So...you have been searching the web for great flowers to send as a gift.

 Are you tired of the same old MUMS and CARNATIONS you have seen EVERY year?

Butera The Florist is stocking some fabulous alternative blooms! We currently have a variety of vibrant roses; super fragrant Peonies, White and Green Dendrobium & Red Mokara Orchids, lemon colored Conca 'Dor, white Casa Blanca and Stargazer Lilies, bright locally grown Gerber Daisies, white and Antique Green Hydrangea, assorted Calla...and large tri-colored Pineapples. And of course all the tropical and exotics we always carry.

If you are looking for something distinctive and different in the York, PA area, we can custom create a dazzling design for you.

Not only that...if you do want the classic look of carnations and mums we also carry those.

Give us a call at 888.741.4226

2008 has certainly been a year for fabulous weddings at Butera The Florist. The season is still in full swing!

August, September and October saw some beautiful floral combinations and floral treatments. I have posted some photo highlights for you to see...be sure to check them out!

The wedding season will wind down in November for us...BUT, if you are planning a 2009 wedding in or around York PA, it is not too early to begin. Our weekends are begining to fill up. Be sure to phone our store to schedule your floral consultation.

Happy wedding planning!

Vince Butera AIFD, PFCI

July 25 & 26, 2008...2 days/ 5 weddings

There are always certain weekends in a florist's year that are busier than usual. As a business that specializes in wedding floral décor, we often wonder what causes certain weekends to be very quiet (maybe just one event) and others that brides keep calling about. While this time of year it is quite normal to do 2 or 3 weddings in a weekend, this particular weekend we had 3 scheduled on Friday and 2 for Saturday.

Here is a recap of three of the five:

The coolers were filled with a wide assortment of beautiful flowers...each bride has her own style, and we at Butera The Florist do our best to fulfill her dreams!

Maggie was one of the Friday weddings...she wanted a tropical island feel.

We chose the combination of Hot pink, vivid orange and citrus green colors, and worked with roses, Mokara orchids, jade trechelium and green hypericum in the handtied bouquets.

The pergola at Heritage was decorated with the same vivid colors, in addition to the billowing tulle.           

A beautiful setting that was flavored with the steel drum playing the ceremony music!

Moving into the pavilion, the guest tables were alive with vivid orbs and orchids...some low, some elevated, some hot pink with orange, some orange with citrus green...FUN, FUN, FUN!!!

Saturday started at St. Patrick's Church for Becky's wedding.

The classic elegant altar was accented by two flowing designs.

Becky chose a full, flowing cascade Bridal Bouquet of all white featuring roses, orchids and stephanotis.

Her attendants carried handtied bouquets of three varieties of roses; esperance, cool water & lovely Lydia, with a few pink cymbidium orchids.

The same color feel was designed into the very classic table centerpieces for her reception at the Country Club of York.

The same three varieties of roses were used, along with red grapes and ivy. A trio of candles finished off the classic décor. A matching waterfall design was placed on the sweetheart table.

For our fifth and final wedding event of the weekend, Katie wanted bright and happy...and what better than "sunrich gold" sunflowers, skyline roses, yellow mini calla, accented with  green hypericum and jade trechelium.

Her outdoor ceremony at Box Hill was punctuated with a picture-perfect day (sorry, I don't get the credit for that!)       

You can see other wedding photos by checking out the photo section on this blog.

August is also a very busy wedding month at Butera The Florist...keep checking in for more photos and commentary.

Vince Butera AIFD, PFCI has had a very busy summer season. In addition to running daily operations and a very full 2008 wedding season at Butera The Florist in York, PA, He has been tapped by magazines to discuss creative uses of flowers to consumers and professional florists.

The August issue of Floral Management magazine, a publication of Society of American Florists featured designs created by Vince in it's monthly column "Business of Design". The article featured carnations... a flower that has been snubbed by many, but has many wonderful uses, beautiful colors, is long lasting, and VERY cost effective! Vince is a firm believer that any flower can be used creatively...anyone can take a unique bloom and make an impressive arrangement, a floral artist can take an ordinary bloom and create an extraordinary design.

Your can view the article by using the following link:

http://www.safnow.org/images/stories/Publications/FMmag/2008/Aug08/bod.pdf

Reaching consumers in the York, PA market,  SMART magazine featured Vince in his design studio creating simple but stunning floral pieces that can be made at home. His orb vessel of Hydrangeas, Conca ‘Dor lilies, roses and lily grass was the front cover. You can view this design and others, in addition to the entire article by using this link:

http://www.yorkblog.com/smarthome/2008/06/flower_power.html

Butera The Florist is currently seeking creative and energetic people to fill a few positions in our store.

