FAQs - bridal bouquets, wedding flowers, and high quality silk

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Something Spectacular™ Custom Event Design
and Something Floral™
Warren and Center Line, Michigan
586-778-4624

Silk Floral: Worldwide Service and Shipping
Fresh Floral: Metro Detroit & Select Michigan Areas

Something Spectacular bridal bouquet wedding flowers silk fresh

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Your flowers look exactly like fresh flowers. Are they really artificial?
2. Are all artificial flowers "silk" flowers?
3. What are the various qualities of silk flowers available?
4. What quality of silks are used by Something Spectacular?
5. Where do you purchase your flowers?
6 .Your designs always look so professional. What are your qualifications?
7. Why are the designs on your website shown without prices?
8. Why would I want "custom" design for my special event or home?
9. Do you offer floral packages?
10. Do you offer samples?
11. Do you have a printed catalog or price list?
12. Where are you located? Do you have a walk-in, retail location?
13. Do you also offer fresh flowers and fresh floral design services?
14. What is your availability for 2008, 2009, and 2010?
15. How do I place an order?
16. You're already fully booked for my date. Can you "squeeze" my order into your schedule?
17. I need flowers right away. Do you offer rush service?
18. How do I submit an order for bulk flower stems?
19. What is your payment policy and what forms of payment do you accept?
20. What is your return policy?
21. What type of delivery and shipping do you use?
22. Do you offer gift certificates?
23. Do you offer "on-location" design service? How does that differ from an "on-location" consultation?
24. Besides scheduling a personalized consultation, where else can I see your work in person?
25. What is your privacy policy?

fresh and realistic silk flowers bridal bouquets
Rose, calla lily, and stephanotis fresh flower
bridal bouquet by Something Spectacular

"Without a formal art education and design training, a designer is just a designer. Without good design, a floral arrangement is just an arrangement. We're skilled and trained artesans who create floral artistry and not just designers who create arrangements."
- K. McMullen
Founder, Owner, and Lead Designer
Something Spectacular and Something Floral

Q. Your flowers look exactly like fresh flowers. Are they really artificial?
A. Our faux products resemble fresh arrangements because the flowers and foliage we use are the most realistic, premium quality, "silk" flowers available only to professional florists, and the flowers you see on our website are "silk" unless otherwise noted. Ours is a reputable business of integrity and truth in advertising so while some silk florists display photos on their websites of fresh flowers and bouquets posing or labeled as silk or fresh touch/real touch, we feel that is misleading and deceitful. Something Spectacular will never "bait and switch," and you will never see photos of fresh flower bouquets on our site without a label identifying each sample as fresh flowers. Also, unlike many florists' websites that contain purchased, floral industry design photos posing as samples of their own designs or products, you will never see anyone else's work on our site. Every photo you see on our website is one of our original, custom designed bouquets or arrangements.

Q. Are all artificial flowers really silk flowers?
A. In the USA, faux or artificial flowers and foliage are commonly referred to as "silk" although most artificial floral products are not actually made of silk. We purchase and design using only the most realistic materials available from manufacturers around the world. Our high quality, artificial flowers and foliage are made of a number of different types of materials (whatever materials produce the most realistic look and feel for each type of bloom or greenery), therefore, while the flowers we use for our faux arrangement are traditionally called "silk flowers," they are generally not actually be made of silk. In fact, some of the newer types of faux/fake flowers called Natural Touch, Real Touch, and Fresh Touch are made from or coated with a latex-type material. When booking our services, please inform us if you have a sensitivity or allergy to latex or latex products and we'll select beautiful, real-looking, latex-free materials for your order.

Q. What are the various qualities of silk flowers available?
A. While other florists define silk qualities differently and on their own scale, Something Spectacular was the first online florist to classify silk flowers and foliage, and we classify faux botanicals into the following six (6) categories:

Exceptional (Level 1) - The most realistic faux flowers and foliages available only to professional florists
Very Good (Level 2) - Slightly lower quality than Exceptional, but still extremely realistic and only available to professional florists
Good (Level 3) - Slightly lower quality than Very Good, but still realistic and available only to professional florists
Average (Level 4) - Lower quality than Very Good, but fairly realistic on most types of flowers. This quality rating can be compared to the higher-end, pricier, silk flowers available at specialty floral and craft stores.
Below Average (Level 5) - Lower quality than Average, and generally not realistic. This quality rating can be compared to most of the averaged-priced silk flowers available at floral and craft stores.
Budget (Level 6) - Lowest quality and not at all realistic. This category includes "dew drop" flowers (rosebuds and other lower quality cloth flowers dotted with acrylic droplets to similate rain drops) and very inexpensive bushes that are popular in many swap meets, trade centers, and craft, variety, and dollar stores.

