FAQ
DO YOU PREFER TO BE CALLED JANIE OR JANELLE?
Either is fine, I answer to both. Janie is short for Janelle. Janie was my nickname when I started specializing in wedding floral design in Lethbridge at a local flower shop. I was also called Janie in La Paz, Bolivia where we first started Flowers by Janie as Janelle was harder for locals to pronounce (I was often mistakenly called Janette).
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
Our floral studio is located in Southeast Calgary, Alberta in the community of Deer Run. We are minutes away from some beautiful Calgary wedding venues including The Lake House, The Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant and Meadow Muse Pavilion. We do not include our address as consultations are by appointment only. We serve Calgary as well as Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise and surrounding areas in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Destination weddings are welcome.
HOW DO I BOOK A COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION?
Fill out the contact form or visit our book a consultation page. You can also contact us at 403-700-8299 or email info@flowersbyjanie.com
WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO A CONSULTATION?
Before you book your floral consultation you should have your dress, bridesmaid's dresses and colour palette chosen as well as your venue established. We will need this information to help you choose the best flower combinations for you, your attendants and your venue. Please bring photos of your floral inspiration and photos of your bridal gown. This will help us achieve an overall picture of what you are looking for in wedding flowers and style. Visit our blog titled How to Prepare for your Wedding Floral Consultation for more tips on how you can prep.
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD I ORDER MY WEDDING FLOWERS?
You should order your wedding flowers 7-12 months before your wedding, especially if flowers are a high priority item for you. We book a limited number of weddings & events per weekend so book early to ensure your date is available.
HOW CAN I SECURE MY WEDDING DATE?
We ask for a non refundable reservation retainer equal to 50% of the total floral order along with a signed contract. The remaining balance with damage deposit (if you are renting vases) is due three weeks prior to the wedding/event date. No dates are secured or held without a signed contract and the reservation retainer. We do not tentatively book wedding dates.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I BUDGET FOR WEDDING FLOWERS?
First of all, as a couple, you need to decide how important fresh flowers are for your wedding day. Some couples may not care much for florals and others may want the wedding overflowing with big, beautiful blooms and lush foliage. Some of our smaller weddings have had the largest floral budgets as flowers were highly valued as a decor item and due to their venue choice no other decor was needed.
Most wedding magazines and online wedding blogs suggest that you should allocate a floral budget of about 10-15% of your overall wedding budget. If you are looking for Pinterest-worthy, fine-art inspired, lush designs you may want to consider a floral budget of 20-25% of your total wedding budget. Most of our couples spend between $3,500-$8,500 but some spend less and some spend more!
Minimum spends
We are known for our lush, English garden style designs which use premium blooms such as peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, lisianthus and more. To be able to create these types of designs, as well as provide the best client care and experience possible, our studio has a minimum wedding flower financial commitment of $3,500 (including gst + delivery/setup) for local Calgary area weddings. For mountain weddings in Canmore, Banff or Lake Louise we have a minimum financial commitment of $4,000 (including gst + delivery/setup services). For weddings more than 2.5 hours from Calgary, such as Emerald Lake, Golden or Invermere BC, the minimum financial commitment is $5,000 (including gst + delivery/setup services). For destinations further than 5 hours away from Calgary please get in touch for minimums and travel fees.
Since we are a boutique studio, also working with a perishable product, we have limited time and space for wedding work each week. Read our blog post here which explains why we have a minimum spend.
For couples who don't meet our minimum spend
For couples needing only a few flowers for their special day and don't meet our minimum spend, our Designers Choice option might be a perfect fit for you. Designers Choice is for couples wanting high quality blooms and designs that fit a tighter budget.
How it works: We arrange a 20-30 minute Phone/Skype consultation and you tell us your floral style, colour palette and the quantities of items you are needing. Our lead designer will choose the blooms that fit your budget, colours and wedding floral style based on the information you have supplied. We will take into account flower allergies and flower preferences to bring you beautiful, fresh wedding floral arrangements. You must trust our floral design style & designers completely for this option to work. Designers Choice is not available for weddings taking place over long weekends. Delivery and set up is not offered with the Designers Choice option but flowers can be picked up from our floral studio in Southeast Calgary. In-studio, 1 hour consultations are not included in the Designers Choice option.
Please read our blog post titled The Truth About Wedding Flower Pricing if you'd like to understand more about the costs associated with wedding flowers.
WHAT IS YOUR PRICING?
We have a wide range of pricing depending on the needs of our clients. We have worked with floral budgets from $1,000 (with our Designers Choice Package) up to $20,000 with most couples spending somewhere between $3,500-$8,500 for all of their wedding day flowers.
- Bridal bouquets range between $250-425
- Bridesmaid bouquets range between $130-$200
- Boutonnières/Corsages range between $20-35
- Low centrepieces range between $30-250
- Elevated centrepieces range between $300-700
- Large ceremony arrangements range between $300-800
- Large swags or arch flowers range between $350-$2,500
- Flower crowns range between $65-150
- Foliage and floral garlands range between $5/ft-$50/ft
Pricing is based on size, style, flower varieties used and complexity of the design. We use high quality local and imported fresh flowers so that your flowers are nothing less than stunning. We would be happy to meet with you for a complimentary consultation to prepare a custom proposal based on your specific floral needs. Please fill out the contact form, email us at info@flowersbyjanie.com or call 403-700-8299.
