Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

Wedding Flowers – Succulents and Flowers Intertwined

Looking for something different for our brides, we reached out to the West Coast and found this wonderfully different use of succulent flowers beautifully intertwined with the more “normal” flowers often found in weddings. The floral designer is Heavenly Blooms …and they are.

The choice of flowers had much to do with the brides name in Spanish meaning “white flower.” For the ceremony decor, Heavenly Blooms used a clean and modern collection of vases filled with stems of white hydrangea. They placed some of the vases on rustic wine barrels to complete the look, and incorporated white pomanders and large succulent blooms into the design. (more…)

Wedding Trends – Elegant Wedding Receptions’ Colors Punch

Spring is beginning to blossom everywhere and all the designers at StrictlyWeddings.com Chicago’s partner Heffernan Morgan Ronsley are inspired by the beauty of spring. This year, Heffernan Morgan Ronsley is infusing simple and clean spaces for their Chicago wedding receptions with punctuations of vivacious colors and textures. Whether the palette may be monochromatic or contrasting, pairing color with subtle shades such as whites, ivories, creams and taupes have never been more elegant. HMR is always influenced by fashion which, this year, is showing stunning corals, glamorous lavenders, glistening pinks and bold teals. Using these colors in a tasteful manner, often in groupings, can lead to a stunning environment for your wedding. It is very easy to get carried away with color trends and going overboard. So be sure to stay classic and elegant with modern elements and colors that will ensure a timeless wedding, one which you will look back upon in 25 years and still fall in love with the spectacular environment you created!

Source: Heffernan Morgan Ronsley

Photo credit: Third photo, Bob & Dawn Davis; Bottom photo, Fandl Photography

Purple Reign – Inspiration from Jordan Payne Events

My office is purple, need I say more. Purple reigns true for me and, from what we see in the photos below, with our brides as well. Many thanks to our StrictlyWeddings.com Jordan Payne for sharing with us.

Wedding Ideas with a Tropical Twist

We found this inspiration board of tropical wedding ideas from Pacific Weddings. Something completely different, but you can’t deny that the look is slightly exotic and definitely colorful and unique.

Even if you don’t live near the Pacific, you can find these tropical treats at our local farmers markets during the summer months. This fruit-inspired photo shoot reveals four vignettes in glorious hues of papaya, banana, mango and pineapple, that will give your wedding a tropical twist.

Source: Pacific Weddings, Photography by Visionari; Flowers by Yvonne Design

White Wedding Bouquets – Simple Elegance

How we love the simple elegance of white & ivory bouquets.  There is just something so beautiful and serene about the color palette.  Almost every flower type comes in a white or ivory tone which really gives the designer freedom to create wonders.  Below are a few white and ivory bouquet favorites from Jordan Payne of Jordan Payne Events in Dallas, Texas. We hope these give you some special inspiration!

Dallas Photographers:

From top left across on row 1 - Joseph Mark Photography
Middle photo – Thisbe Grace Photography
Bottom left across – Thisbe Grace Photography, Gary Donihoo-f8 Studio, Thisbe Grace Photography & Shaun Menary

How to Dry Your Wedding Bouquet

Your bridal bouquet is one of the most beautiful parts of your wedding day. Wedding flowers are gorgeous, and often expensive, so it seems such a waste to let them die. If you don’t want to spend the extra money to freeze dry your bouquet, consider hang drying it. Drying is a super easy way to preserve the beauty and memories that came with your flowers. There are a few different methods, but the easiest is to tie a pretty ribbon around the stems and hang them upside down.

The trick is to hang them before the petals start to wilt or droop. This method take several weeks, or more in humid climates, but is the most fool proof. Save a beautiful piece of your bridal memories with a dried bouquet.

Information courtesy of EverythingButTheDress.blogspot.com.

The Meaning of Flowers

Years ago, we were into the “lore” of herbs and flowers and enjoyed the pleasure of making “posies.” Beautiful bouquets that would send a message through the flowers and herbs selected to grace it. Today, you may want to choose your wedding flowers based on their meaning. Here are a few that have a loving meaning as well as beauty and fragrance.

Hydrangea

Gardens burst into life with these poofs in late summer and fall; in shades from pink to lavender to green, they look modern when massed in bouquets and large arrangements.

Meaning – devotion
Style – glamorous, beach casual, classic, romantic, modern
Color – blue, green, white, pink
Size of Bloom – large, medium
Season – year round
Cost – expensive

Sweet Peas

Skinny stems mean you can gather these frilly favorites in a bouquet, and it will still be featherlight. More good news: While it looks delicate, this early spring bloomer is deceptively hardy.

Meaning – delicate pleasures
Color – purple, red, lavender, pink, white
Style – glamorous, classic, romantic
Season – fall through late summer
Size of Bloom – small
Cost – expensive

Gardenias

With a scent to swoon for, this stemless flower can be floated in water or wired into a bouquet; though edges turn brown when handled roughly, it’s a stunningly retro-glam hair ornament.

