Don’t shoot the messenger! Now that we have our gorgeous spring weather, of course we have to remind you to plan for your Christmas party.

Event planning. Say those two words and see how fast your coworkers run for the door. But you’re game. And fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. We are award-winning, event
planning experts. We plan all aspects of any kind of event, no matter the size or circumstance. From extremely small to a cast of thousands, we’ll keep our eye on the details so you don’t have
to. Simply Elegant – Event planning that makes you look good.

Party Planning
You’re thinking: great friends, great time, great party. We’re thinking: great parties come out of great party planning. It’s hard to believe that something as fun as a party can take so much work. But it does… Always. Of course, great hosts make it look easy. Great hosts rely on great people. We’re your people. Your party planning people. We’ll do the planning. You have the fun.

The rewards of a successful Christmas party will carry on throughout the year. There are many steps to planning leaving it to the demands and challenges of the holiday season is a recipe for headaches. Here are some tips to lighten the burden in planning this years parties:

Things to think about in planning this year’s Christmas party:

Use task lists and schedule deadlines to complete all your planning on time. If it’s an office party, then the location, budget, and date all three are usually determined by management so you’re working within limits already. Be mindful of your corporate culture in planning on food and entertainment. (IE food restrictions due to religion)

It is never too early to start organizing. In fact, numerous 500 guests or more companies have completed this planning already. Many of the large facilities are pre-booked on an annual basis with first come first served for the smaller ones.

Book your facility now. The larger the number of guests, the less number of local facilities are available. Why not look at unique locations such as a museum, garden or cultural centre. The environment in these locations create the base decor and give a refreshing feel to the festivities.

Re-think your theme. Successful parties create a common thread that tie everything together using the budget as your guide. Coordinating the entire Christmas program with the menu, decor and entertainment allows for a memorable celebration. An example of this is an international Christmas theme with world food/action stations with matching decor and entertainment.

Poll your employees as to what type of theme and entertainment they would like this year? You could make it a competition! Instead of the comedy show, perhaps they would like to experience a cirque show or a Christmas themed murder mystery? Focus the opportunity for an engaging and interactive party this year.

Guests love to take the dinner table centrepiece home. Why not set up a centrepiece creation competition between departments where the pieces are raffled off to generate money for your favourite charity. Remember to make a note in the invitation that there will be a prize for the department that decks out the most ingenious Christmas centrepiece.

Promote the designated driver concept and these alternative forms of transportation in your invitations. Let’s face it – drinking and driving never mix. Offer a variety of non-alcoholic beverages for the designated driver and others who prefer not to drink alcohol. If preparing an alcoholic punch, use a non-carbonated base like fruit juice. Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream faster with a carbonated base. Provide for for alternative modes of transportation for guests range from shuttle, limousine service or passenger vans taxi fare for the end of the evening. Don’t forget to budget for this!

Save a tree and go green e-invites for your event.

Planning a party is a lot like buying a house. You do the research, crunch the numbers, think ahead – and you put the best possible team around yourself to help you achieve your goals. When party disasters happen, it usually comes down to poor planning. And many smart, capable social committees just plain and simple don’t think through some of the basic details that will make or break their party. That’s what a planner is for.

Call Simply Elegant if you need support with some or all of your Christmas event. It’s what we do best. From planning, to decor, to entertainment, to catering, we work hard to ensure that every facet of your corporate event says what you want it to say. After all, this isn’t just some corporate event. It’s yours. It reflects back on your Company — and on you. Every detail has to be on message. You wouldn’t let an email go out that didn’t look good on the Company. You’re sure not going to let your company look bad through a poorly thought out or executed event.

Ultimately here are the Top Ten Signs You’re at a Bad Office Christmas Party according to CBS
– Late Show with David Letterman

10. Eggnog smells suspiciously like Liquid Paper.
9. Anyone caught under mistletoe gets choked by Latrell Sprewell.
8. Because of corporate downsizing, Santa is only 120 pounds.
7. Only food available is something called reindeer kebabs.
6. Last time you saw this much sucking up was on the Tommy Lee-Pamela Anderson videotape.
5. Christmas tree is just a fat intern in a green sweater.
4. For the 16th year in a row, the Canadian band leader has passed out in the eggnog.
3. Thanks to the alcohol-free punch, not a single butt gets photocopied.
2. Boss offers to give you a raise, and hes not talking about money.
1. Its held every year on July 23rd.

