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Flowers
Costco roses
I have been playing with the idea of ordering the bulk roses from Costco (100 stems for $89.99) and actually doing the bouquets myself. I watched and read some tutorials online and it seemed like something I could do if I do some practice runs first. I read the reviews on Costco's website and they were kind of mixed. Some said they were great and opened up beautifully, some say they were horrible and dead. I was wondering if any of you girls did the Costco flowers and if you would suggest it. Also, any tips for care when you receive them or when would be the best time to have them delivered? One review said that they have to be de-thorned when you get them. I don't know if I trust myself to de-thorn 100 roses, but maybe if I had a helper? I don't know...
Also, has anyone used them for their table petals? I would love to have fresh petals on the tables at least, if not for the aisle also (I'd rather not littler and have a thousand silk petals blowing around outside). If you've gotten fresh petals, what kind of care did you need to do when you received them?
TIA
April 2011 November Siggy: Venue
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Costco roses
If you pre order in bulk, I'd pick them up or have them delivered 2 days before the wedding. Trim the ends 1/2" and get them in water with some floral preservative immediately. They need to "rest" for a few hours or overnight in a cool place, out of drafts and away from sunlight.
They usually come tightly wrapped so they won't open up. If you want them open, unpackage them and they should be fairly opened up by the wedding day. If you don't want them open, leave the buds packaged as long as possible.
There is a floral supply gadget you can buy to de-thorn the stems. It looks kind of like a giant staple puller. Or you can just snip them off with floral shears, or if they are sharp enough, "rake" the stems with the shears, sharp scissors, or a sharp knife.
Some color roses tend to wild quicker, and I occasionally get some that don't open up before they start to droop.
I brought some of them home so I could watch how they did (since I'm planning on using them as well). They looked great 7 days later.
The online tracking tool they provided after they were shipped showed they took 3 days from Ecuador to her front door.
I have no qualms about ordering my flowers from them. However, I am going to order a wedding package, probably the white roses, and some bulk white roses for centerpieces.
If you live near a Costco, go there at some point and ask to speak with the "flower lady". We were there once and she was placing the arrangements she had made. She said we could get in touch with her anytime if we needed something specially made. Not sure if this happens at all stores, and this was a while ago.
Another good site is www.californiaflowergrowers.com. I may get some additional bulk flowers from them as well, as they have a bigger variety.
Good luck. Based on my experience, I have no qualms.
As of now I am going to give it a try..... but I went out and spent a couple bucks on a few fake flowers to make a fake boquet as a back-up plan. Worse case I figure I'll stick the flowers in the back of the ceremony where no one is close enough to tell if it is real or fake and it will be a bonus arrangement. I'm thinking it is worth the money to prevent myself from turning into bridezilla if it doesn't work out.