Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is always a magical time of the year for me.  I try to be grateeful throughout the year, but there is something very special about sitting around the table with the people who make me who I am. Be they family or friends, they all contribute to me being Meta or Almeta or Miss Almeta.  We have a tradition of standing around the table before the meal and each member of the group saying out loud what they are most thankful for at that moment or that they have been grateful for during the year.  It is moving to hear what the people close to me are grateful for, sometimes things that I am aware of and then there are things that I had no idea about.  It is warm and magical to have all of the love and turkey in one place.
I love the interactions between the adults and children and the in-betweens (not old enough to hang out with the adults, but wayyyyto old to be with the children.)  I see a lot of me in my childhood in those moments.
I am grateful for my family and loving friends.  I am thankful for the love and happiness and the not so great things that cuase us to pull together and hold on tight to each other.  I love and am thankful for the strength that I draw from the conversations that I have throughout the year with both friends and family.  I don't get to spend enough time with my family or friends but it does not stop the love and the gratitude that you are a part of me, that they  have touched or are touching me in ways that keep me strong and moving forward.
I wish these feelings for you and your family and friends.  From the bottom of my heart I want to wish you the best Thanksgiving yet.
 Happy Thankgiving from me and mine to you and yours!

Floral Perfection??

Headtable
D'Lacy Photogrpahy

 Perfection

I work in an industry (wedding/party) where it is easy to get caught up in the infinite web of perfection. For me, to be truly creative I have to willing to relinquish the idea of a perfect product.  I can create something that is  spectacular and  it not be perfect.  If I get overly critical of what I am doing then I can't go forward with the design process. So for all of you creative sorts out there, create to your heart's content but stay away from trying to make it perfect.   No perfection in any of the floral arrangements here, but each was a work of art in it's own right.

Black/Deep Purple Calla Bouquet
Photography-Floral Designs by Meta

                           Majestic Calla and White Orchid Arrangement
                                       Lucid Eyes Photography

What To Ask The Florist

It is a daunting task to assemble, interview and hire all of your wedding vendors.  I thought that I would make one portion of this process easier by giving you a list of questions that you can ask your potential florist. I have taken the liberty of answering the question for my company, but you can use this for a florist any place that you happen to be.  Get answers that are satisfactory to you and most of all make sure you have a connection with person you hire.  You want to make sure that they understand and capture your vision of what you want before saying yes and paying a deposit.  

FAQs To Ask A Potential  Florist

•Are you available on my wedding date? We verify that we have a slot available on your date before we start any  conversation about your wedding.

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•Do you specialize in weddings? Our specialty is weddings!  We love them and  the creative and decorating  process surrounding the wedding day.

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•Are you doing other weddings on the same day as mine? We typically schedule no more than 3 weddings in one day depending on the size.  We can do 2 small events and one large or 2 large events.

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•What education/credentials do you have?  I have on the job training from work in a flower shop and I have college level training in  floral design.  I keep up to date by attending continuing  education classes annually.

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•How many years of experience do you have? I have 16+ years of experience and training.

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•How many weddings have you done? We have done 100s of weddings.

•Will you personally design my bouquet and floral arrangements?  Yes, I am the principal floral designer.  I create the bridal bouquets and design the centerpieces and there are others that make the small pieces and duplicate my designs for the centerpieces.

•What is your philosophy about designing floral arrangements and bouquets?  My philosophy  about design of any kind is that it should reflect the personality and desires of the clients.  I don’t want to just sell you something, I strive to create something that is unique to you.

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•Can I see a portfolio of your work?  Yes we have a gallery of our work on our website www.metasflowers.com and on our face book page www.facebook.com/floral.designs.by.meta.  We also have a blog www.metasflowers.blogspot

Can I see a sample arrangement of my bridal bouquet? If you purchase a bridal portrait bouquet, we use that as the sample, if you are not having a bridal portrait, we will create one for additional cost.

•Will you make me a toss bouquet? Yes we will make a toss bouquet and it is  complimentary.

•Will you make the reception table centerpieces? Yes we create any and all floral pieces associated with weddings; centerpieces, aisle décor, ceremony pieces, buffet pieces etc.

•Do you deliver the flowers? Is there a delivery charge?  We deliver and there is a charge. The charge  is based on the amount of set up necessary in order to insure that all arrangements a placed as requested and distance to the  venue.

•Do you provide other items like candles, trellises, potted plants, etc.?  We provide any number of items associated with decorating for weddings: candles, lighting, draping,  linens, china, stemware, and other props.

•How do you charge for services? Our charges are based on an itemized estimate, which includes taxes and delivery and set up charges.

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•Do you have payment plans?  Our policy is 1/3 of balance is due at contract signing and the remaining balance is due 3 weeks (21) days prior to the event.  If you choose to divide the remaining balance into payments, that is acceptable, but should be requested at the time of contract signing so that a payment schedule can be set up.

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•How do you handle deposits?  See statement above.

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•When is the balance due?  See statement above.

•What is your refund/cancellation policy? Because all orders are custom, if all payments are not made by final due date, the contract is cancelled and all payments are forfeited.  We also understand that sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control, with that in mind, the following applies and is stated in the contract:  Cancellations made 30 days prior to the event will receive a refund of monies paid minus  non refundable fee, cancellations made less than 30 days prior to the event  will receive no refunds.

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