcome to the FlowerHaus 2.0! As some of you may have heard and/or noticed, the FlowerHaus retail storefront closed its' doors last week. After 5 long years of battling ravaging hurricanes, unresponsive landlords, leaky roofs and Big Box retail giants such as Wal-Mart, Target and Publix who sell loose flowers cheaper then even we pay for them, My husband Mark and I decided that we had "lost the passion" for the retail side of the flower business. So instead of giving it less then a 100% effort, we decided it was best for both ourselves and our loyal FlowerHaus customers if we moved in a direction away from the "traditional" retail flowershop.

We decided to focus on what is really important to our customers; delivering the freshest possible flowers with the highest quality designs. Isn't this what you really want when you purchase flowers for the important occasions in your life? Or when you decide upon a professional to provide focused attention to detail on that most special of days, your wedding? We think so!

The next month or so will be a time for transition for us, but we really feel it's in the best interests of both ourselves and our loyal FlowerHaus customers to make this move. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE STILL ACCEPTING ORDERS AND WEDDDING CONSULTATIONS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AND TELEPHONE. We are adopting the "warehouse" florist model, where we keep our cost down to a minimum so we can deliver the maximum of VALUE and QUALITY (the hallmarks of our success) to our cherished customers.

We will miss our retail shop...my husband Mark and I spent countless hours renovating the space to create a unique environment for shoppers, but the time is right for the FlowerHaus to "grow" (pun intended) into our new skin. Many thanks to all of our fantastic customers for making us the #1 flower shop in Brevard county, and thanks for the memories.

Sincerely,
Stephanie and Mark, Owners
Uniquely Stephanie's FlowerHaus

Sometimes our customers know exactly what they want, other time, perhaps the casual flower buyer is somewhat confused between the terms "vase" or "wrap" or "handtied", so we put together a quick primer on the different type of styles that the FlowerHaus offers its valued customers...

Hand Tieds

As the name implies this is a collection of flowers, arranged in the hand and then delivered ready to be popped straight into a vase. Usually they'll be delivered in a water bubble so that they stay fresh till the person has time to unwrap them as they cannot stay in the wrapping for longer than a few hours. A great idea for most people, but please note that they are NOT RECCOMMENDED for hospitals, new mums, funerals or sympathy flowers.

Wraps

Some people hate them but if you know a person who likes to arrange their own flowers or don't want to spend a fortune then these are a great way of saying ‘I'm thinking of you'. Arrange in a flat style and usually wrapped in a swathe of cellophane or Kraft paper, they're great for delivery to houses but please note these are NOT RECCOMMENDED for office deliveries, hospitals, or new mums as they need to be put in water fairly quickly after delivery.

Vase Designs

Made into glass or acrylic clear vases these are a wonderful way of sending a profusion of flowers to a special person. The flowers will be delivered in water but it will need topping up and it may be that the florist will line the vase with interesting leaves or textures. Great for office or home delivery, and, as long as an acrylic vase is used, hospitals.

Container Arrangements

Made into floral foam, which provides good moisture facilities, container arrangements can be made into virtually anything … from baskets to funky tin buckets and all points in-between. You can even have a profusion of flowers made into pretty mugs, cool handbags or hat boxes so that there's a prezzie to keep after the flowers have died.
Container arrangements are perfect for every location … and HIGHLY SUITABLE for hospital deliveries. However, only basket designs are suitable for funerals or sympathy gifts.

Planted Bowls

Well actually planted bowls, tins, baskets and boxes. If it can hold soil it can hold plants and the perfect choice for green fingered people who like nurturing something. The choice of plants can either be all green or flowering or a mixture of the two. However the florist will choose plants that work well together to give your gift plenty of texture and long life.

Sympathy Flowers

Funerals are tough at the best of times which is why the flowers you choose are so important to the bereaved. You can either select a formal tribute made onto a foam based shape or a sheaf of flowers, the more natural looking alternative. However please give yourself time though when ordering as you and your florist will want this final goodbye to be absolutely right and it may be that some flowers will have to be ordered in advance.

Wedding Flowers

When it comes to weddings whatever takes your fancy is possible but you need to book early to make sure your the FlowerHaus can fit you in as they won't take too many on one day. You'll usually have to pay an initial consultation fee, refundable when you place your order, and you should ideally have chosen the style of dress and colour theme so that the florist can make suggestions.

As some of you may know, Stephanie and I (Mark) were married a few weeks ago. It was the most spectacular day of my life and the event could not have been more beautiful. Soon, we hope to have a few representative pictures up to share the event with the world.

[EDIT 2/17/07]Here is a link to the wedding photos...

Interesting enough, however, for my vows I did some research on the history of the Bridal Bouquet and thought I would share my findings with the FlowerHaus bloggers...

Bridal Bouquet - The lore and symbolism of the bridal bouquet.

Flowers are pretty, and they are a lovely accessory for any woman to carry at any time. A bouquet of them ends up in the hands of the bride, however, for other reasons. The bouquet she carries is a symbol of sexuality and fertility. Easily-broken blossoms signify the same characteristics inherent to a woman's virginity. Flowers also testify to fruit-bearing properties and thus represent an emblem of pregnancy promised.

Some flowers are more favored for incorporation into bridal bouquets than others. White flowers alone are traditionally eschewed because of associations between them and death; if white blooms are used, they must be mixed with other colors. But not red (or at least not unaccompanied red). No caution-minded bride thinks of carrying a bouquet made up solely of red and white flowers; that floral combination is a harbinger of death.

