We had a wedding flower sample meeting this week, (yikes...yes, a little over 1 week before the wedding is cutting it way too close). The bride along with her friend, (my friend too!), brought some very inspiring ideas to the meeting. We all collaborated on a flower plan, right down to every single flower.
The centerpieces for this tropical wedding are so cool, I will be sending pictures to a magazine for publication.
At my sample wedding flower meetings, we explore different flower varieties in person, and then at a later date we may have actual flower samples of bouquets, centerpieces, etc. The sample meeting is sometimes not necessary but is beneficial for medium to large weddings, or if a Bride has not made up her mind yet.
The sample meeting for a medium or large wedding helps save costs because ordering is then very precise but most importantly the Bride will see exactly what everything will look like. No flower surprises for my all-ready nervous Brides. For example, those lovely Pink Bom Dendrobium orchids that we admired pictures of...are actually coming in purple instead of hot pink.
Aloha,
Theresa
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( 0 / 0 )This entry has been updated. Original post from March, 2007
Direct Flower Shippers such as Pro Flowers will collect your flower order online and drop ship your order using FedEx or UPS.
I used to have a blog link and a YouTube video link from a florist located in Butler, PA, who placed a test order with Pro Flowers. The video showed the florist unpacking frozen roses. This controversial video has since been removed from YouTube by the florist.
In light of this recent event, here are some things to consider when ordering flowers:
Order from on online wholesaler, and your flowers will be delivered by a carrier such as FedEx, UPS, etc. In the winter, their trucks are not heated, and your flowers will be subjected to extreme cold temperatures. In the summer, they will not be kept cool. Will you be there to accept shipment when they arrive? Are you willing to hydrate the flowers by cutting the stems with a sharp knife? If they arrive in poor condition, will you have time to order replacement flowers?
By shopping for flowers locally, not only will your community benefit, but your local florist will go to great lengths to make sure your flowers are fresh and properly cared for.
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( 3 / 54 )Here are two photo's from the Orchid Show held at Franklin Park Conservatory, 2008, (just a small sample of the entries)..enjoy!
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( 2.6 / 12 )Who should get a corsage, boutonniere or bouquet? Here is a typical list, but with today's wedding, you can choose whomever you wish to honor.
Boutonnieres:
Groom
Best Man
Groomsmen
Ring Bearer
Ushers
Fathers, Grandfathers
Great Grandfathers
Corsages:
Mothers, Grandmothers
Great Grandmothers
Common other: Pastor (or ceremony officiant), guest book attendant, door greeter, special friend (someone you are having seated in the honored guest seating at the wedding, usually the first row or two at the ceremony), and ceremony participants such as readers, singers, musicians.
Less common: Aunts and Uncles (you have to draw the line somewhere!).
For the Bride and her attendants, Bouquets:
Bride
Maid of Honor, or Matron of Honor
Bridesmaids
Junior Bridesmaids
Flower Girls (common choices: Basket, posy, pomander, wristlet, garland, hair flowers, dress/body flowers)
Pinning on boutonniere's and corsages is time consuming and can sometimes be just plain chaotic.
The person handing out corsages (like me for instance) does not know Aunt Fran from Grannie Grace. Which for me is embarrasing, because even though I am at the church or wedding location delivering flowers, I have been asked to stay and distribute them. So, how to avoid the confusion?
I recently attended a wedding where the florist was standing by a close family member near the entry to the church sanctuary. As the guests of honor were entering the church, they were given their corsage or boutonniere, and help was provided to pin it on. This was a very classy way to pass out the flowers and will suggest this method from now on, and share it here too. The only downfall of this method, is if you have honored guests arriving early to be photographed, you will need to have their flowers pinned on beforehand.
If your florist does not provide this service, you can ask a family member to pin the flowers on arriving guests.
A hint: make sure the person passing out flowers knows how to pin on flowers. An alternative to pinning flowers, are the new corsage magnets, or pocket squares for men. Also, wristlets or posy's (a small bouquet), are nice alternatives to corsages.
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( 3 / 124 )Each bride has a vision and budget for her dream wedding and it is up to me, and any professional floral designer, to LISTEN to the bride. My wedding flower inspiration comes from - my brides. Yes, I am very possessive, as each wedding and bride is very dear to me. Listening to the bride preferably in person, is of the utmost importance to learn what the bride actually wants.
Here are a few of my wedding flower considerations when thinking about a brides wedding flowers; I hope this inspires you, and your wedding flowers:
Often, the bride has selected her dress and the bridesmaid's dresses before our flower consultation. It is important for me to see pictures, (sometimes an online link), of these dresses to get a feeling of the bride's initial style and color choices. The dress pictures and fabric swatches help to determine the finishing bouquet touches such as a fabric collar or lace, and ribbon selection.
Venue, or location, is also an important style choice. Is the wedding in a church, outside near a lake, a posh venue, park, restaurant, conservatory, destination, ah, the list is quite extensive.
Vendor selection such as entertainment and catering, can also give a clue to a wedding theme. Will there be a harpist, DJ, brass band, piano?
I use a 2 page questionaire and a 2 page schedule of flowers during the consultation. Sometimes we will arrange to go shopping for wedding accessories or to pick out flowers. This is a great time for me to get to know the bride, and sometimes the bride's family members or friends.
Email is a wonderful way to keep in touch with a busy bride. Often the bride will send ideas through email and we can easily discuss them.
To keep current with new ideas, I read Bridal magazines and Florist magazines and books and belong to an online professional florist group. My favorite magazines for weddings are: "Wedding Flowers", published in the UK (www.wedding-magazine.co.uk) and "The Bride & Bloom" (www.thebrideandbloom.com).
I use my background in Architecture to help discover what the Bride would like from her wedding, sometimes drawing sketches, as if I were designing a house for her.
To get to the heart of a wedding design, I listen to the Bride.
Here's to many beautifully inspired weddings!
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