Symbolism of Flowers

Here are a few of our favorites
to help you send the perfect message:

ROSES:

Red: I love you, unconscious beauty
Yellow: joy, gladness, friendship
White: spiritual love, purity
Orange: fascinated, enthusiastic
Pink: grace, gentility, perfect happiness


ALSTROMERIA: friendship, devotion
ASTER: charming, patience
BEGONIA: a fanciful nature
BELLS OF IRELAND: good luck, whimsy
CALLA LILY: sophistication, beauty
CARNATIONS: fascination, devoted love
CHRYSANTHEMUM: cheerfulness, innocence
DAFFODIL: regards
DAHLIA: dignity, elegance
FORGET ME KNOTS: true love
IRIS: faith, hope, wisdom
LILIES: purity, faith
LISIANTHUS: outgoing
ORCHIDS: seduction, preciousness
PRIMROSE: young love
SNAPDRAGONS: desire, strength
SUNFLOWERS: adoration, sunshine
TUBEROSE: dangerous pleasure
TULIPS: perfect lover, fame
VIOLET: simplicity

Travel Photos!

Here are some of the photos I have recently collected on my trips. Several are in Vegas and some in Nashville. Here is a sampling!! Collecting photos of arrangements whether it be online, photographs, or magazines is a great way to find inspiration for your own new and exciting works of floral art.

Detail of photo below

Bellagio Hotel Lobby

Hotel Preston Lobby

Wynn Hotel Entrance

Bellagio Conservatory
(House, trees, and snow, and all other details made completely with florals)

Details of above

Wynn Hotel
(Wall of single anthurium in bud vase)

Wynn Hotel

Wynn South Pool Garden

Corsages and Boutonnieres

A Hot Pink Wedding!

Even though this wedding was small and certainly not high-end, it worked!
By using a strong accent color like hot pink a little will go along way.

Let us be the accent of your special event.
www.RachaelWestDesigns.com

More Bridal Bouquets!

Bridal Bouquets!

Fall Sunflowers!

Tis Always the Season of Giving!

We make gifts FUN!

If you are in need of a traditional gift basket, we would be happy to fulfill your order.

If you are in need of a completely unique gift that is custom created to match the personality and tastes of the person receiving it, then we would LOVE to help!!


(don't forget....all of our packages can be adapted to fit your special event!)

A Composite?

A composite flower is very a simply a flower that is taken apart piece by piece and then reassembled.

So, why would we do that?

Simple!

It's art!

It's the ability to take one item and recreate it into something else.

Example: I could take one yellow rose and one orange rose, disassemble them, and put all the petals back together creating one large yellow and orange rose.

Example: I could take several flowers that are all the same, disassemble them, and then assemble one larger version of the original flower. The photo above shows this example.

We took several lilies, all the same, disassembled them, and then reassembled the petals to create one much larger and very stunning flower.

This is a perfect option for a bride who wants to make a simple and yet "wow" statement with her bouquet. She could carry one single flower or add a few composites to her bouquet. It creates the opportunity for each bride to truly have a one-of-a-kind bridal bouquet.

Rachael West Designs, creating fairy-tale weddings, one blossom at a time!
828.455.3774

Welcome Little One!

We recently had the privilege of creating a trendy bright pink and lime green arrangement for the arrival of a little baby girl.

This tall arrangement was so bright and fun. What a great celebration piece any new mother would be proud to have in her hospital room.


Small gifts are common when sending flowers to a new mom and her baby. We can customize any arrangement to include stuffed animals, baby rattles, bibs, books, or even fuzzy socks and Bath and Body Lotion for mom.

Arrangements come in all sizes and can be delivered to you or the hospital front desk. Free delivery to Frye Hospital in Hickory, NC.

Please call Rachael West Designs at 828.455.3774 with questions or to place an order.

"random acts of kindness can help change the world"

I sent a follow-up email to the unnamed soldier making sure he knew his flowers had been delivered. Here is his reply (For privacy, I have edited out his personal information--yes, I do now know his name!)

"Hi, i really appreciate you delivering those flowers for me i wanted her to feel special cause it was her day it was a little late but i did the best i could. I read your blog and yes i'm in irag i'll be here for 15 months only 10 left, but hopefully that small token of my love made her day just a little better than it was. Thanks again and hopefully you'll continue you are doing because random acts of kindness can help change the world. Well at least thats what i think. i hope you have a wonderful week."

"Love your Solider"

Well, it's not a great photo, but it is a great story!

I recently received a phone call from a gentleman who asked me if I could create an arrangement for his girlfriend here in town. I could not understand or hear most of what he said because of the "wind" in the background.

Turns out, he was a soldier (I think in Iraq), who had to stop talking every few moments because of the noise of helicopters. I never got his name and I barely got enough information to fill the order, but somehow it all worked out.

I delivered the flowers to his girlfriend this evening at her work as he requested. She was so cute and was so excited. She even started to tear up.