The marigold is commonly included in bridal bouquets because its bloom faithfully follows the sun, opening its petals in the sunlight but closing them once the light has gone. This behavior has elevated it to a symbol of constancy and endurance of love.

Early bridal bouquets were often composed of herbs, not flowers. Dill was especially popular, and the bridal dill was served up at the wedding feast to provoke lust. In 16th century England, marigolds (an edible flower) were carried for the same reason.

These days the bride tosses her bouquet away as a way of discerning whom Fate has next selected from all the unmarried females present to be the next bride. Customarily, the bride turns her back on the assembled maidens and flings her bouquet over her shoulder without looking, thus leaving Fate a free hand. (Modern custom now sometimes sees the groom throwing his wife's garter to his unwed groomsmen for the same purpose.)

Catching the bridal bouquet wasn't the only way to determine who was next selected for matrimony; undressing the bride on her wedding night provided the bridesmaids with another opportunity. Whoever was the first to draw one of the bride's pins was said to be next to the altar. Bridal pins, however, could not be kept; they had to be disposed of once they'd served their one and only purpose of holding things fast on that key day. To leave a pin on the bride would bring her ill fortune, so she had to be checked over very carefully.

If the bride (or her principal bridesmaid) stands at the head of the staircase and tosses the right bridal shoe into the crowd of guests assembled at its base, the one who catches it will be the next to marry.

I hope you brides-to-be find my above essay interesting and helps you to understand the long history of the bride's bouquet in a historical context.

- mark

Every business should have its own secret language. I'm a software engineer in my "other life", and we like to use terms like XML, DHCP, and "pure-virtual prototyping", not because they make any sense, but because we think it makes us sound mystical and smart.

So what does that have to do with the FlowerHaus? We'll, it turns out flowers have a secret language of their own, too, and, thankfully, it consists of a lot less acronyms then the programming one does!

Learn the language of flowers and unlock the mystery! Many popular flowers have a unique meaning, below we've listed several. Now you can easily create a gift with that extra thoughtful touch.

Here is a list of flowers, along with its "secret" meaning.

Amaryllis - Pastoral poetry.
Aster - Daintiness & love. Fidelity.
Azalea - Take care of yourself for me. Fragile passion.
Bells of Ireland - Good luck.
Bittersweet - Truth.
Cactus - Endurance.
Camellia - Admiration. Perfection.
Carnation (general) - Fascination. Love. Distinction.
Carnation (red) - Deep love & affection.
Carnation (pink) - I'll never forget you. A mother's undying love.
Carnation (purple) - Capriciousness.
Carnation (green) - Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Carnation (white) - Sweet & lovely. Innocence. Pure love. Good luck.
Cattail - Peace. Prosperity.
Chrysanthemum - Cheerfulness & rest. You're a wonderful friend.
Chrysanthemum (red) - Love. Good luck & best wishes.
Chrysanthemum (white) - Truth.
Chrysanthemum (yellow) - Slighted love.
Daffodil - Regard. You're the only one.
Daisy - Innocence. Purity. Gentleness. Loyal love.
Delphinium - Open heart. Ardent attachment.
Gardenia - You're lovely. Secret love.
Gladiolus - Remembrance. Sincerity.
Heather - Admiration. Solitude.
Hyacinth (purple) - I'm sorry. Please forgive me.
Hyacinth (pink) - Play.
Hyacinth (white) - Loveliness. I'll pray for you.
Hydrangea - Thank you for understanding.
Iris - Faith. Hope. Wisdom & valor. My compliments.
Ivy - Wedded love. Fidelity. Affection.
Larkspur - Lightness & swiftness.
Lily (general) - Purity of the heart.
Lily (calla) - Beauty.
Lily (tiger) - Wealth.
Lily (white) - Innocence & purity. Sweetness. Majesty.
Lily (yellow) - Gratitude & gaiety.
Lily of the Valley - Sweetness. Return to happiness. Humility.
Magnolia - Nobility.
Mistletoe - Kiss me. Affection. To surmount difficulties.
Orchid - Love. Beauty. Refinement. Wisdom.
Orchid (cattleya) - Mature charm.
Peony - Happy marriage.
Petunia - Your presence soothes me.
Poppy - Eternal sleep. Imagination.
Primrose - I can't live without you.
Rose (bridal) - Happy love.
Rose (coral) - Desire.
Rose (dark pink) - Thankfulness.
Rose (dark crimson) - Mourning.
Rose (lavender) - Enchantment. Love at first sight.
Rose (peach) - Modesty.
Rose (orange) - Fascination. Enthusiasm.
Rose (red) - I love you. Respect.
Rose (pale pink) - Grace. Joy. Admiration.
Rose (white) - Innocence. Spiritual love & purity.
Rose (yellow) - Joy & gladness. Friendship.
Snapdragon - Gracious. Fascinating. Protection from evil.
Stock - Bonds of affection. Promptness.
Stephanotis - Happiness in marriage. Desire to travel.
Sunflower - Power. Warmth. Nourishment.
Tulip (general) - Gift from a perfect lover. Love.
Tulip (red) - Irresistible love. Believe me. Declaration of love.
Tulip (yellow) - Hopeless love.
Violet - Faithfulness. Modesty.
Zinnia (mixed) - Thinking of an absent friend.

Fun!

- mark