Bloomex Provides Flowers for Skate Canada Breaking the Ice

On September 1st, 2016, Skate Canada Fund donors and guests attended a fun evening at the first annual Breaking The Ice event.  This exclusive event was held in Toronto with Canada’s national team to kick off 2016-17 skating season. The event provided the opportunity for select donors to meet and mingle with the nation’s premier skaters.

As the Official Florist of Skate Canada, Bloomex was delighted to provide beautiful red and white floral arrangements to boost the ambiance at this special event. The Toronto team had fun creating  dinner centrepieces and floral bouquets to decorate the photo area, the stage and registration desk.

  “ ‘Breaking The Ice’ was a tremendous success, with our generous donors getting the unique opportunity to interact with members of our national team,” said Dan Thompson, Skate Canada’s Chief Executive Officer."The evening was about recognizing our donors for their contribution to the Skate Canada Fund, and our way of thanking each and every one of them. Every donation represents a commitment to the future of skating in Canada, and Skate Canada is extremely appreciative of their generosity.”

The night kicked off  with a special reception where donors and guests met national team members, posed for photos and discussed the upcoming season.

The evening continued with “As the Blade Turns”, an entertaining talk show where national team athletes interacted with skating commentator and journalist P.J. Kwong and Paul Dore, the son of former Canadian and international skating pioneer David Dore.

Skate Canada would like to thank the Canadian Olympic Committee, along with the evening’s silent auction donors: Hillberg & Berk; Flat Rock Winery; Golf Ontario; PJ Kwong; Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants; Artistry; and Bloomex. Click for more information on the Breaking the Ice event. 

Bloomex is looking forward to providing flowers, gift baskets and teddy bears for another exciting skating season this year! We are currently preparing the medallist bouquets for the Autumn Classic International coming soon...so Stay Tuned! 

Announcing Bloomex Custom Wedding Flowers

Everyone knows that Bloomex is your go-to source for fresh and beautiful bouquets and gift baskets across Canada. Did you know that Bloomex also does Wedding Flowers? 

Bloomex has been providing beautiful wedding flowers to happy couples for some time, but now we've given the ordering system and custom options a brand new look! We have also streamlined the pricing to make it easier and better than ever. Ordering beautiful flowers through Bloomex, with delivery across much of Canada, keeps things easy and very affordable (up to 70% less than traditional 'brick and mortar" florists). 

We also wanted to be sure that custom orders can be accommodated. We have found over the years that most couples have a vision of what their "dream" wedding flowers look like. Most brides-to-be have collected photos and pins that capture their ideal concept. We wanted to make it easier than ever for couple to achieve that perfect result. 

Here's a quick look at how our NEW and improved Wedding Flower ordering system works! 

Click to visit our Wedding Flower order page. 

 

Decide on how many items you need (for example, 1 bridal bouquet, 3 bridesmaids bouquets, 3 boutonnieres, and 5 corsages). Upload your photo of each one, to show our talented floral consultants what your ideal final look is. This way they can get in touch with you to discuss the flowers in your photo and to make sure they are creating what you have in mind for your special day. 

And it gets even easier: No matter what photo you provide, the price stays the same for each category! Let our talented florists recreate your vision at one low price and avoid customization fees, surcharges for certain blooms and other service fees that can really add up. This ensures couples get their exact vision, for a set fee (for example, a custom bridal bouquet unique to their wedding, for only $99.99.) This could mean wedding flowers for hundreds less than a local florist (who may also have done fewer weddings). 

 

We just wanted to spread the word about the new custom order wedding flower page, and we hope you do too! We look forward to providing fresh and beautiful wedding flowers for many more events to come.

Most Popular Flowers and their Meanings

Flowers remain one of the most popular ways to express our emotions. They are often better than words at conveying sentiments, especially in times of sympathy. They add meaning to all occasions, letting you send feelings like cheer, comfort, laughter, love and congratulations.

Flower meanings have been recorded as far back as Egypt, in Turkish and Chinese writings, and in Greek and Roman mythology. Meanings became especially popular during the Victorian era, when displays of emotion that might be considered forbidden could be conveyed through certain flowers.

Some of our most popular blooms have enduring meanings. Some are obvious to most of us, such as a red rose signifying passionate love and romance. Other meanings are less known, and we should also bear in mind that flowers and even the number of blooms may have different meanings in different cultures. For example, it's best to send an odd number of flowers in Russia, since even numbers are used primarily for funerals and can signify misfortune or loss. In Central or South America, yellow can signify funerals, while white signifies loss in Muslim or Pacific Rim countries. 

