Choosing Wedding Flowers

I am getting married in June as well, in Canada. I have been told that Gerbera daisys are the most hardy and readily available flowers. You can get them in so many different colours and they last for a long time.

You can make an appointment to speak with a floral designer, usually at no charge. They will be able to tell you what flowers are more readily available, how well they will hold up through your big day and what they will cost. Talk with several different florists before committing to anything, as their prices can vary significantly.

Another option would be to talk with friends, neighbors, church folks, etc., to see if anyone has a flair for floral design. You might find out that someone you already know loves to arrange flowers and would be willing to do it for free if you purchase the flowers. Flowers can be purchased inexpensively at WalMart or Sam's the day before.

Something else to consider is using artificial flowers. Fresh are certainly the most favored, but sometimes you can have the look you want for a lot less if you use artificial flowers. When my daughters married, we used silk flowers that we selected at Michael's when they were on a 50% off sale, and they made custom arrangements to order from our selections. We were able to have them made several months before the big day, and that was one less thing to worry about last minute. The silk flowers also made nice thank-you presentations to those who helped us on the big day.

Start looking at ideas for flowers in a variety of places. Do your internet searches for bridal flowers, and go to the library to look through magazines and books there. You will get an idea of what you like and don't like, which will be very helpful for you when you speak with a floral designer.

Best wishes for you and your sweetheart!

Usually what kind of flowers is determined by the colors in your wedding party. You can choose flowers that come in the colors you want-anything except a true blue is available. Go to a flower shop and look in the FTD, and/ or Teleflora books. These will give you ideas. So will bridal books, magazines, etc. A skilled florist can make you whatever you see, in the colors you want and or the flowers you love. Any flower can be gotten at any time of the year, but some are much more expensive. Did you know the wholesale price of red roses doubles or triples at Valentine's Day? More traditional brides usually want roses in their bouquets, and lily of the valley is traditional, as is stephanotis. Mini-carnations, gerbera daisies, stargazer lilies, various mums-And someone posted something about gerberas not flopping. They absolutely do flop but they, as well as roses, should be wired so this won't happen. If you do go with silk flowers, the cost should be comparable to fresh altho the quality of silks can determine the cost. And, silks will be a permanent momento to keep.

Well, I've been married for over 30 years, and one thing that I remember very well about my cool September day wedding, was that my rose tips turned brown after a few hours! I've been to many wedding since, where live flowers of many different varieties were used, and many of them were brown and wilted after a few hours too! So, in my opinion, I would use silk flowers, and use good quality ones, that look life-like! It's really nice to be able to save your bouquet. After the wedding, your bouquet can be kept in a curio cabinet, or displayed on a shelf next to your wedding portrait. You can keep a centerpiece from your wedding on display in your home, reminding you of your special day. Other table centerpieces can be distributed to the parents of the bride and groom as a remembrance for them.

Do you have a Sam's Club or COSTCO in your area?? They have beautiful, inexpensive flowers and will pre-order for you so you just have to pick-up the day of wedding. As for table flowers, might consider dozen fresh roses in vase simply wrapped together with tulle bow and have it draped onto the tabletop.

Daisies are in season in June and usually very inexpensive. An easy way to change colors of daisies is to put them in water with food color in it (remember science class). Also, the cheapest way to do it is to look at what is growing wild around you and use wild flowers. One other idea is to do potted annuals. Wal-mart or places like that have their greenhouses open starting in early may here and you can get flats of annuals pretty cheap and do different pots up that you can then decorate your new home with or give at favors. Some impatients or pansies and ivy would look beautiful and come in many colors.

You don't say whether the wedding is indoors or outdoors, but I guess this will do for either. Find annuals in your colors. Pot them up in early April and feed them Miracle-Gro twice a week. Snip off the faded blooms at the same time you feed them. By June they will be pretty spectacular! Then just tie a bow made of tulle around each pot. Makes them look all dressed up.

jennifer

January 25, 20050 found this helpful

Thank you all for helping me I will look at all of the suggets my sister said to do silk i like silk they dont die thats good thak you very much

jennifer

What I meant about the floppy flowers is that the PETALS will wilt, not the actual plant. A Gerbera Daisy will probably not have wilted PETALS at the end of the day such as a tulip might. With gerbera daisies being so tall they usually come with the plastic sheath on the stem.

Hi Jennifer,
I don't know about flowers either except they are expensive. I went to a wedding that used large bows of fancy ribbon in their place. It was beautiful! I'm sure less expensive too. Craft stores often give free bow making classes. Congratulations!

Jennifer

January 25, 20050 found this helpful

Look into silk flowers! I still have my bouquet and his bootiner! Fifteen plus years! Special keepsakes.
If you aren't into making yourself ask friends and family then venture to outside help. You'd be surprised at how many talents are around you and wanting to help in this way for you beautiful day! Ask!
Best wishes June Bride! :)

Potted plants are a great alternative to silk flowers for centerpieces, etc. For my wedding last July, I bought three dozen pots of double impatiens from the local farmer's market for just $1 per pot! These look like miniature roses, but they're much easier to care for. Unfortunately, several of them had just shed their blooms on the wedding day and the new buds had not yet opened up--so several of the plants looked a little bit sparse. One way to deal with this problem might be to get more flowers than you think you'll need--it's still way cheaper than buying cut flowers, and you don't have to worry about how you'll keep them from wilting.