One point for Phoenix as a metro area: fresh flowers for you!

PHOENICIANS!!

Our pretty city is getting a flower market!

28^th Street in New York City is one of the more magical spots in a pretty magical city, lined feet deep with flowers on both sides of the south sidewalk. Pedestrians walk through a 5-gallon-bucket rain forest of ornamental trees, bushes, vines, and flowers. LA and San Francisco have their own flower districts, as do London, Paris, and Rome. Now, those cities’ flower markets are outdoors, covering multiple city blocks. Phoenix is still working up to that, but the first great leap is taken! On July 1^st, Arizona Flower Market is open to the public!

Okay, so it’s actually already open to the public. July 1^st is the grand opening, after which it will remain open to the public. That’s the great part: at Arizona Flower Market, YOU (being the public) will be able to get fresh flowers that you choose (by the bunch) from a selection that’s usually only available to florists. This is awesome.

If you’re like me, sometime in the middle of the Phoenix summer you’ve looked at your sad, dim house, where the windows have been closed for two months, and at your sad dried-up common grass area, and wondered how things ended up this way. Then you priced travel expenses to Alsace, Vermont, San Fran, and Sedona, and then you realized your budget for general life improvement was about $35. So you spent a few hours poking around on the internet and making awkward phone calls to flower shops across the Valley, all of which either a) require a wholesale license, or b) only sell bunched roses/carnations/sunflowers, and arrange everything else. Oh how you sighed for a bunch of loose flag iris, or larkspur, or Eucalyptus baby blue spiral grass! (Well, not always the last one.) Then you went to the Parlor NOT for the duck sandwich (though it’s a perk) but to stare deep into the eyes of the floral arrangement on the table and find meaning.

NO MORE. (Not no more meaning. No more staring at other people's flowers for meaning.) 

Arizona Flower Market is offering a rotating stock of imported blooms from farms in Ecuador, China, France, Calfornia, and the Valley itself. It sells by the bunch, meaning you get a certain number of stems for a set price (no splitting bunches unless you’re friends with the owner; then you can probably get away with it). The selection is still a tad limited, but let’s remember that it’s summer in Phoenix and blooms need to be hardy. Hopefully when spring rolls around, some more delicate flowers like ranunculus, anemones, and lilacs will make it on the list.

Some of the highlights on the stock list: 10 small sunflowers for $6.50, 10 Asiatic lilies (!!!) for $12.50, and 10 mini carnations for $8.50. The greenery section may be the most exciting, because while Trader’s Joe’s floral department may sell some bunches of flowers, tracking down bunched greenery and fillers has proved nigh impossible. Arizona Flower Market is offering, among others, 20 leather leaf (I promise it’s pretty) for $6.50, 10 tall myrtle for $6.50, 25 tree fern for $6.50, 10 Ruscus Italian for $9.50.

Let me know if you want to come along on July 1^st for the grand opening! Look for a post with pictures of the goods and a flower arrangement tutorial in the days thereafter.

~Jane

The flower market doesn't have a website yet, but in case you don't believe me, go here, or here: 2050 S. 16^th Street, Phoenix, AZ. It's a partner of Lux Wedding Florists, and you can learn about them here. 

Bridal Showz: Not Just for Girlz

If you’re a tomboy trying to plan a wedding, I feel your pain. I was the only girl in my family of mountain-climbing, road-biking, long-distance-running maniacs. So the idea of a bridal show made my heart sink and my stomach rise in unison as I pictured a pink-and-white fluffy vortex of femininity that would leave me feeling totally inadequate. But this wedding planning thing is hard for me, and there was a deal for the Phoenix Bridal Expo, and I’m a sucker for deals, and… long story short, I ended up in a convention center with thousands of women for 6 hours yesterday.

And I totally loved it.

This was a big shock. Usually this is not how I would choose to use my time. But it was absolutely a great experience. I managed to get a few things dead right, which I think helped make it great, but also learned some things I would definitely do next time. So for you, here are the six shiniest gems I mined: 

1)  KNOW THYSELF. If you’re a vintage girl who likes books and brown paper, don’t waste your time at the neon pink booth with the giant black-and-white feather bouquets. Just walk past it. It doesn’t matter if they have a killer deal or a drawing going on. You’re not going to like it. Look for the people you actually want to hang out with, and hoof it over there!

2)   KNOW THY BUDGET. I don’t mean know how much you want to spend on the wedding all together. I mean know how much you want to spend per person on catering (including service), how much you want to spend on the venue, how much you want to spend on photography PER HOUR, how much you want to spend on tuxes (both total and per tux), how much you want to spend on decorations, etc. A great place to get budget category ideas is www.weddingwire.com . If you can tell a caterer that you want to spend $20 per person for food, service, and rentals, they can tell you on the spot whether they’re the person for you, and you don’t waste their time and they don’t waste yours.

3)   LOOK NICE. Yes, look pretty and pulled-together, but also be serious about being kind throughout the day. Be interested in their business—this is their passion and represents a giant personal investment for them. Just like you’re meeting dozens of vendors, they’re meeting dozens of brides. Be the bride they want to work with.

4)  LOOK FOR THE START-UPS. There are TONS of big-industry wedding people there, but there are also a lot of start-ups, self-employers, and quirky small-business owners who are genuinely fascinating people. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Remember: these people are going to potentially be at your wedding, and you should be excited about that.

5)  GIVE AND TAKE. Don’t just plan on collecting business cards. Hand ‘em out! You will meet people you want to talk to more, and while it’s great to get their card, make this a real transaction and give them one of yours as well. This is another way to stand out from the crowd and be a memorable bride that they want to work with.

6)  LET THEM GIVE AND TAKE. Remember Piece of Advice Number One? There are deals at these shows that have very short expiration dates, often 24-48 hours. BUT if you can generate a personal connection with the vendor, odds are that you can extend that deadline a week or more. Be straightforward about your needs and let them help you.  

So if you’re getting married any time soon, pick a weekend, strap on your cutest comfy shoes, and get to a bridal show. It’s not all fluffy dogs and pink satin pillows (though if that’s your thing, you will not be disappointed). It’s a chance to get tons of fresh ideas, constructively dream about your big day, and maybe even make some creative, plucky, interesting new friends.

Good luck!

~Jane 

Wedding Planning Lessons!

Hello friends!

If you’re getting married soon, I have three pearls of wisdom to add to your tiara:

1) Get a separate wedding email account. It’ll help you control when you wedding-plan, keep things organized, and save your fiancé the anguish of watching you slide into “bride-mode” every time you check your email.

2)  Go to at least one bridal show. A post about how to get the most out of your bridal show day is coming, but get one on your calendar!

3)  Give yourself a deadline on every decision. Every. Single. One. You can second-guess and re-plan ad infinitum because there are way more options out there than you can ever use. Give yourself a deadline and don’t fudge it. Whatever you decide by that day, stick with it and move on.

Check back soon for a post on maximizingyour time at a bridal show! 

~Jane