flower power :: we love carnations

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Carnations have gotten a bad reputation over the years. These hardy little flowers can come in all sizes and colors. They are simple, but can be used very creatively. The trick is not mixing a sprig of baby’s breath and a fern stem (circa 1980).

Take a look at this lovely bouquet we created for last year’s Super Bride Sunday show ….

SO many brides picked this bouquet up not even realizing that it was mostly comprised of carnations. Mixing tulips around at the edge gave it a really interesting touch.

Need to fill up some serious space? How about using carnations for your wedding cake, like seen above? Those are A LOT of flowers and traditionally carnations can be budget friendly.

I adore the bouquet on the right. GREAT use of variations of colors to create a soft bouquet that can give almost a “peonies” look.

photos: planning…forever events, manolo brides and wedding bee

do not box in your wedding florist :: part two

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Part Two of our “don’t box us in” five part series about your wedding vendors!

Choosing your design and decor is one of the most popular and fun tasks a bride can do for her wedding. Scouring through magazines, online photos and speaking with your friends is all part of the process.

So when the design/decor meeting happens with a wedding designer (we offer this service) and/or florist, brides can have some very specific ideas about the types of flowers and overall design concepts. This is great, because then we can know what to offer you and collaborate on creative concepts!

Tips for the best outcome working with your wedding designer/florist:

1. Do not be OVERLY picky/stringent on all your flowers. We want to be sure your favorites are in your bouquet. But flowers are living things and sometimes, during the shipping process, the flowers wilt or are not sturdy enough to put into a bride’s bouquet. Allow your florist some flexibility to do his/her job to make some subtle substitutions so the integrity of your personal flowers achieve the best results.

2. Listen to their advice on using certain flowers during certain seasons. For instance, August in our area is oppressively hot. We refuse to use some delicate flowers such as stephanotis during this month. It’s an expensive flower, we could make money. But a flower wilting on a groom’s jacket 2 hours into the wedding day is not worth it. So listen to your florist’s expertise.

3. Allow for some subtle changes to room design. We can develop strategies, draw, and prototype designs, but sometimes changes have to be made during implementation. It’s the nature of the beast. As long as the end-result is beautiful, no one but you and your designer will know.

Trust your florist/designer.

featured photo credit: pfe iPhone

Tomorrow, part 3 of this “don’t box us in” vendor series …

plan on!

 

 

your personal wedding flowers

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It’s typically hot here in the Midwest this month and next and when extreme humidity temperatures you have to be extra careful to take care of your personal wedding flowers. Here are a few hints:

1. Make sure your flower is a hardy enough to stand up to extreme heats. Orchids thrive in our humid environment, but some bride’s will shy away because of their costs. Talk to your florist and be open minded to different flowers that will last from morning until the pictures are done.

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2. Ask your florist to deliver in vases with water. Not all of them do it. Even if you have to run out to the Dollar Store and get some cheap vases, it is well worth your investment. You’ll want to put the flowers in the water in between photos and store them in a cool place. Make sure you bring a towel to dry off the stems (or your wedding planner will have one).

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3. The beauty of vases also keeps the bouquet upright and safe. This past weekend one of our brides had lilies in her bouquet but one of the blooms may have been pressed up against her and it was HOT in the limo. We pulled that one bloom out of the bouquet because it wilted. So keeping your bouquet in a vase is much better than laying it on it’s side.

4. Don’t pin the boutonnières on the little boys in the wedding party until the last minute.

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5. Remind the groomsmen that when they take off their jackets to make sure their boutonnières are on the outside instead of being folded in.

Remember that flowers are living, organic things….and sometimes they don’t hold up to our expectations. Sometimes florists get a bad flower batch shipped in but don’t realize it until it’s too late. But that is also the beauty of nature, sometimes imperfect….but beautiful in it’s natural state.

real wedding

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Beautiful decor!

wolfe

plan on!