The 3W Podcast: Tricia Upshaw - Part 2

Mother’s Day doesn’t just “get busy” at a flower shop. It becomes a full-scale logistics puzzle with real stakes: freshness, timing and the emotion tied to the moment. We’re back with Tricia Upshaw of Shirley’s Flower Studio in Rogers, and she walks us through what it actually takes to serve a whole community when Mother’s Day flower orders surge past expectations.

We dig into how a local florist plans months ahead, why wholesale deadlines and price increases matter, and how Mother’s Day designs often start with the container first because so many customers want a keepsake vase. Trisha shares what consistently sells, how spring color palettes show up year after year, and why delivery isn’t just “drop it at the door” when you’re scaling from a normal day to a week that can mean hundreds of flower deliveries.

Then we widen the lens to everything else happening at the same time: weddings, graduations, nonprofit events and prom season. We talk wedding flower consultations in the Pinterest and TikTok era, how real flowers change the final look, typical wedding lead times, and what trends are fading or coming back, from pampas grass to lighter pastels, soft blues with peach, and modern black-and-white wedding parties. We also get honest about prom bouquets replacing wrist corsages, boutonnieres, and the little traditions people still care about.

If you love Mother’s Day flowers, wedding flowers, prom corsages, and hearing how a trusted Rogers florist keeps quality high under pressure, hit play. If you enjoy it, subscribe, share it with a friend who waits until the last minute, and leave us a review.

Transcript

Welcome Back And Quick Recap

Speaker 1 0:05

Hey everyone, welcome to The 3W Podcast. This is part two with my friend Tricia Upshaw. Welcome back. Thank you. From Shirley's Flower Studio on the edge of Downtown Rogers. They're on 13th, so always go to them. They're constantly voted the number one florist in town. So we're gonna dive right into it because I hope you caught up on all things flowers. By the way, I said that this pink rose in episode one was one week old. It's actually two weeks old. It's two weeks old and it looks amazing. And then it will last another week if you actually take care of it, which you have to watch till the very end of episode

Why Mother’s Day Is Biggest

Speaker 1 0:41

one. So, anyways, let's dive into let's go with Mother's Day first. Okay. It's right around the corner. It is. It's as big, it's almost as big or bigger than Valentine's Day.

Speaker 0:55

It's bigger than Valentine's Day.

Speaker 1 0:56

It's bigger than Valentine's Day because Valentine's Day to me would be bigger from this stance of, well, I don't know. I guess I'll just order flowers, or it's not that serious, so I can't send the red roses, but I'll just send some flowers. Right. The like, I don't know. You know what I mean? Right, right. So I don't send my mom flowers because she lives in Missouri and I only get flowers from you, so that's an issue. But um uh yes, that's amazing.

Speaker 1:25

Mother's Day is bigger. Mother's Day is bigger because everybody has a mother. Well, yes, and so you're you know, people want them to have flowers and put it. I mean, I've always sent my mom, you know, flowers or I've always done croissage for my mom.

Speaker 1 1:41

Okay, yes, I was gonna say the old school croissage because we touched on what do um colors mean. Right, right. And I remember this from growing up from my grandparents in my small town in Oklahoma of the white or the red. And I thought yellow was something with mothers say too, but I but we talked about friendship. Right. Yes, and it was determined what color was in your croissage. Yes. And it would actually, I don't even think it would be here. It'd be here. Yes. Oh my gosh, it's a pin on croissage.

unknown 2:12

Wow.

Speaker 1 2:13

Do you still get orders for those?

Speaker 2:14

So we do, yeah. We but people aren't as they don't go by those rules as much anymore. But back 35 years ago, it had to be white or red. You know, like it was important. And so I learned real quick, okay, so is your mother still alive? You know, and it's a tough question. Yes, that because it brings up so much, you know, in in people. So, but uh if I was to wear a croissage, I'm gonna wear something bright.

Speaker 1 2:44

I oh, okay, I'll just wear something bright.

Speaker 2:46

You would.

Speaker 1 2:47

I would be gonna-this is your first year without your mom. Are you gonna wear a croissage to honor her? Do you think?

