We may be a florist and we love love love nature and all it has to offer but we would be remiss not to appreciate that there is a time and a place for amazing, quality artificial flowers and plants.
Viviane talks us through it.
Tamara is a selection of faux floral arrangements that have been created as part of the Nielsen’s brand to keep the spirit of Tami Nielsen Whittier everlasting. This collection was designed to capture Tami’s whimsical yet sophisticated personality, who had a magical way of taking the ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary.
Tamara Nielsen Whittier passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on July 20, 2019. She was 58 years old. “Tami” was born on March 27, 1961 in Greenwich, CT to the late Gerald Nielsen Sr. and Joanne Tammany Nielsen of Darien. She was a life-long resident of Darien where she developed her love of the beach and the ocean. After attending the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich she went on to graduate from Darien High School in 1979 and attended Dean College in Franklin, MA and Wesley College in Dove, DE. Tami was a devoted parishioner of Noroton Presbyterian Church and a former member of the Shore and Country Club in Norwalk, CT.
As a teenager, Tami had a love of horses and especially riding and jumping. An injury forced her to give up riding but she took great joy in cheering on her younger brother and two sisters as they followed her to become champion riders and jumpers themselves. This familial love of horses led to the family purchase of Sunnyfield Farm in Bedford, New York in 1980 and the successful breeding of numerous champion thoroughbred winners.
After school, Tami joined the family business as a partner in the Nielsen Company and worked on the sales floor and as a designer at Nielsen’s Florist for 35 years. She had an innate sense of color and scheme which was admired by many. Often customers became friends and came to the florist just to get a big smile and chat and catch up. Her contributions helped Nielsen’s Florist to be recognized as one of the premier floral businesses in the State of Connecticut.
Tami was beautiful, loving, and gentle but the word her family and friends would say best summed her up was “kind”. Her kindness knew no bounds and was evident throughout everything she did.
She met her husband, Morgan Whittier in March, 1991 and they were married on August 29, 1992. Together they embarked on a 27 year adventure full of love, fun, friendships, and deep ties to family. Tami loved to entertain friends at home, but also looked forward to dining out with family and friends. Tami thoroughly enjoyed “gossiping” with her sisters and girlfriends over a glass of chardonnay.
Tami loved to travel and visited almost every country in Europe. However, her true love was the ocean and her fondest memories were of family trips cruising the British Virgin Islands and annual summer vacations to Nantucket, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Hilton Head Island, SC.
Tami’s greatest source of pride and joy in life was motherhood and her children Megan Suzanne, age 25 and JohnScott “Jack” age 22. She loved them “to the moon and back and all the stars.” She also took great joy in serving as Godmother to Sarah Nielsen, Frederick Mazzotta, and Jimmy Kuehler. Her children reflect the warmth and kindness that was so much a part of Tami’s soul.
Tami demonstrated great courage, dignity and grace during her battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Her love of life and strength of faith were inspirational and overshadowed the effects of the disease.
In addition to her husband and children, Tami is survived by her mother Joanne, brother, Gerald A. Nielsen Jr. and his wife Judith of Darien, sister, Sandra and her husband Steven Baumann of Rowayton, and sister, Karen and her husband Michael Kuehler of Hilton Head Island, SC, as well as 14 nieces and nephews.
If you would like to donate to finding successful treatments for ALS, you can donate here.
As a florist that has been in business for almost 80 years, we have been in involved in events of all sizes, shapes, colors and styles over the years! Our goal is to help all brides and grooms-to-be achieve the wedding of their dreams and find the perfect flowers. Sometimes this starts with simply asking the right questions.
Read below for the most 10 most important questions you should ask a potential wedding florist.
- Do you have my wedding date available?
- Have you ever worked with my venue before and if not, are you familiar with the site?
- How long have you been in business?
- How many weddings have you done?
- How many weddings and events will you schedule on the same day?
- What flowers are in season for my wedding month?
- Do you have photos of recent work?
- How far in advance do I need to secure your services?
- Based on my color scheme and budget, what do you recommend?
- Do you have a delivery and set up fee?
Remember! Floral designers do much more than just supply the bouquet, they help create the look and mood for your wedding. Before you sit down with your wedding floral designer for the initial consultation, you should have reserved your ceremony venue and reception and ideally, ordered your dresses. This will help ensure your wedding flowers fit in perfectly with your vision.
Best of luck in your process and enjoy the journey!
Actually, this post is about nature’s imperfections! No two flowers are ever alike, much like people. That is where the beauty lies in nature, the imperfections that make nature inherently perfect.
When you are selecting the perfect flowers for an arrangement or a garden display, look for similar size and growth pattern but try not to get bogged down in finding the exact perfect pairs. Let the flowers grow and be themselves as nature intended.
An Open Celebration- #nielsensflowerflare @nielsensflorist
Our final fabulous flower flare was by far the chilliest! Which was surprising for it being so close to May 1st. It has been an awesome journey from planning, to execution, and middle of the night meet ups to create our installations. This is it for now but we will definitely be back!
