This policy explains what Stem & Story Floral Studio does with your information when you enquire, order, or simply look around this website. The short version: I only collect what I need to quote and deliver your flowers, I do not sell it, and there are no trackers on this site.

Who is responsible for your information

Stem & Story Floral Studio (ABN 38 384 790 339), [suburb], Victoria, Australia. For anything in this policy, email stemandstory.melb@gmail.com.

What I collect, and why

Everything below is given to me by you, through a form on this site or by email, phone or social media. I do not buy lists or collect information about you from anywhere else.

When you send an enquiry or build a wedding estimate

• Your name, and your partner's name if you give it — so I know who I am writing to and can address your proposal correctly.
• Email address — to send your quote and reply to you. This is the only field I genuinely need.
• Phone number — optional. Only used if something about your order is time-sensitive, such as a delivery on the day.
• Event date, venue names and guest count — to check availability, work out quantities, and plan delivery and setup.
• Your budget, chosen items, colour palette and any notes you add — to design and price the work.
• Inspiration photos you upload — to understand the look you are after.

When you order

• Delivery address and recipient details — to deliver the flowers.
• Invoice and payment records — I am required to keep these for tax purposes. Card details are handled by the payment provider and never reach me.

What I deliberately do not collect

No date of birth, no address unless something is being delivered there, and no information about your health, background or beliefs. If a field on this site is not marked required, you can leave it blank and still get a quote.

Who else sees it

I do not sell, rent or trade your information, and I do not send it overseas for marketing. It is shared only where the work needs it:

• The service that runs this website and receives form submissions — currently [name your host and form provider, for example Netlify]. Enquiries pass through them on the way to my inbox.
• Email and invoicing software — [name the tools you use, for example Gmail and Xero].
• Couriers or delivery drivers — the recipient's name, address and phone number, and nothing else.
• Your venue or planner — only the details needed to arrange access and setup, and only when you have asked me to deal with them.
• Accountants, or authorities where the law requires it.

This website

There are no advertising trackers, no analytics, no social media pixels and no third-party scripts on this site. Nothing you do here is reported to anyone else.

The site does not use cookies. It stores one small item in your browser, called ss-intro, which records only that you have already seen the opening animation so it does not replay on every page. It holds no personal information, is cleared when you close the tab, and never leaves your device. Because it is needed for the site to behave properly and tracks nothing, no consent banner is required.

The typefaces are served from this site rather than from Google Fonts, so your visit is not reported to a font provider either.

Inspiration photos you attach to an estimate stay in your browser until you press send. If you close the page without sending, they are never uploaded.

How long I keep things

• Enquiries that do not become bookings — up to 12 months, in case you come back, then deleted.
• Booking and event records — kept while we are working together and for 12 months after your event, for warranty and reference.
• Invoices and financial records — 5 years, as Australian tax law requires.
• Inspiration photos — deleted once your event is finished, unless you are happy for me to keep them on file.

Children

This site is meant for adults booking flowers and is not directed at children. I do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and think your child has sent me something, email me and I will delete it.

Your choices

You can ask me at any time to:

• Show you what I hold about you.
• Correct anything wrong or out of date.
• Delete it. I will remove everything I am not legally required to keep — invoices have to stay for the 5 years mentioned above, and I will tell you if that applies.
• Stop contacting you. I do not run a mailing list, so this just means I stop emailing.

Keeping it safe

Information is held in password-protected accounts with two-factor authentication on, and only I have access. No system is perfect, so if something ever went wrong in a way that could put you at risk, I would tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the Privacy Act requires.

If you are unhappy

Please email me first — most things are a misunderstanding I can fix quickly. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.

Changes

If this policy changes, the new version appears here with a new date at the top. If a change affects an order already in progress, I will email you about it.

These terms cover flowers ordered from Stem & Story Floral Studio. They are here so we both know what has been agreed. Nothing in them takes away rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law.

Prices and estimates on this site

Every price on this website is a starting price. It shows what a piece typically costs from, not what yours will cost.

The wedding estimate builder is a planning tool. The total it shows is an approximate starting figure based on the starting prices, and it is not a quote, a booking or a reservation of your date. Sending it starts a conversation. Your real price comes in a written proposal from me, and only that proposal is binding.

Final pricing depends on the flowers you choose, the size of each piece, the season, and what your venue needs. Premium and out-of-season varieties cost more. Prices on this site include GST unless stated otherwise, and delivery, installation and hire are listed separately so there is nothing added at the end you have not seen.

Booking your date

• Your date is held once you accept the written proposal and the retainer is paid. Not before — until then the date stays open to anyone.
• A 30% retainer is payable to secure the date. It is non-refundable, because taking your booking means turning away other work for that day.
• The balance is due four weeks before your event. Flowers are ordered from growers on the strength of that payment.
• Full-service weddings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday have a minimum floral spend of $2,000. Weekday elopements and smaller orders are welcome below it.

