Shipping Information
Please carefully read over these shipping instructions before you commit to paying your deposit. The quality of the final piece is highly dependent on the state I receive your flowers in. By Clarissa does not take responsibility for damage, delays, or lost packages.
What you’ll need
A large box to ship your bouquet in, it needs to be big enough to fit your bouquet in one piece.
Butchers paper, tissue paper or shipping peanuts to pack around your bouquet and secure it. DO NOT use plastic to fill the box.
Paper towel
Zip lock bag or plastic sandwich bag
Elastic band
Packing tape
Black marker / pen for labelling
Cool packs (optional but recommended for summer months!)
A trip to the post office!
Tips
During the event, if you can, keep your flowers in a vase of fresh water. Some wedding venues provide a vase for the bridal table.
Please do not throw your bouquet if you are preserving it. Either use one of your bridesmaids bouquets or you could ask your florist for a ‘toss’ bouquet.
For the best results I do need your flowers as soon as possible, while they’re fresh. I ask that you post your flowers on the first business day from your event date.
Always select express post! Or use an overnight courier service of your choosing.
Mark your box with FRAGILE on all sides. You can use fragile stickers from the post office or just write it up yourself. I’d also suggest marking an arrow on the side of the box showing which way is the top of the box (e.g. this way up).
DO NOT pack your flowers with plastic, this will make the flowers sweat and wilt quickly in transit. Please use paper or packing peanuts as I’ve outlined in the instructions below.
Talk to your local post office in advance to find out what time they collect express packages and time your trip just beforehand. This way your flowers aren’t just sitting around in the post office for ages.
Instructions
Before your event please make sure you have everything you need for posting your bouquet handy (listed above) as you will need to send it to me shortly after your event for best results. If you’re ducking away to your honeymoon consider asking a member of the bridal party or a family member to post the flowers for you.
Freshly trim approximately 3cm off the bottom of your bouquet at an angle. Make sure that you cut off enough so that the bouquet fits in the box you have chosen without the flowers being squashed when you close the lid. Trim off more than 3cm if needed. This helps the flowers draw in fresh water.
Soak your paper towel in water and wrap it around the bottom of the stems. Make sure the bottoms of the stems are touching the paper towel. Cover the bottom of the stems and the paper towel in a zip lock bag or small sandwich bag and secure snugly with an elastic band. Note this should be the only plastic in your packaging!
This step is optional but highly recommended for warmer months. Place two small frozen cold packs into plastic zip lock bags (to protect the cardboard from condensation) and tape closed. Then tape these cold packs to the inside of your box, on opposite walls. Make sure you tape them securely so they don’t fall loose in transit and damage your flowers. This will keep your flowers cool while travelling. Note: your cold packs can be DIY’d - freeze some water in small water bottles/takeaway containers if easier.
Put butchers paper into the box and make a gap in the middle for your bouquet to sit in. Nestle it into the gap, making sure the flowers are supported around the sides. Check to ensure the flowers aren’t pressing against the sides of the box or the cold packs.
Bunch up tissue paper or packing peanuts, and pack in all the space around the bouquet, start from the underside and work your way up. Keep going until the bouquet doesn’t move when you shake the box. Lightly wrap over the top of your flowers with tissue paper to protect them.
Please make sure you include your name and full details- phone email, address, INSIDE the package before sealing it up so I know whose flowers they are.
Once you’re comfortable it’s secure, close up the box and seal with packing tape. Label the box as fragile in large writing on all sides of the box. Also label the sides with ‘this way up’ and show an arrow pointing up, to try prevent it tipping upside down.
Take to your local post office and request express shipping to me, I will send you the address. It’s so important you choose the fastest express shipping option available to you. The faster I receive your flowers, the better condition they will be in and the better the final outcome. Some brides prefer to use an overnight courier service, this is also an option if you want to have extra certainty over your flowers getting to me quickly, however I’d suggest booking the pickup in advance.
I will send you a photo of the condition your flowers arrive in for reference. If any flowers are damaged beyond repair I will let you know at this stage. If desired, I can organise replacement flowers if only a few are damaged through a local florist for an extra fee or check my dried flower library to see if I have spares.
Please note that By Clarissa does not take responsibility for damage to the flowers in transit or any lost packages. I’d recommend paying for tracking for your own peace of mind.
If you have any questions or concerns with anything from the above, please send me a message!