Q. What quality of silks are used by Something Spectacular?
A. Something Spectacular specializes in using only Exceptional and Very Good quality silks. Nearly all faux flowers in the top two, professional grades are hand-made and hand-painted for superior quality and the most realistic details. By special request (and based on a client's budget), we can work with specially selected Good and Average quality silks, however, we can always suggest money-saving ideas and provide a number of designs that offer clients the ability to have higher quality flowers not only just for themselves, but for their entire wedding party as well. Please note that although most online florists do use them, we do not work at all with Below Average or Budget quality silks as we do not find them at all realistic. We realize that Something Spectacular may not be the designer for everyone, but most of our clients come to us based on word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied clients, bridal consultants, interior designers, and from seeing the quality of our work in person. We're known worldwide for our quality so we must always maintain the high standards that have earned us the reputation of "The Premier Silk Floral Designer"™ and "The Picky Bride's Florist."™

Q. Where do you purchase your flowers?
A. Each year we spend a great deal of time, effort, and travel researching and locating the most realistic, superior quality materials from suppliers and manufacturers around the world. While some florists are content to purchase supplies from one or two primary suppliers and completely rely on those limited product lines, we have a corporate background in imports/exports and we're constantly searching for higher quality, more realistic, silk flowers and foliage. Of course, that adds value to the finished products we offer our clients. We currently purchase our materials from nearly 40 different resources to ensure that we purchase the best roses, the best gerbera daisies, the best calla lilies, the best of every type of flower and foliage. We're extremely fussy about the quality of our products (we never use any products that we wouldn't want to use for our own wedding or event), and we believe a realistic bouquet or centerpiece begins with premium quality materials. Purchasing and using the absolute finest quality products is one of the things that sets us apart from the competition, therefore, the supplier and product results from our extensive research is confidential information that we do not release to anyone.

Q. Your designs always look so professional. What are your qualifications?
A. Floral design is an art form, just like painting, scupture, etc., and quite frankly, we are passionate about it. We view our custom creations as pieces of fine art, and we take the time to design and construct each item to be well balanced in color, scale, texture, proportion, etc.—all the formal principles of good visual design. Without formal art and design training and education, a designer is just a designer, and without good design, a floral arrangement is just an arrangement. We believe that every client deserves outstanding flowers that are truly worthy of their special day. We're skilled and trained artesans who create floral artistry and not just designers who create arrangements.

Unlike some florists who are self-taught or who learned through non-accredited establishments without formal training in art or design, Something Spectacular's owner and master designer possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree and post graduate and continuing education in fine arts and design arts as well as formal education in both floral design and interior design. Her education and training has come from such accredited institutions as Siena Heights University, the College for Creative Studies (CCS), the world-renowned Southern California School of Floral Design (studying under legendary designer Phil Rulloda), Michigan Floral Association, and Baylor University. She has been involved in juried fine arts competitions (most recently awarded "Best of Show" at Warren Tri-County Fine Art Association's juried art show at the American Center in Southfield, Michigan), Florists' Review's international wedding design contests, and her work has been published many times, including most recently in several issues of Florists' Review magazine (an international design publication for florists), Floral Design magazine (another international floral publication for florists, floral schools, and floral enthusiasts in over 60 countries), Woman's World magazine, and The Bridal Bouquet Book by Ginny Parfitt (Schiffer Books). She stays on the cutting-edge of emerging designs by attending floral industry conferences and workshops and reading the latest international floral design periodicals and books. She has worked internationally and also in the exports field, and is familiar with the markets and suppliers that produce the highest quality faux botanicals. She is a perfectionist and performs meticulous research each year to stay on top of new product lines and the continued advancement of realism in silk flowers.

Also, our experience working with fresh flowers, understanding the properties of how they grow, how they bend, the colors they grown in, their seasonal availability, at what speed they open, etc. gives us a distinct advantage over florists who work with only silk flowers. When you understand and have extensive experience with fresh flowers, you can better replicate a natural look with silks.