I always feel so privileged to be part of personal moments in someone's life, but this one was truly a special honor.

We would love to help celebrate your special moments.
828-455-3774
Rachael West Designs

Funerals

Words do not describe the heartache that can come with the passing of a loved one. We have felt it too...




We do everything we can to make the details easy for you.....you share with us some of your loved ones favorite colors, personality, travels, accomplishments, hobbies, and why you love them. We create a perfect arrangement and deliver it for you allowing you to ponder on the more important things.

If we can help honor your loved one, please give us a call. 828-455.3774

FAQ's for Weddings

Q: Will you travel to do a floral design project?

A: Of course! If you have a destination in mind, whether it be an hour away or a plane ride away, please feel free to contact us with the details and we will be happy to look at your individual situation. We would be honored to be a part of your special day.

Q: Is there a delivery fee for my wedding flowers?

A: All of our brides receive free delivery to one in town location. Multiple locations, great distances, or other unusual circumstances will be determined on a case by case basis.

Q: Do you charge for a wedding consultation?

A: We offer a 45 minute wedding consultation for no cost.

Meetings that run really long may be billed a $50.00 consultation fee. The reason for this is that this is our time, time which is irreplaceable. We work only with serious brides and we custom design each invoice as per the bride's requests. This also take a great amount of time. The fee will then be applied to the bride's invoice and go completely towards her wedding if in fact she does approve the invoice and sign our contract for wedding floral services. Brides who choose not to use RWD, after a consultation and requesting an invoice be prepared, will be charged for time.

Q: I am on a tight budget? Are my options limited?

A: You would be surprised at how many fairy-tale weddings we have created on a budget. With a little planning and a whole lot of creativity we can come up with something that you will be excited about.....and your budget!

Q: Do you take credit cards?

A: Currently we can only accept credit cards via Paypal, but with our upcoming expansion that will be changing. We appreciate your patience with this. (There are no additional fees to our customers for this service.)

Q: Why don't you maintain a store front?

A: Simple---cost! It takes a lot of time and money to run a shop and that's not where and how I want to spent my time and money. Running a business is not my strength, but doing flowers---that's my passion! By not having a store front, I can serve each of my clients better, focus on creating wonderful floral designs, and having fun doing it.

Q: Do you rent vases?

A: YES! It is one of the small things we do to set ourselves apart from other florists. If we don't have the perfect something you are looking for, tell us! We just might be able to get it and add it to our collection. Please note: we do NOT ship vases.
Q: My cake baker wants to put the flowers on the cake herself. Is that ok?

A: We have worked with many bakers who want to put the finishing touches on their design, and yes, we would be happy to supply the coordinating flowers for them to do that. We also have had the opportunity of placing the flowers on a countless number of cakes and would be honored to assist in this if needed.

Q: How can I cut costs and still create the look I want?

A: Let us help you come up with a plan where we can use many of the arrangements twice in the day....for example: use the ceremony arrangements at the reception, use the toss bouquet at the sign-in book, and in a major pinch...well, you could use your bridesmaids bouquets in vases at the reception. They will need water by then anyway, right?!!

Q: The flowers I want are not in season, can you still get them?

A: Most of the time the answer is yes. Most of the flowers used today in the wedding floral industry comes out of greenhouses and farms, so, getting your perfect flowers should not be a problem.

Q: Have your own question?

A: Contact www.RachaelWestDesigns.com with your question. We will get it answered for you.

just a few of our brides!

Simple!






red gerbers
simple bow




Tropical!



anthirium, glads,
irises, seashells,
tropical leaves,
plumeria




Simple elegance!



long white callas






Fun!



white roses, a touch of greens,
custom colored orange callas

a summer wedding

The flowers for this bouquet
were just a simple accent for
this stunning bride.

Her bouquet consisted of white
lilies just getting ready to burst open
and share their amazing fragrance,
white orchids, mini callas and a little
bit of trailing ivy.





A canopy over an outdoor deck
created a perfect place to accent
with flowers.









The main table under the reception tent
showcased a very large floral arrangement
complete with white lilies, white orchids,
trailing ivy, mini callas, and curly willow.

We also placed a smaller version of this arrangement
on the guest tables, and a similar, but slightly taller
version on the cocktail tables.


The actual ceremony took place just above
the large boulders. The officiant stood between
2 large urn arrangements. A beautiful accent
for this site.




Timeless, classic, and beautiful are the perfect words for this outdoor wedding.

Visit RachaelWestDesigns.com to see how we can create a fairy-tale dream wedding for you!

Featured Design

We LOVE being able to celebrate your special occasions!

This whimsical arrangement was created as part of a special wedding anniversary celebration.

It was fun to watch how alive this piece became with all of the different colors, textures, and movement.

This arrangement would look stunning in a home or office, but could also be adapted to fit any wedding or reception.

Contact us at OnePerfectBlossom@gmail.com to learn how we can help you celebrate your special occasions.