Pollen Petals® – Frequently Asked Questions
I’m not sure whether to pre-order or not?
If you need the petals for a future event more than 6 weeks away then if you use the pre-order section then you will be able to purchase in advance. The advantage for us is that we can plan the loading of the machine to optimise the space available. Certain colours like Ivory, Burgundy and Light Pink sell out and if you are at all worried or prefer the reassurance of knowing you’ve got your petals reserved, then pre-order is for you. If you give us six weeks notice, even if we are out of stock we have enough time to run the machine and despatch your order so it arrives in good time.
Not all the petals seem to be able to pre-order?
Go to the section on the left in ‘Pollen Products’ and click on freeze dried petals and you will get two options to choose from, select either ‘buy now’ or ‘order for later’ and then you will see the complete range
I need petals sooner than 6 weeks.
If you go to the online shop and ‘buy now’ you will be able to order. The system will not allow you to order any products that are not in stock. It may be the drier is just about to finish the cycle so it is worth emailing us at [email protected] to check.
I don’t have a Paypal account, can I still order and use a credit/debit card?
Yes. Once you have chosen your petals and are ready to checkout you will be taken to a screen which gives you the choice to print out an order form and send a cheque or pay via Paypal. If you choose the Paypal option you will be transferred to the secure Paypal site for payment processing. At the bottom left of that screen it will give you an option ‘Don’t have a Paypal account?’ – Click on continue to check out without logging into Paypal.Easy!
You can then pay with;
Mastercard/Eurocard
Visa/Delta/Electron
American Express
Switch Maestro
Solo
Can I order over the phone?
We do not have the facility to offer this, please order online. The team of Dex, Donal, Ash, Jen and Beccy are all working flat out to produce and pack petals and one of the ways we are so competitive on price (check out some other websites!) is that we don’t have expensive call centre systems in place. Please also email any enquires to [email protected] and we will respond.
I would like to order a sample.
Samples our available in the online shop. Just postage to pay for.
Can we come and see the petals?
Unfortunately it is not possible for us to accomodate visitors to our premises. However, we always have sample petals with us at the various Wedding Fairs we attend throughout the year – details of these can be found on the front page of www.PollenFlowers.co.uk.
Have you any photos of the petals being used?
We have set up a gallery at Photobucket where you can see photos of the petals being used at various events along with a video! You can access it here.
I may be out when the petals are delivered.
As we send them recorded delivery it is best to have them sent to where they can be signed for. You can do this during the ordering process by changing the delivery address.
I am unsure as to how many boxes to order.
Take a look in our colours and quantities section, which will help you to decide.
Will my petals look exactly as they do in the pictures?
All the pictures taken are of real orders that were sent out, they haven’t been photo-shopped or styled!
You can see in the pictures on the main page a tower of boxes of different colour petals – these boxes were actually sent out as a test order. You will be able to see there are some small pieces in the base of the boxes. On the shop pictures you will see that some petal edges have the odd crack or crease. At Pollen we believe in being upfront, in reality however hard we try during grading, packing and transit not every petal is going to be absolutely perfect. When you look at a rose prior to freeze-drying there are larger outer petals and smaller inner petals close to the bud, this is reflective of the petals you will receive when they are dried. The outer ‘guard’ petals we remove during grading. To demonstrate this we have added many pictures to the petal gallery and of our latest weddings here – have a good browse through to see the sort of spectacular effect you can achieve.
As regards to the colours we constantly strive to ensure consistency in the colour of our petals, one of the main points though is that MAC/PC computers have adjustable screen colour settings that’s why a sample can be a good idea. When you look at the overall effect of the petals scattered on tables or down aisles or being thrown as confetti, it is stunning and very romantic. If it is a major priority for you that each petal in the whole box is absolutely perfectly the same shape and identical colour then we are not going to be able to meet your expectations, we are working with a product where some minor variations can be expected. We know that 1000’s of you appreciate this.
Our ethos is to be realistic, honest and give great value for money.
Can I cancel my order prior to delivery?
We understand that things change, as we are, uniquely among petal producers, also wedding florists. Events get cancelled, colour schemes change, ideas and themes change. Just let us know with as much notice as possible and we will cancel your order- no stress.
Why do you send two weeks before and not straightaway?
You can have your petals whenever you like, just let us know. The only reason we do it this way is that it means that you get the freshest stock and in plenty of time. It means that everyone gets the best quality. If you give us an event date at short notice of course we send them immediately, don’t forget you can use express service for special delivery – next day service
Do you offer any discounts?