As the holidays approach, you may be thinking about taking your romantic relationship to the next level. If so, you may find yourself getting down on one knee, proclaiming your undying love and then popping the big question. The holidays are a perfect time for true Romeos to propose. You can take advantage of the excitement of the season and surprise her with a memorable and romantic proposal that she’ll never forget. Why not make the holiday season even more joyful by proposing to your sweetheart in a festive and creative way?

We at Simply Elegant love wedding proposals. Hey, that’s why we got into the wedding business in the first place. And we know that when it comes to a marriage proposal, planning is essential. Guys, this means you want to have the ring selected and the time and the place chosen. Seriously. You don’t want to “wing” one of the biggest moments in your life. Do it right, and your marriage proposal will be a
magical moment that you’ll both remember forever.

Where, when, and how is up to you. Some proposals are more private and others are way more public. Your declaration of love could be over a romantic Christmas Eve dinner or it could happen while you and your sweetie are getting your photo taken with Santa.

For those of you still searching for the perfect way to pop the question, here are few romantic suggestions…

Christmas Eve/Day is a perfect time to propose. Hang the ring box like an ornament on the tree. When the last present has been opened, that’s when you can suddenly notice that “there’s still one more
present.” It’s go time, Santa!

Another Christmas marriage proposal idea is to wrap the ring box inside successively bigger boxes so that your sweetheart will think the present is very large. As each layer is opened, the anticipation (and
the laughs) will grow. Get down on one knee right as the last box is opened.

Or you could hang a Personalized Christmas Ornament on the tree. If you use a personalized ornament as a prop, you’ll need to plan for the proposal far enough in advance to place your order, have it fulfilled, and pick it up or have it delivered. Your proposal ornament can have a straightforward proposal or give you an opening to get down on one knee and propose.

If you and your soul mate are the demonstrative types then a great time to ask the big question is while you’re having your picture taken with Old Saint Nick. Not only is this a great display of public
demonstration of your love commitment – but you‘ll also have a picture taken of the big moment. Again, planning is key. Set this up in advance with Santa and his crew. Let them know what your plan
is. You’ll probably want to make sure you get a few pictures, and having Santa and his gang in on your romantic plans will ensure everything will go off without a hitch. Plus, you and your fiancé will have the pictures to remember your special moment!

Or how about a musical proposal? Arrange to have a group of carolers come to your door to sing your dearest one’s favourite Holiday song. And arrange to have your carolers sing your marriage proposal in
the song’s last verse. As they do, drop down on that knee, profess your love and present her with the ring.

You can’t go wrong with a proposal over a romantic dinner. Take your fiancé-to-be to your favourite restaurant for a romantic dinner. Arrange it with the restaurant ahead of time so that when the meal is
complete, the waiter brings a bottle of champagne to your table. After glasses are poured, make a toast to the time that you and your girlfriend have spent together and the happiness that you’ve shared. Then bring the engagement ring out from your pocket, open the box and ask her to marry you. Your proposal will be an event in her life that she will tell family and friends for the rest of her life.

If the love of your life lives in another city and is flying home to spend Christmas with you, arrange for friends and family to join you at the airport. Make some signs for each person to hold up spelling
out “Will you marry me?” as your sweetheart disembarks. Make sure you’re the one holding the “Me” sign.

Ask her in a winter wonderland; write “Will You Marry Me” in fresh snow.

Whatever proposal style you choose, one thing is for certain, the holidays are the perfect time to propose, and we wish you and your sweetheart a life of love, romance, and happiness.

What would a party this time of year be without some Holiday Christmas music???? Live music is always fun (well, almost always) but let’s say you have a smaller office and no budget. You can at least do something different – and visual!

Search YouTube for Holiday Christmas Music and videos to compile some offbeat holiday party tunes that will make you a star Christmas party DJ. Here’s how….