Changes after booking

Wedding plans move, and that is normal. Changes are welcome up to four weeks before your event, subject to availability. After that, flowers have been ordered and arrangements have begun, so I can usually still add but not remove. Any change that increases the total is invoiced before the event; reductions after the four-week point cannot be refunded. [Confirm this window suits how you order from your growers.]

Flowers and substitutions

Flowers are grown, not manufactured. Specific varieties, colours and sizes depend on the season, the weather and what the markets actually have on the day. If something you wanted is unavailable or not up to standard, I will substitute a bloom of equal or greater value in a similar colour, shape and overall feel, keeping the design true to what we agreed. For significant changes I will contact you first where time allows.

Delivery, setup and collection

• Delivery is quoted by distance and confirmed in your proposal. Studio collection is free.
• Delivery windows are estimates. I build in time for traffic, but I cannot guarantee a precise minute.
• Someone needs to be able to receive the flowers. If nobody is there and the venue cannot take them, I may leave them in a safe, shaded spot and let you know — after that their condition is out of my hands. A second delivery attempt is charged again.
• For installations, you are responsible for arranging venue access and the agreed setup window. If I cannot get in at the agreed time, I will do what I can in the time left.

Hire items

Plinths, vases, candleholders and arbours are hired, not sold. They stay mine throughout. Please return them in the condition they arrived, by the agreed time. Items that come back damaged, broken or missing are charged at replacement cost, which I will tell you before invoicing. Where collection is included, the time and place will be in your proposal.

Caring for your flowers

Fresh flowers are perishable and need water, cool air and shade. I will tell you how to look after your pieces. Once they have left my hands, how long they last depends on how they are kept, and I cannot be responsible for flowers left in hot cars, direct sun or unairconditioned rooms.

Photographs of my work

I usually photograph the flowers I make and may use those photographs in my portfolio, on this website and on social media. Photographs are of the flowers, not of you or your guests. If you would prefer I did not, just tell me and I will not — no reason needed, and it changes nothing about your price or service.

If something goes wrong

My work comes with the guarantees you have under the Australian Consumer Law, and nothing here limits them. If your flowers arrive damaged, wrong or not as agreed, contact me within 24 hours with photographs so I can see what happened while there is still time to put it right. Depending on what has gone wrong, I will remake the piece, replace it, or refund it.

Otherwise, my liability is limited to the amount you paid for the affected item. I am not responsible for losses outside my control, such as extreme weather, road closures, supplier failures or venue restrictions — though I will always tell you promptly and do my best to find a way through.

Cancellation

Cancellations, postponements and refunds are covered on the refunds and cancellations page, which forms part of these terms.

The small print

These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. If any part of them turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands. The agreement between us is your written proposal plus these terms; anything discussed informally that is not written down is not part of it.

Questions about any of this are welcome at stemandstory.melb@gmail.com.

Plans change, and I would always rather you told me early than worried about it. Here is exactly what happens in each case, so there are no surprises.

Weddings and events

The 30% retainer is non-refundable at any point. Accepting your booking means turning away other work for that date, and that time cannot be recovered. What happens to the rest depends on how much notice you give.

• More than 8 weeks before — you lose the retainer only. Anything already paid beyond it is refunded in full.
• 4 to 8 weeks before — 50% of the total is payable, as planning and supplier commitments are well underway.
• Less than 4 weeks before — the full amount is payable. Flowers have been ordered from growers and cannot be returned or resold.

Moving your date

If you need to postpone, your retainer moves with you to the new date, provided it is available and within 12 months of the original. You can do this once at no cost. If the new date is not free, it becomes a cancellation under the terms above. If pricing has changed between the two dates, the new date is quoted at current prices.

Everyday orders, gifts and subscriptions

• Bouquets and gift orders — cancel or change free of charge up to 48 hours before delivery. Inside 48 hours the flowers have usually been bought and made, so the order is payable in full.
• Corporate subscriptions — pause or cancel with one week's notice before the next scheduled delivery. There is a minimum three-month term; cancelling inside it means the remaining deliveries of that term are payable.
• Hire items — cancel up to 2 weeks before at no cost; inside that, the hire fee is payable.

If I have to cancel

This would only ever happen for something serious, such as illness or an emergency. If it does, I will tell you immediately, do everything I can to find another florist who can step in, and refund everything you have paid, including the retainer.

If you are not happy with your flowers

You have guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law that nothing on this page takes away. If your flowers are faulty, damaged, significantly different from what was agreed, or not of acceptable quality, you are entitled to a repair, replacement or refund.

Please get in touch within 24 hours of receiving them, with photographs. Flowers do not keep, so the sooner I see the problem, the more I can do about it. I will then remake, replace or refund the affected pieces.

Because flowers are perishable and made to order, I cannot offer refunds simply for a change of mind once they have been made.

How refunds are paid

Refunds go back to the account you paid from, within 7 business days of being agreed. Bank transfers can take a few days longer to appear.