We do offer £10 off any orders over £100, £15 off £150 and £20 of £200. Use these codes when ordering no need to email in advance just type them in where it says coupon code;
£10 = 863804577
£15 = 75933065
£20 = 45993032
If you are a wedding planner and co-ordinator you can use our system to order for different events and take advantage of these discounts. Just type in the event date next to each order and we will dispatch two weeks before each one. The advantage as well is that you save on postage (3 or more boxes is a flat £1 in the UK.)
Why do you not do smaller box?
We are so busy with the 2 litre boxes we have made a decision not to at this time. the ‘your choice’ product is a good option if you want smaller amounts of different colours
Why do you not do a larger box?
What we found (and here it goes back to us being honest about what we can and can’t do.) in our experience, is the larger boxes mean an increase in broken bits at the bottom, which we felt was not acceptable. We find the 2 litre boxes (apart from the confetti mix – we send in one big 10 litre bag within a large box) the most effective way to ensure that our customers get what they expect – I think it must be working as we get lots of good feedback!
I went on another website who said they were cheaper?
At Pollen we supply petals at a price, which we feel is great value for money. One of the reasons why we received this wedding ideas award at Pollen is our customer service, website, secure payment system, design features and ideas, we know this is important when you are buying on the Internet and not able to see the product first hand.
Are the petals in the sale not such good quality? No not at all, the reason they are cheaper is that we have been able to negotiate a better price in Holland so we can pass that on. If there is a difference in the quality we will always make that clear as in for example the florist choice petals.
I am unsure as to how long to leave it before I order?
Use the pre-order system for peace of mind, advise us when the event is during the ordering process and we will send them in plenty of time. We aim to send petals out a minimum two weeks prior to the event date given at ordering, when the pre-order feature is used. If you need petals quickly there is an express delivery service option during checkout
I would like to get my wedding bouquet preserved.
Currently we do not offer this service but we have links with this company www.preciouspetals.co.uk.
Who took the photographs that are used on your website?
All the photos on the site are the work of two photographers, James Pike [www.jimpix.com] and Lisa Devlin [www.devlinphotos.co.uk] – both are successful and highly regarded commercial and wedding photographers based in the Brighton area.
I am looking for ivory petals with no yellow tinge
One of the things we have found is depending on whether you have a MAC or a PC and the type of screen some petal pictures do not look the same. We make it a top priority to use rose types for our ivory petals like ‘Vendela’, which do not have a very lemony appearance when dry. Use the sample service in the online shop for complete peace of mind.
Can I pay by cheque?
The online store has the option at the checkout phase to download a printable order form which can be posted to us along with a cheque for the full amount. Otherwise, you should select Paypal as the payment option after which you will be forwarded to their site where you can pay securely using a debit or credit card.
I am also looking for a florist and other suppliers for my wedding can you help?
Please visit our other sites at Pollen and The Modern Wedding Directory for great wedding flower information and our directory has great hints and tips to help you plan your wedding as well as listings of other wedding suppliers. Follow the links to our other sites
I am looking to hire storm lanterns and candelabras and table mirrors to go with my petals?
We will be offering this new service in 2008. Please send us an email to [email protected] and outline your requirements. This hire service is also available to other florists too!
How many petals are there in a 2 litre box?
We held a competition recently at a wedding fair to guess the amount and there were 287 Ravishing red (each picked off the rose bud by hand!) The exact amount will vary as does the size of the petals – so please don’t take this as a guarantee it’s just a guide for fun. I counted a box of candy pink at another wedding fair and there were 383! Note; there could be more or less than this but we do fill the boxes as generously as possible without causing damage to the petals
Do the petals float?
You can float them on pools or ponds decoratively as the petals are not treated in any way during the freeze drying process and will biodegrade naturally. Here again to be sure, test with a sample first. If you are planning to do this at a wedding venue, check with them first too.
Can you crystallise the petals?
You can and there is a recipe here in the pollen blog
Why are light pink pre-order only?
The roses we use for this colour have the most delicate pink shading and to ensure the highest quality petal we dry them to order only.
How will I know what to do with my petals when they arrive?
Inside each order box we enclose comprehensive tips and ideas as to how to get the best from your petals
I have a question that is not included in FAQ
Please email us at [email protected] and we will respond
Many thanks,
The Pollen Petals Team