Floral Designer

Abiti "Gattinoni Couture"

When I first received the telephone call that the high fashion house of “Gattinoni” wanted me to design bridal bouquets for their fashion show and their customers I was elated. After a few hours the reality that I would be working for Guillermo Mariotto set in and I was terrified. Terrified that I would not be able to create for such a demanding artist. Fortunately, those feelings lasted long enough to motivate me to grow professionally and create some of my best work. Guillermo was so encouraging. He reminded me to design from heart and use my skill as a floral designer to execute my designs. These are the words that repeat like a mantra in my head whenever I am designing whether it be for an email customer or a client in my shop. What a wonderful opportunity it has been to work with Guillermo Mariotto at “Gattinoni”.

Working in this profession continues to give me many rewards. I'm so blessed.

Debra

Irish Brides

The Bride and groom The bridesmaids
Over the past two years I have been contacted by a number of irish ladies who are planning their destination wedding in Rome, home of the Pope. Although this is a very romantic idea for any catholic, planning at a distance with people who don't necessarily speak your language is not easy. I've learned recently that so many irish ladies come to me not only because I am a trained florist but also because of my attention to the needs of a bride trying to design and plan from a distance. When a bride sends me a request I immediately begin to create a file that contains photos of the bride, her bridal gown and the style and color of bouquets that she likes. I make an effort to ask questions that I know will help in chosing the florals that reflect her style. The brides that chose to work with me are usually interested in doing most of the planning themselves as opposed to using a formal wedding planner but may need a local person to assist with certain wedding details or language barriers. I always offer to assist in any way necessary to ladies who have chosen to have me design their wedding flowers. Some brides send their wedding favors directly to me and I make sure that they are delivered on time to the reception or contact a local vendor for information. Other brides have asked me to assist with the coordination of the reception activities.

Questions brides usually ask me:

Can you (DebraFlower)do a particular design?The answer is always "YES". I am a trained florist. I have been trained in all of the basic as well as advanced techniques in floral design.

When do you (DebraFlower) deliver the bridal flowers? Always 3 hours prior to the ceremony. I believe that a bride should have her flowers for the first picture she takes. I do not ever deliver flowers in front of the church. My flowers will easily last for days so there is no need to worry about them wilting.

How much does a bridal bouquet cost? Normally the cost of a basic handtied bridal bouquet starts at about 80euro.

Why does a bridal bouquet cost more than an ordinary bouquet? A regular bouquet is normally constructed from whatever flowers the florist has in the shop. The flowers for my bridal bouquets are purchased specifically for each bridal bouquet and carefully selected for perfection. Normal bouquets don't require matching ribbons or "Bling" treatments.

Which flowers are in season at the time of my wedding? I make a point of suggesting flowers that are in season at the time of the wedding. My reason is because I know that the flowers in season last longer and look nicer throughout the wedding day.

If you have any question at all about planning your wedding in Rome, please feel free to contact me. I'm always available to help my irish brides.....

Cheers, Debra

P.S. Come back on March 15th to see photos of the Celtic Ball here in Rome.

Valentine's Day

The celebration of lovers is just a few days away. Like so many other parts of the world, Italy is no exception in the celebration of “San Valentino”. My most important role for this event is to find the highest quality Red Roses at the very best price. Believe me this is no easy task especially since I love rich red roses whether they be long or short stem. I so agree with Preston Baileys view on flowers, “you never have enough flowers….” And I so totally agree on his view on sending flowers, “if you’re going to send flowers, send six dozen and not two”. Recently a celebrity customer of mine did just that, he sent 123 long stem roses to his girlfriend. She wasn’t the only one emotional by this extraordinary gesture of love.

I wish you deep love and six doezen red roses.

Debra

Designing Wedding/Event Decorations

Meeting with a bride who really wants something different and takes the time to work through the steps necessary to create her wedding decorations is a real blessing. The bride and her mom came in this morning prepared to dedicate time. This allowed me to ask a lot of questions, listen carefully to the answers and then put it all together in a design concept for the wedding and reception. I actually draw and label my designs for each bride. This exercise helps her to formulate the first images of her wedding day. It helps me to calculate the cost of each item, number and types of flowers, greenery and other materials. About a month or so before the wedding I usually create a sample and photograph it so that everyone on my staff knows what the bride is expecting on her wedding day.

How I love the creativity of my job!!!

Offering unlimited ideas,

Debra

In Memory of...

Floral designers have one of the oddest jobs around. In any given day our work lives touch both life and death. Flowers are part of almost every type of ceremony all around the world. Ceremonies include welcoming a new birth, birthdays, parties, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and even funerals. There have been a few days in my career when I prepared a wedding, funeral and graduation party all in the same time. Although they were three separate events, the one thing connected the three events was the quality of the arrangements. When people came into the shop they complimented us on the nice arrangements and never knew which were for the wedding or graduation and which was for the funeral. As trained florists we learned that the only real difference from funeral arrangements and others is the ribbon that is added at the very end. At DebraFlower we believe that funeral arrangements should honor the person lost and so it should be our most beautiful creation.

Florally yours,

Debra