New Year’s Celebrations

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, and many of us are getting ready to celebrate with our friends and/or family. There is no real “tradition” in Canada other than wishing each other all the best at the stroke of midnight. Maybe kissing those we love, or toasting good fortune with a glass of champagne. But that is simply not the case in other countries. So I thought it would be fun to see how other parts of the world celebrate the New Year’s Eve, and what traditions they may have.

Japan – They literally ring in the New Year by ringing their bells 108 times. In Buddhist beliefs this is the same number as are human sins, and it will cleanse them of the previous year’s sins.

Denmark – These people probably save all their unwanted dishes throughout the year so they can smash them on their friends/family and neighbour’s doorstep. The more broken dishes you find at your door, the better your luck for the coming year.  

Spain – In the 12 chimes of midnight of New Year’s Eve, Spanish people try to eat 12 grapes in unison with the bells. This will secure them a most happy year to come.

Brazil – Thousands of people throw white flowers into the ocean every year at New Year’s Eve. Hoping the Goddess of the sea will grant their wishes for the coming year.

Puerto Rico – It is believed that by throwing pails of water out their windows at the stroke of midnight, will ward off evil spirits.

Columbia – On December 31, you will see many Colombians carry around an empty suitcase. They believe by doing this, they will have a travel – filled year ahead

Peru – In one particular village, the people get together on December 31 for an old fashioned fist fight. They believe that by settling their differences they can start the New Year with a clean slate.

Chile – This is a relatively new tradition, where people, after a mass, enter in the New Year with their lost loved ones in the graveyard.

Ireland – It is tradition to bang bread against the wall to drive away evil spirits.  Or if you are a simple lady looking for love, some women will sleep with mistletoe under their pillows, in hopes it will bring them a husband

Netherlands – On New Year’s Eve, large bonfires of Christmas trees are lit, and fireworks are let off in order to purge the old and welcome the new.

Turkey – At the stroke of Midnight on New Year’s Eve, it is tradition to sprinkle salt on your outside doorstep. It is believed it will bring you peace and prosperity.

Romania – On New Year’s Eve the Romanian farmers try to communicate with their cows or sheep. If they are successful, it is believed they will have good luck in the New Year. (how would you know if it worked?)

Greece – An onion is hung on the front door on New Year’s Eve to signify rebirth and regrowth. 

Armenia – Pomegranates are thrown on the ground, the more pieces and seeds spread out on the ground, the more successful the New Year will be.

Estonia – It is considered good luck if a person eats, 7, 9 or 12 times on New Year's Eve (Those are considered lucky numbers). If they do, they will have the prosperity and strength of 7, 9 or 12 people

Italy – Red is the colour of love and fertility, so in Italy, both men and women wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve.

So maybe you found yourself a new tradition you would like to start here in Montreal, or perhaps you simply enjoyed reading about them. Either way, I hope you all have a great New Year’s Eve, and that 2018 will find you healthy, wealthy, happy and wise!!!!

  

It’s almost Christmas time!!

Ho Ho Ho... Yep only a bit more than a week until Christmas! Are you ready, have you finished all your shopping? Got your tree all set up and decorated? Figured out the yummy menu yet? For those of you who celebrate Christmas, don’t you find there is always so much to do this time of year? It is quite astounding that we find ourselves in such a conundrum, because Christmas does arrive at the same time each and every year! But alas, most of us seem to enjoy the hustle and bustle of waiting until the last week to accomplish everything!  Yep that includes me.  Although my list is much smaller than it was when I first started, it seems that the hours in a day have somehow succeeded in going by faster than I would like.

I also believe that the reason we have a big turkey dinner at the holidays, is because most of us will not have eaten a proper dinner in the week leading up to Christmas. Especially those of us who work in the retail business, our days just get longer and busier as the big day approaches, and take out and frozen dinners seem to be the go to foods!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love this time of year, probably even a little bit more because of the craziness of it all! But there is something to be said about the holiday spirit. It’s a silent, happy and somewhat peaceful sound that you can’t hear, yet it manages to surround us and engulf our souls. It’s the reason that people seem a little bit nicer, they walk a little bit lighter, and smile a lot easier, and there almost seems to be an invisible  glow of  goodness that emanates from them. Think of it like watching a happy, sappy, romance movie, when the movie is over, it leaves you feeling all wonderful, warm and fuzzy!!  Yep that’s how Christmas makes you feel!!!

So I would like to wish everyone a most merry, happy and wonderfully sappy Christmas!!

                                           Winter in Montreal

Montreal City Hall

The Holidays are almost here! Well ok we’ve got about a month, but we all know how fast that time will go.  I was originally going to do a more Christmas type of blog showcasing our lovely floral designs for this year, but I’m not quite there yet. Oh now don’t you worry, I will be doing that in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned! Instead, I’ve decided to help get everyone mentally ready for the coming season. You know, the short days, colder temperatures, windy, rainy, snowy...... and all those wonderful colourful lights that light up the sky, the magical snow capped trees, the crisp clear winter nights that you can walk for hours crunching the snow as you go... Yep, Montreal is a great place to live and a beautiful place in all seasons. You just have to embrace each and every season and open your eyes to the beauty that is all around!  So I found some wonderful pictures of our great city, in its winter glory!

