Doing Your Own Flowers --?
kcapellan
are about doing their own flowers.
Do you think the factors of not enough time
or confidence in putting them together
always outweigh the cost savings?
Do shows and magazines like Martha Stewart
inspire you to do your own flowers?
How about the ability to attain flowers at
a reasonable cost?
Kimberly
kimb...@romanticflowers.com
www.romanticflowers.com
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razmyth
I did my own flowers for the bouquets, the toss bouquet, the wedding cake,
the wedding arches, corsages, boutonnieres and small bunches for vases on
the dinner tables.
I bought a lot of flowers at dollar stores, zellers, k-mart, white rose and
michael's, but the majority of the flowers I bought came from a warehouse
depot in Manitoba, Canada. Their prices were very cheap (e.g. 99 cents for
a bunch of roses that in the store would have cost me 5.99!) and because
i'm in Ontario there was no provincial sales tax charged to us, which when
you're buying 200 dollars of stuff amounts to about 16 dollars saved :)
The only advice I can give to you is:
- Start early.
- Buy a book with directions on how to make a bouquet (michael's have a good
selection)
And most important:
- When you find the kind of flower you like buy as much as you can, even
though you think it's way too much, because when you go back to get more,
they will be gone!
We've run out of flowers several times and thank god for that warehouse
depot in Manitoba, because the main colour we kept looking for was purple
and they had a gorgeous royal purple and they also had tons of them!!!
I'm very pleased with the results we achieved, I get a bouquet that I
absolutely love and I can say that I made it myself. When you weigh that
against the cost of real flowers, you can't have as many, and you don't get
to see them until the day of the wedding. I've heard way too many people
were dissapointed with their real flowers so here I am with flowers I love
and I can keep them forever!
Carol to wed Roger on July 31st!!!!
kcapellan wrote in message ...
Ariane Jenkins
<kimb...@romanticflowers.com> wrote:
>I am wondering what people's feelings
>are about doing their own flowers.
>
>Do you think the factors of not enough time
>or confidence in putting them together
>always outweigh the cost savings?
It depends on a lot of factors. First, the kind of effect you
want is important. Unless you're a florist or have a lot of
experience in arranging flowers on a large scale, you're not going to
be able to achieve the same effect as a profressional florist might,
and that's reality. But, if you want something relatively simple,
that is doable. The chapel we were married in was already so
beautiful, it only required some simple arrangements--two crystal
vases of ivory and mauve roses, with greens and babies' breath. My
mother, who had taken flower arranging classes, did that the night
before. The corsages and boutonnieres were harder, and if I could do
it again, I might choose to have a florist do it, just to save me from
the hassle. But then, none of the people helping had ever made any
before, and all we had to go on was a book and our own imaginations.
They turned out okay, but were very simple--a single rosebud, with
greens and babies' breath.
It also depends on how much help you have. You'll need people
to organize, help with arranging, and to help with storing and
transport of the flowers to the church. The flowers will need to be
done a day before the wedding, and then kept in a cool, dark place.
Preferably a fridge, if you can find the room.
And it also depends on what SOURCE you find for the
flowers. Local wholesale florists might be the way to go if you can
find one. I've heard some good things about markets as sources of
fresh flowers. I went with an online wholesaler out of California,
whose quality was good but the shipping costs were high as it had to
be shipped overnight.
But I don't regret deciding to do the flowers ourselves. They
turned out just fine, and the overall cost was about $100 for two
arrangements, a single bud for each bridesmaid (four of them) 2
corsages, and five boutonnieres. My husband ordered and paid for my
bouquet, and it cost $50 from a local florist--peach roses, white
lilies, chrysanthamums and other flowers I can't identify. So I guess
the total cost was about $150 for everything, and we reused the
arrangements for the reception.
>Do shows and magazines like Martha Stewart
>inspire you to do your own flowers?
Sort of. Not so much Martha Stewart as Christopher Lowell's
_Interior Motives_ show on the Discovery Channel, books at the
library, etc. Most shows and magazines have pictures of huge
bouquets and arrangements that I considered ugly or unrealistic in
terms of doing it ourselves.
>How about the ability to attain flowers at
>a reasonable cost?
>
Probably your toughest challenge. Shop around as early as
possible. We almost changed our minds when it came to shipping costs
being so high, but we figured it would stil be cheaper than ordering
arrangements from a florist. And we couldn't find a local wholesaler.
