Meeting the parents

Listen up, gentlemen. The first time you meet your girlfriend's parents, you MUST bring something for her mother. Forget about the rest of the family (well, get them a cake for plus points haha). I think that it makes a really good first impression to bring your girl's mom some flowers or a nice plant.

Flowers

Characteristics of a mom that would love a bouquet of flowers:

• The glamorous mom that holds dinner parties on a regular basis
• Gardening means picking out the plants she likes and having them planted by a gardener. Or maybe she had a landscaper design everything for her. 
• She loves flowers inside the home more than outside. 
• She goes to the nail salon for her regular mani-pedi.
• Her style is more chic and clean which she partners with some perfectly lined eyes and deep red lips. 

What flowers to get her:

• No roses please. Save the romantic flowers for your girl. Yes, get your girl some flowers too. 
• Ask your girlfriend what her mom's favorite color/flower is and incorporate it into the bouquet. (See previous post)
• No need for a card, in my opinion.
• Some take into account the meaning of flowers. Here are a list of a few flowers with nice meanings. 
• Baby's breath - festivity
• Carnations- gratitude for pink ones and cheerful for yellow ones
• Daisy- innocence
• Freesia- spirited
• Hyacinth- sincerity
• Hydrangea- perseverance
• Jasmine- grace and elegance

Where to buy flowers:

• See aforementioned post

Plants

Characteristics of a mom that would love to receive a plant:

• The domestic goddess- she cooks,cleans, and is the captain of the house.
• She likes to get down and dirty...in the garden. She takes care of plants like babies. 
• Her garden is her prized trophy. It seems as if she spends just as much time or more working on her garden as she does inside the house. 
• Her style is mostly bohemian and free spirited. She likes floral prints, flowing skirts, and natural hues like tan and gold. 
• She rocks the natural look with hardly any make up to cover her beautiful face. 

What plant to get her: 

• Orchids. This is a no-fail plant to give to moms. They're so beautiful and rather easy to take care of. They also stand for "delicate beauty". 
• A small fruit bearing plant like a young calamansi tree. We had one in our garden before and we'd actually use the calamansi for cooking. I remember seeing someone sell young red pepper plants in a bazaar which I thought was a cute gift idea. 
• Herbs for a mom who cooks a lot. 

Where to buy plants in Manila:

• Market! Market! in Taguig
• BF Homes in Paranaque
• Weekend bazaars

How to wrap the plant:

• Make sure the pot the plant is in is nice and clean. 
• You can wrap the pot with some nice ribbon to add a bit of oomph! 
• Here are some other gift wrapping ideas I found:

via weddingdish

Cute Christmas idea from Alex Schlegel via Pinterest

via bride.net

Last few tips

• Don't spend too much money. You want to impress but you also don't want to appear like you're buying the mom's approval. 
• Don't expect that giving something to the mom means instant approval. Be polite and engaging in conversations.
• Match the lovely gift, whether flowers or a plant, with a well dressed boy. Go for pants/ shorts (and no, not those super short shorts from Topman. Sorry.) with a polo shirt and closed shoes. No slippers for dinner please. 
• Relax. Breathe. Be yourself. 

Dangwa Flower Market

As mentioned here, I asked my boyfriend for tips about buying flowers in Dangwa. He shared to me his past experiences in the famous flower market and I compiled a list for all of you.

Photo from Flickr

1. Go when the flowers are fresh. The best time to go? 12mn to 3 am because that's when the flowers have just been delivered.
2. Better to buy in large quantities. You get more value for your money this way. Just like any other product, buying wholesale or in bulk means a cheaper price per piece.
3. Haggle. Don't settle for the initial price offered to you, especially when it's not peak season (Valentines, November 1/2, etc.). They go as low as more than half the original price. You need good negotiation skills for this one.
4. Don't be kuripot. Haggle? Yes. But don't forget that the people there still need to make a living. Manage your expectations and don't expect flowers to be dirt cheap naman.
5. Appearance matters. Don't look rich. Haha! You can haggle all you want but if they think you can afford the price they initially gave, they won't budge.
6. Bring a driver or commute. Parking is very difficult here as the flower market is practically one long street of stalls. It's too much of a hassle. If you're buying a lot of flowers then the easiest way to go is to bring a driver. If not, commute!

Interesting note. You pay extra for them to arrange your flowers (around 300 pesos).  If you're after really nice arrangements, go to a respectable florist in a nearby mall beacause you don't go to Dangwa for flower arrangements. You go there for the flowers.

Photo from roamingmum.com

Flowers 101

Every girl loves receiving flowers. It's in our nature or something. BUT you have to get the right flowers. All flowers are beautiful, yes, but the gesture becomes so much more special when we get a bouquet that we absolutely adore instead of something that we think is just...nice. So here are some tips for the men.

1. Find out her favorite flower. This seems pretty logical. Carefully look at which flowers she leans towards whenever you pass by a flower shop in the mall. Ask her friends. Listen whenever she mentions how sweet it was when her friend's boyfriend got her this certain type of flower. Nothing says "I know you and I listen" as much as giving her a bouquet of her favorite flowers without her having to tell you what they are.

2. If you don't know her favorite flower, know at least her favorite color. You have to know her favorite color. It has to have come up during your first conversations with her. No? If not, look at her things and her wardrobe. Sometimes (only sometimes), girls tend to wear and buy things in their favorite color. Also, most often than not, the color scheme of their room/ condo/ apartment is a tell tale sign.

Give her a bouquet of different types of flowers but keep it monochromatic. I think these monochromatic bouquets are much nicer than a bouquet of random flowers that seem to look good together. Having it in her favorite color is a nice special touch.

Yellow

  

Purple

  

Blue

 

Pink

 

Green

3. Fail safe flowers every guy should know. Here's a list of flowers which I think all girls would appreciate. Get these when you're absolutely clueless and desperate. Haha! 

• Tulips- one of my favorite flowers! They always look pretty. They're not overly romantic flowers. Perfect as "I like you" or "You're beautiful" flowers. 

Chi gave me this bouquet of purple and yellow tulips once :)

• Stargazers- easiest to find here in the Philippines. Practically every flower shop has these beauties. 

dellables.com

• Peonies- my sister's bridal bouquet was made of peonies and they were absolutely gorgeous! I think these deep pink ones are perfect for any mother. 

weddingbee.com

• Hydrangeas- these little flowers are most beautiful when clumped together in big bunches. 

howtodothings.com

• Roses- an oldie but a goodie. Nothing says "I love you" like roses. They now come in different colors but I still think red ones are the most beautiful. Imagine my surprise when Chi got me a bouquet of more than 100 roses! Super sweet! He gave them to me after my last CADs (Company of Ateneo Dancers) concert last March. 

4. Where to buy flowers in the Philippines. I had a little help from my boyfriend on this one. Here are his go-to flower shops and places. 

• Dangwa Flower Market - THE place to go to for flowers. I'll be doing a separate post for this one. Stay tuned!
• Market! Market! - the "next to Dangwa" flower market. If you don't want to go as far as Manila, Market! Market! is conveniently located in Bonifacio Global City. 
• Holland Tulips - You're go-to place for tulips. Obviously. They carry other flowers too. You can find them at SM Megamall, Podium Mall, Edsa Shangri-la Plaza, Robinsons Galleria, SM City North Edsa, Glorietta 4, and Robinsons Place Ermita. 
• Flowers by Sylvia - You can order online or visit their branches in Forbes Park Shell Station, Kamagong in Makati, Katipunan Road near Bo's Coffee, SM City North Edsa, and Alabang, Muntinlupa.