Link: http://www.bloomroom.com/FWnoonehchris.html

Check out the link to my website to see fabulous photos from Chris & Nooneh's wedding.

Lovely Laura at Magnolia Photographic was the great visionary behind the lens.

http://www.magnoliaphotographic.com/

Bride and Groom, Nooneh & Chris were favourites of mine (and of Laura the photographer). Thought I'd do a post to honour the safe and healthy arrival of little Ethan - congratulations Chris & Nooneh!

Wedding Bouquets - (Part 2 of 4)
"Seven Ideas on How To Personalize Your Bouquets"

There are so many ways to personalize your bouquets.

Here are my top seven ideas;

1. Choose your favorite flower or a particular bloom that is important to you.

It could be the type of flowers he gave you the very first time he gave you flowers. Or incorporate a flower type that was used in each of your Mom's Bridal bouquets - even if that is not your favorite bloom, maybe tuck a few into the bouquet somewhere to honour your Moms.

2. Heirloom fabrics - lace, ribbon, handkerchief or trim - use these in your Bouquet.

I had a Bride that wanted me to incorporate her Great-Grandmother's "love knots". The "love knots" were small rosette-like knots tied along strands of silk ribbon. They were very old and dear to the Bride, so I made sure to add them at the last minute so as not to over handle them. I mixed them in with current-day ribbon to tendril down from the base of the bouquet. The Bride loved that in her own special way, her Great-Grandmother was with her as she walked down the aisle.

3. Fresh blooms from the garden of someone special in your life.

Ask your floral designer if you can bring a few stems of blooms from your garden, or a garden of someone that you want to include in your day in a special way. Not all floral designers will welcome this idea for the entire bouquet, but it is worth asking. If you like this idea them make sure the garden blooms are a good fit with your bouquet type. For instance, wild fennel seed from a friend's vegie patch may not fit in well with the formal bouquet design you've always wanted!

4. Assemble your bouquet as you walk down the aisle.

An extension on idea number three (above), this works well for the Bride's bouquet. As you walk down the aisle, choose 8 or so people who you are close with and have them sit right at the aisle. Each will pass you a single bloom as you travel down the aisle - or possible fewer people with mini bouquets. When you arrive at the Altar, you'll have a nice bunch of blooms. Have the Mother's finish the bouquets off with beautiful satin ribbon so all the blooms stay tied together.

5. Monogram the Bouquets.

As a surprise for her Bridesmaids, there was a Bride who asked me to bead the initials of the Bridesmaids. If your floral designer does not provide this service, ask one of your family members or friends who are "crafty" or like to sew. You can choose a wide range of beads and add crystals or sparkles for that extra wow.

6. Customize the bouquets with names of individual maids.

If you like the idea of the monogram, but want a more subtle show of thanks to your Bridesmaids, try a beautiful hand-written card with their name. I mentioned this in a previous post - check out the photo!

http://blog.bloomroom.ca/admin.php?ctrl=items&blog=1&p=21

7. Add jewelry to your bouquets.

Get family members or close friends to donate some of their costume jewelry to use in your Bridal bouquet. If Grandma has a gorgeous brooch, wire it up and give it to your floral designer to add as a single accent of sparkle in your bouquet. Consider having a party with your Bridesmaids to make crystal & bead strands. Get creative with your bead choice and run the idea by your floral designer - they may want you to wire the bead strands in a certain way so they easily fit into the bouquet design.

Check back next Friday for Part Three "The Seasons and and How They Effect Flower Choice"

Floral Designers: Studio Based vs. Retail Stores

There are many floral designers out there.
We usually fall into one of two categories; retail or studio based.

Here’s some positives and negatives of both...

Retail florists range from your corner store that provides flowers to go to the high end floral shop with all the latest trends and funk. Retailers can offer a vast array of flowers to “play” with in your first meeting. They have the blooms at their fingertips and in their coolers to show you what certain combinations look like. They usually deal in volume, so sometimes the costs can be less for wedding flowers. Add these plusses to their established and continual relationships to wholesalers, and it could be a winning combination for you.....But with floral designers that are retail based, know this - they can be BUSY, BUSY, BUSY with their regular store orders and walk-ins.

They may miss the finer details necessary for a fabulous show of flowers the day of your wedding. Retail florists may also have limited times they can meet. Some retail florists offer delivery only for wedding flowers and no set up or transfer from ceremony to reception of your flowers. If you are considering a retail florist to design your wedding flowers, make sure that they have vast experience in weddings - from on site set up, to transport of volume (vs. just one of arrangements), set up for weddings are a highly specialized skill.

Studio based floral designers usually have private, by-appointment only spaces where they meet with clients and create their designs. Some do not have regular flower stock to show you, and if they are a newer business with fewer years of established relations with wholesalers and growers, then you may not get the cheapest price. Many studio based floral designers are specialists in their niche (ie, special events &/or weddings only) and do not offer services or designs for walk-ins. This means they usually will have more time to spend with you - many will offer after hours and weekend meeting times - a BIG plus when you are planning your wedding. Another plus with a studio based designer is that they will most likely have vast “onsite” experience at different venues for weddings.