Floral Designer: 

    Ability to create various styles of floral designs. Training or experience prefered.  Full or Part time available.

Customer Service/ floral assistant:

    A creative eye and a willingness to assist clients to find the perfect floral gift. Various in store responsibilities such as floral processing, retail stocking, event delivery, etc. Full or Part time.

If you are interested, contact us for an application:

Butera The Florist

178 Leader Heights RD.

York, PA 17402

717.741.4226

email: buteratheflorist@verizon.net 

Even on vacation!

Our family has been blessed to spend part of our summers on an idyllic island in Downeast Maine. Most people don't get it, but going to the same place every year gives you a sense of belonging, stability, a constant in an ever-changing world. You count life a little more long term when every summer for the past thirty-some you arrive to a place that little has changed...it actually is a bit too much like "Brigadoon" sometimes. But the beauty of God's creation totally envelopes you constantly

So usually during the few weeks the family is living on Swan's Island, I return to York, PA to work sometime...a busy wedding weekend or the like ( like this past weekend where we produced five gorgeous wedding events...see our next blog!)

The fun thing for me is to return to the island with a few boxes of fresh flowers. Some to make simple bouquets to give as gifts to friends, others to grace our home, and still more to "get creative" in an outdoor studio with the coastal breeze blowing...no phones, no interruptions, no $30 orders to be finished in 10 minutes while the driver waits...just flowers, time, and nature as inspiration.

This time I returned to Swan's Island in time for the annual Sweet Chariot Music Festival...a coraborative effort of some very fine folk musicians from around the country. The first night is a dress rehearsal performance of sorts for the island people done in a more informal manner. The show producer wanted a "campfire" to sing around...but this venue is a huge wooden structure, so no fire! I looked down and saw in my buckets a campfire with sunflowers, red safari sunset, orange mokara orchids, red hypericum, and more. So, what floral designer could resist?!

I took an antique brass pot and surrounded it with birch logs and charred logs to create the base, then had an explosion of the fresh flowers to create the flames.

Extending out of the main design was long  birch branches that we pierced sunflower petals to imitate sparks.

With some nice lighting, the musicians looked like they had a warm glow shining on them.

Even on vacation, a floral designer can work with flowers, and still be on vacation!

The wedding season has been bustling  here at Butera The Florist.  We have been occupied so much with them every week that this is in fact the first time I have had a chance to post photos and commentary. Here are some of the highlights from the past two weeks...

It seems that daisies are the hot flower during June here in York. Michelle and Mike chose the pure white garden daisy as their signature flower for their June 14th wedding.

The bridal bouquet was a handtied design of solely daisies with just a hint of buplerum, while the attendants bouquets also featured a mix of white daisies with bright yellow Gerbera.

Daisies were added to the church pew bows of tulle and filled the altar table area

The quests were greeted at their reception tables with glass orb bowls filled the brides favorite flower! It was a perfect accent to the reception held in a tent on a summer afternoon at the Bride's family home.

Later that same day we were showing Holly her bridal bouquet of daisies...this time it was deep burgundy Gerbera with beautiful Chablis roses, deep red alsortemeria and jade hypericum.

Holly's attendants carried coordinated bouquets of light peach Gerbera, dark red alstroemeria and jade hypericum.

Allison's June 14 wedding featured the hot vibrant colors. We paired Starfighter lilies, purple lisianthus, Hot Princess roses and of course hot pink Gerbera with the hit of bright jade button mums! It was a vivid punch of color against the attendants black a-line gowns.

Her reception at the Stone Mill Inn featured a beautiful cake adorned by petals of Hot Princess roses.

Of the four wedding events on June 21, one bride chose an abundance of the popular daisies!

Jennifer chose a combination of crisp white daisies and pink Sorbonne lilies with solidago and waxflower as her first day of summer bridal bouquet, whlie her attendants carried complimentary bouquets of white daisies with pink alstroemeria, solidago and waxflower...a happy summery look against the aqua blue gowns.

Cinda chose the soft romantic look with creamy Vandella roses paired with lavander blooms of Phlox, Freesia and Campanula in a handtied design.

Cinda's attendants carried the lavander colors of freesia, campanula and Cool Water roses along with lanander Daisies.

Ashlin wanted her first day of Summer wedding to be bright and happy...the weather cooperated and so did her flowers!

Her bridal bouquet was a tight mound of cornflower blue hydrangea with pale yellow roses and yellow freesia.

As always, every bride has a dream for the look and feel of her wedding... our priority is to translate that into flowers and help to make her dream come true! It is always a privledge to be a part of so many weddings in York.