We've gathered some of our top selling flowers and provided their most common Canadian meanings. Remember, when in doubt it's still better to send any flowers than miss an important occasion and risk letting someone think you don't care at all!

Which is your favourite flower to send?

50 Blooms of Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria - Also know as the Peruvian lily, the astroemeria signifies friendship, wealth, prosperity and good luck. They make a lovely "just because" bouquet, one for congratulations, for thank you or to celebrate a friendship or anniversary.

White Calla Lily Bouquet

Calla Lily- Symbolizes elegance, magnificence, purity and beauty, and is a perfect flower for more romantic occasions including weddings or engagements. 

Crimson Delight

Carnation- These popular flowers signify pride and beauty, though the colour can affect the meaning. Use red to send love, pride or admiration, pink to symbolize a mother's love or female love (perfect for Mother's Day!), or white for innocence and pure love.







  

Gerber Brights

Gerbera Daisy- Daisies in general convey innocence and purity, while Gerberas especially convey cheerfulness. They are perfect for get well, congratulations, housewarming, good luck, or in any situation in which you want to send good cheer and kindness









 

Sweet Blossoms Collection

Chrysanthemums convey loyalty, long life, joy and hope. A red chrysanthemum conveys more romantic love, while white chrysanthemums symbolize truth or loyal love. White chrysanthemums would be especially appropriate for a Chinese household as these represent nobility and elegance and are thought to attract luck to home or altar.








 
 

Blue Iris Bouquet

Iris- This lovely flower provides a meaning of eloquence, wisdom or compliments. Blue is especially good for showing faith and hope. They make beautiful bouquets for congratulations, graduation, or early romantic love. 

12 Lavender Roses

Roses- We know red is for passionate love and is perfect for Valentine's Day and other romantic occasions or between lovers. Send pink roses if you want to convey gentle love and admiration, femininity and sweetness. Lavender roses convey gratitude and appreciation and would work well for a thank you. Choose yellow roses to show friendship, joy or wishes of health, so they work especially well in a get well, anniversary or thank you bouquet. 






Remember, don't be limited by these meanings! They are more interesting anecdotes than anything else. Everyone loves to receive a gorgeous bouquet of fresh flowers, and to know that your care and your thoughts are with them. Pick their favourite or a bloom you love and you can't go wrong.

Bloomex Supports Swing for Kids

The 16th annual Swing for Kids Golf Tournament was held on June 20th in Ottawa, where the Bloomex head office is located. This generous local tournament, with help from its colleagues, friends and community supporters, has raised over $275,000 for children's charities.

This year's tournament took place at the beautiful Kanata Golf and Country Club, in support of the Ottawa Senators' Sens Foundation and Roger's House.

The event featured a fun day of golf along with delicious food and a memorabilia auction to boost support for the kids.

Guests from past years have included Ottawa Senators players such as Mike Fisher , Chris Neil , Patrick Lalime , Chris Kelly, Shean Donanvan, and Jason York, as well as many other local NHLers both retired and still active. Other local celebrity participants include Don Brennan, Jeff Hunt and Brad Fritch - fresh off the U.S. Open a few years ago. In 2013, our special guest was RE/MAX World Long Drive Finalist Josh Crews. This year the tournament welcomed Heather LeMaster, the 2013 Re/Max World Long Drive Champion.

Roger's House, known in full as Roger Neilson House, is an amazing local charity dedicated to providing compassionate, loving and skilled palliative care to support the needs of children, youth and their families. Built through the efforts of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, the eight bed palliative care facility opened its doors in 2006 in conjunction with the palliative care staff of CHEO (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario).

Bloomex was pleased to contribute a large VIP gourmet gift basket for the auction and to highlight this amazing charity effort.

Click here to read more about Swing For Kids. Click here to read more about Rogers House.

Fresh Fruit Baskets

Fruit Elegance

If you need a wonderful gift idea to brighten anyone’s day, why not consider a delicious fruit basket?

Fresh fruit is packed with vitamins and minerals that help us stay healthy and that boost our well being.  Fruits can often play a role in warding off vitamin deficiencies such as Vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C is also widely touted as a fantastic immune booster, especially when you are trying to ward off colds and flus. Certain fruits can help with arthritis, control your heart rate, boost skin and eye sight, as well as increase bone mass. It’s no wonder they make wonderful “get well” gifts!

