Stacey Streeter, Founder and Designer, Fleurs de France, LLC
Born and raised on Cleveland's west side, Stacey Streeter received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Kenyon College. Stacey began her career in consulting, where she traveled to client sites to implement better business practices. She left the corporate world to be home with her two children.
Stimulated daily by her children and her garden, Stacey wanted to take her creativity outside of the home, specifically to bring a new type of floral design to the market. She had worked part-time in a traditional flower shop, where the mundane arrangements and overused designs inspired her to branch out on her own. Soon she discovered a whole world of seasonal flowers, and began to experiment with her art, ignoring the conventions taught in local design courses.
Instead, Fleurs de France looks to the European market for inspiration. Loving all things French, and especially their simple design technique, many of our arrangements contain pavé flowers of the same or monochromatic tone, packed abundantly in a classic container. We find the impact of a tonal color scheme greater than the random palettes seen in local shops.
To add texture and interest to a monochromatic arrangement, we prefer to vary the flowers - not the color. For example, an all red arrangement of peonies, roses and tulips would have more impact than a red, purple and yellow arrangement of those same flowers. To achieve the same understated elegance with a wider color range, we could limit the flowers to one variety, say poppies, but use every color poppy imaginable.
For those who prefer trendy colors, we love to look to fashion, interior design and the garden for chic or flirty color schemes. The past year has brought much interest in chocolate and pink (or blue), purple and chartreuse, fuchsia and lime, or vibrant pinks and oranges. With access to flowers across the globe, we can choose flowers in "bubble-gum pink" and "creamsicle," or, if you prefer, we'll find colors reminiscent of pumpkin pie. Whatever the inspiration, we will let the season guide us toward nature's freshest, aesthetically pleasing combinations.
Style
When we are not striving for a classic French design, typified by tighter form, abundance of flowers, and the use of a single flower variety or color, our designs might remind you of an old English garden. With antique roses, trailing vines, and other fragrant, romantic flowers, your guests will think you've brought flowers right in from the garden. (Despite the uncontrived look of the arrangement, only you will know that it took skill to create that effect.) We love to use vintage containers or personal vessels of your own to add character to our designs.
Cut flowers, as those in nature, are living things that continue to develop and change. Tulips grow, even after they are cut, and will bend toward the light. With patience, a peony in its tightly-balled stage will emerge into a fluffy showcase bloom. Fleurs de France customers appreciate the shapes, scents and tendencies of nature's flowers and want to preserve their integrity when brought indoors. These customers want their flower arrangements to reflect the spirit of the season, as opposed to being a decorative object in the room. We do not allow our arrangements to look contrived, where the tools and tricks of the designer draw more attention than do the flowers. Our designs are subtle, flowing, and created by a delicate hand - not a diagram in a book.
Couture Flowers
Fine florists like Fleurs de France use seasonal flowers to capture their aesthetic. Spring offers endless bulbous flowers, such as Dutch, French, parrot and peony tulips, pansies, narcissus, hyacinths, peonies, lily-of-the-valley, lilacs, viburnum, jasmine, bleeding heart, fruited and blooming branches, freesia, roses in every color, sweet peas, ranunculus, and endless new hybrids all the time.
As the weather warms, and spring turns into summer, the colors become less pastel, and more saturated and vibrant. We will have local hydrangeas, zinnias, sunflowers, Echinacea, bachelor buttons, dahlias, garden roses, lilies, cosmos, clematis, gallardias, nasturtiums, and countless other readily available flowers.
In Cleveland we cannot ignore the intense colors in rust, crimson and nutmeg. The crisp, invigorating feeling of the outdoors can be captured inside with branches, berries, rose hips, bittersweet, transparent oak leaves, late summer dahlia blooms, and the autumn flush of roses.
In winter the prices may rise as product is increasingly imported from warmer climates, but the selection is still impressive. We love to play with a white and cream color scheme to mimic the snow outside. Add to this mix hints of silver, blue, crystal and candlelight, and you've created a winter wonderland.
Meanwhile, as the seasons change, your mainstream florists are using the same staple flowers all year long. Traditional flowers include carnations, chrysanthemums, gladiolus, stock, lisianthus, alstroemeria, delphinium, larkspur, snapdragons, and stargazer lilies. Occasionally, in spring a tulip might find its way into an arrangement, or perhaps a sunflower in July, but rarely enough to even suggest the season at hand.
Pricing
Fine florists do not charge more per flower than mainstream florists. We use the same mark-up formula and we calculate the cost based on the number of stems of flowers. Dollar for dollar, two dozen roses might be the same price from us or from a traditional florist. What will likely be different is the size and style of the arrangement. We believe that good things can still come in small packages. As such, our two dozen roses will be arranged in a smaller, more intimate display that showcases the beautiful blooms, rather than the long stems of the roses.
To achieve a compact, abundant look, we typically will use many more flowers than you will see in a stiff, traditional arrangement, where each flower has a rigid, rote placement. We use very little foliage or filler in our designs, so our floral stem count is higher than when these fillers are incorporated.
Flower prices, as with other produce, fluctuate with the market, and rarer flowers dictate a higher price. Precious flowers, such as calla lilies, peonies, and large-headed roses are twice as expensive as the traditional stock, liatris, and alstroemeria used in traditional shops. Therefore, the same size arrangement, in the same vase, will be priced differently.
Weddings come in all sizes and prices. We are committed to working with you so that your vision can be accomplished as best possible within your budget. To help you in your planning, we have provided the following representative price list. Prices may increase or decrease depending on specific flowers, size of arrangements and container choices. Other options are available. Rental items, such as large urns, candelabra, chuppah, glass votives and other containers are also available.
Little Treasures
| Cocktail arrangements $25-$45 |
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| Small cube, less than 12” in height – packed tightly with seasonal
selection (single variety or mixed flowers) $40 - $60 |
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| Mint julep cups – for occasional table or grouped together for
a centerpiece
$60 Seasonal selection (tulips, hydrangea, hyacinths, sweet peas) $75 Roses $200 Lily of the valley |
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Lush and Romantic
| Medium cube, less than 18” in height – all premium
flowers with minimal foliage $75 Fewer flowers and more greens $125 Packed with premium flowers, as shown |
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| Massed arrangement – approximately 16” in height (including
container) $150 With pavé roses $110 With hydrangea $125 With peonies $150 Summer mix |
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Grand Arrangements
| Large focal arrangement – grand and stately (rental vase) $100+ Large console or buffet |  |
| $125+ Altar flowers arranged in rented urn or vase |  |
Additional pricing guidelines
Bridal bouquet (round) |
$195 and up |
| Bridal bouquet (cascade) | $250 and up |
| Bridesmaid bouquets | $75 and up |
| Posy-style bouquets (mothers, flowergirls, etc.) | $35 and up |
| Boutonnieres | $12 and up |
| Corsages | $20 and up |
| Flowergirl pomander | $60 and up |
| Chuppah or arch | $250 and up |
| Cake accents | $25 and up |
| Pavé wreath $90 Carnations $125 Hydrangea $250 Mixed seasonal flowers |
$90 and up |
| Pew and chair decorations | $25 and up |