Saint Laurent blvd

Christmas Train

The Old Port

Mcgill College ave

could be anywhere..soo pretty

suburban life

Place Jacques Cartier

Old Montreal

                                                                                       

  Blast of snow

Fall flowers, colours, textures and all its beauty

So here it is already mid October, where does the time go? To top it off, we are already into fall. But that’s ok, with the weather we’ve been getting these past weeks, who’s complaining!! It’s unbelievable that we have had sunnier, drier and hotter days from September till now, than we did throughout the summer.. Thank you Mother Nature!! LOL

Seeing that we are in the fall season (my most favourite time of year), I thought I would write something about it. But I didn’t want to go the Halloween route (wasn’t feeling ghoulish enough), and I didn’t want to go into the details of cleaning our gardens and what to do with the flowers (too much work). I just wanted to enjoy the season, enjoy all the beautiful colours it brings (still waiting on that by the way). So I did what most people do, I turned to Google for inspiration.

Along my internet travels I chanced upon a beautiful fall themed arrangement, then I just kept going with that theme. So instead of writing a long winded blog, I’m just going to share with you some inspiring flowers that appealed to me. I did find, that as far as fall arrangements go, that I liked textural components with the flowers. And I enjoy both the simple to a more complicated composition.

 Let’s face it all flowers are beautiful! I hope you like my choices as much as I do.

                                                                                               

Weddings

(and my personal perspective on them)

  

Well it’s here at last, summertime! I know it’s hard to tell between all the rain and yucky weather we’ve been getting, but it has to improve some time right?!

   With the summer comes wedding season. One of my jobs here at Edgewood is to meet with perspective clients in regards to an upcoming event.  Which can be anything from a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, retirement party, sweet 16, first communion or just someone who’s having a BBQ and needs some decor, you name it! 

But my favourite ones are the weddings!  

I love weddings, they are such happy events, and the people I meet are simply wonderful! I must say though, that the modern age does make my job at times quite difficult. Too many pictures on the web and on Pinterest can be confusing to the wedding couple. 

They always seem to showcase large, ornate and usually very costly arrangements. Which normally cost a bit more than the average person wants to spend. Or they incorporate flowers that are very seasonal, and I have to disappoint them by informing them that the flowers they love are simply not available at that time.  So yes it’s great and pretty to look at, but keep your options open, and don’t take it out on your florist..Lol.

   Every wedding is so different, because, well let’s face it, we are all different people right?!  I especially love people who really try to incorporate themselves into the event. Whether it’s how they met, their common interests, their common dreams, etc, it helps give the decor a more personal touch, which is nice. 

 I also love when sometimes couples have an idea but don’t know how to make it work, and that’s the best!!! Figuring out how to (hopefully) make it work! Brainstorming together!  Let me tell you, it isn’t always easy, and sometimes it takes me a little to get the creative juices going, but it is fun, and very rewarding when a dream can come to fruition.

 Of course, I have also come across some ideas that should.. Let’s just say, they should stay as ideas, very quiet, non existing ideas..Lol. But that’s ok too, as long as we can laugh, relax and enjoy the whole process, then all is good.

   

    Weddings are certainly wonderful, but they can also be stressful at times, unfortunately. Let’s face it, marriage is a vow to a person you wish to share your life with, forever. So your wedding day is a very important day, and should be taken seriously.

But I also believe it should be a memorable, enjoyable, happy, and at times maybe even a bit of a silly day that is filled with wonder and love! (I know it’s the romantic coming out of me..lol)

 My point is that it shouldn’t be just the wedding day that is memorable, but the whole process of planning and the events leading up to it! After all choosing a dress, cake, band, or even your flowers are part of that “wedding” journey.

 

So don’t stay in a store or venue that makes you feel uncomfortable, doesn’t give you the time of day, or simply leaves you feeling blah,  because IT IS all about you, not them! Both of you should be able to look back with good memories of the nice people you met who worked with you to make your day just as you envisioned it to be.

                                                                      

   Having worked at Edgewood now for just over 36 years (yes I started when I was 5..lol) I have had the pleasure in learning many different customs and religions. I’ve also been privileged with meeting such wonderful people through those years! Montreal is known for its diversity, (which I think is one of our best qualities) so the people you meet are unique as well. 

We’ve done some very large and ornate weddings, to simple justice of the peace weddings.  For some weddings it’s all about the flowers, others, not so much..Lol. I’ve dealt with almost all nationalities and gender choices, you name it.  

I’ve even dealt with only the bride and grooms mothers upon occasion, and I'm still here to talk about it..lol (just kidding) But it is true that each wedding is unique to itself, from the colour pallet, to the choice and variety of the flowers, to the style and design of the bouquets.  Isn’t that great?! 