 

Bloomex is pleased to provide several healthy and beautiful options for wonderful Fruit Baskets. We source the freshest fruits for you and send them attractively packaged for your friends and family to enjoy.

Fruits and Flowers Basket

Fruit baskets can also include extra treats (such as chocolate) or added beauty (such as fresh flowers). In addition to get well gifts, they also make excellent corporate gifts, housewarming gifts, anniversary gifts or special occasion treats.

We’ve selected a few of our most popular choices to feature in this blog, but be sure to visit the site to see all our delicious and nutricious Fruit Basket selections.

Fruit and Chocolate Basket

 

 

 

 

 

Fruit Splash

Bloomex: Lead Sponsor of the 2016 Canadian Tulip Festival

The Canadian Tulip Festival is in full swing yet again! One of the largest events in Canada, the Festival attracts over 600,000 visitors to Canada's capital each year. 

Ottawa has been host to the Festival since 1953, celebrating the legacy of the tulip which symbolizes the strong bonds of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands. 

In 1945, 100,000 tulip bulbs were sent as a gift from Princess Juliana of the Netherlands to Ottawa, in appreciation of the safe refuge that members of Holland’s exiled royal family were given here during World War II, as well as in tribute to the support given by Canadian troops in the liberation of the Netherlands. 

 

Ranked the world’s largest tulip festival, the Canadian Tulip Festival offers visitors the chance to enjoy over a million tulips in more than 50 varieties blooming in the area. The largest concentration can be found along the banks of Dow's Lake, where over 300,000 tulips bloom in an abundance of colour.

Since 1953, the Canadian Tulip Festival has been celebrating the legacy of the tulip, Ottawa’s flower, which symbolizes the strong bonds of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, forged in Canada’s role in the Liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Ranked the world’s largest tulip festival, the Canadian Tulip Festival offers festival-goers the opportunity to explore the colourful tulips in bloom, Dutch culture, an International Pavilion, Ikebana workshops, and be entertained by a diversity of music artists as well as captivating fireworks.
- See more at: http://tulipfestival.ca/about/welcome/#sthash.jaVffTBP.dpuf

Since 1953, the Canadian Tulip Festival has been celebrating the legacy of the tulip, Ottawa’s flower, which symbolizes the strong bonds of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, forged in Canada’s role in the Liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Ranked the world’s largest tulip festival, the Canadian Tulip Festival offers festival-goers the opportunity to explore the colourful tulips in bloom, Dutch culture, an International Pavilion, Ikebana workshops, and be entertained by a diversity of music artists as well as captivating fireworks.
- See more at: http://tulipfestival.ca/about/welcome/#sthash.jaVffTBP.dpuf

Since 1953, the Canadian Tulip Festival has been celebrating the legacy of the tulip, Ottawa’s flower, which symbolizes the strong bonds of friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, forged in Canada’s role in the Liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Ranked the world’s largest tulip festival, the Canadian Tulip Festival offers festival-goers the opportunity to explore the colourful tulips in bloom, Dutch culture, an International Pavilion, Ikebana workshops, and be entertained by a diversity of music artists as well as captivating fireworks.
- See more at: http://tulipfestival.ca/about/welcome/#sthash.jaVffTBP.dpuf

Bloomex was proud to be this year's lead sponsor of the Festival, providing gift cards and flowers to support the event and its many guests. The opening ceremonies included a gala reception attended by Mayor Jim Watson, and featured the spectacular Bloomex Fireworks Show at TD Place. 

The Aberdeen Pavillion is this year's amazing indoor venue featuring a beautiful indoor tulip garden and sculptures, exhibitor booths (including the Bloomex booth!) as well as the main concert stage.

Opening weekend also saw a World War II re-enactment featuring troops and vintage vehicles. 

Friday night the fun continued with  the Bloomex Swing Dance Competition and live music kept happy guests dancing and swaying well into the night, to the beat of the Standing Room Only Big Band. Tickets to both the opening gala and the Swing Dance evening, included free Bloomex gift cards.

The fun continues through this weekend until Victoria Day, culminating in another reception and the closing Bloomex Fireworks Show. 

ELECTRIC TULIP – A Victoria Weekend Fireworks Show Presented by Bloomex.

Read more about the fireworks show, buy tickets, and see other weekend highlights at: the Tulip Festival website.