Speaker 2:53

I would wear something bright that would represent her the lot, like you know what I mean? Yeah. This is me. I would pick a color that would be something that she would spend. So I would do something like that. Okay. And I don't think so sweet. I don't wouldn't want because I feel like you know, she's still she's still with you here. Yeah. So I I don't re I wouldn't represent death with it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 3:15

So I would want something. Definitely no peace lily, which I hope you caught episode one. You're not gonna be walking around holding peace lily. She reminds me of mom. No. I love our dark cameras.

Corsage Traditions And Grief

Speaker 1 3:28

I love it. Okay, yeah. So Mother's Day is bigger.

Ordering Early And Designing Keepsakes

Speaker 1 3:32

It is so will you have to cut off orders?

Speaker 3:34

I don't like you really do that. Ever really cut off. Some Florida do that. I'm very um I try to be prepared for all of the orders. Have you ordered? Yes.

Speaker 1 3:45

You order months in advance.

Speaker 3:46

So I had a deadline of March the 26th to have my order in for else it went up. Yes, the prices go up. Yes. So I try to do the lowest price that I can get to be able to um pass that along to our customers. Yes. And so I had to have my whole list of flowers set to our vendor board.

Speaker 1 4:10

So did your designers come up with designs.

Speaker 4:14

Okay, I was gonna say, yeah, so we'll start designs. It starts with a vase. We're gonna find vases that we think that would be a big, a big hit this year. And so we start with that. And then flowers there aren't like are people particular about their vases? When they're ordering? I think sometimes for like Mother's Day, really, you know, like they want some a keepsake. So sometimes they'll want a keepsake for their mother. So sometimes we we try to make sure that there's a vase that would be a keepsake. Interesting. Because I'm especially for like the you know, like m my generation in uh they would want something like older, you know, like they're gonna send something to their mom that she can keep.

Speaker 1 4:55

That's so sweet. Because I'm like, no, just these beautiful clear glass vases are fine. And if I I will either return them to you or I will actually take them over to Circle of Life because they're always taking vases for their clients. So I'm like, I will inevitably walk. They are so amazing. They are amazing. Oh, yeah, you do love circle of life for more than one reason. But yes, they took care of your mom in um November. Yes, right? Yes, okay, and so yeah, I will they will always put out a call for action, call to action of like, we're taking vases, and so I will, if I can't get across town to you, I will drop them off in uh Bentonville for them. And I feel like you're okay with that. Yeah, yeah, I'm okay with anybody so I find that interesting. Like I would never have thought about that. A keepsake.

Speaker 5:45

Yeah, so I I know that Claymon had teapots, you know. Like back in the day, the teapots were so popular, which we sometimes will throw in a teapot for Mother's Day. Yes. I don't have them this year, but we have a really pretty blue picture this year. But you know, like so the mother moms like the teapot, and I can be out and about and I'll see one of those older teapots. I'm like, I can tell you that's such and such where that came from, like a date, you know, like they're because they had them through the years, it's kind of like the Thomas Kincaid.

Speaker 1 6:18

Oh, really?

Speaker 6:19

You know, like so every year kind of arranging it for Christmas that's came out for years, which this was the first year they didn't haven't done that since I can remember, but yeah.

Speaker 1 6:30

Oh wow, it's so interesting.

Speaker 6:32

And there's people that collect that stuff, so they'll want that keeps safe.

Speaker 1 6:37

Is there a go-to for Mother's Day? Kind of like Valentine's Day, it's the roses, right? Right. Is there a go-to like like of all your designs that you offer? And you can do anything, it doesn't have to fit into the box of the design that you are offering. Is there something that like has higher sales? You're like, oh, this is the one this year, or when you look back, so that's how I kind of go off of what I'm gonna order.

Speaker 7:06

And and there is one arrangement, it's just a spring bright, colorful arrangement that we call every year Fields of Arkansas. And we keep it on our website year round, too.

Speaker 1 7:20

Which check that out. Don't be like me and be like, I've never looked at the website till yesterday. Gosh. Because I just I just didn't think I knew.

