Not every gathering needs a florist. A baby shower in someone's living room, a fortieth anniversary at the hall, a milestone birthday with twelve people around a table. These are small by wedding standards, and they are some of our favourite orders to put together.
Small does not mean an afterthought. It just means the flowers have a different job to do. Here is how we plan them.
One big arrangement, or several small ones
This is the first decision, and it usually comes down to the shape of your table.
One generous arrangement in the middle works beautifully on a round table where everyone can see it. It gives you a single focal point and it is the simplest thing to carry home afterwards.
Several small ones suit a long table better. Three or four little jars spaced down the length look abundant without blocking anyone, and they cost about the same as one large piece. They also break up nicely at the end of the night, which people love. Guests take one home each and the flowers keep going for another week on somebody's windowsill.
If you are torn, the small grouped arrangements are the safer choice. They are more forgiving of an odd table shape and they give you something to hand out.
Keep it low enough to talk over
The most common mistake at small gatherings is flowers that are too tall. At a table of ten, an arrangement people have to lean around stops the conversation crossing the middle, and conversation is the whole point of the evening.
Our rule of thumb is that a centerpiece should sit below eye level when you are seated. In practice that means the flowers stay under about a foot for a table people are eating at. Save the height for a sideboard, a gift table, or an entryway where nobody is trying to talk past it.
Colour by occasion
You do not have to follow any of this, but it is a useful place to start.
- Baby and bridal showers tend toward soft pastels. Blush, cream, pale pink, and plenty of white and green to keep it light.
- Anniversaries usually want a bit more depth. Warm peach, deeper rose, and burgundy read as celebratory rather than sweet.
- Milestone birthdays are where we have the most fun. If somebody loves orange, we will give them orange. Zinnias and dahlias come in colours that are genuinely bold.
- Retirements and thank you gatherings suit something calm and generous. Whites, soft yellows, and greenery.
Tell us the occasion and one or two colours the guest of honour actually likes, and we will build around that.
What is available depends on the month
We grow everything ourselves, so what we can offer moves with the season. Our field runs from late June to the first frost, and August is our fullest month for both colour and variety.
If your gathering falls in high summer we can match almost any palette from the farm. If it falls in early spring or late autumn we will tell you honestly what we have and suggest something that will still look full. A smaller arrangement of good flowers is always better than a big one that is stretched.
How far ahead to order
For a handful of small centerpieces, a week is usually plenty during our season. Two weeks is more comfortable, especially in August when weddings are also running.
If your date is fixed and you already know you want flowers, there is no harm in telling us months ahead. It costs you nothing and it means we plant with your date in mind.
Picking up or having them delivered
You are welcome to collect from the farm, which is free and gives you a chance to see what else is open that week. Local delivery is ten dollars.
If you are delivering them yourself, a flat box or a low tray in the footwell of the car is your friend. Arrangements travel better on the floor than on a seat, and they do not enjoy a warm car with the windows up. Keep them out of direct sun and they will arrive exactly as they left.
Making them last past the party
Everything we send out arrives in a glass vase with fresh water. To keep it going afterwards, top the water up daily rather than replacing it all, and keep the arrangement away from a sunny window and away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit gives off gas that ages cut flowers faster than anything else in your kitchen.
Done well, a centerpiece from a Saturday gathering is still looking good the following weekend.
Tell us about your gathering
We are glad to do small orders. A single arrangement for a birthday matters just as much to us as a full wedding, and it is often how people first meet us.
If you would rather arrange them yourself
Some people find the arranging half the fun. If that sounds like you, we can sell you a bucket of mixed stems instead of finished centerpieces.
You get considerably more flowers for what you spend, and you get to make them exactly the way you want. We cut to your colours, take the lower leaves off, and give everything a long drink before it leaves us, so all you need at home is clean jars and a pair of scissors.
Cut each stem again on an angle before it goes in the water, and take off anything that would sit below the waterline. That is most of the technique.
Let us know the date, roughly how many tables you are dressing, the occasion, and a colour or two. Send us a note and we will tell you what will be blooming that week.