Helen Olivia Flowers

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Helen Olivia. I have been purchasing and receiving their flowers for years and they’re always stunning! If you’re looking for a beautiful arrangement (magazine worthy) like no other than they should be your go to florist.

I attended a 2 hour private workshop this afternoon at Helen Olivia Flowers led by the co-​owner, Rachel. The flower shop is a charming, bright, airy corner store that feels like you stepped into a Martha Stewart/​Real Simple/​HGTV/​Wedding magazine. If you like gifting, receiving, looking at, smelling, or being near flowers, this place is for you. If anyone you love loves flowers, this place is for you. If you love being around nice furniture, this place is for you. If you need a new background for your Instagram post, this place is for you. It is all at once traditional, organic, rustic, vintage, classic and ethereal. They have beautiful arrangements that can match every floral style that exists, and probably any new ones that you invent.
We were a group of 13 and the workshop we took was Berry Tones where we made two floral arrangements that we got take home with us at the end. Each person had their own work space complete with all the tools, vases and flowers to perfect our creations. Rachel stood before all of our tables and took us through each step of the process while giving us helpful tips and interesting facts about floral arranging. She was very patient and encouraging, taking the time to make her way to each table and assist as needed. She answered any questions we had and was quick to provide a replacement to any flower that became a casualty of our learning process. Speaking of flowers, every single one we worked with and all the ones we saw in the shop were stunning, fresh and perfect.
As we worked on our arrangements, we enjoyed a mix of Adele, Florence and the Machine, and various other artists playing in the background.
When we finished, Rachel skillfully handled our mountain of cell phone cameras and cordially obliged in taking our group photo about 100 times while we posed proudly with our creations.
If you think that it can’t get any better, Helen Olivia is a local, family-​owned business run by a husband and wife team, Chuck and Rachel, who are so warm and welcoming and deserving of your hard earned money and excellent taste.
Because the shop is located in Old Town Alexandria, I suggest arriving early to provide ample time to find parking and get to class before they start. Every moment of the class was informational and engaging. You are going to have so much fun!

After admiring their arrangements at my salon in Georgetown, I called them to deliver an orchid to a client for their new offices. I received a wonderful email note from my client gushing about how gorgeous the plant was. I was also delighted to hear from the shop checking in to make sure everything went well. I was so pleased and can’t recommend them highly enough.

Nothing but amazing! Came through when I was in a pinch for last min flowers. The arrangements are absolutely gorgeous and they only use high quality flowers. No one else compares with how long the flowers last (ahem trader joes or other cheapo places). I found my new go to for Christmas presents this year!

I called Helen Olivia Flowers to order flowers for a colleague in Alexandria. I spoke with Charles, who provided excellent service, even during the crush on the Thursday right before Mother’s Day.
The flowers were delivered just a few hours later, and my colleague was absolutely thrilled and delighted with just how beautiful they were. And she should know — she is the editor of a magazine that serves the floral industry.
Great service and beautiful flowers — this is the perfect shop for anyone that needs to send flowers in Alexandria.

What a great night out. .. I was there for a private event to learn how to arrange flowers. We had the place to ourselves for a group of about 14 and they allowed us to bring in food and drink. They are wonderful to work with. One of the gals in our group orders flowers from here all the time and raved on and on about their flowers, service and amazing quality.
The owners of the shop are so personable and passionate about flowers. They told us all about the flowers we were using, where they get them and why they were being used. They were patient in showing us how to make the arrangement and encouraging as well. We made amazing floral displays.
They also have a large selection of wreaths and bows. They are known for their bows and ribbon. If you have flower needs in the Alexandria area this is your place! If you are looking to create a fun night out or to impress clients host an event here. I believe they also offer classes that you can tag onto.
It is worth supporting local and spending a bit more to get a quality product and know the people who are helping you.
Enjoy!

