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One great way to preserve your wedding flowers… turn them into a work of art that you can display on your wall. Just look at the samples below:
It can be pricey, but they’re gorgeous. If interested, head on to FlowersIntoPaintings.com.
I have originally planned to do my own flowers. But it seemed to cost more than I was expecting to spend… from all the stuff I need (vases, buckets, tools, etc) to take to Newport, to the additional vehicle we have to rent to lug all these stuff. After talking to a few professional florists and crunching the numbers, I found out that the money I will be saving from DIYing wasn’t a lot. It is not worth the hassle and uncertainty of DIYing all my wedding flowers. So I decided to hire a florist.
Image from Getty Images
Below are the Rhode Island florists that I inquired with (price comparison at the bottom)…
Allie & Lisa were very responsive. They usually email back same day or early morning the day after (when I emailed them at night). They were able to give me a price quote based on my description of what I want in just a couple of days. I love how they described everything. The flowers they have chosen were perfect. They were right on.
We met with Lisa to discuss more about what I wanted. She was very sweet and even admired my centerpiece mock-up made of tissue. She has that enthusiasm I look for in a vendor. I requested a centerpiece sample ahead of time so I can pick it up at our meeting and use it for our menu tasting at Belle Mer. It cost the same as the price quote.
Jay of Golden Gate Studios was very responsive in the beginning. He called me early in the morning the day after I emailed him, and he was on his way to a wedding. He took the time to let me know he got my inquiry and to talk to me more about my wedding, knowing that he was going away that week. Since I couldn’t go to RI soon, I asked him if I could email him the details I have in mind and he could email me the quote. After that, I didn’t hear from him.
I followed up after more than a week via email and still didn’t get a response. Thinking he wasn’t getting my emails, I contacted him via his website like in the beginning. But didn’t get a response. A week after, I got a phone call from him. He said he was busy with work for the holidays and he prefers calls instead of emails. His other clients said the same thing, just call him and he answers or calls back right away. Since then I just called him and he either answered his phone or returned my call just a few minutes after.
We decided to meet with him and get a quote at the meeting. He was very nice and took the time to discuss all the details of what I’m envisioning. He wrote his notes and gave me a quote right there. Before we left, he gave me a bouquet of flowers. He was very sweet!
Toni Chandler’s assistant handled all the email correspondence. It usually took a couple of days before I get a response. I didn’t get to talk to Toni until 8 days after my first inquiry. The phone appointment was set up by her assistant.
As soon as Toni and I talked on the phone, I felt very comfortable. We talked like girlfriends. She got my vision right away and made excellent suggestions. She offered a lot of advice regarding my venue as well. The conversation made me very excited to see her work. At the end of the conversation, she told me that she would be able to send me a quote in 2 days. I didn’t get the quote in 2 days, so I emailed her 7 days after. Her assistant emailed me back that same day with the quote.
Pricing: I will not be posting specific prices, but I’m including the differences between the quotes from the three florists. Click here for the Floral Price Comparison.
Another filler flower that doesn’t just fill anymore. It can stand its ground on its own, and it does it beautifully. It is why we see them in a lot of weddings now. I am pleasantly surprised.
Row1: KT Merry, Real Simple, Sabine Scherer; Row2: Susan Stripling, Leigh Miller
Row 1: Brides.com, HomeBuddy; Row2: Weddingbee, Sabine Scherer, Shop Local Flower Shops; Row3: Leigh Miller, Sedona Bride
Row1: Country Living, White Lilac Inc, Pacific Weddings; Row2: Real Simple, Ritzy Bee;Row3: Sedona Bride, Flower Allie, Saipua
I have tried Hydrangeas, now it’s time to try Carnations. They’re very affordable and I love the fullness of the blooms. Please pardon the visible rubber bands. I ran out of floral tape and I didn’t get to wrap the bouquet handle with ribbon before I did the corset-type wrapping.
Unfortunately, to get the bouquet size I wanted, I had to use a lot of carnations which ended up being more expensive than the Hydrangeas I used earlier. I spent $15 for 50 carnations.
The biggest advantage of using Carnations is that they last long. They lasted more than a week just being in a vase with water (no flower food).
To save money, we’re planning to DIY bouquets… kinda like “create your own bouquet” thing 
. I think my bridesmaids are willing to do their own 
. I don’t know exactly what flowers I like to use, but I’m definitely using white ones.
First up is hydrangea. I got the hydrangeas from the NYC flower district for $10/6 bunches. I only used 5 which was about a foot in diameter altogether, 6 bunches were too big for me. Of course I had to use the knot on the handle too!
I love the fullness of the hydrangeas. But since a bunch is too big, the stem is too thin. I like my bouquet to have a thicker handle. Maybe I could just wrap it more with the knot to thicken it. However, I’m still not sure what style I like to use for the ribbons/knots for the handle.
It cost me just a little less than $11 including tax to create this bouquet:
Hydrangeas (5 bunches) = $10 / 6 bunches
1 1/2″ Satin ribbon (1 yard) = $15.99 / 50 yards – you can get this cheaper at PaperMart.com
Knot (2 yards) = $5.50 / 10 yards
Next up, I’ll be trying on carnations. They’re inexpensive and when bunched together, they somehow create the same effect and fullness.
Sunday, July 26th, 2009
10am – 1pm
1390 Pacific Ave, San Francisco
Cost is $85 per person or $160 per couple
Anemones are a growing trend in wedding florals. With its huge dark pistil and long stamens, they’re a favorite for weddings with chic black motif. Love them!
Row1: Ritzy Bee, Confetti Cakes, Brides.com; Row2: April Reed, Hibiscus Florals, Confetti Cakes
Row1: Artfool, Camilla Flowers; Row2: Martha Stewart, Fleurs NYC, Photo by A Bryan Photo; Row3: TheKnot, Brides.com, Martha Stewart
Row1: Estilo Weddings, Belle Fleur via Always a Bridesmaid, Ritzy Bee; Row2: JW Flowers, Brides.com, TheKnot; Row3: Brides.com, Vine Flower & Event Design
Earlier this month, I posted about the DIY Floral Workshop presented by Summer of Grey Likes Weddings. The workshop was a huge success and now Summer has already set up a date for the next one – May 31, 3-5pm.
For a limited time, Summer is offering a 15% discount on tickets. So hurry! Click here to purchase.
I’m looking for centerpieces that I won’t need fresh flowers for and I saw this DIY Magnolia centerpieces at Martha Stewart Weddings. They’re adorable!
All you would need are crepe paper, craspedia blooms, white floral tape, scissors, and Magnolia petal template.
Click here for template and instructions at Martha Stewart Weddings.