WHAT ARE YOUR DELIVERY, SET UP & TAKE DOWN FEES?
Our delivery, set up and take down fees are determined by event location and the amount of flowers to be delivered and set up/taken down. Delivery and set up within Calgary city limits starts at $300+gst. If your wedding is located outside of Calgary please contact us for delivery + set up pricing.
CAN I PROVIDE MY OWN FLOWERS OR DIY FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS?
No. Our policy is that if you hire us as your wedding/event florist we will supply all the fresh floral bouquets and arrangements for your event using our reputable floral wholesalers and flower farms. This is to ensure a high quality product and consistency in design for all aspects of your event flowers. You will want all of your flowers looking their best for your big day! We do not provide bulk flowers for DIY wedding orders.
Please also note that we choose not to work with wedding planners who offer in-house floral services. If you are working with a wedding planner that offers a floral service (someone in their company who designs the flowers) this is a conflict of interest since our brands and designs may be confused. If you are thinking of hiring a wedding planner for your Calgary, Canmore, Banff or destination wedding, we highly recommend using a planning company that we work with on a regular basis. We often spend a lot of time in meetings and communication with these planners to make sure you get the best service and an amazing wedding day! For a list of recommended wedding planners and coordinators please view here.
ARE THERE ANY FLOWERS THAT YOU DON'T RECOMMEND FOR WEDDINGS?
A few. Due to very strong scents that are overpowering or just smell unpleasant we choose not to design with baby's breath/ gypsophila which can smell like dirty feet, limonium/misty blue which usually smells like fish or lilies as they can give guests and our staff headaches. We also don't use flowers with pollen (lilies, craspedia) or any artificially dyed flowers in our wedding designs as the pollen and dye can stain dresses, linens and other fabrics which would be terrible to deal with on your wedding day.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE WEDDING FLOWERS TO DESIGN WITH?
Our floral design is characterized by lush blooms with lots of texture in varying shapes and sizes. Some of our favorite wedding flowers are peonies, roses, garden roses, lisianthus, ranunculus, snowberries, nigella, thryptomene, scabiosa, astilbe, hellebores and so many more as there are literally hundreds of beautiful wedding blooms available! Not all of these flowers are available year round but we can suggest what is best for your wedding date.
WHAT IS TRENDING FOR FLORAL DESIGN IN 2020?
For 2020, expect to see bright and bold colour palettes. Our 2020 brides aren't afraid of colour and we have some amazing palettes we'll be working with this year. The Pantone colour of the year for 2020 is Classic Blue so I'm sure we'll be seeing various shades of blue in wedding design this year and years to come. See all of our favorite blue blooms here.
There is currently a trend toward using more dried flowers and foliage such as pampas grass, bunny tail, straw flowers and more. This is great for winter weddings to avoid wilting flowers as well as for couples going for a more minimalist, retro or boho feel for their day. We personally enjoy a mix of dried and fresh floral elements in our designs.
Floral archways and hanging floral installations will continue to be popular. Table garlands as centerpieces will still be popular but multiple small centerpieces in ceramic vases are starting to gain popularity which we love! Popular flowers we are getting requests for in 2020 are Panda anemones, peonies, ranunculus, pampas grass, bunny tail and locally grown flowers like dahlias, zinnias and cosmos!
DO YOU OFFER WEDDING FLOWER PACKAGES?
We do not offer fixed packages because each couple is different. We work with you individually to design your own personal and unique wedding flower package.
DO YOU WORK ON NON WEDDING RELATED EVENTS?
Of course! Check out our Corporate & residential tab for information about hiring us for your company event or personal non-wedding celebration. Email us about your event, we would love to chat with you!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?
I (Janie) love all flowers but my absolute favorites are roses, peonies, ranunculus and hyacinths. Peonies are big and showy, hyacinths have an amazing fragrance, ranunculus are just gorgeous and roses are a romantic classic that come in hundreds of colours and work with any bridal style! Even though those are my very favorites, each season comes with incredible blooms that I love working with!
WHAT FLOWERS ARE AVAILABLE AND WHAT IS THE AVAILABILITY?
Many flowers are available year round (prices may fluctuate) but there are some blooms that only have seasonal availability such as peonies, muscari, anemones etc. and if asked for out of season will be very expensive or not available at all. Read our blog posted titled Wedding Flower Availability for a general guideline of which of our favorite wedding flowers are available at different times of the year.
Holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, International Women’s Day and All Saints Day (practiced in Europe & South America) will affect flower prices and availability. Weather conditions and natural disasters also impact flower availability and pricing. Please contact us, Email or Call 403-700-8299 to book a complimentary consultation to discuss flower options and availability for your wedding/event date.