I can’t tell you enough how wonderful the service was from this florist! I got news this afternoon that my best friend had achieved a great goal, so we wanted to show our excitement and congratulations for her by sending her flowers. After a horrible recent experience with FTD I wanted to make sure I was hiring a local florist that was non-​FTD, Teleflora, non-​corporate etc. I looked at the designs at Helen Olivia and loved them all!
I was trying to order online and it said I had 15 minutes left to order for same day delivery, but every time I got to the checkout it said I couldn’t get it delivered to my chosen zipcode in Alexandria. So, I called and was greeted by a very polite and kind voice on the other side of the phone that assured me it wasn’t too late to order for same day delivery. I placed my order and she repeated everything back correctly, and it was done.
Next thing I know I am getting bombarded with thank you texts and photos of the flowers. They were delivered approximately one hour later! That’s fast for a last minute order! They were expertly arranged, looked just like the photo and were beautifully wrapped! This was by far the best ordering/​delivery experience I have ever had from a florist. This shop truly pays attention to quality and it shows. It was worth every penny. Not only that my friend was so impressed she’s decided she will never use another florist again other than Helen Olivia.
I can’t thank you enough for making this experience truly wonderful, since I was ordering from Texas and don’t personally know anything about the shop in person. Five star service, Five star execution!

Couldn’t be happier! Ordered the flowers on line around noon yesterday and they were delivered before 5:00! Wow! In the words of my friend who received the Orchid — «This Florist is awesome… presentation, pot and orchid are gorgeous! XO» Saw pictures and she is right!!! Thank you for such a great product!

I first fell in love with Helen Olivia when my colleague took me to a flower design class for my Christmas gift last year. The class was beyond informative and I took home a beautiful arrangement I had made! My husband and I now use Helen Olivia for all birthday deliveries. He will never make the mistake again of buying cheap roses from Safeway on vday! Ha !

I needed a condolences bouquet late on a Saturday. I called to place an order and the employee was very helpful and provided many options for my price range. When I went to see the bouquet, it was simple and perfect for my needs. They were quick, able get me what I needed, and I was happy with the service and product. I look forward to using them again.

Great quality, higher end bouquets. Nice people. We love to window shop this store. Flowers are done very well, arranged in creative but still elegant ways. Only complaint would be around some of their wreaths that are made in China, priced high as well. Not in keeping with the quality of the rest of the shop.

I ordered flowers for a Thanksgiving table. I was impressed at every stage of the process. The website, the knowledge and friendliness of the designers, and most importantly, the class and beauty of the arrangement that arrived. These are the only floral designers I will ever use and I highly recommend them!

These guys are fantastic, I had an intimate wedding at the beginning of August and it was arranged transatlantically to boot! Admittedly I was fairly relaxed compared to some brides in regards to wants and needs, but I pretty much work on the basis that they are the experts and it’s not in their best interest to mess up. And boy did they not mess up! Perfect flowers that were exactly what I was after and as I got to keep some of the arrangements and the bouquet found out that they lasted over 10 days. On occasion some of the people I spoke to probably weren’t the best customer service but then everyone can have a bad day and in the end this bride was one happy customer. Craig is the best person to contact, his attention to detail is second to none.

Helen Olivia did the flowers for our wedding and did a truly lovely job. Marianne was very helpful and communicative when we were figuring out and ordering the arrangements we wanted. (For a busy bride, it’s really nice to have a vendor who corresponds well over email.) When I felt that prices were too high, she helped me think of less expensive (but still pretty) alternatives). She put together a great proposal, and gave us some amazing sample arrangements. On our wedding day, Marianne’s bouquets and arrangements were all beautiful and made our wedding look awesome. Helen Olivia’s prices could not be beaten and their delivery and set up services were also very reasonable.
For anyone using Helen Olivia (or any vendors), I’d suggest you walk through the final proposal with them by phone the week before the wedding. On our wedding day, Helen Olivia forgot to deliver our little Flower Girl bouquet, which had been included on our final proposal that was signed-​off via email, but not discussed on the phone. Rather than blame Helen Olivia for this though, I blame myself or our planner for not running through the final checklist before the big day. Helen Olivia was great about handling this problem – when we called Marianne, she rushed over from her shop before the wedding ceremony and managed to drop off a bouquet about 30 minutes before, so everything turned out great.
I would recommend Helen Olivia to anyone for any occasion.