ELECTRIC TULIP – A Victoria Weekend Fireworks Show Presented by Bloomex - See more at: http://tulipfestival.ca/whats-on-2/#sthash.TkFej013.dpuf

ELECTRIC TULIP – A Victoria Weekend Fireworks Show Presented by Bloomex - See more at: http://tulipfestival.ca/whats-on-2/#sthash.TkFej013.dpuf

 

The first 1000 visitors to the fireworks show receive a free $10 Bloomex gift card! 

See you at the Festival, to enjoy the beautiful tulips and this year's many fun events!

Bloomex Supports Volleyball BC

Mother's Day was a busy weekend on many fronts, including in the sports arena! As many busy moms know, sports and competitions continue on despite the holiday and a mother's love and support (and the "mom taxi") is still needed. 

This was the case during the very fun weekend that took place in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with the provincial volleyball championships. Volleyball BC hosted over 5000 attendees at the Tradex Convention Centre and the athletes worked their way through some intense and very enjoyable competition. 

The provincial championships are the largest volleyball tournament in British Columbia, featuring club teams from all regions of BC. This competition is the culmination of a season of competitive club volleyball and gives teams the chance to be crowned Provincial Champions. 

Bloomex has been a supporting partner of Volleyball BC since September 2015, and is proud to be one of the featured retailers on their partners discount card available to all members. 

Bloomex was glad to support the culmination of the season at the provincial championships, which also wanted to give a nod to the many loving moms who lend their support all year. Bloomex was delighted to send over some gift cards and also some gourmet gift baskets which were given away as Mother's Day prizes to athletes and deserving Moms. We hope that everyone had a wonderful time! 

For full results and more information, as well as more photos, please visit the Volleyball BC Results Page 

We look forward to another fun season of volleyball next year! 

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Bloomex Partners with Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Bloomex is proud to announce its continued support for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, with an extended partnership through to 2017.

 

Pink Tenderness

Mother's Day is the perfect time to honour your own mother, and to remember other moms, daughters, sisters and friends who are living with breast cancer this year. 

Breast cancer continues to challenge the lives of thousands of Canadians. In 2015, it is estimated that 25,000 women and 220 men in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and that 5,000 women and 60 men will die from the disease. 

 

This year, Bloomex has created a special Give Pink Collection to support the research and support effort for breast cancer in Canada. You can help this valuable cause with the purchase of one of these beautiful pink bouquets this Mother's Day. 15% of product sale from each special bouquet in the collection will be given to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, with a minimum contribution by Bloomex of $3,000.

Pink Spring

The mother in your life will be delighted with her lovely bouquet, and you will both be proud knowing that a portion of your gift went back to support other women living with breast cancer. 

The four bouquets in the Give Pink Collection are Pink Spring, Pink Tenderness, Pink Hope Roses, and Inspiration Bouquet.

Pink Hope Roses

 

Inspiration Bouquet

Be sure to check out the Give Pink Collection and order today! 

 ™ Trademarks of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, used under license.

Bloomex Partners with United Way Toronto and York Region

Mother's Day makes us think of not only our own Moms and all they do for us, but other Moms and the special things they do to support their families. For some mothers in our community, putting nutricious food on the table can be a challenge, much less affording to enroll their children in sports programs, school programs or summer camps.

This Mother's Day, United Way Toronto and York Region has put together a special campaign called Gifts of Possibility, to help support mothers in need. Bloomex is proud to support this valuable effort, with your help!

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make a gift that helps moms in our community give their children opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. - See more at: https://unitedwaytyr.csfm.com/giftsofpossiblity/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=social&utm_campaign=bloomex#.Vyin9HpW86J

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make a gift that helps moms in our community give their children opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. - See more at: https://unitedwaytyr.csfm.com/giftsofpossiblity/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=social&utm_campaign=bloomex#.Vyin9HpW86J

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make a gift that helps moms in our community give their children opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. - See more at: https://unitedwaytyr.csfm.com/giftsofpossiblity/?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=social&utm_campaign=bloomex#.Vyin9HpW86J

Visit the Gifts of Possibility Page and check out the wonderful gift options. You can choose from different gift giving levels starting at just $50, to help support mothers and children in the community this Mother's Day. 

Your gift will help moms in our community give their children opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.

 

For each level of gift you will also receive a Bloomex gift card, which you can then use at Bloomex to treat your own Mom this year. 

It's a "win win" campaign! Bloomex is proud to partner in this community support. And you can feel especially good knowing you did something wonderful this Mother's Day!