And I say Part 1 because I could write a whole book on wedding flowers, so I'll try to make this post as specific as possible so it doesn't go on FOREVER.
One of the monumental events of your life is your wedding day. It's something I've been dreaming about since I got my first Barbie....though my mom would never buy me a Ken. Luckily for me, it just made Barbie's life more compelling. Well, now, on top of our life-long daydreams, we've got the greatest, but worst website - Pinterest. You gather so many ideas of exactly how you want it to be... until you see the bill.
According to TheKnot.com, the average cost of a wedding is
$27,000 in the US. Bear in mind that the average cost is for an average wedding. Not that one that you were dreaming of, the one you've been pinning about. If you plan, prioritize, and plan some more, you can still stay in a decent budget, but have a bitchin wedding.
FLORIST TIP: PLEASE make an appointment if you are coming in for a wedding! As with most wedding vendors, they prefer you to
set an appointment so we can put some time aside to work on your dream day. On average, I would say a wedding consultation lasts a minimum of 30 minutes. I've actually had consultations last up to 2 freakin hours...
but who am I to complain.. haha
If you come unannounced, you will most likely run into a flustered florist, trying to juggle things around to work with you, while running their shop, and won't exactly be in the greatest mood to see you. If you call in, we can have an idea of what you're looking for, so you won't be overwhelmed with all the options you didn't even imagine having... and you end up blowing your budget.
So let's start off with your bouquet. There's an infinite amount of ideas you can do with your bouquet. You can get them in any color and shape. That being said, PLEASE do some research before you come to a florist! Figure out a ballpark idea of what you'd like, and we can be your best friend.
Let's start out deciding what shape you want your bouquet to be.
The most common, is the
Round Shaped bouquet. It's typically arranged in a round shape that is tied at the stems. This type can definitely the most versatile and comes in many variations. Some of the variations of a hand tied are a Round shape, Hand-Tied, Posy, and Nosegay.
If you were looking for a bit of a more traditional look with the round shaped bouquet, then have the flowers bunched tighter, using one type of flower. Using one flower lets you focus on the beauty of that particular flower, but doesn't take too much attention away from the actual bride. To spruce up a traditional round shaped bouquet is to add brooches. You can either add them to the handle of the bouquet, or in between the flowers.
The more modern look is going to have more color and flower variations. If you do different shades of one color, it can give your bouquet so much more dimension. Not only would it be cheaper to have a bit of variation in your bouquet, color-wise, but it really does take the look up a notch.
A very popular trend is having pops of green to give it more of a modern and clean look. Looping bear grass in between flowers (like in the bouquet on the right) makes the arrangement look expensive without having to spend a lot of money. Also, another 'green' trend is to add succulents - which I LOVE. Adding succulents is going to be more expensive, because they are actually plants, so it takes more work to get them in your bouquet, but it will give you such a unique look, that will be leaving others green with envy. (haha corny.. I know)
Next we'll talk about
Cascading bouquets. It's a very elegant style that fits an ultra-formal setting. That being said, you're going to pay a bit of a heftier price for that elegance. They take a lot more time and labor to assemble, so that's really what you're paying for.
Cascading bouquets are typically on the larger side and very heavy. I made one for my friend's wedding and she's so tiny! Everything would look big with her unless she wanted a Kate-Middleton sized cascading bouquet. She had a little trouble holding it, but it was dramatic and well worth the extra muscle work.
So if you are a very petite bride, I would suggest a very simple cascading bouquet, so it doesn't become overpowering.
I'll mention 2 other types of bouquets because even though they aren't typically used for the bride, they are common for other people in the wedding party. First is
Pomander, a cluster of flowers arranged in a ball, using an Oasis foam ball and held by a ribbon handle. These are more for younger attendants in your wedding party, such as junior bridesmaids or flower girls. It's a great alternative for flower girls opposed to having them throw petals.
The other type of bouquet is the
Pageant Style - Flowers arranged to be cradled in your arm. If you do like this style, I would suggest it for the bridesmaids bouquet, so it would differentiate from the brides bouquet. This is for flowers that have beautiful stems, such as calla lilies or flowers that are more of a stem full of blooms such as stock or orchids. The pageant style is really good for your budget because you wouldn't need as many flowers and it takes the least amount of labor.
Haha so
NO JOKE, I spent the whole work day writing about
shapes of bridal bouquets... I'll definitely finish bridal bouquets tomorrow!
