At some point in time in most romantic relationships, there will be a bouquet of flowers involved. Yet because it is such a mainstay in relationships, we also want to be careful to avoid it becoming viewed as an obligation. Buying flowers is a simple act that doesn’t take much to execute – anyone with spare cash can do it. However, to make your bouquet stand out from the rest, it isn’t more cash that you need, but a thoughtful mind and a bucketful of sincerity. Today we share our two cents worth on what could help you level up your bouquet and re-instill meaning into flower giving. To do so, we shall split the methods into – occasion, delivery, flowers, and associated gifts.
Occasion
By far the best occasion to give is when there’s no occasion at all. Unexpected gifts are the most well-received because the receiver’s expectations are at zero, and with just a simple bouquet, the happiness counter can probably shoot through the roof. Whereas on special occasions, there’s probably already a baseline level of expectation about receiving a gift. Hence to receive flowers on a special occasion becomes a fulfilment of that expectation and not nearly as exciting as receiving a surprise bouquet. A surprise bouquet could be inferred in many ways, but the most common of which would be that you have been thinking of that person (regularly) and wanted to show that you care. With such sweet connotations, a surprise bouquet can melt even the hardiest of flower critics.
Another way flowers can work their magic is as a cheer-up gift. If you know your loved one is having a hard day or has been having a rough week, an unexpected bouquet of sunny sunflowers or cheerful daisies could very well turn a bad day good. Sometimes all that’s needed during tough times like this is a touch of thoughtfulness (in the form of a surprise gift) followed by a listening ear, and one would be ready to tackle obstacles again the very next day.
With all that has been said about surprise bouquets, that’s not to say that you should be ignoring special occasions when flowers are somewhat expected. Failing to meet expectations would bring collateral damage to the previous good work you’ve done with those surprise bouquets. However, because flower gifting is so traditional, we’ll explore some ways to spruce it up and make it more meaningful during these special occasions.
Flower Bouquet
In a flower bouquet, the flowers do the talking. Thus we need to focus on how best to let these flowers do their thing.
The best way to show one’s sincerity, is by choosing flowers that you know your receiver will like. If you’ve asked them before and are now supposed to know what flowers they like, you better have remembered it! Giving the wrong type of flower takes away more brownie points than any number of surprise bouquets can replenish.
Another way to spruce up a flower gift is to choose different types of flowers each time. Various flowers can offer different experiences, and gifting a new experience with each bouquet value-adds to what may have become a routine act. Some flowers are known for their great smell, such as lavenders, hyacinths, lilies. Other flowers are known for being lasting long and able to grow, such as chrysanthemums, freesias, orchids – giving these flowers simulates giving a pot of plants that comes with an experience to nurture and grow those blooms. Even dried or preserved flowers could offer another unique experience – they are perfect for decorating one’s room with, could be repurposed into bookmarks, or rearranged and framed up as a picture. It may seem like quite a bit of work trying to find out what kind of experiences each flower type can offer, but just speak to your friendly florists at 24hrsCityFlorist about your intention, and they’re bound to have some great ideas up their sleeves!
Associated gifts
Aside from focusing on the flowers, think outside the box and value-add to your bouquet by giving it with accompanying gifts. A crystal-clear balloon with special wordings imprinted makes the giving all that unique. A classic handwritten letter is a surefire pass, and might even steal the show from your bouquet. Nothing else screams sincerity more than a handwritten letter. In fact, may we kindly suggest that every bouquet come with a letter or a message of some sorts at the very least?
Flowers are pretty and all, but can they be eaten? Can they fill the belly? They can’t, but food can! If your loved one is someone who loves food, pairing the bouquet with a food delivery can really make you stand out. It shows you understand the person’s likes and didn’t forget to cater to it despite the mandatory flowers. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can consider purchasing flowers and cakes, cupcakes or cookies bundles. That’s bound to make your bouquet extraordinary and bring much joy to food lovers.
One other unique method we’ve thought of that could make your flower giving meaningful is not really related to an accompanying gift, but rather your loved one’s mum. If you’re in it for the long-run, one day you’ll be calling her mum yours. Why not start early by giving your future mother-in-law a bouquet on Mother’s day. It is an act that signifies a huge commitment though, so only do so if you know that both you and your partner are comfortable with what the gift signifies.
Flower Delivery
When you’re done selecting the bouquet and its contents, it’s time to plan for the delivery. Nothing beats an in-person delivery, but sometimes surprise deliveries could be made more unexpected when you’re not physically there.
One way is to send her a bouquet while she’s at work. Of course this depends on many factors like the status of your relationship to her colleagues, the work culture and whether your flowers may do her more harm than good in certain work environments. But if all’s clear, your surprise bouquet is bound to not only brighten up a mundane work day, but also make her the envy of many colleagues. Double win in one day, how about that!
If you’ve got some time on your hands, the ultimate surprise would be a bouquet waiting for her on her desk when she comes back from work. This assumes you have been introduced to her parents and would require you to make a trip down to her place, but her delight from seeing the beautiful bouquet after an arduous day at work would be well worth the effort. If you’re feeling up to it, you could even take the liberty to decorate her room with dried and fresh flowers, but please make sure you know what you’re doing, or at the very least ensure you’re not giving her more trouble with the cleaning up afterwards.
There we have it, our two cents on little ways you can turn what might have become a routine bouquet into something more meaningful for your loved one. Ultimately though, meaning stems from sincerity. So long as you really put some heart into thinking about what she might appreciate, we’re sure you’ll do just fine in the act of flower gifting!
Written by Engracia exclusively for 24HrsCityFlorist.com
Leave a Reply