Q. Why are the designs on your website shown without prices?
A. Some florists are merely "order takers," and their websites are simply online catalogs filled with pre-made, "cookie-cutter" designs. Few color choices are available, little or no customization takes place, and the same designs are offerred to each and every client regardless of the client's individual size, style, tastes, and event theme so pricing can be set in advance. All of our designs are completely custom, and anything you see on our website is just one small sample from our expansive portfolio of past work. Each order we prepare is designed specifically for your preferences, requirements, and budget. Before quoting prices, we listen to your preferences and detailed requirements because the pricing of any bouquet or arrangement has several components, including:

Quantity of silks desired
Varieties of flowers and foliages desired
Overall size of the arrangement or bouquet
Type of containers or holder desired
Quality of ribbon preferred
Accent preferences
Amount of time and expertise required to create the design
Number of design reviews and photo previews preferred
Readily available vs. special order flowers and foliages
Rush order vs. regular order

Q. Why would I want "custom" design for my special event or home?
A. While it may be quick to browse a limited selection of designs and fill a shopping cart with "one size fits all," ready-made arrangements from an online catalog or select production line looking arrangements from an online florist who has limited communication with you and treats you like a number, quickly "whipping out" one order after another without getting to know you and your wedding vision, the advantages of a thorough consultation process and it's resulting, custom designed products far outweigh the minor convenience of choosing from a menu of "cookie-cutter" designs or production line created designs available to everyone and anyone who can fill out an online form. We strongly believe that each arrangement or event design should reflect the individuality of the client(s), and because of this, all of our designs are completely custom. Each and every order is designed for YOU -- created specifically for YOUR preferences, requirements, unique sense of style, and budget. You aren't like everyone else and if you don't want your arrangement or special event flowers to be like everyone elses, Something Spectacular custom floral designs are for you.

Q. Do you offer floral packages?
A. Over the years we've found that most clients, particularly bridal clients, have very specific needs, and although some florists offer them, packages generally do not accomodate the wishes and needs of most brides. A package may contain too many flowers for a small wedding party and not enough flowers for a large wedding party. Packages usually contain multiple bouquets, boutonnierres, and corsages of the same, cookie-cutter style while a bride may desire certain items personalized for various family members or members of the wedding party. We are a custom design service that provides a very high level of personalized customer service. That includes meeting the exact needs of our clients and not forcing them to buy extra items included in packages that they don't want or need. For example, if a bride needs only 2 bridesmaid bouquets, why should she be forced to buy a package containing 5 bridesmaid bouquets? That equates to money the bride could use for other wedding services or items. With Something Spectacular, you order exactly what you need with no minimum orders, surcharges, or extra items you don't want or need. Customization and personalization are just two of the many advantages a custom design service has over a standard, online-order florist. In the near future, we will be offering ready-made, one-of-a-kind, custom wedding bouquets for brides who are eloping, planning small, private, or destination weddings, or those whose weddings are approaching very quickly and are in immediate need of a bouquet or bouquets.

Q. Do you offer samples?
A. Since Something Spectacular uses only the finest quality materials, for re-use practicality and to avoid unnecessary extra floral cost, once we have confirmed our availability for your special event date and learned about your particular needs and preferences, we suggest that our bridal clients order a sample corsage or a toss bouquet in place of individual stems so their sample(s) can be used on their wedding day.

Q. Do you have a printed catalog or price list?
A. We are a custom design service, and at this time, all of our products are original designs created specifically for each and every client and each client's individual budget. Therefore, we do not have a printed catalog or standard price list. In the future, we will be introducing a line of high quality, one-of-a-kind, ready-made designs. However our ready-made designs will be available for online display only as that allows us to offer substantial savings to our clients and quickly and easily update our website with the most current, cutting-edge designs.

Q. Where are you located? Do you have a walk-in, retail location?
A. We are located on the border of Warren and Center Line, Michigan, NE suburbs of the Detroit metropolitan area, and while we provide fresh floral designs for Metro Detroit and select other Michigan areas (with the exception of our on-location design service), our silk and artificial designs are shipped worldwide. Something Spectacular has been in business since 2001, and consultations are by appointment only. We specialize in special event floral artistry, hence, we don't maintain a traditional, retail, store front location. We prefer to focus 100% of our attention on comprehensive client consultations and designing beautiful, custom floral artistry for our clients, and that is very difficult for traditional retail location florists to do properly when the majority of their time and attention is focused on daily retail shop operations, shop distractions, and walk-in business for everyday floral arrangements, sympathy flowers, etc. A "by appointment only," studio environment allows us to focus all of our time and attention-to-detail on you and your special event flowers. An additional benefit is that by creating our award-winning designs in a private studio location that's not open for walk-in business, we're able to avoid costly overhead expenses that florists with open-to-the-public, floral shop locations must pass along to customers. Without an open-daily, retail storefront location, we can keep our expenses low and provide you maximum value with premium products and services at excellent prices.

