Toronto gift company makes bouquets out of literally anything
Bouquets have been a traditional way to impress since forever, but flowers aren't for everyone.
That's the inspiration behind Toronto company YAY Bouquet, which will make bouquets out of everything from seafood to meat, produce and chocolate.
Founder Maria Dragunova says so far the only request she hasn't been able to fulfill was for a bouquet of chocolate-dipped apples, but hastens to add they're working on a line of chocolate-dipped fruit bouquets.
"Not long ago I, just like many other people, was searching to find that perfect something for someone special to impress and delight! I did not want the trivial or material presents you usually get, I wanted something that conveyed the thought I had put into it. I did not find much," says Dragunova, who began making bouquets over a year ago.
"I came up with a unique variety of edible bouquets for people to choose from and customize to their liking," she continues. "The bouquets amaze clients with their uniqueness and make them the most creative guests at each celebration."
A YAY Bouquet Instagram post talks about learning from other edible florists overseas, the caption reading, "As with most things starting out from Europe, edible floristics also emerged from there. Now it is becoming a global phenomenon. Just recently, it landed on Canadian soil."
The caption also links to the Instagrams of some Russian edible florists working with foods like nuts, dried fruits, macarons, berries and shrimp.
What really carries these wacky creations is their intricate beauty overcoming their bizarre nature — and that's not easy to pull off.
"A bouquet creation process can take on average three to four hours starting from a design of a bouquet, then selecting the right vendor and hand picking all the ingredients to assembling, and wrapping a bouquet. I partner with local businesses and use specific techniques, tools and procedures to arrange bouquets," says Dragunova.
She also wraps the bouquets with designer wrapping paper. So if the person you're thinking of treating to a bouquet is more into pretzels, wine, cherries, Crown Royal, salami and cheese than roses, consider ordering them one of these out-of-the-box arrangements.
You'll need to dip into your savings though, because bouquets cost anywhere from $70 to $240. Orders usually take about three days to process.
