Fresh Flower Ideas for Three New Year’s Parties and Events

Fresh Flower Ideas for Three New Year’s Parties and Events

Tempted to take a long winter’s nap after the Christmas chaos subsides? Do that, and you could miss out on flower sales for this year’s New Year’s celebrations.

Because the holidays aren’t over until New Year’s parties end!

Whether you are selling the centerpiece of a celebratory meal or an arrangement that arrives as a hostess gift, flowers add beauty to the start of a new year.

Want your floral designs to be invited in? Consider these helpful hints for planning fresh flower holiday designs for three distinctly different types of New Year celebrations.

1. Formal New Year’s Eve parties

Looking to create elegant designs for first-class events? Consider these inspiring designs from the AIFD 2014 Leadership Gala in Chicago. This large event honoring then out-going AIFD President John Kittinger and his leadership team was cutting edge.

The photos below show fine-tuned examples of using large scale designs to visually minimize the dimensions of a vast room.

Kevin Coble AIFD of Le Fleur in Memphis, TN and Kevin Hinton AIFD of Bankhead Flowers in New Albany, MS, led a design team of volunteers who created these amazing designs. Here’s how they did it.

Create an intimate atmosphere

Photo: Sharon McGukin

The secret to creating an intimate party atmosphere in a large banquet hall is to vary the size, placement and style of tables, centerpieces and forms of candlelight throughout the room.

These different heights of decoration help to create dimension. Therefore offering the illusion of separate setting areas for groups of guests.

Utilize candlelight at varied heights to accent tables. With a composition of light that illuminates the table top (votive to 12 to 15-inch candles), highlights guest faces around the table (15 to 18- inch candles) and lights the atmosphere (24 to 36-inch candles).

Mix heights, sizes and shapes of arrangements

Photo: Sharon McGukin

Mixing the shape and size of floral elements in a room creates visual interest. Also helping the budget! Not every design has to be large. In contrast smaller arrangements help fill in space too.

Likewise designer blocks of floral foam can help in creating large scale arrangements.

Photo: Sharon McGukin

Position a number of similar large designs throughout the room minimizing the scale of the area.

Furthermore using a composite of Grande bricks of floral foam covered in florist netting (poultry wire) creates a firm foundation for oversized designs.

“We used 15-inch linen trays with designer blocks for the half white hydrangea spheres to sit on white urns,” shares Kevin Coble.

Photo: Sharon McGukin

Use a variety of coordinating containers. The mix adds visual interest. Also allowing you to stock a smaller number of each rental vase style. Rather than purchasing a larger number of containers for the event if they all must match.

Also a floral wreath at the base of a large arrangement offers you two levels of flowers in an easy-to-deliver form.

Arrive on-site with the design in three pieces: (1) An upper arrangement designed in a floral mechanic that can be set atop the. (2) container that is placed inside the. (3) wreath that is the floral base placed on the table. An easy way to make a big statement!

Photo: Sharon McGukin

Create visual impact by repeating the same design in multiples on individual tables around the room.

Clear and adaptable Lomey Design Systems help to support smaller individually elevated designs, similarly to this repetition of arrangements.

Incorporate pieces of floral art

Photo: Sharon McGukin

Also add a few large pieces of floral art or large-scale designs to the collection catching the guests’ eye. As a result punctuate the room with a statement of style.

“We used designer blocks on bus trays to slide in the metal structures for the tall tower arrangements,” says Kevin Coble.

Wreath forms and large Lomey trays are often adapted to fit pre-made structural forms for building over-sized floral works of art like these.

Highlight architectural elements

Photo: Sharon McGukin

An easy way connect with guests visually is to highlight architectural elements throughout the room with flowers. This finishing touch can make a large, cold-feeling room seem warmer and more inviting.

“We attached Raquettes to the railing above for the garland effect,” explains Kevin Coble.

Raquettes come in a variety of lengths and are an easy floral mechanic to design, deliver and install on-site. They can often be attached by using bind wire, floral tape or cable ties.

2. Informal New Year’s Day Meals

If your customers’ New Year’s plans include simple meals with family and friends. Consider offering designs that can be used as gifts or table décor.

New Year’s designs can be a good place to use up the leftover Christmas decorations rather than store them away for next year.

Centerpieces

A centerpiece added to the food-serving table makes it look more impressive.

Noir Ideal black floral foam visually recedes in a clear vase and really pops the colors of a design!

Offer a collection of informal centerpieces that can be ordered for delivery. Or quickly picked up as grab-and-go purchases. Because creative displays of pre-made fresh flower arrangements can inspire impulse sales.

Keep a collection of inexpensive containers on hand to fill orders for moderately priced designs.

Likewise be sure to offer a variety of sizes and price points as your customer’s scale of events and budgets will vary.

Furthermore advertising in advance to create a desire for the product is crucial to the success of these holiday sales. Take good photos of the more interesting holiday designs you are selling now. Finally create an online sales campaign to inspire orders.

Hostess gift

Include some inexpensive options that customers can pick up for last minute hostess gifts.

3. Casual game day gatherings

Flowers add a finishing touch to friends getting together to watch the big game. Also suggest that along with chips and dip, your customer bring a bundle of flowers as a thank you for the party’s host.

Photo: Sharon McGukin

Also include hand-tied bouquets that can be wrapped in paper. Therefore negating the added cost of a container and making an easy gift for the guest to hand over as a hostess gift. Finally add accents with ribbons, natural wraps or decorative wire.

Create a plan for selling party flowers

It’s easy to get so side tracked by the holiday rush now that you overlook potential flower sales for upcoming New Year.

If you’re not already doing a brisk business in the three types of parties mentioned above, Certainly invest some time in creating a menu of designs to service those types of events.

Furthermore promote your shop’s ability to meet those needs. Helping your customers start off the New Year as flower-buyers! We hope you found some great tips when reading Fresh Flower Ideas for Three New Year’s Parties and Events.

What ideas do you have to share for building flower sales for New Year’s Day events?

Sharon McGukin