 See, what I do simply isn’t just a job, it’s a wonderful journey that I get to share with people. Learning new things, meeting new people, experiencing all the wonders that each person brings, who could beat that!  I feel very fortunate and wanted to share that with all of you.

                                                                           

Let the season begin!!!

May 14^th is Mother’s Day – What flowers should you send to her?

      Once again we get the chance to say I love you and thank you to that very important person in our lives, our Mom.  I know, I know, we shouldn’t have to wait for this one particular day to let her know how great she is, we should tell her almost every day! But unfortunately, life keeps us busy, and although most of us have good intentions, I’m sure we all forget to do so from time to time. 

Daisy

Gerbera

     In the florist industry, Mother’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year.  Because, well, let’s face it, everyone has a mother right?!  And what woman, for the most part, would not love to receive flowers from their kids, (or anything else for that matter..LOL).

Rose

    So let’s talk about the flowers, how do you know what to send, how much should you spend? These are all very good questions, and there is no real definitive answer, however, I will try my best to help you with choosing the right selection for your mom.

Lisianthus

    If you are one of the lucky ones, you will know exactly what variety of flowers your mom prefers, if that’s the case it’s almost too easy.  Simply order either just that type, or make sure it is included in a bouquet. 

Bird of Paradise

     The cost of course is more dependent on what type that is, as not all flowers are priced the same.  Most average between the $3 - $10 range, for example: a stem of daisies is $3, a Gerbera is $4 a rose $4.50 Lisianthus is $5 Hydrangea range from $5 to $10, bird of paradise are $7,and a large Oriental lily is $10 and so on.

Hydrangea

 So obviously the type will help determine  the cost. Also keep in mind that it is nicer to receive something they like than something they don’t. So let’s say you wish to spend $50, and her favourite flowers are Gerbera, then why not simply send her a beautiful bouquet of only Gerbera with some nice greens and maybe some filler flowers to fluff it up a bit, you get the idea.

Oriental Lily

    Then there are those who have an idea of what kind of style their mom likes opposed to the types of flowers. Well that’s not as difficult as you think it may be. If she prefers a more modern look to things, you know stream lined, simple, elegant, then the flowers should reflect that. Calla lilies are very classy, as well are orchids, so you could maybe send her a Phalenopsis orchid plant, or some calla lilies with some interesting foliage, as an idea. If you go that route, you probably are looking to spend more around the $50 - $150 range. 

Modern vase with Calla Lily

Phalaenopsis Orchid

    Maybe your mom is the type of person who loves to work in the garden, and simply loves nature and flowers of all types. In that case, almost anything would work, though I would suggest a vase of “gardeny” type flowers.

Garden vase of flowers

 Maybe something with hydrangea, Lisianthus, gerbera, even a few roses or daisies depending on the amount you wish to spend. If this is the case, the budget is up to you. For something that is a good size, without going crazy, figure on spending from $60 - $120.

Bowl of 36 tulips

    We then go to the person who simply doesn’t have a clue what their moms like. When someone says this to me, there are 3 options (as far as I am concerned). You could go the simple classy route and send a dozen roses in a vase with some nice greenery and filler cost would be $75. 

Modern Arrangement

Another option would be a beautiful a vase of tulips. I mean who doesn’t love tulips this time of year, it’s just so spring, cost ranges from $25 -$100 (depending on how many tulips you would like). My last suggestion, when all else fails is simply an assortment of spring mix flowers.  Either done in a vase or sent as cut flowers (means mom will have to put it in a vase herself). 

Pastel Vase

Personally, I think when you send flowers, it always looks nicer when it is already done up, and Mom doesn’t have to do anything but enjoy them! The price range for this varies depending on the flowers that are selected. Usually the customer will let us know how much their budget is, and we will create a beautiful arrangement for that amount. But for those who want an idea, they start at $45 and can go to any amount.  

Large Mixed Vase

Bright and Springy

    One last thing you should also keep in mind, and that would be the colouring of your flowers. To give you an example, my mom was not a “pinky” kind of person, so I would always give her bright coloured flowers.  Maybe your mom likes the soft tones of pinks and lavenders, or maybe she likes more bold shades, like orange, purple and hot pink. Mention this when you order your flowers (if you know), so together will choose the right colour combination that will make your mom happy.

Colourful Vase

   I hope I have helped at least a few of you with what flowers you should send to your special mom for this Mother’s Day. If you need any more help, or more suggestions, don’t hesitate to call us or check our web site for more ideas.  We are very good at what we do, and pride ourselves on sending only the very best. We design each order keeping in mind of  how we ourselves would love to receive them from our loved ones.

Small vase of Tulips

We here at Edgewood want you to feel that you are getting the service, advice and all the help you may need. That way your mom not only gets the flowers that you so lovingly picked out for her, but receives them with a big, happy smile!!!

Vase of pink Roses

 Moms are far too precious, and special to be disappointed on a day that is dedicated to them! Just remember, all gifts are appreciated when given with love.