What "Recipient" Means When You Send Flowers and What to Fill In
When you send flowers, the recipient is the person who will receive the bouquet at the door, while you, the person ordering and paying, are the sender. The recipient fields on an order form ask for that person's name, delivery address and phone number, so the courier knows whom to call and whom to hand the flowers to. Your own contact details go into the sender or customer fields and are not passed on to the recipient unless you choose to sign the card.
This is one of the most common questions we get by phone from customers abroad, especially when they order for the first time from a Russian site. People are not sure whose phone to write, whether the recipient will see the price, or what happens if the recipient is out. Below we go through the recipient fields one by one, the way we explain them in our Saint Petersburg shops, and add the mistakes we see most often.
Sender, customer and recipient: who is who
An order for flowers involves two people. The sender, sometimes called the customer, chooses the bouquet, pays and receives the order confirmation. The recipient is the one the bouquet is for, and the only person the courier deals with on the day. The two can live in different countries: a daughter in Germany sends flowers to her mother in Saint Petersburg, and the mother is the recipient.
Sometimes the sender and recipient are the same person, for example when someone orders flowers for their own home or a table at a restaurant. In that case you simply enter your own name and phone in both sets of fields. Customers occasionally fill the recipient fields with their own data by mistake, and the courier ends up calling Canada instead of the flat in Moscow, so it is worth checking this line twice.
The recipient does not need to register, pay or confirm anything. They only need to be reachable and, ideally, at the address at the agreed time. Everything else, including payment and the card text, is the sender's responsibility.
The recipient fields one by one
Name. Write the name the recipient uses at home, as the courier will say it on the phone and at the door. For a Russian-speaking recipient, a first name and patronymic sound respectful, and a surname helps when several people live in the same flat. If the bouquet goes to an office, add the company name and the department or floor.
Address. Include the city, street, house number, building or block number if there is one, entrance, floor and flat. In Russian apartment blocks the entrance number and the door code save the courier a lot of time, so add them in the comment if you know them. For a private house in a suburb, a landmark such as a shop or a gate colour helps.
Phone number. This is the most important recipient field. The courier calls the recipient about 15 minutes before arrival, so the number must belong to the recipient or someone who is with them, not to you. We explain why in more detail in the article Recipient Phone Number Meaning. Write it with the country code to avoid confusion.
Bouquets we can deliver
What the recipient sees and what stays private
Delivery is anonymous by default: the courier does not name the sender. The recipient sees the bouquet and the card, and the card shows only the text you wrote. If you want them to know who sent the flowers, sign the card; if you want a surprise, leave your name off and the courier will not mention it. The card with your text is free.
Customers often ask whether the recipient learns the price. The courier hands over flowers and a card, not a receipt, and payment is made online by the sender in advance. Your own contact details in the sender fields are there so that we can reach you about the order.
If you plan a true surprise, think about how the recipient will react to an unknown call. Older relatives in Russia sometimes do not answer unfamiliar numbers. A short warning that "a delivery may come today" without saying what it is often solves the problem. Our guide Send Surprise Flowers Anonymously covers more ways to keep the secret.
When the recipient is not at home
This is the second most common worry after the phone number. If the recipient is not there, we agree a second delivery the same day or hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge, but only with the sender's consent.
You can reduce the risk at the ordering stage. If you know the recipient works during the day, choose a time window of 18-21, or an exact time within plus or minus 30 minutes. If you are unsure of their plans, delivery to the workplace is often more reliable than to home. A detailed walkthrough is in Sending Flowers When the Recipient Is Not Home.
Choosing flowers with the recipient in mind
The word recipient is a reminder that the bouquet is for them, not for you. Before ordering, it helps to think about the recipient's flat, age and habits. A small kitchen does not need a huge bouquet, an elderly relative may find a tall arrangement hard to put in a vase, and someone who travels a lot will appreciate long-lasting flowers such as chrysanthemums, alstroemeria or roses.
For Russian-speaking recipients, a few customs still matter. Odd numbers of stems are given for happy occasions, while even numbers are associated with mourning; in large bouquets above a dozen stems people stop counting. Yellow flowers no longer carry the old meaning of separation for most people, but some older recipients remember it, so for a grandmother soft pink, white or peach is a safer choice.
The card text is where the recipient hears your voice. Write it in the language they read best, keep it to two or three lines, and avoid abbreviations they may not know. If you write in English to a Russian-speaking parent, a short sentence in Russian transliteration at the end is often appreciated.
Sending flowers to a recipient in Russia with us
We deliver flowers across Russia. Delivery within the city costs 500 RUB; for remote districts and suburbs the operator confirms the price when confirming the order. In large cities express delivery takes 1-2 hours after confirmation, or you can choose an exact time, a window of 09-12, 12-15, 15-18 or 18-21, or pre-order 1-30 days ahead. In Saint Petersburg we deliver around the clock, which helps when you are in a very different time zone.
Pick a bouquet in the Bouquets catalogue, fill in the recipient and sender fields as described above, and pay online by bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay. Foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa. If anything about the recipient details is unclear, call us on 8 (812) 507-67-05 and we will help you fill in the order correctly. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What does recipient mean on a flower order?
The recipient is the person who receives the bouquet. Their name, address and phone number go into the recipient fields, while your own details go into the sender fields.
Should I enter my phone or the recipient's phone?
Enter the recipient's phone in the recipient field. The courier calls this number about 15 minutes before arrival, so it must belong to the person receiving the flowers or someone with them.
Will the recipient know who sent the flowers?
Not unless you sign the card. Delivery is anonymous by default and the courier does not name the sender.
What happens if the recipient is out?
We agree a second delivery the same day or hand the flowers to a neighbour or concierge, only with your consent.
Can I pay from abroad?
Yes. Payment is online, and foreign bank cards are accepted through Robokassa. You can also pay by Russian bank card, SBP or Yandex Pay.
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