Ariane
Carol Watters
out. She was doing them at a smidgen above wholesale. The next cheapest
route was to do my own. I got them done in about a week. I bought a
book, found styles I liked, then I went around and found Wal-mart had
the best prices and started making the flowers --modifying to fit
availability and creative whims.
carol
kcapellan wrote:
> I am wondering what people's feelings
> are about doing their own flowers.
>
> Do you think the factors of not enough time
> or confidence in putting them together
> always outweigh the cost savings?
>
> Do shows and magazines like Martha Stewart
> inspire you to do your own flowers?
>
> How about the ability to attain flowers at
> a reasonable cost?
>
Liz & Donny
I did it with the help of my mother. We were quoted (IMO) insane prices
for what I thought was a pared-down list of what we wanted. We ended up
"saving" about $2,000 in the long run, and had even more flowers than
expected.
I make an arrangement for our home every couple of weeks, and often make
them for friends and family members. It's a lot of fun.My mom also took
a class in floral design so she was able to help out a great deal. I
have some info that may be of use to you- I've been (slowly) working on
a DIY Flower FAQ. Here's what I have so far:
CHOOSING A BOUQUET STYLE:
You do not want your bouquet to be too big or too small for your
frame. To determine what size will look best,
cut various sized 9in, 12in, and 16in circles out of a newspaper.
Hold them in front of you, one at a time, and
have a friend take a polaroid of each. Save the circle that suits
your size best. (You can do the same with silk
flowers if you have enough around. Someone I know used plastic
grocery bags stuffed inside a single bag to
determine the size she wanted.) A petite person may look better with
a smaller, round bouquet and a taller or
larger person can "get away" with a bigger bouquet and/or long
cascade.
If your dress is very elaborate, you may want to keep the flowers
(like your other accessories) simple. If your
dress is simpler, your bouquet can be fancier or funkier without
"competing" with the gown. Leaf through some
bridal magazines, and cut out pictures of bouquet styles you like.
Keep track of them in a notebook. Compare
them to the style of your dress.
ARRANGING FLOWERS IN CONTAINERS:
Overall, you want to create a balance of color, texture, and size.
It's best to work with odd numbers of flowers,
and space them with filler, greens, and/or complimentary colors. If
it's a monochromatic and design, and you're
working with one type of flower, this doesn't apply.
1.To arrange flowers in a container with a narrow neck, first weave
the flowers in your fingers as you want them
to appear in the container. Then, when you've carefully removed your
fingers from the woven stems, the flowers
will stay in place in the vase. Before putting them in the vase,
however, cut all the stems the same length. You
can adjust and arrange the heights when they're in the container.
2. To arrange flowers in a container with a wide opening, first place
strips of transparent tape over the opening
in a grid pattern. This will hold the stems upright, and as you add
more flowers, they will hide the tape.
CREATING A HAND TIED BOUQUET:
1.Lay flowers on a table in bunches in the order they will be used.
2.Holding the first stem vertically in one hand, between your thumb
and index finger (and other fingers), add the
remainder of the stems, one at a time in a clockwise or
counter-clockwise direction. NOTE: It doesn't matter if
you choose clockwise or counterclockwise, but once you do, continue
in the same direction.
3.Clip the stems at an angle as you go.
4. After you have made one pass-through with one of each type of
flower, begin again but at a 45-degree
angle, laying the stems against each other (do not cross) and
continuing in the same direction.
5.Twist in hand and continue each layer until you are satisfied with
the size of the bouquet.
6.When finished, twist floral wire tightly around the middle where
the stems cross. Twist around several times.
7. Pull the wire up through the middle of the stems and tie in a
knot.
Lay bouquet down on tabletop to make sure that your cut is going
straight across. 8.To ensure that the
bouquet will stand better, cut the center stems shorter than the
outer ones.
9.Stand up the bouquet up and spread it out with your fingers.
10. Use floral tubes on the ends of all of the stems if possible, and
remove the tubes just before the bouquet is
needed.
CREATING BOUTONIERES:
Trim the "main" flower (rose, lilly, etc.) to a 2.5-3 inch stem.
Arrange a bit of greenery (fern, ivy, etc.) and filler
(baby's breath, lilly of the valley, etc.) together. Starting at the
base of the stems, wrap them together snugly
with floral tape, overlapping as you work your way up. Work your way
back down again and repeat until the
stems are wrapped well enough to hold up. Tie a bow of thin ribbon
near the blossoms.
Do I have to use fresh flowers? Aren't they more expensive than silk
ones?
No, and not necessarily. Realistic and well-made silks can cost much
more per stem than real. You will save the
costs of the florist's labor and other fees either way. Silk flowers
can be arranged ahead of time and can be kept
easily after the wedding.