Speaker 7:28

I will consult Instagram more than that. Is our pictures like I take those pictures and put them on the website, but yeah, so there's that one arrangement that no matter arrangement. I think it's just because it's a bright spring color, and people just always are ordering that one. So that's the one that we just keep interesting. We keep it there, and I so I kind of judge that by the flowers, how many flowers I'm gonna order for that. But then I mean, I like to change it for sure and not be all the same, so we'll create other arrangements, and that's just by trying to go off of the next color. But I think that pastels are big for Mother's Day.

Speaker 1 8:09

Um does Mother's Day fit into the trend?

Speaker 8:12

Or it's pretty dirt, it's gonna be this, yeah, the standard that they're ordering. Okay, just a spring color, but I always throw in the bright colors because of them. Because that's who you are. I'm a bright, colorful, I like the bright colors, and I'm not the pastel like bright. So you do like bright.

Speaker 1 8:30

Yeah. Okay.

Delivery Week Logistics And Staffing

Speaker 1 8:31

So what is so Mother's Day is on a Sunday. Yes. So are we delivering all week? So or is it start Wednesday, Thursday?

Speaker 8:40

It'll start on Monday. On Monday. Usually, like people want their mother to have it all week going up to Mother's Day. So we will start Monday's gonna pick up, and then Wednesday is gonna get busier, you know. Each day it gets busier and busier, and then by the end of the week, we we don't work on Sunday. Right. You know, I want everybody to be able to go and enjoy their time with their mom. So Saturdays, that's you know, like our ending day. But I mean, we'll deliver or when do the trust, eight hundred deliveries throughout the the week. Seven or eight hundred deliveries. Yeah. It'll that's more than Valentine's Day. That's amazing to me. It'll go over. I mean, I just don't, I'm just throwing those numbers out. But yeah, I mean, it will be a lot for that whole week. The the two days, like Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, like Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Speaker 1 9:33

Okay.

Speaker 9:33

You're gonna, you know, we we get way up in there. Well um, when do the trucks come in? Like the um trailers? Yeah, the trailers that we're gonna have for the do they come in the week before for storage, right? Big semis are gonna come in because we're gonna get greenery and we're gonna start processing and and it's just a oh that's to like kind of hold sometimes.

Speaker 1 9:54

That's kind of to hold back stock, not with the tables in there with all the arrangements. That's what I have pictured.

Speaker 10:01

So that I get it a week early because we're going to start putting all the tables in there and prepping and get that ready. Okay, and I have a delivery system, so we have to set all of the system up and get that prepared. So, and then we'll turn them on and start with their alarms and everything. Start putting arrangements in them, yeah.

unknown 10:23

Oh gosh.

Speaker 1 10:24

Okay, and so how many drivers do you have today? Today's just a normal day. Today. How many? So we usually have two to three drivers, and then how many are we gonna have the week of Mother's Day? About 15. 15 or so. And you have quite a few that just kind of come back to you every year. And my favorites because I'll drop off some little. It's funny having a partner who's a florist because I can't send my friend flowers. That's weird. So I drop off snacks to y'all. I don't know what else to do.

Speaker 10:57

The girls love this snacks. So I just will drop off snacks periodically.

Speaker 1 11:01

So around Valentine's Day, I'll drop some some substance off donuts. You've done just about everything. But everybody does that for y'all. So I did notice that this year, and I'm like, I love that the community is rallying around your people when they are just crazy busy.

Speaker 11:19

They were just so busy.

Speaker 1 11:20

I love that. Yeah. Um, but I've driven through and I see these random ladies in their little cars with their, they're loaded up with flowers and they come back to you every year, and I think they're worthy of their own story. Um but I love that. You've got consistency in your delivery drivers, and it brings them joy to see joy the joy they're delivering. But how did this come about? These women that come and men that come.

Speaker 11:46

Yeah. Retired men and women. Retired men and women that come up. And I no, yeah, they're all just about retired people. I mean, I think it would be great.

Speaker 1 11:56

As long as you load my car up with the bungees and all the things so I'm not spilling everything. Right. It might be something. I think it could be kind of like blade.

unknown 12:06

Okay.

Speaker 1 12:07

What are these for? A dead body? No, I'm just my tarts are for the flowers, okay?