Best wishes to all our bridal clients! 

The coolers are fully stocked with some of the brightest and freshest flowers available. Of course Butera The Florist has the classic mixes if that is what mom prefers... baskest or vases filled with an assortment of bright blooms like Daisies, Carnation, Roses, Alstroemeria, and many more...

BUT... why not consider something different? Something that we at Butera The Florist is widly known for! Fresh Floral Designs with style!

We can create something classic but with flair, such as the French Country Hedge with larkspur, roses, campanula, sunflower & more.

Looking for something simple but chic? Try our Simply Orchid design...a glass vessel with swirling grasses and stems of long lasting Cymbidium, Dendrobium or Mokara orchids.

We as always have a variety of organically designed arrangements such as our glass orb filled with swirling grasses and willow inside the vessel and fragrant blooms mounded on top. A green alternative to foam based floral designs.

Loose flowers abound in our Mediterranian flower market...Try Antique Hydrangea, Godetia, Conca Dor & Sarbonne lilies, PA grown Gerbera, and so many more you must see them!

If you're from out of the York area and want to send your mother some of our distinctive flowers, call us toll free; 888.741.4226.

Just in time for Mother's day, Butera The Florist is scheduling " Evening with the Florist"  open registration evenings. Evening with the Florist is our own in-store floral design event... It's fun, it's educational, it's entertaining...it's "Edutainment"!

In the design studio section of our store, Vince Butera AIFD, PFCI will take the audience on a floral design journey. He will demonstrate a variety of styles, discuss various products, show professional techniques...all while creating a number of fresh floral designs in front of you.

"Evening with the Florist" has previously only been scheduled for closed groups, The open registration evenings are scheduled for individuals or small groups. Current available dates are Thursday May 15 and Tuesday June 3. The show begins at 6:30pm.

Reservations are now being accepted with advance registrations... the fee is $55.00 per person. Light refreshments will be available, and you are welcome to also bring your own if you wish. Our cafe tables seat 4 each, and we have a maximum attendance of 16.

This will be an evening Mom won't soon forget... and you can even enjoy it with her! Call our store for further details and to make your reservation. 717.741.4226 or 888.741.4226

I thought it would be fun to post some items we currently have in the coolers and around the store for you to see. Since we are a hometown REAL florist, we create many one of a kind designs within catagories rather than design from a catalog. Our designs are always distinctive, and never look "cookie cutter".

At Butera The Florist, all our floral designs can be placed into one of three broad catagories: CLASSIC, STYLISH, and ARTISTIC.

We are currently featuring a variety of classic  baskets of bright fresh blooms in a wide array of Spring colors. We also create many classic looks in glass vases. This is a glass orb vase with a mounded design of Hydrangea and tulips.

Our spring stylish catagory includes items like a thicket of flowers and our popular "Garden Hedge" and a triangular design of lilies, Iris and liatris . Or maybe you want to go with something more simply stated...try our Simply Orchid designs a glass vessel featuring fresh cut orchid sprays. We currently have Cymbidium, Dendrobium and Mokara orchids to choose from.

Butera's "Artistic" catagory includes a vast array of tropical blooms such as Bird of Paradise & Protea, but also has within creatively designed common flowers, such as our Tall Spring Thicket of branches and blooms .

As always, our fresh flower market is brimming with the widest selection of premium blooms in the region such as Hydrangea, Conca Dor & Sorbonne lilies, Gerbera, many colors of roses, Iris, Tulip, Stock, Sunflower just to name a few.

We also carry Permanent Botanicals and gifts such as Votivo, Archipelago and Trapp candles.

Visit our store at 178 Leader Heights RD in York, PA, call us toll free 888.741.4226,or go to our web site www.buteratheflorist.com .

We look forward to serving you.

Vince Butera AIFD, PFCI and all at Butera The Florist

Vince Butera AIFD PFCI of Butera The Florist will again be the featured floral designer at the Mid Atlantic Garden Show. The 2008 Mid Atlantic Garden Show runs February 28 thru March 2 at the Toyota Arena at the York Expo Center in York PA. The Mid Atlantic Garden Show is one of the five largest Garden Shows on the east coast, and annually draws thousands of attendees.

 During this year's show, Vince will have six live floral design symposiums at the Wisteria Lane Stage. The hour long symposiums will showcase current and future trends in floral designs, how professional florists create stunning floral designs, new and exciting varieties of fresh cut flowers, and even how to tips to try at home. Vince's symposiums are part of the general admission to the Garden Show and usually draw quite a crowd. Scheduled times for Vince's Floral Design Symposiums are Thursday February 28  1:30 & 5:30pm,  Friday February 29 11:00am & 1:30pm, Saturday March 1 Noon,   and Sunday March 2 11:00am.

