Planning a big party or wedding? If you'll need flowers, make certain to have some period to shop around. You can find different types of florists, and your local retail shop might not be appropriate for a big event. They may make beautiful arrangements, but for just about any event that requires more than six flower arrangements, consider a special event florist.

This kind of florist is just one that does large events exclusively. Some will even limit themselves to resort parties or weddings only. They generally do not have a retail shop the place you can walk in and buy an arrangement or gift. But why should that be such a tremendous advantage over your local florist?

Primarily because of space. You will often find this kind of florist in a warehouse or any other large building. At first the advantage is not apparent, but let's say you may need fifty arrangements. A large space implies that containers may be prepared and laid out ahead of time. As the time for your event approaches, the florists can come in and make the arrangements quickly. The chances that they are going to deliver on-time increases considerably.

A small shop, by contrast, graduation bouquet has limited space. Imagine you have, say, fifty arrangements ordered. In a regular flower shop they are going to have to start early and work longer to get the job done. Then where will they store the finished arrangements? Will they be stacked and crushed? Or, worse yet, will they get distracted through the retail traffic and be late bringing your flowers? While you can easily see, something as simple as inadequate space can cause many problems down the line.

This leads us to another advantage. Refrigerator space. You may have noticed that flowers are kept in coolers. That is because flowers stay fresh longer under cool conditions. Here is how it works: the florist orders flowers from a grower, and the grower ships them in large boxes. How the flowers are treated after they arrive could make a massive difference in how they look and just how long they last.

Because cooler space is limited in a small shop, your flowers may have to sit in a back room, maybe for days. A specialty florist, on the contrary, is used to handling large volumes of flowers. They probably have more than enough cooler space and will get your flowers in optimum conditions immediately. Therefore they will be fresher and last longer for your guests to enjoy!

Delivery is a challenge for a big order. Flowers may be fragile. Getting them safely to their destination takes specialized equipment and knowledge. Rather than cramming the arrangements in to a small delivery van designed for just a few, specialty florists have systems and equipment designed to take care of this kind of job.

One more possible advantage to hiring this sort of florist is the fact that they can rent containers and other decorative items. Small shops may have some rentals, but limited space means limited selection. Your special event florist may also have things like pillars and mirrors you may rent. Renting these things rather than buying them can save you a great deal of cash!