Speaker 12:12

But they, you know, they they are repeat there, and I kind of have bonded with them as well. Family because they've been part of us forever. And then, you know, like so transitioning from Jo to me, but you know, Harold Dean, she she remember that she for years she was out there and she But didn't she work in the store? She worked in the store, but yes, during the holidays, she would go outside and direct all the drivers and do that stuff, you know. Like, so she would get all those ladies together. So that's just a repeat of all those ladies. But then now I I gear up and I do all that stuff too. And I go out there and and I have, you know, other people that come have no, I have people that help me, so they're like, you shouldn't be running up and down those stairs as much anymore. I I enjoy all of it. You do, and so I just like to be part, it's so I just enjoy the whole process of it. And so all those ladies are so sweet and they come back, and then I have like bus drivers that come.

Speaker 1 13:14

Oh they're in between between their drop off and pickups.

Speaker 13:19

Yeah. So like there's some bus drivers from Bentonville that come and last year or Valentine's, I one of them wasn't able to help. And I'm like, oh my goodness, what it what are you doing? I need you. Yes. And so he had taken like a bus something with the kids, you know, during the day. Uh-huh. So he sent me other bus drivers that came out. Of course he did. It was so sweet. And now those I you know, I I start reading. So they'll be more people, and we'll just, you know, it just it's a that's a testament to you. I love it. So they come back and you know, and then they have all day Saturday that they deliver, and and it's just repeat, you know, and and I just enjoy it. I know. I love it. And I'll be out there, you guys can come by and it'll be.

Speaker 1 14:06

It's fun to drive through and see.

Speaker 14:09

Yes, I'm you know, there's so many people. Yeah. And sometimes the customers know me, so they'll like stop and talk. I don't feel like I'm that popular, but sometimes you are that popular. I know people look at me like I think I know you I know you. I'll be like, Oh, I know you look at you doing what you do. I know you too, but you know, yeah when I'm out and about.

Speaker 1 14:31

Yes, I do know you. Psycho over here. Yeah, yeah. I know that name. I you do know that name. And I'll look them up, and it's our customers. So yeah. I love that. That's one of my favorite parts about you all is the delivery process and your people that deliver, how they come back to you for these giant holidays. And I love that because that speaks testaments to Shirley's flowers, to Shirley, to Joe, to you. It's a testament.

Speaker 15:00

Tradition down through the years that we, you know, and and they enjoy when they they come back and they're just like, wow, I can't wait. I just love giving those flowers and they're so happy. And then when the new people, like when a new person comes and they're delivering for the first time, they just get so much joy out of that.

Speaker 1 15:20

I love that. Yeah, that's so neat.

Weddings On Top Of Everything

Speaker 1 15:23

Okay, so Mother's Day is a popular weekend in addition to Mother's Day. I feel like graduations are always around there. There's nonprofit events around there, and then people like to get married. How does one manage that?

Speaker 15:39

You know, we just have an amazing team. It takes, it's not just me, like there's so many of us at the shop. So I they just work and we're we try to stay really organized with it. But you know, we have like a wedding Mother's Day weekend, we're gonna have graduations Mother's Day weekend. And so, and then some, you know, at times during through the years, we've had kids that are graduating. Yes. And so our girls have to, they're like, I'm not gonna be able to even work today. I need to go do my thing. Yeah, so we make sure that, you know, I also have designers that come in that have been w coming back for years. Okay. That come and help us. So that's sweet too. They just, you know, they're they've retired, but they come back just to help during the holidays. So do you have some other days soon?

Speaker 1 16:33

Do you know how many how many weddings do you take on a weekend? On a weekend? Uh-huh.

Speaker 16:40

You know?

Speaker 1 16:41

Do you think?

Speaker 16:43

Is it more than one? We do more than one. Okay. So, I mean, I feel like we've done five or six a weekend, seven, you know.

Speaker 1 16:54

Do you say yes to five or six a weekend on Mother's Day weekend? That's tough.

Speaker 17:00

We don't have a lot that get married on Mother's Day weekends. Okay. Through the years, like I would I've taken two or three.

Speaker 1 17:07

Okay.

