WEDDINGS
LOVE IN BLOOM Chris Psoras, Flowers by Chris
Every morning
before dawn, a cargo plane touches down at New York’s Kennedy Airport laden
with tulips, jonquils, lilies, irises, snapdragons, and other blooms freshly cut
from the patchwork fields of Holland, their stems gently packed in ice. From here,
a smaller chartered plane takes on its share of the cargo and flies into Baltimore,
where Chris Psoras, owner of Flowers by Chris, is waiting.
“We
do go to the wholesale flower market every morning at 5:30 to be there first,”
says Psoras, “but the flowers from Holland delivered directly to us are
very fresh, not having been held anywhere. Between Holland and Hawaii and the
domestic greenhouses, we’re at the stage where virtually everything is available
any time of the year. No one should be at the mercy of what a florist says he
can get.”
With such an immense supply at her fingertips, Psoras
says she feels compelled to glean as many details from her wedding clients as
possible. “The more information I get, the better,” she says. “I
like to see a photo of the gown. Perhaps the dress has detailing at the waist
that we wouldn’t want to hide with a full bouquet. Right away, I like to
talk about the budget. This gives me an idea of what can be done. We can give
them $25 centerpieces that look like $100, but I need to know early on.”
For one small wedding reception at the Milton Inn, the bride wanted flowers
that wouldn’t overwhelm the historic setting, or her budget. “The
bride said her limit was $300, and we did it for that – her bouquet, two
mother’s corsages, and one long centerpiece for the mantel.”
Flowers by Chris sends its stylists back to school once a year for refresher courses.
“The usual filler-flowers of the florist are carnations and mums, but here
we use them only if requested,” says Psoras. “The alstroemeria is
our carnation, and freesia is our mum. And it isn’t as if there is such
a great price difference. Florists just get set in their ways.”
Offering
alternatives can be a florist’s strongest suit. For an at-home wedding Psoras
urges the bride to bring in her own family vases. Instead of the standard baby’s
breath and orchid corsage, she may offer a single gardenia. And there’s
always news of the latest flower, this year a hybrid rose from Europe called “Oceania”
that isn’t quite peach or pink, just a hint of the two and a perfect match
for a vintage gown.
To begin planning flowers, florists advise securing
a date three to four months in advance. Prices vary according to the needs of
the wedding, but can begin at $1,000 and surge to $100,000. As part of its service,
Flowers by Chris staffers remain on hand to move flowers, make adjustments or
expertly pin a corsage to a grandmother. “When we do a wedding in a challenging
location, we’re usually running around as if it’s backstage at the
Mechanic Theatre,” says Psoras. “It’s a happy business, really--
both the people and the flowers keep it alive.”
