Le Bouquet St-Laurent Florist

Decorating Your Home with Flowers this Thanksgiving

Decorating Your Home with Flowers this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a special time of year where we give our gratitudes and celebrate the beauty of Autumn. When we think of this holiday many things come to mind; A wonderful feast celebrated with family and friends. A magnificent table adorned with elegant linens, fancy dishes, sparkling cutlery, wine glasses, candles and a glorious turkey surrounded by hungry guests. Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without turkey, and a Thanksgiving table setting certainly wouldn’t be complete without flowers – adding life and beauty to the celebration!

The Fall Season brings in many gorgeous flowers and varieties right on time for Thanksgiving! Ranging from Chrysanthemums, Gerberas and Sunflowers to Hydrangeas, Lilies and Orchids, your trusted Montreal florist will highlight the season by combining these vibrant flowers with seasonal favourites such as pumpkins, squash, feathers, and fruits. When thinking of decorating your home for the holidays, your dinning table should be the main focal point. Start by thinking of the kind of flowers, colours and textures you would like to decorate it with.

Traditional Thanksgiving colours include festive oranges, yellows and warm hues of red and burgundy. Modern and elegant holiday arrangements are filled with earth tones like green and brown. They can be brought to life with white and cream! It’s important to remember that your Thanksgiving floral centrepiece shouldn’t be too tall so that your guests can converse easily across the table. If you wish to create a festive theme throughout your home, ask your local Montreal florist to create a stunning floral arrangement in your entrance or foyer with similar flowers used in your table centrepiece. Decorate your mantle, fireplace, coffee table and even your bathroom for a full floral Thanksgiving experience!

The Thanksgiving holidays can be very stressful due to all the preparation required when hosting for all of your family and friends. Cooking and cleaning can be very daunting but decorating your home with beautiful flowers doesn’t need to be!You can easily order your flowers in advance from your favourite Montreal florist by browsing through the many styles and arrangements on the website. A good way to also ensure that the most spectacular flowers are part of your holiday celebration is with a reliable delivery service.

Make decorating your home with flowers for Thanksgiving fun and exciting! Follow our “Centrepieces” Board on Pinterest for many ideas and inspirations for your holiday celebrations! Make sure you always stay informed about our specials, events and seasonal surprises by liking our page on Facebook, following us on Twitter and register to receive our emails!

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and safe holidays filled with pretty flowers and plenty of delicious turkey!

This Montreal florist has some new business cards!

This Montreal florist has some new business cards!

Flower delivery service/…business card designer?
We got to thinking. Could we come up with a creative business card that could do more than just tell people we’re a Montreal based florist located in St-Laurent?

We put media girl to work. Could she find a way to combine our love of floral design with functionality? Every arrangment has two functions, essentially: to provide beauty and to uplift. You get two-for-one, when you really think about it, so shouldn’t our business cards offer the same?

Keeping that in mind, media girl went about about cutting, folding, and reshaping our original card into what you see now.

Owners Joseph and Natalie each have business cards which can be folded into our signature fresh cut flower bouquet or long stem rose bouquet.

The general business card can be folded into a miniature version of our boxed chocolates.

“I’ve never seen cards like that before!”


“That takes some patience.”


“Sick! That is so cool!”


“Can you actually fit a chocolate in there?”

So now you can partake in the business card folding fun! Collect them all in-store! Or request one when you order your flowers online!

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How to Build a Bouquet with Build-A-Bouquet

How to Build a Bouquet with Build-A-Bouquet

Do you like to play with flowers? Do you have a knack for design?

Then come into the shop and play with our Build-A-Bouquet flower designer. It’s a Le Bouquet original featuring over 95 different flowers arranged by color and quadrants.

How to use it:

1. Practice your floral designing skills

Which flowers work best together? Which colors?

2. Destress with the help of pretty flowers

Are you overwhelmed and need some creative time away from your busy life?
Come into the shop and zen yourself out for an hour.

3. Keep your kids entertained while you shop

Got busy children (or grown up siblings, spouses, roommates)?
Keep them entertained while you look around our shop.

4. Waste time.

Remember that quote by Bertrand Russel?
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

So come play!

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CONTEST! Mother’s Day

CONTEST! Mother’s Day

What’s the best advice your mother ever gave you?

Share your story in the comments section of our facebook post (at the top of the page, you can’t miss it) and we’ll surprise everyone who is tagged in your story with a little something special on the big day!

Fabulous bouquet arrangement premium

To all the Mothers out there –

Motherhood is tough job. It takes strength and guts and a whole lot of love. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do.

