After meeting Donna Obel, Owner and Operator of Kelly Greens Flowers & Gifts, we know that Donna is one of the most genuinely nice people you’ll ever meet. She welcomes every customer that comes through her door with warmth and willingness to get the job done right. Donna’s passion is flowers. According to Donna, "you need to find out what you are passionate about and then study it until you are the best." And she’s done exactly that! With over thirty years of experience in the flower business and completion of a two-year diploma program in retail floriculture she is definitely someone you can trust on your big day.

Donna has worked at Kelly Greens for twelve years and has owned it for the last thirteen years. In the past, she has used her extensive knowledge outside her shop by teaching Floral Design at Conestoga College for ten years. But now, Donna focuses her efforts on the shop. She believes in the, ‘if you want it done right, do it yourself’ adage and can be found in her shop almost every single moment. She plays a role in every order, big or small, wedding or otherwise.

The extra mile…

You can be assured of quality flowers when you walk through the door at Kelly Greens. While we were at her shop interviewing Donna, she picked through a shipment from one of her suppliers, rejecting inferior product and keeping only the best for her customers. "It’s important to me to give brides what they want – quality, attention and beautiful flowers."

Donna loves working with couples to make their day extra special, and exactly what they have dreamed of. She can work with you from photos, from your own specific ideas, or she can offer you an array of ideas of her own. Just take a look at the example to the right, where a bride came in with a full drawing of what she wanted her bouquet to look like.

Flower advice

Her years of experience help her give the best advice to brides as well. She often warns them that certain flowers may not last the day, such as gardenia, stephanotis and ivy. In some cases, brides have their hearts set on a flower that (due to season, etc.) may look wilted by the end of the day. Since Donna knows that this does not make for a very happy wedding day, she will suggest alternative flowers to give the same look - or the option of using artificial flowers.

Kelly Greens offers a guarantee of quality and freshness for most flowers but has never had a problem with bridal flowers. Donna has, in fact, repaired the boutonnières and bouquets from weddings that she didn't even do the flowers for. "Kelly Greens goes the extra mile for not only her brides, but all customers." While Donna is very proud of what she and her staff have to offer brides, she recommends that they all check out a couple of flower shops before making their selection because she wants you to be completely sure of your decision. "Your choice shouldn't be all about prices. It should be about quality and service."

Styling your bouquet

Donna keeps on top of the current wedding trends and let us know that hand-tied bouquets are still trendy with brides, but more and more, today’s brides aren't 'following trends'. They are mixing and matching from past and current trends. This suits Donna because, after all, it's all about what the bride wants. Kelly Greens welcomes brides who have very defined ideas of they want for their wedding flowers as well as the chance to be creative in her designing on their behalf.

The breakdown…

Kelly Greens prices give a great range to suit many budgets, and Donna says that she’ll work with brides to fit beautiful flowers into their budget. Prices for a complete wedding package normally range from $350 to $700. Donna has done weddings for as little as $120, where only the basics were needed, the bride and maid of honour bouquets, and groom and best man boutonnières. She can do much more elaborate work as well, having done a wedding for $2200. Kelly Greens requires a deposit of $50 to book your flowers.

Whatever your budget for flowers may be, Donna stresses that in her shop you’ll get the same prices as a bride that you would get any other time. Donna does not raise prices just because the flowers are for a wedding. She does all she can to help out any bride, no matter her budget. "There are ways to really get the most out of your flower budget," explains Donna. "Never scrimp on your bouquet since it will be in almost all of your pictures. But perhaps smaller boutonnières and corsages will help trim your budget."

Kelly Greens is open to doing additional decorations such as pew bows and church flowers, with set-up available as well. Centrepieces are available in a variety of styles to suit the individual bride and style desired, with costs averaging around $30 each.

Details, details, details

• No appointment is necessary to stop by and chat with Donna and her staff.
• You should book an appointment to finalize details for your wedding flowers.
• Donna recommends that you come in with either your mother or maid of honour to help you make your decisions. "... some grooms do come for appointments, but most guys don' t really get involved or want to get involved in the flower decisions!"

How to reach them…

Kelly Greens prefers to restrict their services to one large or two small weddings per weekend in order to maintain a very high level of quality. They are almost always busy from May to November, so don’t wait too long if you are interested in speaking with Kelly Greens about your wedding.

If you are looking for someone who will extend personal attention and quality product, Donna would love to meet with you to discuss what your floral needs are. She loves to meet brides in person, as she says it's the best way that she can determine exactly what to design for your wedding needs and budget.

You can visit Kelly Greens at 186 Main Street East in Cambridge. You can also give Donna and the staff a call at 519-621-5210 or send them an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to book an appointment.