Boutique florale La Joconde

Boutique florale La Joconde is a flower shop at Avenue Edouard-Dubois 2 in Neuchâtel. It is open every day of the week ("Nous vous accueillons 7j/7"), including Sunday, and for weddings it names the bridal bouquet, the buttonhole and flowers for the wedding car. For a couple marrying in or near Neuchâtel it is a practical, everyday florist with long opening hours and parking at the door; the catch is that orders are taken by phone only, and the website is in French.

What the shop offers

The home page opens with "Un grand choix de fleurs fraîches de saison, arrivages fréquents": a wide choice of fresh seasonal flowers, with frequent deliveries. Under the heading "Pour toutes les occasions et toutes les envies" (for every occasion and every wish), it presents the shop as a partner for any project: if you have a particular idea in mind, the florists put their skills at your service to help you carry it out.

The shop's list of strengths is short and concrete:

• a wide choice of fresh flowers
• fast, careful delivery, Monday to Saturday ("du lundi au samedi")
• plants from the shop's own production ("Plantes provenant de nos propres productions")
• orders by phone "en 2 minutes"
• parking spaces for customers
• made-to-measure work ("Création sur mesure")

The site also has pages for its flowers and plants, an About page and a gallery, and the gallery is the place to look at the shop's style before calling. The site says the shop's florists put all their talent into each bouquet and arrangement ("Nos fleuristes mettent tout leur talent dans vos bouquets et compositions florales").

Weddings

The wedding offer is given as an example of the shop's made-to-order work. For a wedding, the page says, the shop makes "suivant le rythme des saisons", following the rhythm of the seasons, "un bouquet de mariée, une boutonnière, une décoration florale pour votre véhicule, etc.": a bridal bouquet, a buttonhole, floral decoration for your car, and so on. It adds that the flowers and greenery are chosen with the greatest care to suit the couple's wishes.

Two points follow from that wording. First, the flowers follow the season, so the choice for a May wedding will differ from one in October, and a couple with a specific flower in mind should raise it early. Second, the list ends with "etc.", which suggests the shop does more than the 3 items named, but the site does not say whether it decorates ceremony venues or reception tables, or whether it installs flowers on site. That is the first question to ask.

Beyond weddings, the page names births, birthdays and baptisms and "toute autre occasion selon vos désirs", any other occasion you wish.

Ordering: by phone, not by e-mail

This is the most important practical point on the site, and it is repeated on both pages. The contact page lists the phone number 032 731 25 35 with the note that orders are also taken by phone, and the e-mail address joconde.fleurs@gmail.com with the note "nous ne prenons pas de commandes par e-mail", the shop does not take orders by e-mail. The home page says the same thing again: "Uniquement par téléphone, nous ne prenons pas de commande par mail", by phone only.

For a couple abroad, that means an e-mail can be used for information, but a wedding order has to be placed by phone, during the opening hours listed below. The site gives no information on the languages spoken, and the whole site is in French, so a couple who do not speak French should plan the call accordingly or ask by e-mail first whether an English conversation is possible.

Opening hours, parking and delivery

The shop's hours, as published:

• Monday to Thursday: 08:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 18:30
• Friday: 08:00 to 18:30, without a lunch break
• Saturday: 08:00 to 18:00
• Sunday: 08:00 to 17:00

Being open on Sunday is a real help for a Saturday wedding followed by a Sunday event, or for last-minute flowers. The florists, the site says, give advice 7 days a week.

For anyone driving, "7 places de parc sont réservées pour les clients", 7 parking spaces reserved for customers, next to the shop. The site does not say how to reach the shop by public transport.

Delivery runs Monday to Saturday only. The site does not name a delivery area or delivery charges. A couple with a Sunday wedding should ask whether flowers can be delivered on the Saturday or collected from the shop, which is open on Sunday morning.

What the site does not settle

There are no prices on the site, for weddings or for everyday bouquets. There is no stated lead time for wedding orders, no minimum order and nothing on deposits or cancellation. The gallery shows the shop's work but the site gives no written description of past weddings. It does not say how far the delivery service goes, or whether the florists set up flowers at a church, town hall or reception venue. It also does not say whether the plants from the shop's own production include cut flowers.

Useful questions for the first call:

• Can we discuss the order in English?
• Beyond the bouquet, buttonhole and car, do you decorate the ceremony and reception, and do you set up on site?
• Do you deliver to our venue, and at what cost?
• How far ahead should we book, and when do you need the final order?
• What will be in season on our date?

Who it suits

Boutique florale La Joconde suits couples marrying in Neuchâtel who need the essentials (bridal bouquet, buttonholes, car flowers) from a local shop with generous hours, including Sundays, and easy parking. Its seasonal approach and made-to-measure work fit a couple happy to let the florist guide the choice of flowers, and the open invitation to describe your ideas by phone suits couples who prefer a conversation to a form.

It is less convenient for a couple planning everything by e-mail from abroad, since orders are taken only by phone, and for anyone who wants a detailed, priced wedding offer in writing before calling. For large venue decoration, the site gives no information either way, so it is worth asking directly.