Terms and Conditions
By requesting a booking from Flores à Beira-Rio, the client declares having read, understood and accepted these Terms and Conditions. The version accepted is the one published on the date of the request. These Terms apply to the preservation of fresh flowers, the framing of dried flowers, bouquet recreation, and gift vouchers.
1. Nature of the service
Flores à Beira-Rio preserves natural flowers by hand, through pressing and drying, turning flowers with emotional or symbolic value into personalised frames and pieces. We offer three services: preservation of fresh flowers, framing of already dried flowers, and recreation of bouquets with fresh flowers from photographs. Every piece is unique and handmade in Coimbra. No two are alike. The nature of this process means the final result varies, which the client accepts when ordering. Small irregularities, textures and variations are part of the character of a handmade piece and are not considered defects.
2. Booking request, reply and confirmation
Filling in the form on the website is a booking request, not a confirmed booking. Places are limited, especially between May and September. We normally reply within 3 working days with the quote confirmation and the deposit payment instructions. We prioritise requests by how close the event date is: someone with flowers to preserve this week is answered before someone booking for next year. So if your event is 6 months or more away, our reply may take longer than 3 working days. Your request is registered all the same. The booking is only confirmed once the deposit is paid, within 24 hours of our message. Without payment in that time, the place becomes available to other clients again; the client may request a booking again later, subject to availability.
3. Quote
The summary shown in the form is an estimate calculated from the client's choices and the price list in force on the date of the request. The final quote is confirmed by us, by message, after reading the client's notes and special requests. Only that confirmed quote binds the parties. The prices in force on the date of the request apply to that order, even if the price list is updated afterwards. When the frame size, background or extras are left undecided at booking, the quote is provisional and uses the smallest frame as a reference. It is adjusted once the choices are made, usually at the composition stage, and the difference is requested with the next payment stage. Not included in the quote: shipping the flowers to the studio, collecting the flowers at the venue (quoted separately, depending on distance) and shipping the finished frame to the client's address.
4. Payments
The service is paid in three stages, by bank transfer or MB WAY: 1st stage, 30%, at booking. It secures the place on the event date. Non-refundable. 2nd stage, 40%, when the flowers arrive at the studio. It is requested at that moment and must be paid within 5 days. Pressing starts immediately, because flowers cannot wait. 3rd stage, 30%, plus any adjustments, before the frame is shipped or picked up. The piece only leaves the studio after full payment. Each payment comes with an invoice or receipt. Clients who want the document issued with a tax number must provide it before the respective payment.
5. Turnaround time
A preservation frame is ready, on average, around 6 months after the flowers arrive at the studio. Framing already dried flowers takes around 3 months when the original bouquet is used and around 6 months when there is recreation with fresh flowers. This is an artisanal process, done by hand and without machines: pressing, drying and composition depend on the type of flowers, the season and the studio's workload. The timeline is therefore indicative and may extend. Orders with several pieces (extra frames, ornaments, pendants) may take longer. The client follows every stage at status.floresabeirario.pt and is informed of any relevant delay. The indicative timeline is not a guaranteed date, and its extension does not give a right to a refund, discount or compensation.
6. Delivering the flowers to the studio
Flowers should reach the studio as fresh as possible: ideally 1 to 3 days after the event and at most 6 days. Until then, keep them in a vase with fresh water, away from sun and heat, and never in a fridge or freezer. The client may drop them off in person in Coimbra, send them by post or courier (costs and choice of service borne by the client, following the packaging instructions we send) or request collection at the venue, subject to a quote and availability. Transport to the studio is at the client's own expense and risk. We are not responsible for damage, delays or loss during shipping, nor for flowers that arrive wilted, mouldy or outside the recommended timeframe. Flowers are always preserved in the condition in which they arrive. If they arrive decomposing, mouldy or otherwise unfit for preservation, we inform the client with photographs. We use everything we can from the original bouquet. If the client so decides, we buy similar replacement flowers, and that cost is borne by the client. If nothing can be used and the client does not want replacement flowers, the deposit is not refunded, because the place was reserved and the condition of the flowers on arrival is the client's responsibility. The deposit may, however, be used towards a new order within 24 months.