All floral designs will be on display during the run of the Mid Atlantic Garden show at the booth of Butera The Florist where you can see the designs up close and even discuss them with a professional floral designer.

To see all that the Mid Atlantic Garden Show has to offer, visit their web site at www.midatlanticgardenshow.com .
 

We hope you enjoy viewing the wedding flower photos that we have been posting. As you might conclude, we design a vast array of styles, combinations, and event sizes. Our goal at Butera The Florist is to custom create for each bridal client...taking the necessary time to develop the ideas she would like to use, so that when her flowers arrive the reaction will be "that is exactly what I wanted!"

We often receive a note of thanks from bridal clients...some that particularly made us smile said:

"Thank you so much for the truly amazing flowers that made our wedding so beautiful. You are a wonderful artist. I greatly appreciate your efforts to familiarize yourself with all aspects of our wedding, including our personalities and preferences."

"God painted the sky a beautiful blue...then handed the brush to you!"

"...there is no doubt that the beauty of the bouquets & arrangements truly augmented the entire wedding dayI cannot begin to thank you enough for your vision & artistry in creating my wedding flowers...your understanding of my tastes and reassurance kept me absolutely stress free."

To view our album, click on the Photos link on the right side of the page under the navigation tab, then click our name... that will bring up all photos posted on our blog.

If you are searching for wedding flowers in the York area and want to discuss our services, please phone our store at 717.741.4226 or email us anytime.

For the third year in a row, Vince Butera AIFD PFCI has been chosen by the PA Floral Industry Association to represent retail florists at the PA State Farm Show in Harrisburg, PA.

This will be part of Family Living Day at the Farm Show on Friday January 11. Vince will perform a live on stage floral design showcase featuring todays hottest ideas on Wedding Flowers. The hour long 3:00pm show will also be televised live to the entire state of Pennsylvania on the PCN Cable Network.

The floral designs created and displayed on stage will be a variety of Bridal and Attendant bouquets in addition to various reception decorating ideas. Some of the designs will also be on display at the Wedding Wonderland on Sunday January 13th at the York Expo Center at the booth of Butera The Florist.

Imagine you and a group of your friends surrounded by beautiful fresh flowers...  artfully designed before your eyes... learning how a professional floral artist creates stunning floral designs and why certain designs capture your interest...discussing the latest popular trends and the ones on the horizon... all in a fast paced stimulating two hour period.

That is "An Evening with the Florist" with renowned floral designer Vincenzo Butera AIFD PFCI.

He has designed for national and international floral design events, on live TV, and in front of large audiences...now he will design just for you in a cafe setting at Butera The Florist, 178 Leader Heights Rd., York, PA 17402.

You are welcome to provide refreshments for your guests; we provide the flowers, fun and door prizes. This is a fabulous event for a birthday celebration, Christmas gift, "girls night out" or just an evening with friends.

Packages for ten begin at $500.00. Call us for more information or to reserve your date.   717.741.4226

What bride does not dream of a striking and beautiful wedding day... especially when an outdoor ceremony is scheduled! Jill began planning her October 13, 2007 wedding with us in November of 2006. The patio of the Country Club of York was chosen for it's beautiful atmosphere with the canopy of mature trees and long views of York County farmland to host the ceremony.

She wanted a crisp and clean look to compliment the steel gowns chosen for her attendants... a taste of fall, but not in the traditional "harvest" tones. We centered on bouquets designed from mostly eggplant mini calla with some ivory mini calla...crisp and clean with no foliage or other flower types.

The day proved to be georgous with clean blue skies, a comfortable 70 degree temp, and warm sunshine with a gentle breeze. (I wish I could take credit for the weather!).

Upon entering the rear patio for the ceremony, Jill's guests were greeted by a 40 inch glass column filled with white mini pumpkins and eggplant mini calla at the guest book table.

The ceremony table was adorned with two glass columns with cream and eggplant mini calla designed vertically inside the vessel.

Taking a bit of a twist to add some color to the Ballroom reception, Black Magic Roses, purple Dendrobium orchids, and white Hydrangea were the focal flowers in the elevated centerpieces which adorned half of the guest tables...

...while the other half were complimented with low, compact cube designs of white Hydrangea and Black Magic Roses. Silver Angel Wire was added as a light cover to the flowers.

An ecstatic bride and a very happy mother of the bride... the day and the decor were all they had dreamed of!

Gary Alcorn Photography captured the day in photos, they can be viewed at www.garyalcornphotography.com  login code is Jillchad .