1. First you would need to create a channel on YouTube where you can compile all your finds.
2. You will then need to have the ability to save YouTube videos to your computer and convert them to another format so your Microsoft Media Player can play those. You can download Free FLV Converter from Download.com and install on the computer you wish to use for your party.
3. Click on your Holiday Christmas Music Video Channel on YouTube and choose the songs you want to download. Then copy each song’s URL from YouTube to the FLV Converter after you install it.
4. The FLV Converter will download your choices to the hard drive and convert it into AVI. The default settings on the FLV Converter will save the converted YouTube videos to your desktop.  If this happens, change the settings to save them to My Documents/My Videos folder on your hard drive.
5. Now, if all of that is too much work, why not lay down your favourite seasonal tunes on one CD. Just make sure you shake it up a little!

Your holiday office party planning starts with great food and drink.  Usually the hardest part of planning a party is what to serve.  Some parties feature appetizers, some offer full sit-down meals, and others will have a buffet that could include separate stations for each food type i.e. a salad, meat, seafood or dessert stations.

While you’re in the office party planning stage, keep in mind that the time you schedule your party for  will directly affect the type of service and quantity of food required and staff expectations.  But…the most important factor that will determine the style of catering you choose is your budget.

Holding your Christmas party in the office means space is a consideration.  A sit down dinner requires room for tables and chairs.  Before you plan on it, be certain your budget will accommodate this style because you will need to hire serving staff.

A buffet style gathering will require tables for catering equipment, and if you choose to have traditional turkey or roast beef, space for the chef carving station is a must. Presentation tables for an appetizer party are needed unless you decide to have wait staff serve guests as they mingle.

You will still require a preparation area. Your staff kitchen could do the trick for this choice.

If your holiday office  party planning budget is very small,  opt to have the caterer drop off your menu choices. Then all you’ll need is a table to set up the presentation.

Here are a few more tips as you finalize your Christmas office party planning:

-       Know your office party food etiquette. If yours is an office of women, serve food that is pretty and always add chocolate something.   Perhaps you are a construction company; you will want to fill the gap with delicious home-style portions.

-       Be sensitive. Keep in mind the ethnic and religious requirements of your colleagues.

-       How much food is needed will depend on how many people will attend and the time of your party. Luncheons typically require less food then evening parties.

Office Party Planning For a cocktail style party:

• Light: 3 to 5 pieces
• Medium cocktail party: 5 to 8 pieces
• Full meal cocktail party: 8 to 15 pieces.
• Dinner style cocktail parties require 15 to 20 pieces per person.

-       Renting China, Glassware, Cutlery will make any party planners life much easier and is eco-friendly. You should be able to rent them from your caterer.  If you want disposable, choose a caterer that has eco-friendly items available. Have the order delivered the day before to ensure you are ready for the set up the day of the event.  If you are missing items, early delivery gives you time to make wrongs into rights.

-       Double up on everything if you can. People tend to leave their glasses, plates, and cutlery wherever they wander.  Plan on having as much as twice the amount as the number of guests.

-       Serving. If you are not hiring serving staff, a buffet is the way to go. Stack plates at the start of the buffet line, and place cutlery and napkins at the end. Guests will then have less to balance while they serve themselves.

-       Consider setting up the food in several spots if you have the space. That way everyone won’t be crowding around the same buffet table at once. Make sure there are plenty of napkins and plates at each station.

-       Choose a theme.  You can theme any party from décor to food to menus.  How about a Winter Wonderland with an elegant colour theme of purple and gold.

Fire & Ice: think ice sculptures and icicles combined with fire torches (fake of course!) or candles and a red Christmas tree.  Or choose a Victorian Christmas to add warmth and charm to your office gathering.  Themed parties add great value that will provide your office with an unforgettable experience.

-       The wow factor. If you have the budget go with butler service and provide your staff with an elegant experience that says they are the best.

‘Tis the season to be jolly. And to throw a Holiday party.