Meaning – joy
Color – ivory, white
Style – glamorous, classic, romantic
Size of Bloom – large, medium
Season – spring, summer
Cost – expensive

Roses

These are the classic long-stemmed roses that you see in the florist’s shop every Valentine’s Day. A perennial wedding choice, their petals can be plucked to carpet the ceremony aisle.

Meaning – passionate love, purity, friendship (depends on color)
Color – red, yellow, pink, white,
Style – glamorous, classic, romantic
Size of Bloom – medium
Season – year round
Cost – medium price

Peonies

This voluptuous, ultrafragrant flower has a fleeting season—late spring to early summer. Bunches of these chubby, old-fashioned favorites are beautiful placed in pretty pitchers.

Meaning – bashful
Style - beach casual, glamorous, classic, romantic
Color - red, burgundy, pink, white
Size of Bloom - large, medium
Season - late spring
Cost - expensive

Resources: Marriage.About.com, Meanings of Flowers

Visit one of our Floral and Event Partners

Preserving the Wedding Bouquet

• Preserve the bouquet yourself or let a professional do it for you. Make this decision well in advance of the wedding date as all methods of preservation require that the treatment begin no later than one to four days after the wedding.
• Keep in mind that some home methods of flower preservation can take days or weeks to complete. Will you have the time to monitor the process yourself? Will you be able to begin the preservation process immediately after the wedding?
• Choose to have your bouquet professionally freeze-dried if you want the resulting bouquet to look as realistic as possible. The elements of the bouquet are taken apart, freeze-dried if possible, and then put back into the original arrangement. This method will take three to four weeks to complete.
• Choose to have your bouquet professionally pressed. The bouquet is taken apart, the flowers are pressed, and then they are rearranged and framed. Even though the flowers will be flattened, the original silhouette of the bouquet can be achieved. This method takes 8 to 10 weeks.
• Make bouquet preservation arrangements in advance of the wedding date. The preservationist will give you instructions on how to care for and transport your bouquet.
• Expect to pay $100 and up to have your bouquet professionally preserved. The price will depend on the size of the bouquet and any additional services, such as special frames or glass enclosures. If there is no professional in your area, you will also have to pay to have the bouquet shipped overnight.
• Use drying agents such as sand, silica gel or borax to preserve your own bouquet at home. The process involves covering each flower completely with the chosen substance to draw out moisture.
• Press the flowers from your bouquet at home. Frame your own pressed arrangement.
• Create your own dried flower bouquet. This is perhaps the simplest preservation method to accomplish at home. Take the bouquet apart and hang the individual flowers to dry. Reassemble the bouquet. Take care with the resulting brittle petals and stems.

Source: eHow.com

Photos courtesy of our new Chicago Floral & Event partners: Left to right – Larkspur, Kehoe Designs, Hello Darling

Budgeting for Flowers

It is common to allocate approximately 10 percent of the total wedding budget to flowers, but you may choose to spend more or less, depending on your priorities. When you meet with florists, be honest about your budget from the very beginning.

The florist should be able to give you a good idea of what can be accomplished within your budget and offer you helpful advice and alternatives if your requests are unrealistic. If you’re not satisfied with one estimate, shop around; prices can vary widely among vendors.

Cutting Costs
Here are a few ideas to stretch your budget.

• Buy flowers that are in season: For an August wedding, asters and phlox from the farm down the road will be significantly less expensive than peonies, which are out of season at that time.
• Use less-expensive varieties. For example, thousands of daisies can make a wonderful display for the cost of two or three elaborate orchid arrangements.
• Find ways to make flowers do double duty. Bring the arrangements from the church to the reception, or place the bridesmaids’ bouquets around the cake table. You can even use pots of flowers from the bridesmaids’ luncheon again at the rehearsal dinner.
• Avoid a wedding date that coincides with holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, when flowers are at a premium.
• Choose simply constructed arrangements, which are more affordable than complicated wired bouquets.
• Don’t limit yourself to cut flowers; instead, consider garlands, foliage, potted plants or herbs.

Check out previous postings for additional ideas.

Going Green

I know, we all feel beat up by the push for “going green.” To be honest, our experience shows that it’s sometimes more expensive. Yet, we do have a few ideas that may work with your plans as well as your budget.

How to add shades of green to your wedding day:

• Limit guest travel. Have the wedding in the town where most guests live; help arrange car pools.
• Have a daytime wedding, outdoors when possible.
• Choose recycled paper for invitations and place cards.
• Serve locally grown food.
• Decorate with locally grown flowers, herbs, fruits and veggies. Create smaller centerpieces. Choose potted plants rather than cut flowers. Use mason jars if it’s an informal setting.
• Seek out caterers who recycle materials and use linen and china instead of disposables.
• Wear vintage clothes and jewelry, or choose “green” fibers like silk or organic cotton.
• Use candles.
• Go acoustic.
• Pick digital over film (most photographers are in today’s world, but just in case…).
• Check out businesses that claim to provide green services and see if they really do; many new companies have entered the rapidly growing market.