Irene’s Floral Design

Customer service is definitely NOT their strong point. I am no flower expert so when I was planning my wedding, I turned to Irene’s to help me choose flowers that fit my vision. I told them absolutely NO PINK in my flower arrangements and even asked if I could see the flowers the day before the wedding so there wouldn’t be any unexpected surprises. I was reassured that there was no need for me to see them and everything would be perfect. Sure enough, the day of my wedding arrives and I see the flowers for the first time, I was shocked and appalled. PINK everywhere in my bridesmaid bouquets!!! Obviously, I had more important things on my mind that day so the flowers became an after thought until I saw the pictures from our photographer. Pink definitely became the focal point of our flowers which is the absolute opposite of what I asked for. To top it all off, the person helping us the day of the wedding made a rude comment to my husband about his converse shoes he was wearing.
When I expressed my concerns to Irene’s owner, it took him 2 WEEKS to respond to me because «he was on vacation». Guess they have never heard of a BACKUP before. And he completely blew me off, saying he couldn’t understand how I didn’t know some of the flowers might have a pink hue. SERIOUSLY?! I’m not the flower expert, you are! When I tell my sales rep that I don’t want any sort of variation of pink in my flowers, they shouldn’t recommend flowers that might have a pink hue! VERY VERY disappointed with this place of business. I thought I was doing something great by supporting a local business, but I should have gone with the real professionals…

My sister informed us that she wished to finally tie the knot with her longtime boyfriend and therefor it was time to do the ‘wedding scramble’ to find a place, etc, etc. Luckily for us she decided to have her reception at Andre’s and Irene’s is one of the places that they told us was an excellent flower shop. Not only was it easy and painless when we went in (i do forget whom helped us there) but they helped with matching the flowers just the way my sister imagined. Once the wedding day finally arrived not only were all the flowers for the wedding party beautiful, but the flowers for the room so very pretty. We received many compliments for all the arraignments!

I tried to post and it won’t work. Hopefuly this time. I am glad someone mentioned the hired help cashier lady who I think is the blond haired ladies grandmother. The older woman is not familiar with any flowers I have asked about. I don’t think she knows much. She must be lonely and her daughter lets her come in. Their prices are high on roses. I got mine across the street at Dierbergs one day for $ 7.98 and they lasted a while. The hired help lady seems confused sometimes. I have been there about 4 times. Probably won’t be going back anytime soon. Not many items to pick from.

Irene’s is a small little place that I presume serves a nice purpose. I see other reviews show there are some very delighted customers which I am happy to hear. I have always preferred small business owner over large chain so I try to give these places a chance. My request? A simple floral arrangement for mom on the birth of a child. I preferred something to be made/​put together. I was met by a very friendly lady that seemed to be hired help/​cashier and didn’t have the knowledge or experience to know what I was looking for. At one point she spoke to someone I perceived to be the owner/​floral artist asking what to do. In so many words I was shown the upcoming Valentine’s day arrangements. I eventually walked around the shop myself and found an arrangement that would suffice as I was running out of time and my 2 year old was running out of patience and went with it.
The selection was very poor, probably 5 – 7 Valentine’s day arrangements and another 8 – 12 elsewhere and the shop appeared to be set up for advanced orders. The woman I perceived to be the owner/​floral designer was talking to a couple/​family at the time I came to the store.
I won’t speak of major events such as weddings, parties, etc as there are a few very satisfied customers in that category. I’m judging it based solely on a walk in experience. I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t give the shop another chance, because if I was in a pinch and needed flowers, they have a close store. In reality I think I could have found a better arrangement at Dierbergs or Schnucks. Maybe the online websites would have come through better, but I was trying to help small business and avoid the delivery charges.

Because of Chiquita’s review, I contacted Irene’s to order an arrangment for my dearest friend who lost her mother.
Stella ~ one of the designers ~ is phenomenal! She was so engaged and shared so many wonderful ideas for our arrangement that I KNOW it will be awe inspiring! She was kind, showed a great deal of creativity and did everything to ensure I felt comfortable with our selection.
yay!

Because of Julia W’s Unilocal review alone, when my dad died last week, I ordered flowers from Irene’s for my stepmom to console her.
Diane’s personality was every bit as wonderful as Julia says, maybe even more so.
The flowers were so beautiful that my stepmom called in grateful tears. I’d give Irene’s Flowers a million stars for that.
RIP Jerry Lee. Born March 1942, Rolla MO… died October 2007 in St. Louis.

I love it when people really enjoy what they do – Diane at Irene’s clearly loves doing flower design and she was absolutely delightful to work with. The first time we met, I was in St. Louis for a «Wedding Whirlwind Weekend” – Justin and I would travel to STL and cram in at least 20 good hours of wedding work, which is really too much for anybody, I think… Anyway, I met Diane towards the tail end of one such weekend. I was overwhelmed, getting burned out and probably very grouchy. She met me with a smile and an excitement and enthusiasm that was contagious. Her warm and friendly personality put me at ease and her knowledge and excitement convinced me that she was the lady for the job. We talked flowers, seasonality, style, and color. We sorted though pictures I’d brought and images of weddings she’d done before. By the time we were done chatting, we’d figured out exactly what we needed for the wedding, how much it would cost (pretty reasonable, actually) and the logistics of delivery… and I was surprisingly energized!
The day of the wedding, the flowers were delivered on time, looked lovely and held up nicely through that marathon day. Diane was such a joy to work with that Irene’s will be my go-​to florist once we move to St. Louis. Any woman who can turn a tired, grouchy bride into a beaming, energetic one AND has a way with flowers is nothing short of a miracle worker in my eyes.