Hello!!!
I know, it's been so long, I have almost forgotten what a blog is!!
I really have missed my dear little blog, my little space on this vast world wide web...
I've missed your friendly comments too.
It's been school holidays here for three weeks. Schools went back yesterday.
Life was pretty hectic during those 3 weeks. I had a big wholesale order to fulfill (am so upset, took tons of photos of all my hard work and accidentally deleted them all off my camera.) I had done 10 crocheted dish cloths, 6 crocheted pin cushions, 10 crocheted photo frames and 100 embellished paper bags!
I also did all the flowers for my brother-in-law's wedding on the 7th July.
I have a new found respect for florists, wedding photographers and wedding planners...
It was not only doing the actual floral arrangements, jar for jar (90 of them) 13 corsages, 1 bridal bouquet, 5 bridesmaids bouquet and 1 bridal bouquet table arrangement, but it was the countless hours of googling, pinterest searching for DIY, traveling to the wholesale florist a week before to get a selection of the flowes we would eventually be ordering to practice with. Having my home consumed with jars of flowers while I practiced. Locating ribbon, trim, jars, containers, buckets, etc. Making a pinterest board for ideas, back and forth communication with the bride and finally buying the flowers and bringing them home on the Thursday 4th July and having a home FILLED with flowers, smelling heavenly...
I think it was only then, when I looked around and the over 100 bunches of flowers and foliage did I realize what a HUGE task lay before me and sheer panic over took me!!!
Here you can see (and this picture really doesn't do justice!) all the flowers standing in buckets , more were around the corner.
Empty box's piled everywhere that the flowers were transported in straight from the Wholesaler.
A table laden with just some of the jars..
After much begging and searching I eventually had over 90 Jars. They all went through the dishwasher, some needed scrapping and peeling off of labels...They all got a lace ribbon tied to them.
Then began the task of stripping the flowers and cutting them into different sizes. I found this to be the most tiring and time-consuming task.
I set up a system whereby I could put different sized stems into different buckets as I had different size jars to fill. I started this on the Thursday afternoon and worked through till midnight. By the end of day one, I had done 23 arrangements only.
Here is an example of what I mean...
sizing...
before and after stripping. You don't want any of the flowers or leaves to be in the water of the jar.
It was hard working with the tiny flowers, they got put into buckets of water until needed.
Love these mini daisies...
Here are some of the jars...
A bit of background about this wedding...The Bride's family is of scottish decent and they wanted a Scottish wedding. She wanted the flowers to portray the Scottish feel, wild flowers of the highlands type thing.
So there was a call for "wild" looking flowers, natural things that would grow in the fields, purple and blue...
Since this is not Scotland and we don't have Cornflowers (not in season) thistles or heather, we had to improvise. My mother in law paid for all the flowers, it was her gift and I arranged them all. I called for backup on the Friday and she came to do the unfortunate task of stripping the stems for me while I arranged.
Even my daughter got stuck in with the stripping of stems.
The funny thing is that when I thought "wild flowers" I thought, cool, that will be easy, just arrange an assorted mix and plonk them in a jar..ha ha!! Even a informal, natural, wild mix has to be arranged!
Friday started at 9am with the work and continued until 2am Saturday morning!
I stared on the bridal table arrangement.
For the container, I glue-gunned some sheer ribbon around it
This is what it looked like on the table at the venue.
I also glue-gunned some eucalyptus leaves and berries to the sides of the containers.
Saturday morning I got up early and began on the bridesmaids and maids of honor bouquets. (5 of them)
the Brides bouquet...
I wrapped stretchy lace around the stems (after the florist tape) and then secured it with pearl pins, Then it was two long ribbons - a satin one and a sheer one with a little charm that said "Unite"-quite fit for a wedding : uniting of two people in so many respects. On the bottom I put some lace around it.
the 13 corsages for the bridal party.
2 red roses for the mom's
I bought some food containers to store the corsages in. I ran the container under water, shook it out so that some drops were left and then put the corsage inside.
carnations for the men
And a red rose for the groom
Here are some photo's of the reception area and my flowers.
Tips I picked up for any DIY floral arrangements: (bride and person doing the flowers)
*If you are the bride, please do not do your own arrangements! It is stressful, tiring, time-cosuming, you will loose precious sleep and look terrible on your wedding day. Give the job to a trusted friend if you are going the DIY route.