Speaker 17:07

You know what I mean? Yes. And then and then I think, again, I do this, but I'm very, like, I want to be able to help everybody. So you do. I would go ahead and do it anyways. I'll just have extra people come in to help with it.

Speaker 1 17:20

Yeah. It's the floral industry, like a venue industry, in a sense of like, once it's booked, it's booked. Like you will continuously probably always find a way to say yes. I think that it's not like, okay, like a random day in October, whatever. If everything's booked out for photographers, whatever, you know. Right. It's like, oh, we've got four weddings. Okay, check. No, if somebody calls and no.

Speaker 17:46

I'm gonna figure out a way to take care of everybody. I just um and and I you do that's just what I do. I want everybody to get the best out of all of it, you know?

Speaker 1 17:58

Yeah. What's the most weddings you've had in a Friday, Saturday time period?

Speaker 18:04

Probably not seven to ten. I feel like we've had ten before, but some of those would be like pickups, you know what I mean? Like people are coming in, they've just had a small wedding, so they're coming to pick it up. Okay. One year we had like five. Where you had to install them? Yes. And that was when Joe was like she had to come in and to help too. So we were all. I know you're retired, but get on in here. Like there was a whole group of us that was back in the day, and we all, and I think she rented vans so that we could all be at different locations at different times. But everybody was taken care of, and you know, like all of the designers, we would just kind of keep just one person at the shop, but then we'd hire other people to come in to help and just go out and do all of it. Yeah, because there's a whole nother level to weddings, yes, right.

Speaker 1 18:52

It's not just I'm ordering some flowers and I get a bouquet for my wedding, right there's the the pickup entity, there's the the create and storage entity, and then there's the installation entity. Oh, and by the way, we're also a flower shop that will just deliver them for your birthday and for just because or to the hospital. Like there's the weddings, there's events, there's holidays, and there's just because and come in and buy some chocolate or a picture frame or a vase or a candle or whatever y'all have going on. Right. There's so many facets to the flower shop. Yes. So a wedding is mind-blowing to me from I'm getting married, yes, yes, to like I don't know what I want. I mean, mine was I mine was simple and complicated at the same time. I did a very small beach wedding, but I did order my flowers in Tolkien and have them, I don't know, shipped, dry iced. I don't know what they did, but they shipped me. And because I was trying to give them business and I didn't know who to use on the island, so it worked out. But after that complicated part, my flowers were very simple. But and I knew what I wanted. Does everyone know what they want when they

Bridal Consults Pinterest And Lead Times

Speaker 1 20:08

come in? Or so nowadays we have the world of Pinterest and the events and TikTok.

Speaker 20:15

Everything AI that creates their own locally. They can, you know, type it in and say, This is what I'm wanting, and they'll bring in pictures like that. I know when I first started years ago, you know, they have the magazines that will be like the magazines, right on magazine. Yes, and bring those pictures in, and we would have them laying all over the tables for people to you know go through and look at so that you'll know your style and you know what everybody the trends and some people, you know, like clean lines, some people want fussy and all kinds of stuff. So you know, it's just a it's a long, like it starts and we just go through all of it.

Speaker 1 20:57

So is the process more streamlined now? Is it tighter now? Because we do have the internet and we do have AI, and they pretty much come in though.

Speaker 21:07

There's no like I don't know what I want. Yeah, these are and you're like, what are your colors? I'm not for sure yet. So when they come in and they say they're not for sure yet, I'm like Oh, you said 1980s? What's what we have here we have? Yeah. But most of the time, okay, those brides they know exactly what they want. Okay, they have pictures on hand, and they will pull up, they have you know their iPads or their phones, and they're just showing you everything that they like. Okay. Does that make it easier?

Speaker 1 21:36

Is it easier? I guess or does it take out the creativity?

Speaker 21:40

I think that we all are creative no matter what. Okay. So you're not gonna do a bouquet exactly because no designer, it's like art. You're it'll never be exactly the same. So, you know, I feel like there is brides that come in, and you, you know, you can add your own creativity, they might bring About a picture they like, but I'm gonna go to the cooler and I bring all these flowers out, and they're going to like the real flowers better until they see it like that, and they're like, Oh, I love that. I couldn't even imagine that, but that's what I like. So they bring their pictures, and in my mind, I I go to the cooler and I'm like, Oh, let me grab these flowers. This is gonna be really pretty. And I bring it out, and I'm like, here, see what, see what we can do. And and they enjoy that.