Mother’s Day vase arrangement

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Clever Ways To Upcycle

Clever Ways To Upcycle

Have you ever received a flower arrangement and thought to yourself “what on earth am I gonna do with this container afterward – store it next to all the other glassware on the top shelf way in the back?”
We got to thinking of different ways we could upcycle containers, vases, and even coffee pods – and came up with today’s post.

Coffee pods as mini-planters

We saw this post from French blogger springinfialta.com, and fell in love. We wanted to see if it was as easy as she makes it look, and it was! So here are our results. Instructions can be found here.

Vases for something other than flowers

You know those very curvy, thin glass vases? We found a pretty good use for them. If you have long hair and require using hair ties on a regular basis, you might try making a hair station similar to this one. The base of this station comes from another container we sell here at the shop, used for small plants, made by Woodaznu.

Mini planters as organizers

This includes the mini succulent and mini plant containers, glass or yogurt containers, and pretty much anything else this size. We reorganized all our office supplies with these bad boys and we think it’s pretty handy!

Planters as pen and pencil storage

Office supply storage, hair supply storage, nail polish storage, scissor storage…and Flower Pen Pot? We liked this idea so much we had to try it. This came from our media girl. Using an oasis floral sponge, we inserted our Le Bouquet pens (cleverly marked with silk flowers on the top so we wouldn’t lose them) to form a big, bright bouquet.

Surprise, surprise!

Wood Planters for wine storage

This one seemed too obvious. Maybe because we have too many wine drinkers working at the shop. We converted Woodaznu’s long planter into a rustic wine rack. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Mug used as a planter or vase

It’s been a few years since Le Bouquet debuted the EA131 arrangement in a smiley face mug. The arrangements were so popular we had to create more. So now we’re offering the Zen Mother’s Day arrangement inside a clever yoga themed mug. Enjoy your flowers, then enjoy a soothing tea afterwards.

Do you have more ideas? Share them with us on our facebook page @lebouquetmtl with the hashtag #earthdayLeBouquet

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Everything You Need To Know About Funeral Flowers

Everything You Need To Know About Funeral Flowers

If you’re reading this post, it’s likely you’ve been handed the task of choosing an arrangement for an upcoming funeral. This can be an overwhelming task, not to mention an emotionally charged one, since our society doesn’t often talk about funerals or death until we are forced to. And anyways, how does one choose an arrangement which appropriately pays homage to the life of a deceased loved one? Quite bluntly, there aren’t enough beautiful flowers in the world to do that. So we do the best we can. For centuries most of us have mourned with the help of mother nature’s own beautiful creation: flowers.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of funeral arrangements, what they are used for, how long they last, and what they most often symbolize.

Standard Arrangements

Arrangement is a broad category and, more simply, a general term for a freestanding floral arrangement. They’re not meant to be hung up or put on top of a casket.

The advantage of an arrangement is that it typically comes in a basket or paper mâché container which contains an oasis (green floral foam inside of which flowers are inserted and stay watered for a few days). Arrangements can easily be transported to a church or place of ceremony and will last for several days, as opposed to a wreath or wall-spray which won’t survive more than a day or two. In some cases, family members may want to take these pieces to the caretaker or the hospital where their loved one spent their last days. These arrangements can be quite colorful or monochromatic, traditional or very modern, and are generally large in size. They are typically purchased by co-workers, companies, friends and family.

Home Sympathy Arrangements

In some cases you may have missed the viewing or maybe you only recently found out that a close friend lost a relative in another country. In cases like this you may still want that person to know that you are thinking of them in their time of sorrow. The advantage of sending a home sympathy arrangement to a funeral home is that they’re small enough that the family can easily take it home after the service. Be aware that these pieces will likely be over shadowed by the larger, more traditional funeral pieces in a funeral home – but in a home they are just right.

Heart Arrangements

Heart arrangements are usually attached to a stand and rest upright. Many people use these to remember a child, military members, grandmothers, mothers, or a spouse lost too soon.

There are two types of heart arrangements: open hearts and solid hearts. Typically a solid heart will feature a solid white chrysanthemum base and feature a spray in the centre slightly to one side. An open heart will often feature a wider variety of assorted flowers. Heart arrangements tend to be pricier than traditional arrangements as the involve more labour and expertise due to their compact design.

Urn Arrangements

Urn arrangements are usually built to showcase and complement an urn. They can range from being a relatively small urn arrangement which surrounds the urn, to a larger, more intricate urn arrangement which winds and weaves into an artistic form.

As with casket sprays, there can only be one urn arrangement. So this is arrangement is ordered by the person in charge of planning the funeral.

It is important to know the dimensions of the urn and stand prior to ordering your arrangement. In some cases you may want the flowers to be completely behind the urn, or off to the side. Or you may want the urn in the centre of the arrangement. With proper dimensions, a florist can ensure the flowers cradle the urn nicely and that there aren’t gaps in the design of the arrangement.