Q. Do you also offer fresh flowers and fresh floral design services?
A. Yes, we design fresh floral bouquets and arrangements for weddings and special events. Unlike silk flowers, fresh flowers can become easily damaged or wilt during traditional shipping methods, therefore, we limit our fresh floral designs to clients located, or hosting their special event, in Michigan so that we can ensure proper handling, delivery, and setup. Note that we are available for worldwide travel and on-site design services. Therefore, if your fresh floral special event will be held in an area where we do not personally deliver and setup and you would like Something Spectacular to design your floral arrangements, we can travel to your location and design on-site. For an out-of-area, on-site floral design service quote, contact our Customer Service Department. Note that our out-of-area, on-site floral design service is also a good option for silk floral events requiring large size, heavy, or a very large quantity of table arrangements.

Q. What is your availability for 2010, 2011, and 2012?
A. Due to our high quality products and services, Something Spectacular is very much in demand. To provide the highest quality designs and service to our clients, we accept only a limited amount of fresh and silk orders per month, and our dates for wedding design tend to book very quickly -- oftentimes a year or more in advance. Our availability is always displayed on our website's home page. A minimal deposit, which is credited towards your final balance, is required to reserve a space on our design calendar and to begin the creation of your order. Avoid disappointment -- reserve early to lock in your date (and avoid rush charges). IMPORTANT: Please note that our availability is NOT guaranteed without an initial deposit, and a deposit is required to start all orders. No orders are designed without a deposit, and completed orders are not delivered or shipped until the final order balance is paid in full.

Q. How do I place an order?
A. A personalized, custom order requires a thorough consultation process. To start the consultation process, contact us at 586-778-4624. We'll first verify our availability for your date and begin an initial consultation, gathering information from you, such as your wedding or special event date, wedding colors, your floral needs (approximate number of bouquets, centerpieces, etc), your total floral budget (a per-item budget is also very helpful in determining how much of your floral budget you'd like to allocate to personal flowers vs. reception flowers, etc.), the colors and varieties of flowers you like best, photos of and fabric swatches from your bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses, etc. to begin envisioning an overall "picture" of your event, to begin narrowing in on the exact flowers that would best fit your vision and budget, and to begin building an estimate. For local (metro Detroit and select areas in Michigan) orders, consultations are held in person, when possible so that clients can see sample flowers and sample bouquets. For out of area orders, consultations are held by phone and e-mail, using digital photographs.

An initial deposit, that is applied towards your order's final balance, is required to formally reserve your date and guarantee a space on our design schedule. The deposit also locks in prices (particularly advantageous when booking a year or more in advance), helps to avoid rush charges (for more details on rush charges, please see details below), and is required for advanced consultation steps (such as mocking up samples), ordering the custom flowers and supplies for your order, and designing and creating your order. Please note that no design work is started without a deposit, and completed orders are not delivered/shipped until the final order balance is paid in full.

Something Spectacular is located in the USA so there's no worry for US clients that your order might not clear Customs and no worry about surprise or excessive duties or Customs charges. Michigan sales tax (6%) is added to orders delivered or shipped within Michigan.

Q. You're already fully booked for my date. Can you "squeeze" my order into your schedule?
A. Even if we're already booked for your special event date, feel free to contact us to see if we can squeeze in your order. We can sometimes fit small orders into our design schedule. We may also be able to accomodate last minute orders, however, please note that a rush-charge may apply. Reference the topic below for details regarding rush charges and when they apply.

Q. I need flowers right away. Do you offer rush service?
A. There are times when we may be able to fit small, last minute orders into our design schedule. Please contact us to check availability. A minimal rush charge applies to certain types of last minute orders. Fresh Flowers - There is no rush charge for fresh floral orders, however, your order must be placed at least one (1) month prior to the date of delivery. Silk Flowers - No rush charge is applied to silk floral orders placed (and with a deposit received) two (2) or more months prior to your required delivery date. However, a rush charge equal to 10% of your total order is applied to silk floral orders where the order is placed (and/or an initial deposit is received) less than two (2) months prior to your required delivery date. For example, a $25 rush charge is applied to a rush order totalling $250, a $50 rush charge is applied to a rush order totalling $500, and so forth.

Q. How do I submit an order for bulk flower stems?
A. We're pleased that you are impressed by the high quality of artificial flowers and foliage we offer. At this time, Something Spectacular only accepts bulk floral stem orders (for matching cake flowers, hair flowers, or do-it-yourself reception arrangements) from clients utilizing our design services for a minimum of their personal event flowers (bouquets, corsages, boutonnierres, etc). This ensures that the wedding bouquets and other floral designs captured in the majority of your priceless wedding portraits meet the exceptionally high standards for which we're known. If you're interested in adding individual floral stems to your order, please inform our Customer Service Department when you formally reserve our design services so additional time is allowed for special order and delivery. Please note that we do create and ship silk ceremony and reception arrangements, and we also offer an on-site design service for out-of-area events if you are interested in high quality, professionally designed decor and arrangements for your ceremony and reception. Please note: We do NOT offer bulk stems to other florists or the general public. We are an award-winning custom design business, offering our clients the opportunity for a few matching, loose flowers that coordinate with their personal floral arrangements. We are not a wholesale floral supplier, and we thank you for understanding the difference between the two and respecting the primary focus of our business.

