Flowers; How to Get the Look you Love

Let your personality shine!

Bridesmaids have a slightly toned down version

Helping a Bride select her flowers is one of my favorite parts of wedding planning. I love working with all that variety in greenery and flower types, and there are so many wonderful resources for inspiration, especially Pinterest, that allow brides to hone in on a design that reflects their own personal style.

Keeping things organized makes distribution easy

Though flowers are certainly NOT a requirement (one friend recently walked up the aisle carrying a few favorite books!) they add a gracious softness and a unifying element to the entire event. 

A limited palette is an elegant choice.

During the exploration phase, think about colors you love. As you view the photos, note whether you are drawn to open and loose bouquets, or more symmetrical versions. Do you want a variety of color or a more limited palette? Focus on your bouquet, and all the other arrangements can play off of that.

If you are hiring someone to do this work for you, they should be willing to give you a free consultation, and if they are a sole proprietor, get them to create a sample of their work using flowers that you prefer. Flowers can eat up the budget pretty quickly (figuring $100-$150 for your bouquet if you hire a florist), so determining ways to cut costs is really important if your budget is limited. 

Sample arrangements for the next Bride in our family

We were able to do all the flowers for Em's wedding for about $300. This included flowers from friend's gardens, borrowing some beautiful jars (remember if you ARE doing them yourselves that will be part of your cost). One friend borrowed teapots from friends and used flowers from her family garden. Keep your eyes open for beautiful FREE greens. We had five bouquets, two or three large arrangements, twelve small bottle arrangements, 10 or so quart sized jars, boutonnieres and corsages.....but doing the work ourselves really saved us. Doing the same thing through a typical florist would have cost around $1600.

Arranging Flowers by Martha Stewart is a great resource for creative ideas and floral how to's. You really CAN get a team of folks together to do this. Make it a party! And enjoy the fruits of your creativity!






 

Having a "particular set of skills"

I love Liam Neeson in just about any movie, but this line from the movie Taken is one of my favorites:

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career"

Emily's bouquet photo by warstoweddings.com

Have you ever thought about the fact that each one of us has a very particular set of skills; skills aquired perhaps over a long "career" of observation, trial and error, and experimentation? When these God given inclinations are nurtured and given the soil of encouragement, they flourish and grow and become our own "particular" way of loving and serving others. 

Lenten roses from the Richmond garden

I've always enjoyed flowers. My grandfather loved to grow tea roses, and my dad kept up the practice. There seemed to be fresh flowers on our table all summer long, and drinking in that heady scent was one of my childhood pleasures. My own gardens have helped to fill my home with little nosegays and bouquets that remind me of the beauty God creates.

When asked to create flowers for my daughter's friend's wedding, (lots of lavender roses I recall!) I jumped at the chance. My first foray into wedding flowers proved I had a LOT to learn. Who knew that the bride usually does not throw her own bouquet? I watched in horror as flowers went sailing out of my lovely arrangement, as single girls clamoured to catch what was left of the poor pathetic thing! This friend and her husband got a good laugh from it, as did I!, and they now run a thriving wedding photography firm,  elisabphotography.com

one of the arrangements I enjoyed making at TFC

Large arrangements became a fascination when a dear friend got me to join the flower guild. This wonderful mentor taught me the little details of  creating a large arrangement, and coached me along until she thought I was ready to go solo. I must say I got so much pleasure out of those quiet mornings in the musty old historic church, polishing the silver, and laying out the flowers, often with the organist rehearsing. For several years I served in this way, and learned so much, developing my very own "particular set of skills".

One of many table arrangements for E&E photo by elisab

When it came time to create flower arrangements for Emily's wedding, I was ready and happy to dive in. And I had wonderful friends and family who helped, as well. How fun to find out that those unique skills and interests I had  been developing over time would allow me to bless the people I love so much!  Here's hoping you are using your particular skills to do the same thing, whatever those skills may be. 

Flowers express so much personality!

Later this week I will post how we made the decisions and organized the work of crafting so many luscious displays of the work of our Master Gardener.