It’s February, and that means you, like me, may have woken up today thinking “Holy shit, it’s February. Valentines is in two weeks!” My reason is the knowledge that I’m going to be inundated with roses in about a week and a half’s time, but for you it might be more along the lines of I need to figure out what to get my partner!
And if that’s not what you’re thinking, then you probably should be. Otherwise you might end up as that one person showing up at the store 5 minutes before close and asking us for anything at all. And I really mean anything, because by then, we’re out of red roses - and we might be out of roses completely. But roses aren’t the be-all-end-all of Valentines! I’m going to break down all the different options we have for you here at the shop for flowers this year, and how best to go about it.
What Flowers?
Red roses are the first thing most people think of, and not for no reason. They’ve been the classic flower of love apparently since the Ancient Greeks associated them with Aphrodite. No one can argue that there isn’t beauty in all those deep burgundy petals curling around each other in a perfect blossom… but that doesn’t mean they’re everyone’s favourite. In fact, some people openly dislike them! And since they’re in such high demand during Valentines, their prices also go up. If you don’t want to go for the classic or cliche, try either choosing a different colour of rose or different flowers entirely.
The obvious choice is to try to find out your partner’s favourite flower or colour. They might not have one, but it’s worth asking, and you’ve got two weeks to do your homework! If you’re already married, try harkening back to a bridal bouquet or any wedding flowers and choosing blossoms or colours that match. Our fridge will be bursting, and though it might not feel like it here in Banff, in February we’re full of spring blossoms - bright tulips, fragrant hyacinths, pretty daffodils, and flowering branches abound.
If all else fails, tell us a general vibe or aesthetic of your partner. This helps us more than you might think! Are they more traditional and like classic styles? Are they a fan of the modern and chic? Or maybe, as is often the case in Banff, they’re a fan of a wildflower and lush green look to match our mountain landscape. Some of our favourite bouquets are made from directions like “winter and moody,” or “bright and whimsical,” etc. We can even make bouquets that look like fall and summer; the sky’s the limit!
Now that you might have an idea of what you want, let’s talk about HOW to order!
How To Order
The first suggestion I have for you is to order online. You know when you’re at a fast food or coffee spot, waiting what feels like eons for your order, and someone walks straight in and past everyone to pick up something they ordered in advance? You know how you might, in that moment, hate that person? This is my plea to you to become that person. Here at the shop, we love those people. We love the ones who order online. Those orders get filed ahead of time, their flowers are on hold for them first because they ordered early, and we have all the details we need.
And this is how easy it is: when you order online, you can either specify delivery (we charge $10 for anywhere in Banff) or pick-up in store. You can note what you want us to write in the card. In the special instructions field, you can even specify colours or flowers, the vibe you’re going for, or what time you’ll be by to pick them up in the case of pick-ups!
Call Ahead
If you’d rather talk to us directly or aren’t thinking so far ahead, just give us a call! We can place an order for any budget and make sure it’s ready for a time you need. However, we can also start putting something together for you at faster notice. Say you’re leaving your house and planning to come by and ask us for a bouquet - call first! That way we’ll either have it ready for you when you get here, or at the very least, you won’t have to wait so long. Most days, we can usually make a small bouquet for someone in about 10-15 minutes… on Valentines you’ll want to double that time at least, because we’re going to be busy and prioritizing orders that have come in advance.
Don’t forget to make sure you’re ordering from Banff Mountaintop Flowers in the Wolf & Bear Mall, under the Lux Theatre! While we’re usually closed Sunday Mondays, we’ll be open all weekend this year and closing instead on Tuesday the 15th.
See you then, and Happy Valentines!