Florist ‘starstruck’ by Valentine’s delivery to Delta Goodrem
A Queensland florist has described her brush with Australian royalty when she delivered a romantic surprise to a holidaying Delta Goodrem, as others reveal the best - and cheekiest - February 14 surprises they have worked on.
Community News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Community News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Mackay and Whitsunday florists have described their ‘starstruck’ Valentine’s Day delivery to Australian superstar Delta Goodrem and other romantic February 14 gestures they will never forget.
The songstress received a stunning bouquet filled with at least 15 red roses on Valentine’s Day from the Whitsundays’ Karen Hill Floral Designs.
“She loved it … love love love,” Cannonvale florist Karen Hill said.
“She’s so down to earth.”
She said she and her staff were “starstruck” when they learned they were creating an order to be delivered to the superstar, who was staying in the Whitsundays with her partner.
“We’re delivering to her (Tuesday) morning. Her boyfriend came in here and ordered them, we were a bit starstruck,” she said earlier this week.
Ms Hill said the “extra handsome” man was “really casual” and said, “they’re going to Delta”.
“One of my staff members said ‘Delta Goodrem’ as a joke, and he went, ‘yes’.”
Florist of 37 years Marina Duncan, who works at M’s Enchanted Flowers in Mackay, said she has seen it all and one of the grandest gestures involved a man bought “1000 red roses one year, he ordered early”.
“He was taking his lady to a romantic Whitehaven Beach rendezvous and he dropped the roses on her … from a helicopter,” Ms Duncan said.
“That’s one of the most romantic gestures when you think how much money would have been involved in that gesture.”
She has placed engagement rings and a proposal letter in flower bunches to be delivered to that special someone.
“There was a lady who wanted condoms blown up to go with a single red rose … for a romantic gesture,” Ms Duncan laughed
“There’s always repeat people who come in … there is a gentlemen who always gets yellow roses because that’s what his lady loves.
“We have another man who likes the rainbow roses because it just brightens her day.”
Orders have been coming through for weeks and florists have been working through the night to have them ready for delivery, while still being prepped for a last-minute rush on the day.
Ms Duncan said sunflowers were very popular when it came to young love “and they’re not sure what the girl wants”.
“Roses are the classic … very deep red going to black,” she said.
Ms Kill, of Karen Hill Floral Designs owner said Valentine’s Day was the busiest time of the year for her.
She has been creating floral arrangements for 34 years and said one romantic story involved a gentleman ordering six bunches of flowers for his girlfriend with a note written in morse code directing her to different locations that included massage, nails and hair,
“It was like a treasure map,” Ms Hill said.
“She ended up at the jewellers with a diamond ring.”
While one of the funniest orders she had received involved roses with the heads chopped off.
Ms Hill said native flowers were becoming very popular because they will last.
“We’ve sold out of natives already,” she said.
Bowen florist Kerri Smith has been operating for 21 years and said it was the first time she had sold out of flowers for Valentine’s Day.
“I’ve had to order more flowers to come (this) morning, which I have never ever done before,” the Bowen Dial A Florist owner said.
The flowers were ordered from Atherton to arrive at 7am February 14, thus starting a very busy day.
Ms Smith said she would usually work through the night before until every order was done, often staying back until up to 2am.
She said she also had customers put engagement rings in bunches of flowers, plenty of repeat customers and older customers placing orders for their long-term loves.
She said the biggest bouquet involved 48 roses.
In a heartwarming gestures some customers wanted to honour a deep love who may have since passed away.
Florist of 20 years Emily Mastropaolo, of Starcut Flowers, said customers often visited the Ooralea store on Valentine’s Day for roses or artificial flowers for their partner’s grave.
“The same men will come every year to buy a rose for their wives,” she said.
Red roses were still the most popular for February 14, but Ms Mastropaolo said she had noticed a shift towards also splurging on luxury champagne, chocolates and soaps as well as flowers for a Valentine’s Day gift.
“They spoil them,” she said.
“Pamper packs are getting quite popular.”
And fellas were not missing out with fancy chocolates, beer and other nibbles a popular gift for the blokes, she said.
Ms Mastropaolo said she was impressed with how stunning and fresh this year’s roses were.
She said her team were ready for a busy day.
For Zoey Mills, owner of A Willow In Bloom, said she loved how people were often “old school” and involved rose petals in their declaration for a significant other.
“I think that’s quite romantic,” she said.
Ms Mills recalled one year while working in Charters Towers having to put together a bouquet of 100 red roses.
“It was massive … that’s probably the biggest grand gesture I’ve done,” she said.
This year Ms Mills said there had been a number of customers who asked for a bunch of roses with the “classic teddy, the chocolates, the balloons”.
“They go all out which is nice, too,” she said.
Ms Mill has been a florist at the Wood St business for two years and took over five months ago – and as the owner wanted to put her own spin on Valentine’s Day.
“We’ve done white roses. (The) reason we’ve done that is … to change it up a little bit on the traditional red roses and … white roses celebrate that long-term love whereas red roses are more of a lust, new love gesture,” she said.
“This year we’ve focused on long-lived love in that classic white.”
Ms Mill said there was also a focus on the lads because Valentine’s Day was not just “for her”.
Houses bulldozed: New fast food, industry development proposed
Two landowners are proposing the construction of a new mixed-use industrial and business development at the crossroads between West Mackay, Paget and Ooralea. SEE THE FIRST RENDERS.
Read more
Free walk-in mental health support coming to Mackay
Social workers, nurses and more will staff the CBD location, providing on-the-spot support for people in distress and ongoing care for more complex mental health needs, according to the government.
Read more