7. Natural changes in the flowers
When pressed or dried, flowers change colour, shape and texture. Reds and burgundies tend to darken, whites turn cream or yellowish, pinks and purples lose intensity, greens turn brownish. Translucent areas or marks from bruising the flower already had may appear. Not all flowers withstand pressing: very fleshy flowers, succulents and some tropical flowers may not survive the process. We do not colour-correct: the flowers keep the colour nature gives them once dried. Over the years, even with anti-UV glass, colours keep evolving slowly. All of this is natural, part of what a preserved flower is, and is not a defect nor grounds for a refund.
8. Flower selection and additional elements
Not every flower in a bouquet fits in a frame or survives in usable condition. We select those that best serve the composition, considering condition, thickness, frame size and the balance of the whole. The client may indicate flowers they would like included, without guarantee that it will be possible. Additional elements the client wants in the frame (invitation, vows, ribbons, a photograph, jewellery, letters) must arrive together with the flowers, in a sealed bag, with a list of what is sent. They have no additional cost. Their inclusion depends on technical feasibility and available space. Items of material value (jewellery, medals) travel at the client's own risk. Unused flowers and elements are not returned, unless the client requests it in writing when delivering the flowers. In that case they are kept until the finished piece is delivered.
9. Composition, approval and changes
Before gluing and sealing, we send the client photographs of the composition with the flowers laid out on the chosen background. The client has 72 hours to approve or request adjustments. Reasonable adjustments to the layout (moving, swapping or removing elements) are included. Requests that mean redoing the composition from scratch, changing the background or frame size after approval, or several rounds of changes may carry an additional cost and extend the timeline, which we communicate before proceeding. The final composition may differ slightly from the photographs, because flowers settle differently when glued and sealed. If there is no reply within 72 hours, we contact the client again. If after 30 days there is still no reply, we proceed with the proposed composition, so as not to block the studio or leave the flowers exposed. Once sealed, the piece cannot be changed.
10. Frames, glass and materials
Frames are handmade, with wood and conservation-grade materials. Being natural and made in small batches, the colour and grain of the wood may vary slightly between pieces and from the photographs on the website. If a chosen material becomes unavailable, we propose an equivalent alternative before proceeding. Anti-UV museum glass is a paid option, chosen by the client at booking or up to the composition stage. Without it, the frame has standard glass. No glass fully prevents the natural evolution of colours over the years.
11. Delivery of the finished piece
The piece may be picked up in person in Coimbra or shipped by post or courier, with tracking, to the address given by the client. Shipping costs are borne by the client and are communicated before the 3rd payment stage. We ship worldwide; customs duties outside the European Union are borne by the recipient. We pack every piece with care and the experience of many shipments. From the moment the piece is handed to the carrier, the risk of loss or damage passes to the client, as provided by law. At the client's request, and at additional cost, shipping can be insured. The piece is only shipped or handed over after full payment. A finished piece whose final payment or pick-up does not happen within 6 months of our notice becomes available to Flores à Beira-Rio, with no refund of amounts paid.
12. Damage, complaints and warranty
If the piece arrives damaged, the client must contact us within 7 days of receipt, with photographs of the piece and the packaging, and keep the original packaging for the carrier's assessment. We resolve each case individually: repair, replacement of the frame or glass, or another agreed solution. Pieces are covered by the legal consumer-goods warranty for manufacturing defects in the frame, glass and sealing. The natural changes in the flowers described in clause 7, normal wear, and damage from poor care (direct sun, humidity, heat, falls) are not covered.