But let’s be honest. Sometimes it’s difficult to be jolly when it comes to planning a holiday event.
There’s just so much to do, so many details to take care of, and there’s never any eggnog to be found
when you need to buy some.

Luckily, we at Simply Elegant are experts when it comes to putting the festive into festivities. Our
worker elves know what it takes to … Wait… Worker elves??? Just kidding!

Our “incredible staff” know what it takes to make sure your holiday event is a huge success. We’ll
ensure that every facet of your holiday event shines as brightly as your unique holiday culture and spirit.
Plus, we’ll never run out of eggnog.

Because the holidays mean so many things to so many different people, it’s important that your specific
holiday event is custom tailored to your particular needs. Not only are we at Simply Elegant renowned
for our diverse and delicious culinary experiences, but our attention to event planning detail and style
guarantees a festive experience that suits your holiday experience.

Theming your party can involve everything from lighting, to the food, to all stops in-between. Whether
your event is a formal black tie or a night of finger foods and Karaoke, it’s important to make sure
that your entertainment compliments the party theme and the activities. Decorations, food, and
entertainment – you’re going to need to have them all to make sure your holiday bash is a fun, festive,
and a memorable one.

You might also want to consider having staff on hand to serve the food and drinks so that you and the
party planning committee have more time to enjoy your party and guests. It’s no fun if you don’t get to
enjoy the party too.

And remember, if you’re serving holiday libations, you absolutely must have taxi vouchers and/or pre-
arranged car pooling with designated sober drivers.

We also recommend food themes. A food theme can be as simple as a colour or something more
elaborate like celebrating international food. Don’t forget to incorporate whatever theme you choose
throughout the entire event, from the invitation to the décor, food, activities, and music.

Want something completely different this year? Why not try someone else’s customs. Below is a fun
example of a Asian holiday theme from start to finish.

Invitation:
Preprinted and stuffed in Chinese fortune cookies

Asian Cuisine

Hot Menu

Phnom Penh Lemon Chicken Wraps
Spiced Rubbed Thailand Beef Skewers
Asian Chicken with Roasted Peanuts
Teriyaki Meatballs
Chinese noodles presented in take out containers and chop sticks

Chef Action Station

Korean Barbecued Beef
Sushi

Presentation Buffet Menu

Coconut Curry Scallop, Kumquat and Asian Pear Canapés
Gingerroot and Cucumber Salad
Mandarin Salad
Spiced Kumquats
Coconut Fruit Skewers

Sake Bar

Decor Ideas
Archway (entrance) can be decorated with Bamboo, Parasols and Room Dividers. With its unique blend
of rich colors, life sized Rickshaws, wall and ceiling décor featuring fabric silks, Pearls, wall fans – the
décor will amaze and delight your guests. Combining a selection of Asian accessories, you can create a
Japanese Garden finished will an array of Buddhist or the Chinese wall complete with a stunning Pagoda
for memorable photo opportunities. Chinese parasols or lanterns can be suspended from the ceilings or
large flying Chinese Dragons will transform your event space with magical illuminating lighting.

Entertainment
Tiako Drummers, Chinese Calligraphy (Guests name drawn onto rice paper), Fan dancers, Ribbon
dancers, Sushi Making, Dragon Parade and Rice Mural.

Take Home Gifts
Chinese coins with lottery tickets for “good luck” tied through the hole in the money.

However you choose to celebrate the holidays, we at Simply Elegant wish you joy and peace. Oh, and if
you don’t want to run short of eggnog, give us a call.

Calgary, Canada Day. What a great combination.

July 1^st will be here soon and we know you want to make the most of Canada Day and paint the town red and white. At 143 years young, our country has never looked better.

And a Calgary Canada Day is the best kind of Canada Day there is. We live in a fabulous city where can you go rafting, mountain climbing, and shopping all in the same day, watch the sun set behind the Bow River, and then make dinner reservations downtown.

There will be no shortage of fun things to do. To get you started, we at Simply Elegant have a few suggestions on how to make your Calgary Canada Day extra special.  

You can enjoy the day with family and friends on Prince’s Island Park. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Island will be alive with music, live entertainment, food, and festivities. And with three stages filled with live music and entertainment acts, there is guaranteed to be something for everyone.  