Speaker 1 22:25

And so is the initial consultation is it shorter now because of that?

Speaker 22:32

I don't think so. I mean, like, so I'm gonna sit with a bride probably an hour. Okay. Unless they just want to ride a bouquet, you know, like it's just a bouquet. They already know what they want. Um, so it doesn't take long for me to be able to, you know, show them flowers. But usually it takes a while because like if you're gonna come in and you saw pictures, I want to make sure that sometimes a picture doesn't look like what it's really coming to look like. So I I will usually bring flowers out. I'll make a little bouquet for them so they can see it. And so I just take personal time, you know, like just time with them and get to to be involved with their what's the average lead time on a wedding? Six months sometimes is on people. But you know, we have brides that come in three months, two months, and you know, I'm dealing with brides that might know it that their weddings in two weeks, so and they're newbies, so they're just coming and want a bouquet, and I'm like, sure. Yeah, we'll take we do take out the fuss. I don't I don't like to turn anybody away because I just feel like everybody deserves and so there's not a price point, there's nothing that I can't do.

Speaker 1 23:41

So we'll make you know a beautiful bouquet, but so I remember a few years ago you and I talked about trends unintentionally.

Trends From Pampas To Pastels

Speaker 1 23:51

I just was in the shop picking something up and it kind of looked like a field of wheat exploded. Up is grass. Thank you, and I thought this is grass, and you're like, oh, this is the thing, and it's like feathered wheatgrass in my head everywhere around the shop.

Speaker 24:09

And the wind blows and it's all over you. Everywhere you go.

Speaker 1 24:13

And it was there for a few years. Oh, this is what they want. This is what they want. So this is what we're doing. Yes, the pompous grass. Are we finally have we finally moved through that? Yes, okay. How have you been? Not that it looks bad, all you brides and event people that have it. It's beautiful, but it rains course.

Speaker 24:34

Yeah, it's a mess. Pompous grass is hard. And it was expensive from what I heard. You keep it in your hair for days. I mean, it just it attaches to you, but yeah, so that's a big trend. Kind of that was with all the greenery and all the pompous grass. I mean, and we do have brides that still come in and kind of, but it's trending away from that.

Speaker 1 24:58

What's the big trend right now? Is there something they're all coming in ish?

Speaker 25:02

Yes. Okay. So they're coming in, they they're not wanting greenery at all. So they're going to like um more lighter colors, you know, like in all whites, but also those really past like light, light blues with like the peach colors. Really?

Speaker 1 25:19

That's so 1983 to me. Yeah, it's coming back. Okay, like country blue and peach is what I guess that it sounds from a long time ago. In those but I'm sure in a bridal setting is amazing, but you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 25:33

Right. It's not the same as those that was like that, you know, that were back in the day. The mauve. Yeah. Now mauve has come back, it's hit the scene again, but I feel like it has a new name. It's like an oxplot or something.

Speaker 1 25:45

Something super bougie now. It's not mauve.

Speaker 25:48

Yeah. Back in the day, it was that mauve piece.

Speaker 1 25:50

The mauve. Yes.

Speaker 25:52

And quilt. And that's all we think of.

Speaker 1 25:54

Yes, I can't help it. I know.

Speaker 25:56

And the crochet dolls and all that stuff.

Speaker 1 25:58

Yes. Yes. So they're going towards the the very light blue and like really, really light.

Speaker 26:05

And the pastel colors, like they'll throw in a little bit of that um buttercream yellow, and so that's trending right now. Really? Then you'll get we're getting all the just black and white. Okay. Which that used to be really popular. So it's coming back to just the black and white trends, just all white. And they're all gonna be wearing black dresses, and you know, they want that. Is that coming back? They want everybody else in the party to wear black. Uh-huh. You know, so yeah, we've had a lot last summer with that. I don't know. I feel like I don't see I haven't seen that in almost 20 years. Yeah, it's yeah. It's making a trend back that everybody wants to do the black and white. Interesting. And then the others, those light pastel colors that are just so pretty that so much like I love, I like the bright colors. For sure. So when anybody comes in and wants those bright boogies, you're like, Ryan, I'm here for you.

