Flowers are the universal way of saying, "I'm
sorry," "Thank you" and "I love you," but spend one day
behind the scenes at Blush Floral Designs, and it is easy
to see there is much more to them.
As the wedding and event coordinator at Blush, which is
located on 575 E. 1400 North, Heather Ketterer is in charge
of making bridal bouquets, placing flower orders, making
photography plans, filling daily floral arrangement orders
and dealing with mothers of brides.
Ketterer's day starts at 9:30 a.m., half an hour before
the store opens. She said her first activity is making
colored bouquets while she listens to background classical
music.
"This is the kind of job you enjoy going to every morning," Ketterer
said. "It's like my sanctuary. I have never woken up and
thought, 'I don't want to go to work.'"
In a typical day, Ketterer said she cleans the cooler that
is filled with vases of flowers, sends out wedding invoices,
orders flowers and table linens and designs dozens of flower
arrangements. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a large
delivery truck filled with a variety of flowers, most of
which come from South America, pulls into the parking lot
of Blush, and it is Ketterer's job to pick out the flowers
Blush will need.
"I look at the orders first to see what we will need," Ketterer
said, "and then I just pick out whatever catches my eye."
After scooping up bunches of flowers in every color, Ketterer
brings them inside and begins clipping the stems and placing
them in warm water. Contrary to popular belief, flowers
actually survive better in warm water rather than cold
water, Ketterer said. After the flowers are all processed,
Ketterer said she goes to work creating orders that have
been called in.
The most interesting orders Ketterer said she receives
are when the person giving the flowers is adamant about
remaining anonymous.
"People will say, 'Don't tell her even if she begs,' but
then when we tell the person receiving the flowers that
it is anonymous, they are usually like, 'Oh, I know who
it is,'" Ketterer said.
Ketterer said she became interested in working in the floral
industry after she was asked to help open a new flower
shop at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City during
the 2002 Olympics. Ketterer quickly learned the basics
of floral arranging, and when Ketterer moved to Logan with
her husband, she said wanted to continue working with flowers.
Although Ketterer enjoys her job, she said the only thing
she dislikes is when she is unable to please a customer.
"I hate disappointing anyone," said Ketterer, "like when
a bride comes in with a budget and you have to tell them
the arrangement they love is too much (money)."
Contrary to typical images of "bridezillas," Ketterer
said most brides actually don't know what they want when
they come and are open to suggestion.
"If the brides don't know what they want, I help them figure
it out," Ketterer said. "Some of them don't even know what
colors they want, but that's what makes this job fun."
During "wedding season," which just ended, Ketterer said
she has made floral arrangements for up to 11 weddings
in two weeks. Despite the hectic schedule, Ketterer said
the most stressful thing when working on a wedding can
be the bride's mother.
"Even the most stressful experience I've had dealing with
a mother was a good experience because it turned out to
be the prettiest wedding I have ever seen," Ketterer said.
Blush Floral Designs offers an array of gifts such as bath
and body products and gourmet food. Shane Richards, the
owner of Blush, said Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are
typically the busiest days of the year for them.
"Those are definitely our biggest days for business," Richards
said. "We are usually here till 8:30 or 9 p.m."
Richards said he is first and foremost a horticulturist
and that he became involved with flowers and plants because,
simply put, "They're fun."
"I love working outside with plants, but I hate the hot
summers and cold winters," Richards said. "So I mostly
work outside in the spring and fall and spend a lot of
time here in the summer and winter."
During the busy holidays at Blush, Richards said all five
of the the employees at Blush come in and work together
to get things done quickly.
"We all have a really good time," Richards said.
Ketterer is usually the only one working until around noon,
when a part-time employee comes in to help with the flower
orders and cleaning up the store.
"They have school and other jobs, so they usually only
work part time ... but there is plenty for them to do," Ketterer
said.
There is a lot of waste that comes from working with plants,
and Richards said cleaning can be the hardest part of the
job. There is always organizing to be done and coolers
to be cleaned, she said.
The employees at Blush Floral Designs are currently preparing
for the annual Bridal Faire held on the USU campus Sept.
29. Some members of the Blush staff will be there along
with other florists in the valley to give future brides
a taste of what they have to offer, Richards said.
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