Why not order Wedding Flowers with Fresh & Permanent Botanicals? The Camellia, Thunder Bay

2022 is predicted to be a very busy year for Weddings, which is understandable given the number of people that have postponed their weddings due to the pandemic. Enter the Micro-Wedding. This is the current trend of smaller guest lists and unconventional venues. 

The Fresh flower industry continues to be hit with flower shortages, delivery issues, and numerous other problems. Gone are the days when a Bride can demand a certain colour of Rose, in fact, Florists are closing their doors at an alarming rate across the United States and Canada. Even Oasis, the foam used in fresh flower arrangements, has been scarce this past year. 

Time to think about wedding bouquets made with fresh greens, faux botanical flowers, and dried flowers. Click on this link to read more:https://www.floristssupply.com/how-to-design-a-bouquet-using-fresh-and-permanent-botanicals/ 

    This beautiful bouquet is designed with fresh flowers and dried grasses. 

What flowers are you planning to use in your Wedding bouquets? It is nice to dream and look at Pinterest Wedding boards for inspiration, however, most of the ideas shown require a big budget. There are many costs involved, and it is impossible for Florists to supply extra services without charging you additional fees. Expect that Quotes for Wedding flowers will change, due to Supply chain issues. ( At the moment, Canada just required all Truckers entering Canada to be double vaccinated. There are many shipments stuck on trucks which cannot enter Canada, causing huge delays). 

Silk/Faux Botanical flowers are a perfect choice when you are looking for a specific colour, which may be difficult to obtain this colour in a fresh flower. Most flowers are flown in as cargo on passenger jets, and flights lately have been reduced, or cancelled, or late. Choosing faux botanicals means less stress for you. 

During the summer, we grow as many Flowers as we can, however, our growing season is quite short, and our weather is unpredictable. Here are some Sweet peas which we grew in our garden. They had to be started indoors in March!

Contact us if you would like us to design your wedding Flowers !   

The Camellia, 30, Hacquoil Rd. 

Thunder Bay, Ontario

p 807-475-3551

https://www.lakesuperiorweddings.ca/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Don't plan on having your 2022 Wedding around Christmas & New year's, The Camellia, Thunder Bay, On

Every Wedding needs Flowers, and before the pandemic, we all took fresh flowers for granted. As a Florist, we would place our orders, the flowers would get trucked in, we would make up the bouquets and event flowers, and the Bride has a beautiful Wedding, and everyone is happy.  During major holidays like Christmas and New Year's, it is all a giant bucket of stress and nail-biting moments. Truck routes may get cancelled, shipments sent to Thunder Bay get sent to North Bay instead, and Hello, its Winter and accidents happen, and highways are closed. Trucking employees just want to put in their time and get home, so they don't read labels, and give your shipments to some other Flower shop. Other Flower shop refuses to answer their phone!!! More panic....So while a New year's Eve Wedding sounds lovely, just plan to hold your Wedding at some other time.  These situations actually happened, just in case you think that we are just whipping up drama. 

And yes, to top it all off, there is a Covid pandemic on, and the number of guests you are allowed to have can change overnight!  

There is an alternative, you can use Dried flowers in your bouquets, or faux flower stems. Fresh local greenery (evergreens and balsam ) look and smell wonderful, and are plentiful in our Northern Ontario forests. If you decide you have to have fresh white gardenias ( see above photo) in your bouquet, it will be impossible to make this happen. However, a silk gardenia is possible, and here at The Camellia, we use the most realistic permanent botanical stems in our bridal bouquets. There are so many problems getting fresh flowers, that you may have a hard time finding a florist to design your Wedding flowers.

 

Late summer into early Fall is the best time to plan your wedding in Northern Ontario ( our pesky bugs will have eased up by then, and days will be getting cooler), and with our abundance of Lakes, there will be no shortage of beautiful places to take photos. 

The Camellia, 30, Hacquoil Rd. 

p. 807-475-3551

https://www.instagram.com/camelliafromnaturetohome/

 

Coping with a Flower shortage and what it means for your Wedding, The Camellia, Thunder Bay.

 

There is a shortage of fresh flowers for all occasions, including Weddings. In various parts of Canada , we have had a very dry Summer, with many forest fires. Worldwide, there is a shortage of Flowers, due in part to the cancellation of many events , because of the Covid virus. Growers and Wholesalers have gone bankrupt, and transportation of fresh flowers has been compromised. 

To fully understand the crisis, read this article: 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-design/article-a-flower-shortage-is-causing-florists-to-scramble-while-prices/

What does this mean for your Wedding? It will be difficult for any Florist to promise you will have those exact coloured Roses that you so want to have in your Bouquet. Scarcity causes price increases, so there is no way to quote a price for your Wedding a year in advance, as prices are changing weekly. 

Then there is the problem of transportation .... getting the flowers to your Florist in minus 21 C. winter weather. Trucks break down in cold temperatures, winter storms happen, and highways are closed. Staff become sick, and shipments don't arrive. And don't forget, Flowers need a heated transport. In Thunder Bay, fresh flowers are shipped from Toronto, or from Winnipeg, Mb. This leads to some nail-biting moments, especially during winter, when icy roads lead to overturned transports and closed highways. The stress faced by Flower shops during the pandemic, has been intense. 

Then there are the restrictions on size of Indoor and outdoor Gatherings ...this will change with 2 days notice. Your Florist has to order your flowers at least 1 month in advance, then Covid rules change, and your Wedding cannot happen, let's say, (worst case scenario). Your Florist still has to pay for your Flowers, unless you cancell two and a half weeks to 3 weeks ahead of the event. It is up to you to ask your Florist about their policies regarding cancellations.

What can you do? Source out flowers and plants from a local Greenhouse, for Table decor, (if your Wedding is in the Summer). Do arrange this with your local Greenhouse, a year ahead. If your Wedding can't take place, you can use the plants in your garden. 

Think about a mix of fresh foilage and silk flowers, with dried accents. Foilage is fairly easy to get, with most greens coming from Florida or California. Faux flowers come in many colours, and look very realistic. Bouquets can be made ahead, and placed in water, which leads to less stress. 

 

Visit us at The Camellia, for your Wedding flowers. 30/32 Hacquoil Rd.  Slate River, Ontariop. 807-475-3551. 

https://www.lakesuperiorweddings.ca/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

IG :camelliafromnaturetohome