Speaker 1 26:57

Here for you.

Speaker 26:59

But the those light colored pastels are so pretty right now, too. I love that.

Speaker 1 27:04

So are they doing them no matter what time of the year their wedding is?

Speaker 27:08

Yes.

Speaker 1 27:09

Okay. So like they could be you could go to a December 2nd wedding hypothetically, or January or something.

Speaker 27:16

I think it would be more like those white, like whites with a little bit of the greeneries in it. Okay. For the like do they tailor so they're getting married around here. Do they tailor it to the season? The season? I would think like your early, like your early spring and um summer, they're still gonna, you know, they can do with all those colors. But I do have some fall that will still stick with the they might do brighter colors. But and then stick with those fall colors, you know. Which I love fall. Right. Yeah, I don't I don't think that they just stick with that completely.

Speaker 1 27:50

No. Because right, you're like, I want to get married, and this is what I have. I mean, that's what I did. And then I started realizing that my wedding was in I knew my wedding was in October, I set the date, but I was like, oh, and I went with the most palette. Oh, I went with turquoise.

Speaker 28:06

That was back.

Speaker 1 28:07

That's what I had. Everybody loves a good turquoise, but really it was like Tiffany blue, but at the end of the day, it's still turquoise, right? Yeah. And I'm like, oh, we should weave some ground into this.

Speaker 28:19

I would go to friends' weddings back in the day, you know, and I would, my best friend, Rachel. I had to take in the white rose and tip it in that turquoise blue. So we did that a lot. Like just the tips, just the tips of the roses.

Speaker 1 28:36

Like a science fair rose. I know.

Speaker 28:38

It was like teal, turquoise with it was dark turquoise, and it was the white stem or the white bloom. But we would do that. And I know that that was a big thing back in the 90s and 80s when I started designing, you know, yeah. Um bam.

Speaker 1 28:56

That's okay. But you evolve. We all evolve. It's fine.

Speaker 28:59

And I sometimes I throw that back out there because I think on our website we have a bouton here that is tipped in blue. Oh, and then I put the glitter or I do something like that, and the girls are like, Why? Like, it's fun. It's crazy. It's fun out there, and you know what? We get orders for that. For sure we do. You should do they are like, Why are you making us do these? Do it! Everyone's gonna come on.

Speaker 1 29:20

It's fun, it's a prom or whatever the dance

Prom Flowers Bouquets And Boutonnieres

Speaker 1 29:23

is. I think it's so weird, and I will say, my son went to homecoming this year. I don't like these bouquets that the girls carry. Oh, that's the big challenge. I'm like, no, I've got one that I mean, I would like for it to go away. I'm like, you get you're supposed to get married once. If you get married more than once, that's fine. It's up to you. I don't care. I don't mean it like that. But I'm like, that is your chance to carry a bouquet. Nope. Dances are for wrist cursages. Please stop taking that away. It makes me sad. Because then where does that bouquet go? Maybe they take it home. They do, but I'm like, no, but that hell, they don't even go to the dance anymore. So that's that's a whole nother soapbox for me to get all this on as well, too.

Speaker 30:02

But it does it. It has a trend, and we like it. I had seen it, you know, like two years ago, so we kind of started two or three years ago, and I we threw threw it out there for people to because I know it's a trend and it's gonna start picking up. So that year we only had like maybe one or two that came in. And and I'm like, I'm telling you, girls, this is gonna be it. And so the last two years, yeah, that's and now it's you know, grass. I mean, we just still do croissages. We have a few, but we do a lot of bouquets.

Speaker 1 30:36

Yeah, and then the big monogrammed ribbon now.

Speaker 30:39

Yes, and I'm like, they have to bring that in, but there is monogram, there is places that you can get up mon monogrammed, and it's very popular. It is, yeah, it's so great. Yes, but it's prom season, you can tell we do everything. No, you do do everything. I don't know. I don't think we've ever turned them away.