Later in the evening the festivities continue at Olympic Plaza with even more food, entertainment and a fireworks finale – talk about going out with a bang.

Or you and the family can spend the day at Heritage Park. The day long events include western themed entertainment, old fashioned family games, birthday cake (of course) and plenty of music.  

The spirit of the west is in full swing at Millarville.  Why not visit and check out Millarville’s Canada Day races. The day features modern-day cowboys, farmers and local acreage owners competing in the Millarville Derby. The Derby is a 7 furlong race for local riders and their stock horses under a western saddle. 

They’ll be celebrating our nation’s 143^rd birthday all day long at the place where our city was born. And a Fort Calgary Canada Day is a very special one indeed.  The historic site of the first English singing of O Canada and first RCMP detachment will be featuring family fun events such as a free pancake breakfast, live stage entertainment, petting zoo, pony rides, games, crafts, jump houses, and much more. At noon, they’ll be holding their official Canada Day ceremony and at 1 PM the Strathcona Mounted Troop will have their Musical Ride on site. 

Spruce Meadows continues its “Canada One” Tournament.  The tournament showcases world-class show jumping competition in a relaxed atmosphere and it is considered among one of the finest outdoor tournaments in North America. With over $350,000 total purse for the competition at the highest level, “Canada One” has become one of the sport’s premier tournaments with full FEI CSI 4-star status and a world cup qualifier.

Now’s your chance to see some of North America’s best riders.

So go on, Calgary. Canada Day is waiting. Get out there and celebrate it in style. And whatever you choose to do this holiday, here’s wishing you and yours a fun, safe, and happy time from all of us. Because let’s face it, as a country, we totally rock.

Here’s a fun fact: Father’s Day dates back almost 4,000 years.

The story goes that a Babylonian youth named Elmesu carved the first known Father’s Day card in clay with a special message that wished his dear old dad good health and a long and happy life.

We’re sure his dad appreciated it.

But let’s be honest, ever since that first clay card, a lot of dads have been shortchanged when it comes to their big day. Father’s Day just doesn’t get the recognition that Mother’s Day gets…

Father’s Day, as we know it today, was first originated 100 years ago this month by Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. While listening to a Mother’s Day sermon, she decided to establish a celebration for fathers as well. And the tie industry has never looked back…

Dodd’s father, a widower and Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings for 21 years after their mother died.

She encouraged local churches to institute a day of observance for fathers. And because her father was born in June, she chose June 19, 1910 as the celebration day.

But even though it was widely celebrated for decades, Father’s Day wasn’t officially recognized as a national day of observance until 1972.

Like we said, Father’s Day just doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

There are several reasons: Father’s Day is celebrated in the middle of a very busy month. It’s surrounded by graduations, proms, weddings, and the beginning of summer vacation. Mothers are smart for so many reasons, not the least of which, their special day falls in the oh-so-less-cluttered month of May.  
With fathers increasingly involved in family life, observing Father’s Day is becoming more important to many. If you’re looking for something that is not too over the top (and isn’t a tie), how about turning Father’s Day into a special event for dad?  It might require a little more thought, but he’s worth it.  Here are a few suggestions…

- Breakfast in bed: Gooey eggs and burnt toast aren’t just for Mom anymore…

- An awesome toy.  He’s still a big kid, so why not light up his life with a power drill or a putter, or an iPad, or… well, you get the idea.

- A day off.  He may have a “to-do” list – maybe you can do one or two of the “to-do” things on it. Sometimes the best gift is just to help your dad.

- Barbecue accessories for your favorite grill-master.

- A new snazzy shaving kit – shaving is something most dads do every day, so he’ll always think of you.

- Books.  There are millions of them out there.  There’s bound to be one with his name on it.          

- Time together.  For most dads, just spending the day with him is the greatest gift you can give. 

- Make him a handmade card.  He’ll love the personal touch.

- Participate in a Father’s Day Run or in another event in which the proceeds go towards charity, perhaps prostate cancer research.

- Oh, and like moms, most dad’s like clothes and chocolate too!

