Lights…Camera….Action! Everyone has heard these words before but the designers and staff at Flowers by Fudgie were actually the ones getting ready for the action…and more… much more!
Flowers by Fudgie received the awesome honor and privilege to provide flowers for a movie scene being filmed right here in sunny Sarasota! Directors of the movie, Parker— a thriller starring Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham– shot part of the high-profile film for three days at the always spectacular Ringling Museum’s Ca’ d’Zan mansion and Flowers by Fudgie was selected to provide the upscale, lavish and opulent flower arrangements for filming.
Let’s take moment to set up the scene. Imagine a posh multi-million dollar jewelry charity auction for the very wealthy, supposedly set in Palm Beach. (The rest of the movie was actually filmed in Palm Beach!) The scene features event planners who were really thieves, scoping the place out for a heist during the auction. Their devious plan is to set a fire and have the guests flee outside while they are free to pillage and plunder the unattended jewelry. This hopefully gives you an idea of what kind of glamorous flower arrangements our designers were going to have to come up with…
Initially, Flowers by Fudgie was to provide 6 to 12 small arrangements in elegant cream and white tones for outside on the terrace. However, Flowers by Fudgie later found out they were to provide the large ultra-glamorous and swanky arrangements in deeper and bolder tones for the inside the Ca’ d’Zan, where the glitzy jewelry auction was being held.
Doesn’t sound too daunting, does it? Well, maybe a little, considering this is floral design for a multi-million dollar Hollywood movie. However, let’s add the timeline to all of this. Basically, Flowers by Fudgie found out on a Tuesday all of what they needed to provide for the scene and had to deliver it and set it up in high Hollywood fashion ready for film by Thursday at 4:00 pm!
Needless to say–let the ordering begin! Flowers by Fudgie ordered lots of roses, black magic roses and red garden roses called “Wanted”, and hydrangea and deep burgundy calla lilies, safari sunset, Bells of Ireland, bulpurium, and mini coin greenery. It was time to make some movie magic happen!
The Flowers by Fudgie staff was in overdrive! Not only did they need to prepare and design for their first ever Hollywood film, but they also had several weddings to prepare for the weekend after the filming…six weddings to be exact!
Becki Creighton, owner at Flowers by Fudgie, did not sleep well that Tuesday night after getting the final order from the set director. She was up from 2-4 am Wednesday morning, planning how to rework her design staff to cover the filming and the weddings! Can they do this she wondered?
Let the Real Action Begin!
After finally getting to sleep, Becki was awakened that morning by a 7:15 am phone call from the assistant set director. She related to Becki that the producer and the film director decided to move the filming up and start that day at 1:00 pm…yes one o’clock that day, Wednesday! Not Thursday as originally told, but a whole day and several hours earlier!
Can you say PANIC!! Becki wondered how she was going to get all the flowers in that she just ordered! Fortunately, Flowers by Fudgie has a good relationship with her suppliers. They graciously rerouted the enormous flowers orders and Flowers by Fudgie received them 9:15 that morning! Thanks to the fabulous staff at Flowers by Fudgie working fast and furiously, the Ca’ d’Zan was amazingly ready for filming by 1:00 pm that afternoon. The set designers were thrilled and Flowers by Fudgie staff were overjoyed. All in all , there were 26 arrangements!
Another Twist to This Fabulous Story
You would think being asked to design floral arrangements for a Hollywood movie was fairy tale enough, right? Sure…but this story doesn’t end here!!!! While working on the movie, Becki, and Debbie Bock, shop manager, were asked to be in the movie! So, Becki and Debbie, in their signature lavender “Flowers by Fudgie’s team tee shirts, got to play, of all things, floral designers, arranging a bouquet of flowers. All in all, they did 6 takes for this small scene and enjoyed every single second of it!
This ended up being a once in a lifetime experience for Becki and the designers at Flowers by Fudgie. Please enjoy the gallery below to see more pictures of this special experience. Everyone at Flowers by Fudgie loved this opportunity, but they do plan to keep their day jobs! So if you are looking for a florist in the Sarasota area to plan your dream wedding or dream event, do not hesitate to contact Flowers by Fudgie today!