Speaker 1 30:56

I like the boutonier, and I feel like the boutonier's gone by the wayside too.

Speaker 31:00

Just the blame boutonier has. Well, now, so you're doing pocket squares or you're doing um maybe they're just not wearing? Shirley, they I mean, we still sell them. We do boutineers all day long, but I was like, was I responsible for ordering that?

Speaker 1 31:19

Because that's not how it was 30 years ago. That was your job. But we did ask. I was like, ask her if she wants a wrist crossage or a bouquet. And I mean it was a bouquet. I was like, Yeah, but I'm not judging her. I'm just like, I don't I just don't like it. I'm like, no, I will send you flowers, but I just feel like you should have a bouquet at your wedding. Tell it at a dance that you don't go to. I know that's really bad of me. Sorry. I didn't tell you to go.

Speaker 31:49

Oh no, they don't go. They just go do the pictures, they just do pictures and dinner. I don't have kids in school anymore, so yeah.

Speaker 1 31:56

Well, I do. I know. But it's still I mean it's it's fun. It uh I guess. I think it's weird. Oh my god, rug. Go listen to a DJ and act like a buffoon. This is your only time in life to act like that. Like, it's so fun, and no, they don't do it. So, whatever. Anyways, yeah, okay. So, yes. Oh, yeah, it is prom season. It is prom season, so that's a good one to like attempt to conclude. Um, what do you think? So we're still gonna do bouquets for prom and this week.

Speaker 32:29

Whose prom is this week? I think it's it's either heritage, I think it's heritage prom or it's it feels early, but I know it's not.

Speaker 1 32:38

We're in April. I get it.

Speaker 32:40

They start this weekend, yeah. All the proms. Okay. So we'll have them throughout until Mother's Day. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 32:45

I'm so glad we could crack them up. Everything is Mother's Day promise.

Speaker 32:48

Mother's Day prom events, weddings.

Speaker 1 32:51

Is June still the most popular wedding month?

Speaker 32:54

I think that it it's not as popular. So you're getting into the cooler months like September, October, November. Those are big months.

Speaker 1 33:03

Okay, interesting. Well, y'all are just rock stars. We didn't even touch on events because you'll just have to come back and we'll just have to touch on events later.

Local Love And Mother’s Day CTA

Speaker 1 33:10

Because I I just kudos to anybody that stuck with you and I this long for these two enormously long podcasts. And I do this every time because I just love people and I um I was talking to a friend at a baseball game the other night. She's like, What do you do? And I was like, Oh, I just hug on people. I just hug on people. I guess I make a magazine too, but it just it's from hugs. So I you're like a hugger too. So I love you so much. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for getting up this morning and doing your hair and your makeup and being camera ready. I appreciate that. We're ready for you and we're in florals, and you she brought beautiful florals. And I would say call now and get your Mother's Day order in, but heck, you could probably call Friday and she'll say yes. She doesn't say no if you want to get married the Friday before Mother's Day. She won't say no because that's the kind of angel that you are. So call Shirley's flowers and gifts, they are so amazing. They are in the edge of downtown Rogers on 13th Street. Have you been there the whole time?

Speaker 34:13

All 50 years? No, no, they used to be right in front of like the Dixieland Mall. It was Dixie Lane Mall at the time. That's where they and then they transferred over there.

Speaker 1 34:25

Oh, okay. But you've been like 20 years a year or something.

Speaker 34:29

Oh, like okay. It wasn't a long time ago location.

Speaker 1 34:32

So really it's still the OG space. Okay. Yeah. Check them out and on your when you leave Shirley's with your flowers, definitely stop by Walmart and get your Hershey Salty Snacks, your Pirates Booty, your Dots Home Style pretzels, and your skinny pop because who doesn't love some flowers and some popcorn? I mean, kind of a winning combo. Yeah. Call them, call Tricia. All the shop girls and guys are the best. I always go to her, but it's okay. Anybody will help you, and they're all absolutely amazing. You have a good family. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you to you. And keep inspiring a culture of giving. We appreciate y'all. Bye.