Thanks for sharing in our Flower Joy!
Is there anything better than flowers to lift the ordinary to the extraordinary, to dial up the beauty, put the celebratory accent on occasions we’ll remember forever …or simply show just how much we care?
We think so, which is why we are gifting the town with bursts of brilliance in a series of three spectacular floral installations this month to mark our re-opening world after two years of COVID shut downs.
“Families have been reconnecting, students are able to enjoy prom again, senior centers can once again have visitors, it feels like socializing is finally returning. This, coupled with high local vaccination rates, seems like a cause for celebration,” said Nielsen’s General Manager Raya Ward explaining the thinking behind the gift.
“We just want to share something colorful and vibrant with the community that Nielsen’s has been a part of for 78 years. And we wanted to do something BIG,” continued Raya. “For most people, it has been a hard, stressful couple of years, and I too, have personally felt the stress of being separated from loved ones and my support network. That can really take its toll on people of all ages. With spring here and good weather, we wanted to celebrate in a truly accessible way that everyone can enjoy,” she added.
Appearing suddenly in plain sight but where you may least expect them, starting at the Grove Street Plaza Fountain on April 14th, the installations will unleash the joy contained in flowers in flash mobs of natural art crafted by the Nielsen’s design team. Subsequent installations are planned for the following two Thursdays in surprise locations along the Post Road.
“This is a big undertaking for us, but we were so excited to explore our creativity as a design team. Flower installations are a work of art that must become a part of its environment while making a statement to be successful. The colors need to be bright to show the flare of flowers, especially when outdoors, and the mechanics are very important to hold it all together.” explains Bob Sabia, AIFD, Nielsen’s Lead Designer.
While ‘flower bombs’ like those planned by Nielsen’s have appeared in larger cities, they have never been created for local areas such as Darien, according to the Nielsen’s design team.
“We’re hoping people will share their own joy at our reopening lives in photos they take at the installations then post on social media using #NielsensFlowerFlare,” said Raya. “Like flowers, after all, joy exists to be shared!”
A floral centerpiece can be a dramatic focal point to a table or a subtle accent designed to elevate the tablescape. They are a long standing tradition to decorate a table for the holidays.
The size of a centerpiece can range from 12″ round to 30″ round depending on the environment it is placed in.
SIZE GUIDE – ROUND TABLES
2 person table = 10″ wide arrangement
4-6 person table = 15″ wide arrangement
8-10 person table = 20″ wide arrangement
10-12 person table = 24″ wide arrangement
12 plus person table = 30″ wide arrangement
A long and low arrangement is a cousin of the classic centerpiece arrangement.
They are typically found in a long rectangular container that sits close to the table. They are best suited to a long dining table and range from 24″ long to 48″ long, depending on the table size.
SIZE GUIDE- LONG TABLES
4-6 person table = 24″ long arrangement
8-10 person table = 30″ long arrangement
10-12 person table = 36″ long arrangement
12 plus person table = 48″ long arrangement
A new alternative to the long and low centerpiece is multiple “gem” style arrangements placed down the table.
The size of the table will determine the number of gems needed. This new approach to centerpiece arrangements will give each person a view of the flowers.
24” table = 2 gems
30’ table = 3 gems
36’ table = 4 gems
48’ table = 5 gems
The flower industry has come together to create a nationwide and industrywide marketing campaign to promote the amazing benefits of flowers!
Take a look here and let us know what you think!
https://thatflowerfeeling.org/
Our conservatory and showroom can be transformed into a unique backdrop
for intimate weddings and parties of all kinds.
The Victorian glass conservatory boasts a lush environment of green and blooming plants unlike any other in the area.
Depending on the size of your event, the layout can be customized to suit your themes and colors.
Maximum capacity is 60 for a sit down event and up to 150 for a cocktail party or function.
The conservatory is air conditioned but we do strongly recommend avoiding an event in the greenhouse during the hottest summer months.
Our designers can create amazing displays with plants and flowers, depending on the package you choose.
Rentals include 60″ round tables and white chairs.
Rental package with dinner tables and 60 capacity
$2500
Rental package with high top tables and 150 capacity
$2500
Whole store, showroom, outside if weather appropriate, pergola area and greenhouse.
$6000
Flower arrangements for dining tables
$100 ea and up if customized
Flower arrangements for high tops
$35 ea and up if customized
Follow us on Eventbrite to stay up to date on all of our classes and events!
We host monthly floral design classes and more specific plant classes throughout the year.
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/nielsens-florist-6908375471
A big thank you to Tony Vitti, flower designer and botanical expert for over 50 years. You may know Tony as the flower shop manager, but he has now transitioned to a new role as key advisor and consultant to our buyers, container garden design team and to our general manager, Raya. Thank you Tony for all the creative ideas and growth you’ve been a part of these past 20 years!