*If you are the bride, Remember it is your wedding day and your likes and wants are what is most important! I went with the bride to the wholesaler Florist and she picked out all the things she wanted. Her colors were not my favorite colors and it took a lot for me to work with it and try and see past my own preferences.
*Make sure you know what the bride wants down to the last detail. Do sample arrangements beforehand and send her pictures or get her to come and view them. Discuss table arrangements. How will the flowers be arranged? How many Jars/vases per table? In a straight line? In clusters? The height? Any trimming needed or decorations on the vessels?
*Make sure you liaise with the person doing the table decorations-what is she having on the table? Can you work together to insure the decorations and the arrangements will work together and will there be enough space?
*See the venue beforehand, get a feel for the space, know how many tables you need to do arrangements for, how many per table, what about the bridal table? How many corsages will you be doing? Bridesmaids bouquets? What about arrangements for the entrance, the isles, the Arch (if there is one). Are their going to be flowers on the backs of the chairs? Will the cake table require an arrangement? Make sure you know exactly how many arrangements in total you are doing so that you can be sure to order the right amount.
*Keep her updated or whoever is paying for all of it, of all the costs. Everything adds up!
*Order
your flowers from the wholesaler florist 10 days before the wedding.
Collect them not more than 3 days before the wedding.
*Make sure you are buying good quality flowers, choose flowers with extra long stems-you can do the cutting back yourself.
*Buy
flowers preferably still closed. They will be open and fresh looking on
the wedding day. If you are not sure how long certain flowers take to
open or the length of their life, always ask the florist for advice.
*Leave
corsages and bridal bouquets until the day/night before the wedding.
These are the quickest to do but also the ones that are the most
fragile. The corsages need to last without water as they will most
probably be wrapped in florist tape and decorated. Unless you do that on
the day, you can leave them in about 1cm of water and do the decoration
of them at the last minute. (not recommended if you are part of the
bridal party or don't want to miss any of the action!)
*practice, practice and practice! Not only do you learn what works and doesn't
work, but you gain confidence in yourself and your abilities.
*Order a few extra bunches more than what you think you need. It is always better to have too many flowers than to look like it has been done on a meager budget.
*Remember you will need plenty of buckets or containers to store all the flowers. I bought 13 large buckets and 10 smaller ones and 5 tiny ones and guess what? I used them all.
*You will need lot's of space to store the flowers. Make sure you store them out of direct sunlight and in a cool environment: flowers fade quickly from heat and sunlight. As soon as you return from the florist, transfer them to water. Do not fill the buckets with too much water, you only need about 5-8cm of water for them to rest in.
*Get in reinforcements to strip stems, this is the most time consuming. While someone strips, you can arrange. Soon it will be running like a well-oiled machine!
*If they start to droop, boil your kettle and add a few teaspoons of sugar to the boiling water and put the stems into the solution straight away. You should see the stems start to perk up after a while (this was a tip straight from the Florist I bought the flowers from).
*Discuss transport arrangements beforehand with whomever is going to be helping you get all the arrangements from your home to the venue on the day. We transported the jars as is-each arrangement when into the jar with a little bit of water and then I put them into crates. I packed the crates so that the flowers were not squashed but would not fall over. When you get to the venue, just top up the water for each jar.
*Give yourself plenty of time before the wedding to get the arrangements there and set up. 2 hours should be fine.
*Don't forget to take lot's of photo's!
*Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do it, or that only a "professional" can do it.
*I agree, professionals have been doing it for much longer than you and are more experienced and knowledgeable and ultimately will probably do the job better, but if you are looking to save thousands, you have the time or the friend to help you and you know he or she can provide you with the look you want, then go for it.
*Do your research, find a wholesaler florist that sells directly to the public. This will cut out the middle man (the Florist) and save you a ton of cash.
You will need: a large table covered preferably with a wipe-able sheet or a disposable painting sheet will also work. (or an old table cloth); new cutting shears; buckets; florist tape; florist wire; a bin or packets in which to put all your trimmings as you work; pins, ribbons,patience; and lot's of coffee!
*Be prepared for a full day's work for at least 3 days in total. Be prepared for a sore back, standing long hours on your feet, stained hands and a lack of sleep.
*You will have fun and you will do a great job!
I will be back to post pictures of the actual wedding.
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