Crosses

Like the heart arrangement listed above, cross arrangements are attached to a stand so they rest upright. They typically signify faith and the religious commitment of the deceased loved one.

Crosses range in size from 24 inches all the way up to 42 inches. The base design is usually made up of chrysanthemums and features a spray in the centre. The contour of the cross typically either features ribbon or green leaves – but in some instances might only feature flowers. As with wreathes and hearts, crosses tend to be more expensive than standard arrangements due to the labor and expertise required to make them as beautiful as possible. The most popular colours in the Montreal area are red and white.

Wall-sprays

Funeral wall-sprays are often purchased by families or groups.

Wall-sprays are popular for their size. They tend to be quite showy as they must be hung on a stand in the funeral home or church above all the other arrangements which are typically arranged on the floor. You do not see the base of a wall spray as you see the bass of a standard arrangement because they are, in essence, a double-sided arrangement. As with all funeral floral arrangements, wall-sprays can be very colourful or monochromatic, traditional or modern. They are not meant to be taken home after a funeral service.

Wreaths

One of the more recognizable types of funeral arrangements, the wreath rests upright on a stand like the heart, cross, and wall-spray arrangements.

Wreaths range in size from 22 inches all the way to 40 inches in diameter. They are typically chosen by color first, then by flower selection. The more traditional wreaths will feature chrysanthemums and carnations as the base since these are the least expensive flowers. The larger sizes will tend to have more varieties of flowers. Wreaths require more labour and expertise, making them pricier than other funeral floral arrangements equivalent in size. Since the flowers are placed in a foam backing, they will typically only last for a few days.

Casket Sprays

Typically chosen by the individual(s) planning the funeral, casket sprays rest on top of the casket.

*** Please plan the purchase of a casket spray with your family members as there can only be one casket spray. Usually the closest person to the deceased orders the casket-spray. Ex: The husband or wife or mother or father, or son or daughter.

Casket sprays are typically very large. In most cases covering half of the casket. In the case of a closed casket, a spray can typically cover 3/4 or more, if desired. The flowers of the casket-spray are chosen to represent the loved-one in colour and style. It is not necessary to add a banner to the spray. If you do decide to add a banner, you might personalize it as in this example: Instead of signing off as ‘your husband’ or ‘your wife’, you may wish to use the nickname they used to call you.

“I don’t like any of these.

They don’t represent my loved one.”

Not to worry. Many floral shops will offer customized arrangements. As an example, let’s say your loved one was an avid musician. A florist who specializes in funeral arrangements is often willing to build a custom piece, like this guitar. Be sure to ask.

Or perhaps it’s not necessarily the shape of the arrangement but the flowers within the arrangement that just aren’t right. Let’s say your loved one was a fan of babies breath, something florists typically use as a filler flower and less as a stand-alone flower. Let’s say a heart shaped arrangement sounds like the right start, but instead of filling it with roses or large flowers you want the entire heart covered in babies breath. Something like this can easily be arranged.

Remember: In the floral industry, everything is handmade. Colors and flowers can easily be exchanged to fit your needs.

Custom Arrangements

TIPS & TRICKS

Saving Money

Funeral floral arrangements can be pricey. Some flowers can make an arrangement more expensive than necessary. You can get a very decent sized arrangement with a selection of carnations, chrysanthemums and gladiolas.
Another tip is to share the cost of a larger arrangement, like a wall-spray with other members of the family or close friends.
A long-lasting way to save money and give back is to send a plant instead of an arrangement, as it can be transplanted into a garden or simply stay indoors as a constant reminder that you are thinking of them.

Flower Substitutions

Some flowers are significantly more costly than others. Ranunculus are more expensive than roses, for example. Sometimes you can substitute a less expensive, but similar looking flower, in your arrangements. Any well-versed designer will be able to help you in this situation. Sometimes certain flowers are simply not in season

“I still don’t know where to start.

I’m even more overwhelmed now.”

We understand. Joseph’s advice is to start with these three things:
1. Budget – How much are you willing to spend?
2. Style – Do you like over-the-top arrangements, or simple arrangements?
3. Color – Typically for an older person that had a long and happy life, you may want to choose something on the more colorful side. In the case of a tragic death or the death of a young person or child, you might want to stick with mostly whites, or very pale, soft colors.

Joseph, co-owner here at Le Bouquet is our leading funeral specialist. With over 25 years experience, he’s helped guide people just like you through the process or choosing funeral flower arrangements with empathy and understanding. If you’re lost and don’t know where to go, come visit him in the shop. He’s in most days, but if you want to set up an appointment to meet with him personally, give us a call. 514-747-2581

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