Sending Anniversary Flowers: A Saint Petersburg Florist's Advice
To send anniversary flowers, pick a bouquet suited to the couple and the number of years, order it for the date and time when they will be at home or at the celebration, and add a card with your own words. On our site you choose the bouquet, pay online - foreign bank cards are accepted - and our courier delivers it; delivery within the city costs 500 RUB, and in Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock.
In our Saint Petersburg flower studios, anniversary orders come with very specific questions: how many roses to put in for 30 years, whether red is right for parents, whether the bouquet should go to the home or the restaurant. Customers abroad ask the same things by phone. Here are the answers we give most often, based on what we have seen work since 2011.
How many stems for an anniversary bouquet
This is the question we hear most. The Russian rule is simple: for any celebration the number of flowers in a small or medium bouquet must be odd, because even numbers are reserved for funerals. Many people like to match the stems to the years together, so for 15 years they order 15 roses, and for 21 years, 21 roses.
When the number of years is even, the tradition is to add one flower: 11 roses for 10 years, 31 for 30 years. This keeps the symbolism and avoids the even number. For very large bouquets, from 25 stems up, the odd-even rule matters less, but older couples still appreciate the extra rose and often notice it.
Matching the stem count to the years is a nice gesture, not an obligation. A compact bouquet of 7 or 9 large-headed roses with greenery can look more elegant than 41 small ones packed together. If you are unsure which looks better in real life, call 8 (812) 507-67-05 and we will describe the options in the catalogue.
Choosing the bouquet by who is celebrating
For your own wife or husband, red and deep pink roses remain the clearest choice, and nobody in Russia will misread them. If you want something less predictable, ask for the flowers that were in the wedding bouquet, or for peonies in June, when they are at their best. Personal details matter more than size here.
For parents or grandparents, choose warm, festive tones rather than passionate red: cream, peach, coral and soft pink, with plenty of greenery. The bouquet is for both of them, so it should feel like a family celebration. A round bouquet that stands well on a table is practical, since in Russia anniversaries are often celebrated at home with a long dinner.
Work anniversaries are a separate case. A colleague who has spent ten or twenty years with a company is usually given a restrained, elegant bouquet in white, green or deep blue tones, delivered to the office during working hours. We cover this in more detail in sending flowers to a Russian colleague on their work anniversary.
Bouquets we can deliver
Round dates and what they mean in Russia
Russians mark round wedding anniversaries much more than the years in between. The silver wedding at 25 years and the golden wedding at 50 are real family events, often with a restaurant dinner, relatives travelling in and a long series of toasts. Flowers are expected from everyone who cannot attend, and a bouquet from abroad is a way to be present at the table.
Colours can echo the name of the anniversary without being literal. For a silver wedding, white roses with grey-green eucalyptus look calm and noble. For a golden wedding, cream, champagne and apricot roses give a warm gold tone; here yellow in a mixed bouquet is festive, not a sign of parting. Our guide to anniversary flowers by year lists what suits each milestone, from the first 'cotton' year onwards.
If several relatives abroad want to send flowers to the same celebration, it is often better to send one generous bouquet from all of you than five small ones that compete for vases. Agree who places the order and sign the card with all the names. The article on ordering flowers for a Russian anniversary party as a group explains how to coordinate it.
Home, restaurant or office: timing the delivery
Decide first where the couple will be. If they celebrate at home, a morning window (09-12) gives them the flowers for the whole day. If there is a dinner in a restaurant, the bouquet can go to the restaurant's address at an exact time - the courier arrives within 30 minutes either side of it - with the name of the person who will receive it. Give the phone number of someone who will be there, because the courier calls about 15 minutes before arrival.
Pre-order 1 to 30 days ahead whenever you know the date, which with anniversaries you always do. If the date has crept up on you, express delivery in large cities takes 1-2 hours after the order is confirmed. In Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock, so a bouquet can be waiting at midnight when the anniversary begins, or arrive late in the evening after the guests leave.
If the recipients are not in, we agree a second delivery the same day, or, with your consent, leave the bouquet with a neighbour or a concierge. Delivery is anonymous by default, so if you want them to know it is from you, say so on the card. Delivery within the city costs 500 RUB; for suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. Full conditions are on the delivery and payment page.
Keeping the bouquet fresh after the celebration
An anniversary bouquet often spends an evening in a restaurant and then travels home, so it needs care. Keep it in water during the dinner if the restaurant has a vase, and carry it home upright, not lying on the back seat of a car next to the heater. At home, re-cut each stem by 1-2 cm at an angle with a sharp knife and remove leaves that would sit in the water.
Use a clean vase with cool water, change it every two days and trim the stems each time. Keep the bouquet away from radiators, which in Russian flats run hot from October to April, and away from a fruit bowl. Roses treated this way usually last a week or more, and chrysanthemums and eustoma often last longer, so the anniversary flowers stay on the table well after the date.
Frequently asked questions
How many roses should I send for an anniversary?
Many people match the stems to the years together. If the number of years is even, add one rose to keep the number odd, since even numbers are for funerals in Russia.
Can I send anniversary flowers to a restaurant?
Yes, give the restaurant's address, the name of the person receiving the bouquet and a phone number. Choose an exact time so the flowers arrive when the guests are there.
Can I pay from abroad?
Yes. Foreign bank cards are accepted, with payment processed by Robokassa; bank card, SBP and Yandex Pay are also available.
Can the flowers arrive at midnight?
In Saint Petersburg delivery is around the clock, so a midnight delivery is possible there. In other cities, choose an exact time or a standard window.
Who do I contact with questions?
Call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05. We can help with the choice of bouquet, the timing and the card text.
Ready to send a bouquet?
Pick a city, choose the flowers, and we will hand them over with a photo confirmation.
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