13. Cancellations, rescheduling and refunds
By the client, before the flowers arrive: the deposit (1st stage) is non-refundable, because it reserves a place that was no longer available to others. If the event is postponed, the deposit may be transferred once to the new date, up to 24 months after the original date, subject to availability. By the client, after the flowers arrive: stages already paid are non-refundable, because the work and materials have already been applied. What has not yet been paid is not requested, except for costs already incurred on client-specific materials (ordered frame, photo printing). By Flores à Beira-Rio: if we cannot carry out the service for reasons attributable to us, we refund all amounts paid in full. If the flowers arrive unfit for preservation, clause 6 applies.
14. Right of withdrawal
Flores à Beira-Rio frames and pieces are made to measure, with each client's flowers and choices. Therefore, under article 17(1)(c) of Portuguese Decree-Law 24/2014, the 14-day right of withdrawal for distance purchases does not apply. By paying the deposit, the client acknowledges that the service is personalised and that this right does not apply.
15. Gift vouchers
Gift vouchers are valid for 2 years from the date of issue and are intended for a preservation, framing or recreation order. The voucher amount is deducted from the quote. If the quote is higher, the beneficiary pays the difference in one go, when the booking is confirmed, instead of the three stages. If it is lower, the remainder may go towards extras in that order but is not refunded in cash. A voucher is not refundable or convertible into cash, and an expired voucher is not extended. The voucher is credit: the preservation choices (size, background, extras, composition approval) belong to whoever makes the preservation booking with the voucher code, normally the recipient. If the person who gave the voucher prefers to handle everything as a surprise, that person makes the preservation booking and becomes the client. Physical delivery of the voucher has the cost stated on the website. A booking made with a voucher follows the same Terms, including the booking request and the priority by event date.
16. Caring for the piece
To last for decades, the piece should be kept away from direct sunlight, humidity (bathrooms, kitchens, cold walls) and heat sources. Clean the glass with a soft, dry cloth, without chemicals or sprays. The piece is delivered with care instructions, which form part of these Terms.
17. Photographs, portfolio and copyright
The pieces we create and the photographs we take of them, during and at the end of the process, are the work and property of Flores à Beira-Rio. We may use them on the website, on social media, in exhibitions and in promotional materials, without identifying the client: no name, date or venue. If the piece includes elements that identify people, such as a portrait or names, those elements are not published without the client's authorisation. All website content, including texts, photographs and compositions, is the property of Flores à Beira-Rio and may not be reproduced without permission.
18. Personal data
We process the client's personal data to carry out the order, communicate about it, invoice and meet legal obligations, in accordance with the GDPR. The details (data collected, retention periods, data-subject rights and contacts) are in the Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Completed orders are kept for 10 years under tax obligations.
19. Liability
The client acknowledges that the flowers are irreplaceable and that no compensation can restore their emotional value. Therefore, and without prejudice to the rights the law grants consumers that cannot be waived, the liability of Flores à Beira-Rio for any matter related to the order is limited to the amount actually paid by the client for that order. We are not liable for damage caused by third parties (carriers, printing suppliers) or resulting from incorrect information given by the client (address, contacts, dates).
20. Force majeure
Neither party is liable for non-performance or delay caused by events beyond their reasonable control: fires, floods, storms, prolonged power failures, transport strikes, epidemics, serious illness or other unforeseeable events. In such cases, deadlines are suspended for the duration of the impediment and the parties seek a solution in good faith, including rescheduling.
21. Communication
We communicate through the channel chosen in the form (WhatsApp or e-mail) and reply on working days. Requests that affect the order (changes of choices, cancellations, rescheduling, address changes) must be made in writing, so they are on record. Messages sent to the contact provided by the client are deemed received.
22. Governing law and dispute resolution
These Terms are governed by Portuguese law. In the event of a consumer dispute, the client may turn to the alternative dispute resolution body competent for Coimbra, the Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo do Distrito de Coimbra (CACCDC, www.centrodearbitragemdecoimbra.com), or another body listed on the Portuguese Consumer Portal (www.consumidor.gov.pt).
23. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms at any time. Each version has a number and date. Each order is governed by the version in force on the date of the booking request, which is recorded together with the request.
Version 2.0, September 2026