Whatever you choose, this is a day for you to show your love and appreciation for your father. And that’s the best gift of all.

It’s National Barbecue Month. Yes, it’s time to fire up the barbecue and enjoy cooking in the great outdoors. And grilling isn’t just for hotdogs and burgers either. You can use your barbecue to cook vegetables, fish, pizza, corn on the cob and even certain fruits. 

And we here at Simply Elegant have some helpful grilling tips and barbecue event ideas that we’d like to share with you to help you celebrate National Barbecue Month. 

Planning on having a big time barbecue event? A good caterer can handle most of this for you letting you enjoy your barbecue as opposed to spending all your time over the grill.

Here are a few suggestions to help make your barbecue event the best it can possibly be:  

- make sure your guests know what to wear: proper shoes, warmer clothes for evening – you may get four seasons in one hour. Make sure your guests know that, and have back up sweaters, blankets, etc. for those who don’t come prepared.

-have a back up plan in case it rains. You may need to move your party indoors or under some kind of shelter very quickly. Be prepared and have your move rehearsed or at the very least planned.

-only have food out for a maximum of 2 hours – no more no matter what.

-keep food out of the sun.

-keep food platters on top of ice.

-serve clean ice for drinks (don’t have guests scoop ice out of containers cooling cans of coke, beer, etc.).

-don’t serve seafood. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

-don’t serve anything mayo based. Make you potato salad with oil not mayo. It’s safer and much more savoury.

-make sure your bar and bartender are in the shade. It not only makes your ice last longer, but more importantly, your bartender won’t collapse from heatstroke.  

-make sure your guests have shade as well.

-think about your power sources. Outdoor lights don’t require much power, cappuccino machines do. Will you need a generator? There are quiet ones out there. But they rent/sell quickly. So plan ahead.

-can you borrow additional power from a neighbor (again, only for sources that don’t need much power)?

-invite your neighbours regardless of the type of party. They will be more forgiving of noise, etc.

-make sure you know your neighbourhood rules and laws when it comes to noise, lights and cutoff times etc. 11pm is often the cutoff time – but not for everywhere.

-think ahead to any transportation needs, particularly if hosting it somewhere remote or if you are serving alcohol.

-offer taxi chits as necessary or have a plan to reunite those who wish to over indulge with their cars the next day (and/or a place for them to stay).

-make sure you also serve lots of fun non alcoholic drinks.

-have a bartender who knows how to appropriately deal with problem drinkers (there is always at least one).

-for alcohol, theme it and do something fun and momentous. Have a martini luge or something through an ice sculpture. It is decorous, practical and fun.

-bugs. Fact of life. Hardware stores offer eco friendly, non or little-smelling tiki torches to ward off mosquitoes.

-do a test of your planned site to check for wasps. Have a little picnic and see how many bees and wasps you attract. It may just be a fact of life.

-know who has allergies to nuts, bees, etc. and avoid allergens where you can. Ask guests who you’ve identified as allergic to bring whatever medications they may need to deal with an allergy exposure. And know how to work an Epipen.

Now that you’ve taken care of that, it’s time to celebrate National Barbecue Month. So let’s get grilling!

If you are looking for a way to express your love for your Valentine this year, there is a flower that most likely matches how you feel.  You can use the language of flowers whether you decide on a single, splendid blossom or write a love letter in blooms.  They will say how you feel. Allow flowers to provide both beauty and a message of love meant especially for you and your Valentine.  Make sure to tell your significant other the meaning of the flower(s) being presented.  It could lead to a whole other conversation!

Arbutus Thee Only Do I Love

Aster Talisman of love and patience

Camellia (Pink)                     Longing For You

Camellia (Red)                      You’re a Flame in My Heart

Camellia (White) You’re Adorable

Carnation (Red) My Heart Aches For You, Admiration

Carnation (White) Sweet and Lovely, Innocence, Pure Love, Woman’s Good Luck Gift

Chrysanthemum (Red)       I Love You

Daffodil Regard, Unequalled Love, You’re the Only One, The Sun is Always Shining When I’m with You

Delphinium Open Heart and Passionate Attachment.

