How to Schedule Birthday Flowers for an Exact Date and Make Sure They Arrive on Time
To schedule birthday flowers for a specific date, place the order in advance (we accept pre-orders 1-30 days ahead), choose either an exact delivery time (plus or minus 30 minutes) or one of the windows 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, and enter the recipient's full address and a phone number they will answer. The order is then confirmed by our operator, and on the day the courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival. If you want to double-check anything after paying, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05.
That is the short version. Below is what customers ask us most often in our Saint Petersburg shops when they plan a birthday delivery from abroad: how far ahead to order, which time to pick, what details prevent a missed delivery, how the card and the surprise work, and what happens if the birthday person is not at home when the bouquet arrives.
How far ahead to order a birthday bouquet
Customers often ask whether ordering a month ahead is too early. It is not: a pre-order can be placed 1-30 days before the date,. Ordering early simply removes the risk of forgetting and gives you time to settle the card text and address calmly. For birthdays that fall near big holidays, such as March 8, an early order is especially sensible, because those days are the busiest of the year for every florist.
If the birthday is tomorrow or even today, you still have options. In large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed, and in Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock, so a late evening order for a midnight surprise is possible there. For other cities, an evening order for the next morning is the safer plan than a same-hour delivery late at night.
Our separate guide to scheduling a future flower delivery date in Russia walks through the pre-order steps in more detail.
Exact time or a time window: which to pick
An exact time, with a margin of 30 minutes either way, suits a birthday that has a fixed moment: flowers at breakfast, at the office before a meeting, at a restaurant when the table is booked. A window of three hours suits most home deliveries, because the recipient only needs to be in for part of the day and the courier can plan the route sensibly.
Think about the recipient's day rather than yours. Someone who works office hours is usually home before 09:00 or after 18:00, so the 18-21 window is often the best choice for a weekday birthday at home. Retired parents and grandparents are more often in during the morning, and the 09-12 window lets them enjoy the flowers all day. For a workplace delivery, 12-15 avoids the morning rush.
Time zones catch many senders out. Saint Petersburg and Moscow are on UTC+3, but Russia spans eleven time zones, and the time you select is always local to the delivery address. A delivery for 10:00 in Novosibirsk or Vladivostok happens hours earlier on your clock than in Saint Petersburg, so check the local time before you choose. The article on time slots for scheduled delivery shows how the windows work in practice.
Bouquets we can deliver
The details that decide whether flowers arrive on time
Most late or failed deliveries we see have nothing to do with the bouquet and everything to do with the address. Give the full street address with building number, entrance, floor and apartment, plus the intercom code if you know it. Saint Petersburg courtyards and older buildings often have several entrances and gates, and a courier who has the entrance number reaches the door in minutes rather than walking around the block.
The recipient's phone number is the second key detail. The courier calls about 15 minutes before arrival, so the number must belong to someone who will pick up, ideally the birthday person or a family member at the same address. If you are planning a surprise and do not want the recipient warned, give the number of a partner, flatmate or colleague instead and tell us so when ordering.
Add your own contact number as the sender, too. If something is unclear, the operator needs a way to reach you before the delivery day, not after it. Senders abroad sometimes leave only an email address and then miss the call while the question is still easy to solve.
Checking that everything is set
After you pay, the order is confirmed by our operator. For remote districts and suburbs this is also the moment when the delivery price is confirmed; within the city, delivery costs 500 RUB. Read the order details once more at this stage: date, time or window, address, phone number and card text. Mistakes are always easier to fix days before the birthday than on the morning itself.
If you want to check anything later, such as whether the time suits the recipient or how the card will read, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05. Customers abroad often ring us a day or two before the date just for peace of mind, and that is perfectly normal. Have the order details ready so we can find it quickly.
Payment is online on the site by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay, and foreign bank cards are accepted via Robokassa. Paying in advance, rather than leaving the order unpaid until the last day, means nothing holds up the delivery on the birthday itself. Full terms are on the delivery and payment page.
The card, the surprise and what the recipient sees
A card with your text is free, and on a birthday it matters more than people expect. Keep it to two or three lines and sign it with the name the recipient knows you by. If you write in English to someone who reads only Russian, a short Russian line such as "S dnyom rozhdeniya" (happy birthday) at the start helps, even in Latin letters.
Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. That works well for a secret admirer but can confuse a grandmother who does not expect flowers, so for family birthdays always sign the card. The courier hands over the bouquet and does not linger, which most recipients appreciate.
If the birthday person is not at home
Plans change on birthdays more than on any other day: a surprise lunch, a trip to the dacha, a late shift. If the recipient is not there when the courier arrives, we agree a second delivery the same day, or, with your consent, the flowers are left with a neighbour or concierge. Tell us in advance if there is someone in the building you trust, and the courier will know where to go.
A bouquet that waits a few hours is not a problem if it is handled sensibly. Ask whoever receives it to put the flowers in cool water without unwrapping the whole arrangement and to keep them away from radiators and sunny windows. Choosing a sturdy bouquet from our catalogue, with roses, chrysanthemums or alstroemeria rather than delicate peonies, also gives you more margin if the timing slips.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance can I schedule birthday flowers?
Pre-orders are accepted 1-30 days ahead. You choose the date, then an exact time or a three-hour window.
Can I choose an exact delivery time?
Yes. You can select an exact time, delivered within plus or minus 30 minutes, or one of the windows 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21 local time.
How do I check my order before the birthday?
After payment the order is confirmed by our operator. If you want to check details later, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 with your order information.
Will the recipient know the flowers are coming?
The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival. For a surprise, give the phone number of someone else at the address and tell us when ordering.
Can I pay with a foreign card?
Yes. Foreign bank cards are accepted via Robokassa, and you can also pay by Russian bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay.
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