Monday, February 4, 2008

Building a Custom Swarovski Crystal Wedding Bouquet

I have made Swarovski Crystal Wedding Bouquets for many Brides and I always find that they are amazed when they realize what we can come up with once we decide to "step out of the box" and use the medium to its fullest potential.

There are many ways to accomplish something unique and stylish without getting too far away from tradition, or if completely "off the beaten path" is your preference, crystal bouquets are by far, the way to go.

Swarovski Crystal Bouquets are made from crystals that are mounted on stainless steel stems which brings the advantage of any shape or size to your bouquet that you can imagine. The benefits of Swarovski Crystals is that they are incredibly bright and can light up rooms with rainbows in the sunlight or twinkle brilliantly in candlelight, in any light they are breathtaking. Swarovski Crystals come in about 300 different colors so you can coordinate your bouquet with your décor or just your dress.

Let's start with shapes and sizes… The most elaborate bouquet that I have ever built went from just under the Bride’s princess bodice and stopped just above her knees. It had 600 crystals in it and 60 white, silk roses. It was spectacular. She chose to have it cascade at the bottom just as you may have a traditional wedding bouquet of roses and ivy. You can also have them fashioned in the shape of a round bouquet as you would a hand-tied bunch of daisies or peonies. You may also wish to have them made so that it lays across your arm like a collection of wild flowers. The choice is yours and the sky is the limit.

Next, let's talk about creating your perfect bouquet by using variations in color… I have made bouquets for brides with a very wide array of hues. I really enjoy when I get a chance to brainstorm with my clients. We touch on her dress to make sure that the style and the accents will work well with our creation. We talk about the décor for the big day, bridesmaids dresses, jewelry, even favorite colors to come up with the something that will appeal to her every desire.

Some of my favorite creations have been a bouquet that had clear crystals that cascaded around ruby red crystals that I made into the shape of a heart in the middle of the bouquet. This was for a wedding on Valentine’s Day, she wore a white dress that had a wide, red sash around her waste and her entire décor was hearts and arrows. Another Bride wanted me to make all of her bouquets for the party. Each of them had 5 different shades of blue, from baby blue to navy. This looked spectacular next to their Tiffany Blue dresses. And last but not least, I made a bouquet with 300 crystals in it, all of the crystals were the same color, but she chose to get larger sizes that were several different shapes to create interest. There were, round, bicone and cubed crystals, each of them caught the light differently and really made quite a statement on her wedding day.

I do hope that this helps you to open your mind to all of the different possibilities that are at hand with Swarovski Crystal Bouquets. Whether it is the uniqueness of carrying crystals, the shape, the colors or even the ribbons, I’m sure that it will add something to your wedding day that your family and friends will remember for years to come.

Penny Olson is the owner and designer for Brilliant Wedding Jewelry
Make your day sparkle with Crystal Wedding Bouquets. Browse our collection of wedding articles.

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Friday, December 14, 2007

How To Choose An Online Florist – Tips For A Smart Customer

The world population may be divided into two types – those who want to buy flowers and those who don’t want to buy flowers.

If you belong to the category of people who want to buy flowers, do read on. If you belong to the category of people who don’t want to buy flowers, your time would be better spent watching a James Bond movie or reading an article on global warming.

Let me slightly digress to say that the article on global warming is recommended more vigorously than the Bond movie, unless, of course, the movie tells you how to make a better world.

Coming to the topic

As an intelligent customer, you should have a reasonably clear idea of what you want to buy. Being sure of what you want to buy significantly reduces the time you spend for searching for the products. When you are planning to buy flowers to be sent to someone, there are two important things you must never forget – the occasion and the recipient.

You must have heard it a one-hundred and seventeen times that the flowers that are associated with Mother’s Day are carnations and the flowers that are associated with Valentine’s Day are roses. It is occasionally nice to surprise your recipient with gifts that are not strictly traditional – for instance, gifting your beloved with lilies on Valentine’s Day and gifting your mother with hyacinths or irises on Mother’s Day.

When you want to do business with a website, you should be sure that their security and privacy measures are faultless because you definitely don’t want your credit card number and your personal details to be stolen.

Ensure that information is transmitted over a highly secure 128 bit or 256 bit encrypted connection. Go through the company’s privacy policy to confirm that your personal information will not be disclosed to third parties.

Do not purchase from florists who do not offer good customer care. Find out what their policies are regarding a delayed delivery or a wrong delivery. Good online florists have a customer care department that can be contacted via email or phone. The ideal policy regarding unsatisfactory service is ‘refund and replace’.

Some other questions that you should consider

Q: How long has the florist been around?
A: The longer, the better.
Q: Are the customers who have done business with them happy with the service?
A: The greater the number of happy customers, the better.
Q: Do they have any specialties?
A: Explore those products for price and quality. They might be worth buying.
Q: What is the mode of delivery?
A: Plus if delivered by florists, minus if delivered by courier. Last but not least, a serious practical concern is affordability. As a discerning customer, you have to go through different florists’ catalogs in order to get a clear picture of the comparative prices of similar products.

Jobin Mathew is a regular observer of the floral industry and he occasionally writes for Theflowerexpert.com, a comprehensive source of all flower-related information. The website is dedicated to providing people with whatever information they need about flowers and as part of this commitment, has pages on online florists and how to select online florists.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Online Florist Guide

Flowers have always been a perfect gift for the ones you love. Whether it be a simple dandelion from a small child to an extravegant bouquet adorning a dining room table on Mother's Day, flowers are a classic way to show appreciation for just about anyone.

Thanks to today's technology, searching for that perfect bouquet is no longer restricted to the local florist shop down the street. Now, shoppers can browse through countless businesses offering a wide variety of unique arrangements. But with this extensive variety comes overwhelming choices. Here are a few guidelines to follow when finding the right florist for you:

1. Personal Preference: Make sure your florist offers the flowers and style you have in mind, or if not, make sure they will be flexible enough to design an arrangement around your expectations.


2. Service: Look for a fast, convenient florist who keeps your needs as their first priority.


3. Creativity: Find a florist who is not afraid to be inventive with their creations. No one wants their bouquet to look the same as everyone else's.


4. Helpfulness: These people are the professionals, dont be afraid to ask for their opinions. This will also help the florist know exactly what you are looking for.


5. Great Selection: Whether you want a dozen roses or an exotic bouquet, make sure your florist can get the flowers you want.


6. Quality: The best florists will include specialized food and care instructions with each purchase, remember, don't be afraid to ask.


7. Professionalism: Look for a florist who belongs to a well-known organization. These places usually have high standards to follow and will often guarantee their products.

These guidelines are certainly helpful when navigating though the many florist choices out there, but the best way to find what you are looking for is to browse around and compare companies and prices. Knowing you are getting the best possible service and product will definitly pay off all your careful research.

Briana Liebmann is a regular writer of original content articles for http://www.youseekit.com, where you can find original content on a variety of topics.

The original article can be found at http://www.youseekit.com/dieting.htm.

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