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February 14 — Valentine's Day in Amsterdam: roses for partners and newlyweds
February 14 — Valentine's Day in Amsterdam is also a popular wedding day in the Netherlands. One recent 14 February fell on a Tuesday, when 293 Dutch couples married, nearly three times as many as on an ordinary February Tuesday, so in the Netherlands Valentijnsdag is also a wedding day. A bouquet for the fourteenth might suit a partner, or it might suit a couple marking their own wedding or anniversary, and the recipient decides the format.
Flown in for Valentijnsdag: French roses in red and in white
A rose bought in Amsterdam in February has flown a long way to get there. Dutch fields lie empty in winter, so the season's stems come from Kenya and Ethiopia, the two countries that supply most of the market. Kenyan roses land at Schiphol and move straight on to the trading floor at Aalsmeer, south-west of the city and home to one of the world's largest flower auctions. The days before the fourteenth rank among the busiest of the year there, as growers and buyers push stems through ahead of Valentijnsdag itself.
Colour is the simplest way to choose. Eleven Red French Roses read as the classic declaration. Eleven White French Roses say the same thing more quietly, a favourite where red feels too strong for the relationship or the recipient. If the evening is booked at a restaurant, the red armful can travel to the table rather than wait at home.
Couples who married on Valentijnsdag keep the date as their anniversary, so a bouquet for the fourteenth can go to them as well as to a partner. Friends who tied the knot on 14 February, or parents whose own wedding fell on the date, are worth a bouquet that reads as congratulations rather than romance alone.
A mixed bouquet suits a couple better than a single-colour rose statement: Hydrangea and Misty Bouquet sits well on a shared table rather than in one person's hands. Flowers in boxes, a basket or a floral handbag save the couple a vase. White lilies and chrysanthemums are kept for funerals in the Netherlands, so they stay off a wedding-anniversary order.
The card is free and carries whatever line you choose to write, or none at all, and strawberries or a box of chocolates can be added in the cart for the couple to share.
Valentine's flower delivery in Amsterdam, timed for the toast
The fourteenth is one of the busiest days of the year for flower delivery in Amsterdam, alongside 8 March and Mother's Day. Order volumes climb, delivery intervals widen, and no exact minute is promised on these three dates, so ordering a few days ahead keeps the slot you want. An order for a set date and time slot is accepted for any zone.
For a table booked at a restaurant, the delivery time is agreed with the venue in advance, and the bouquet arrives for dessert or for the toast rather than at a fixed clock time.
The courier hands the bouquet over in person together with the card and says nothing beyond what was asked; the card can be left unsigned if that is the point. A photo of the finished bouquet goes to the sender before the courier leaves. February also sends the bouquet out into cold and wind on its way to the table, and how weather treats a bouquet on the way is worth a look before you order.
February 14 — Valentine's Day in Amsterdam comes down to one decision: a mixed bouquet or a single colour of rose for a partner, or a congratulatory arrangement for a couple celebrating a wedding on the date itself. Whichever it is, the delivery terms are worth a glance before the card is written.