To the Unilocaler below who was ignored, I feel your pain.
Picture it: My office, Arlington, November/​December 2010. I was planning a work function and having walked past here and witnessed their beautiful designs I was really excited to be able to try them out on the (very large) company dime! What could go wrong?
Well as it turns out, a couple of things.
I corresponded with a gentleman by email. The first go-​round was OK. I tried to set up an in person appointment but was, at the least, not encouraged to come into the shop. What? Strike one. I tried to describe through email what I was looking for, sent a few reference photos and got a few back. The suggestions really weren’t what I was looking for but hey, different strokes. Admittedly I got a little busy and didn’t respond for about 2 weeks. When I did? –crickets– Hi, do you want my business? I understand that Christmas season is busy. I was busy too, doing my job. Part of *your* job is to respond to customers, which for some reason is NOT a priority. Sorry, but I’m not going to run around trying to line your pockets for you.

I can’t personally speak to their designs, but I was surprised by their customer service when I consulted them about doing the personal flowers for my wedding. I was excited by the great reviews here and the designs I had seen, so I contacted them in January. I had been emailing with the owner’s assistant for a while and in February she told me to come in and meet with a designer on the following Saturday afternoon. She didn’t give me an exact time, but she said the designer would be there from 11 – 2 and I could come anytime, so I came around 12.
When I arrived there were two staff members in the shop, one appeared to be the designer who was with a customer, and the other was a shop employee. The employee asked if we had an appointment and she seemed surprised that the assistant had told me to come in, since no one would be available to meet with me, but she offered to let us wait in case the designer there happened to have some time to talk to us after his appointment. After we waited about 15 minutes she offered to speak with us about our ideas instead. She was very sweet, but all she could do was take notes to give the designer later.
Later that week someone called me from the shop, and gave me their approximate price ranges for bouquets, corsages and bouttenniers. Although she was also very pleasant, she didn’t really appear interested in my business. She didn’t offer to set up a second consultation and didn’t discuss any specifics for the designs. After that, no one ever followed up with me again so unfortunately I went with a different florist.

Helen Olivia did the flowers for our April 2011 wedding. While I tried very hard not to be a bridezilla, I **did** become totally obsessed with having big, beautiful cherry blossoms at the wedding. Other florists said ‘maybe.’ Marianne said ‘absolutely!’
Marianne was great to work with and clearly understood our vision. She was able to promise (and deliver!) the massive cherry branches we wanted and took a ton of time to coax them to their peak for the wedding day. We got a ton of compliments on our flowers. Everything was exactly how I expected/​wanted it to look.
Marianne is also a very practical woman. She listened to my ideas, then told me why a few were less realistic. She then tweaked those ideas into something do-​able that would have the same impact. She also produced sample centerpieces to make sure we would be pleased with the end result.
The price was a little high, but we were an hour away from her shop and required a lot of set up. Frankly, for her assurances regarding the cherry blossoms, it was totally worth it.
Marianne and her husband are building a unique and independent flower shop with a personal touch. I made an effort in my planning to support independent small businesses and I’m happy I did.

I was referred to them by another business.
I walked in and gave details on preference and what I wanted two separate bouquets for; a dinner engagement and my anniversary.
They produced two wonderful arrangements — these are folks that are very accomplished in their trade craft.
Not cheap, but as is often the case, it appears worth the expense.

Truly incredible arrangements. I first received a stunning floral masterpiece from Helen Olivia two months ago and have used them since for special deliveries. Even my mother, who took ikebana courses in Japan and has a seriously high bar set for arrangements since Manhattan florists can whip hydrangeas into a wreath with their eyes closed, was pleased with the arrangement she recently ordered off my recommendation.
I also appreciate places that can do same-​day delivery without making a fuss. When I called HO two weeks ago and asked them to deliver an arrangement somewhere by the afternoon, they were as pleasant and accommodating as if I had asked them to pass the salt.

I hired Helen Olivia for my wedding. I requested an all gardenia bouquet which Marianne said would be no problem. She designed the bouquet as follows: «A bridal bouquet of all white gardenia blossoms. The blossoms will be accented by lemon leaf and the stems will be tied in a corset wrap with a white satin ribbon.»
Sounds nice, right? I was super excited about it, too. Until she delivered it.
The gardenias were all bruised and browning and the «lemon leaves» were fabric leaves coated in a cloudy, crackling wax. It was an absolute nightmare. I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to even deliver something that looked like that. And the browning only got worse as the night went on. To this very day, the only thing I would change about my whole wedding is my bridal bouquet. Every time I look at my wedding photos, I cringe when I see my bouquet.