Q. What is your payment policy and what forms of payment do you accept?
A. We accept payment via cashier's check, money order, and PayPal for credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) and electronic checks. For silk floral orders, digital photos of your items are e-mailed to you throughout the design and creation process, and your final, total order balance and shipping amount (minus your initial deposit amount) is due prior to mailing/shipment (out of area) or delivery (local). For fresh floral orders (as well as chair cover and other rentals), your final total balance (minus your initial deposit amount) is due no later than 2 weeks prior to your special event. In circumstances (such as with commercial clients) where final balances are due upon receipt of order, invoices must be paid the day the order is received. Invoices not paid within 30 days incur a late fee equal to 10% of the order total. Invoices not paid within 45 days will be sent to collections, and the client will be assessed, and is responsible for, reimbursement of all legal fees and charges associated with the collections process.

NOTE: Michigan sales tax (6%) is added to orders delivered or shipped within Michigan.

Q. What is your return policy?
A. As a custom design service that provides only custom orders created to your unique specifications with the flowers you've selected, we hope you understand that custom orders are non-refundable. Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to Something Spectacular and as such, we involve our clients in every step of the consultation and design process by providing you either in person or e-mail/digital photos of floral selections tailored to the colors, types/varieties, and budgetary specifications you provided during your initial consultation(s). Construction of your order begins only after we've obtained your agreement/approval on the flowers selected (either in person or by photo), and this process ensures that all custom-designed and custom-constructed floral items are to your satisfaction. Also, you have the opportunity to see photos of your final products before shipping -- a service that's very rare in the silk floral design industry. Beware of any designer who is not willing to show you photos of samples or your final products as there's a high risk they are using low quality, inferior grade flowers and foliage. Also beware of florists with "too good to be true" pricing. True real touch artificial flowers and the highest quality silk/artificial flowers are pricey, even when purchased wholesale, and those offerring unusually low pricing are using lower quality materials, pre-made bouquets they purchased from a manufacturer (hence, they really aren't designing anything and the only customization they do is changing ribbon colors), and they are often not professionally trained and certified floral designers. When it comes to floral design, no matter whether fresh or silk, you truly get what you pay for.

Q. What type of delivery and shipping is used by Something Spectacular?
A. That depends on whether your order is fresh or silk and within, or outside of, our delivery area. See information for each scenario below:

Q. Do you offer gift certificates?
A. Yes, we offer gift certificates in any denomination. Gift certificates are wonderful bridal shower, wedding shower, and advance wedding gifts to assist a couple in paying for their wedding expenses. They also make great gifts for the recipient to use towards a custom-designed floral arrangement for a home or office where colors and flowers are hand-selected to coordinate with interior styles and colors, and designs are custom made to scale to perfectly fit a specific location.

Q. Do you offer "on-location" design service? How does that differ from an "on-location" consultation?
A. Yes, we do -- we offer both an on-site consultation and an on-site design service. Typically, on-site consultations are utilized for custom home and commercial arrangements, and on-site design services are utilized for out-of-area, fresh (or even silk) floral weddings and other special events requiring extensive design services. Our on-site design service is also popular for large, out-of-area home and commercial custom design orders. More information on these services is listed below.

Q. Besides scheduling a personalized consultation, where else can I see your work in person?
A. Something Spectacular creates custom floral designs for special events, homes, offices, hotels, gift-giving, etc. While we have a large clientele and our designs are displayed in various locations worldwide, the best place to see a wide variety of our work is by consultation, in the March 2004-2010 issues of Florists' Review magazine, in the newly released book, "The Bridal Bouquet Book" by Ginny Parfitt and Schiffer Publishing, in the August 7, 2007, issue of Woman's World magazine, or at one of many shows that we participate in each year. We sometimes display at select bridal shows and womens' expos throughout the midwest. For a current list of locations and shows, visit our Events page.

Q. What is your privacy policy?
A. Something Spectacular is committed to protecting your privacy. We use the personal information you provide only to process your order, complete the transaction, and deliver high quality floral designs to you. Under no circumstances do we release or sell your information to any third party. Your information is considered confidential and not available to anyone else. If you have any questions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us.

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Best Wedding Florist Nomination