Fern (Maidenhair) Secret Bond of Love

Forget-Me-Not True Love, Memories

Gardenia You’re Lovely, Secret Love

Gloxinia Love at First Sight

Iris Faith, Valor, and Wisdom

Ivy Wedded Love, Fidelity, Friendship, Affection

Jonquil Love Me, Affection Returned, Desire, Sympathy, Desire for Affection Returned

Lily (Calla) Beauty

Myrtle Love, Hebrew Emblem of Marriage

Orange Blossom Innocence, Eternal Love, Marriage and Fruitfulness

Orchid Love, Beauty, Refinement, Beautiful Lady, Chinese Symbol for Many Children

Primrose I Can’t Live without You

Rose (Damask) Persian Ambassador of Love

Rose (Hibiscus) Delicate Beauty

Rose (Leaf) You May Hope

Rose (Pink) Perfect Happiness, Please Believe Me

Rose (Red) Love, I Love You

Rose (Tea) I’ll Remember Always

Rose (Thornless) Love at First Sight

Rose (White) Innocence and Purity, I am Worthy of You, You’re Heavenly

Rosebud (Red) Pure and Lovely

Rosebud (Moss) Confessions of Love

Roses (Single Full Bloom) I Love You, I Still Love You

Tulip (General) Perfect Lover, Fame, Flower Emblem of Holland

Tulip (Red) Believe Me, Declaration of Love

Tulip (Yellow) There’s Sunshine in Your Smile

Violet (Blue) Watchfulness, Faithfulness, I’ll Always Be There

Valentine’s Day Flowers

Undeniably, a gift of flowers makes us all feel special and loved.  For thousands of years flowers have symbolized love, marriage and romance.  This Valentine’s Day, if you’re thinking of giving your sweetheart flowers, give them a message meant just for them.  Most of us know that red roses mean “I love you” and although that’s a good place to start, by using the language of flowers, you could have an entire discussion about that love using only flowers.

The language of flowers, floriography, was most popular during the Victorian period, but the symbolic use of flowers dates back to antiquity.  Early Christians used white roses, myrtle, and lilies as symbols of virtues.  In medieval and Renaissance culture, flowers were often given moral meanings.  The Victorians however, raised the language to flowers to new heights by their use of flowers as a means of communication.  Various flowers and floral arrangements were enlisted to send coded messages, thus allowing individuals to express feelings, which otherwise could not be spoken.  The Victorians also used flowers to describe moral, spiritual, or emotional truths.

Picking out the Perfect Bouquet

Take time to compose your language of love bouquet. You don’t have to have an entire floral conversation, a single thought or emotion could be all that you need convey. Research on line, but if possible choose flowers at a florist. You can then check the quality of the flowers, the fragrance, and compose the bouquet yourself.  The benefit of having a florist’s help in composition will be evident with the final product. If you’re in Calgary, La Fleur is a great place for fabulous flowers.

Size doesn’t matter with flowers.  A bigger bouquet won’t necessarily get a bigger smile or more kisses. Something, smaller with more meaning or sophistication, makes just as big a statement as a larger bouquet.

Take at look at the  Language of Flowers Glossary for we’ve put together for Valentine’s Day.  You’ll have a head start composing your floral message or conversation. Participation makes a gift of flowers that much more romantic.

Are you an enviromantic?

You want to know how to reduce the environmental impact of your Valentine’s bouquet – and still get something romantically spectacular.  Going green is harder than you think.  Most cut flowers are imported and arrive by plane – so much for your carbon foot print!  In Canada, because flowers are not identified as an edible crop, they are exempt from regulations on pesticide residues and are not inspected for these residues.  But take heart; there are florists and producers that can provide you with locally grown blooms and/or fair trade options.  Fair Trade Certified flowers in Canada carry labels from third-party certifiers.  Canadian company, Sierra Eco, supplies florists with organic and fair trade flowers.

Choosing flowers to tell your love story on Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be the same old thing.  Flowers are the ultimate language of love. Send a floral love message and reap hugs and kisses as your reward!