The flowers provided each week for our Sunday worship service are an important part of the worship experience, and they provide an opportunity for members of our congregation to memorialize people and events that are important in their lives.
Many have donated flowers generously over the years, but others may have hesitated because they don’t know how to make the necessary arrangements (no pun intended). To help those of us who are florally impaired, Gwen Aumann, who coordinates the sanctuary flower schedule, offers some tips.
First, contact Gwen at gwen.aumann@yahoo.com to settle on a day you would like to provide flowers. She keeps the flower calendar at home, and soon she’ll be making it available via Google Docs. There are usually a variety of dates to choose from.
There are many ways to provide flowers for the church. You can go to Ingles, where a bouquet will cost between $7.00 and $8.00. Don’t have a vase? No problem. You can borrow one from the church or a friend. You could also lay your bouquet in a basket. You can make your own bouquet at Ingles; they sell flowers at three bunches for $10.00, so you can really get creative. You can also use a little greenery from your yard if available.
House plants work well, too, if they are in bloom. Some people buy a plant they would like to replant in their garden later. You can use some pretty paper to hide the plain pot or put your plant in a basket or other decorative container.
Several church members make beautiful arrangements for the worship services. One who will no doubt always be known as the Queen of Flower Arranging is Carol Anne Lightsey. Also feel free to contact Linda Crittendon or Joyce Ethridge to help with your next flower arrangement. Their phone numbers can be found in the directory. Another contact is Sidney Martin, who has made arrangements for the church at times. He can be reached at (706) 348-6893.
What about the size of your bouquet? You can go very simple – say, a rose in a bud vase or an orchid — or you can get a very nice floral arrangement from a florist for between $40.00 and $50.00. You can also get a nice smaller arrangement for $25.00 to $35.00. The types of flowers you want in your bouquet – and what is available at the time – will affect the cost.
Florists would love to help you. They would like 1 to 2 weeks’ advance notice so they can get you the arrangement you want and deliver it on the date you requested. The delivery cost is around $10.00 from Cleveland to the church. Florists in Habersham County charge a bit more for delivery because of the greater distance.
It is amazing how many florists there are in our area. In Cleveland you will find Cleveland Florist, Connie’s Flowers, Artistic Florist, Daretta’s Florist, and more. In Habersham County there is Blue Willow Floral, L&D Florist, Cornelia Florist, and others.
What happens to your flowers after the service? When our church was open for public worship, some of those who contributed flowers left them at the church after the service for others to enjoy, or they took them home after the service. Now that public worship is suspended, flower donors have the option of picking up their arrangements after the service has been videotaped (usually on Wednesday or Thursday), or the flowers can be donated to an NPC member in need. The donated flowers have been both a surprise and comfort to many. Several members have volunteered to deliver the flowers to those in need, so this is not an extra task you would have to take on.
Please contact Gwen with any questions you may have. She is ready to help and to make the experience enjoyable instead of mysterious.