I'm not very creative. Can I really do this myself?
I won't lie, it's not completely easy, even for a creative person.
Recruit a few creative friends/family members,
and/or take a floral design class at your local college. Do trial
runs and experiment with different flowers and
styles. Keep it as simple as possible- A tight bundle of flowers or a
hand-tied bouquet can be a great deal easier
to manage than an elaborate, carefully arranged bouquet, but just as
elegant and beautiful! Follow simple
designs that you find in magazines.
I'm having trouble finding flowers to match my "colors". What can I
do?
Sorry, most florists don't carry "Dyeables" flowers! (Well, there are
carnations, but...) Not only is it sometimes
difficult to match exact colors, it doesn't always look as great as
you might imagine! The texture, color, and
beauty of the flowers can get "lost" if there aren't other colors to
compliment them. Instead of choosing a few
colors you like, choose a range of complimentary colors that will
work together. For example, you might not be
able to "match" an exact shade of purple, but you can find a deep
blue and lavender (maybe even a smidge of
yellow!) that will look stunning against a purple backdrop.
What are some ways to cut costs? I have a budget of $100!
That's not bad at all. Some suppliers offer packages that come out to
about $1 per flower stem, including all of
the greens and filler you'll need. You can also purchase flowers the
day of the wedding at a local farmer's
market, toss them and vases, and voila! Centerpieces! A single rose
tied with a pretty ribbon can be a very
elegant and inexpensive way to go.
SELECTING THE RIGHT FLOWERS:
Start with the seasonal availability. While you may adore a specific
lilly, it may be impossible to find or extremely
expensive during certain months. Some flowers can be grown in
different regions year-round, and are always
available. Check out 2G Roses Seasonal List.
(http://www.freshroses.com) .
In a bouquet, you may want the simple elegance of using all one type
of flower (roses, for example) and/or all
one color to work with the colors you've selected for the wedding.
Or, you may prefer to choose a variety of
blooms that will compliment eachother. As you look for bouquet
styles, keep an eye out for color combinations
that you like. Notice the texture of different flowers and how they
work together. You want to create a balance
in the bouquet of color and texture so the flowers compliment
eachother.
Do a trial run with fresh or silk flowers. Just pick some you like,
and play around with them until you find a
combination that looks nice-- You may even want to follow a design
you see in a magazine.
Keep in mind that some flowers (like Gardenias) have a lovely but
veeerrry strong scent, and may irritate the
persons wearing or holding them.
PREPPING FLOWERS:
1. Always cut flower stems as soon as you get them home; then put
flowers in a bucket of warm water and let
them sit for two or three hours. This opens the capillaries so the
water can flow to the flower heads.
2. Make sure the container is clean.
3. Cut at an angle about an inch off the stems.
4. Cut stems under water to prevent air bubbles from sealing off the
openings.
5. Use a sharp tool like a knife to cut stems.
6. Feed your flowers. Fill the container with warm water, and add
commercial flower food. Some people swear
by a mixture of 7-up and water or an aspirin... Flowers need acid to
balance the PH, sugar for food, and bleach
as a cleansing agent to get rid of bacteria. While 7-up contains acid
and sugar, and aspirin has acid, neither
contain bleach or the exact proportions recommended.
7. Place your flowers in a spot that's not too hot, cold or drafty.
8. Keep flowers fresh in the day or two before the wedding. Remove
leaves and petals that fall in, and change
water that looks cloudy.
You will also need to "strip" roses of their thorns- Be sure you wear
gloves when working with flowers.
anon...@web.remarq.com
>are about doing their own flowers.
>Do you think the factors of not enough time or confidence
>in putting them together
>always outweigh the cost savings?
i don't want to say yes to this, since i'm sure that just
like bridal shops that charge you twice what the dress is
worth just to do the bustle, there are florists who decide
that since the bride is in a rush, they can charge her
whatever they want. i've planned to do the flowers myself
from the start because i enjoy doing them... the cost
savings is secondary.
>Do shows and magazines like Martha Stewart inspire you to
>do your own flowers?
martha stewart doesn't because i don't really like her
arrangements... the ones that get me are the do-it-yourself
books you find in michael's and wal-mart. i look at those
for the basics on what to do, then make it up as i go along.
>How about the ability to attain flowers at a reasonable
>cost?
i'm either going through the florist buyer at my work, or
through 2G roses. i haven't checked out which will be
better yet.
jen (& jeff)
9/19/99
red meat isn't bad for you... fuzzy blue-green meat is bad
for you
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