Secret Garden

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

As you remember, I chose flowers as one of my DIY projects.  You can read about that here.  So I've gone back through my photos from the wedding to give you a bit more insight into my flowers.  I used silver colored chalices for the larger pieces and julep cups in the same color for the smaller ones.  I got both of these here. I also chose a 24" clear glass pilsner vase for the head table.  I stuffed the base of this with a few sheets of crumpled up iridescent foil, which I picked up at Michaels.  Included in this order as well was a case of Aquafoam blocks.  I cut them in half for the chalices and they fit rather snugly.

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

The large pieces then, consisted of red, pink and purple roses, eggplant calla lilies, Purple Hydrangea, Purple Carnations and Red Garden Roses.  I think I did a pretty decent job choosing the color palate, if I do say so myself.  My bouquet consisted of all of the above sans the Purple Hydrangea and Purple Carnation.

The silver pillars on the table came from ZGallerie (I love them!), as do the silver spheres.  The silver trays that they are sitting on my mom picked up at a party store I think.  I ordered a case of off-white UNSCENTED pillar candles, assuming that vanilla bean times twelve would be rather nauseating while you try to enjoy your dinner.

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

I used bouquet jewelry from Cristalier.  I also used extras on the girls' corsages.  There is platinum ribbon wrapped around the handle of my bouquet and secured with boutonniere pins.

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

Overall, the flowers turned out great and I got lots of positive comments on the tablescapes, including an offer to assist with a future floral business...ha, ha.  Looking back, doing my own flowers created a very special memory for me.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Capitol Idea - Our Venue

Aside from figuring out if it was "capitol" or "capital" (I came to the conclusion you could use both) - planning a wedding at the Pennsylvania State Capitol is rather simple.  The biggest issue you have is logistics - getting your "stuff" ie, flowers, tables, chairs into the space is the most difficult aspect.  The jaw-dropping venue is very popular in our area - you can hold a non-religious ceremony, but still have a reverent feel. 

The biggest drawback for most brides is getting the venue in the first place.  This was my big "want" for my wedding, so I was willing to allow the venue to set my date.  We wanted something in the spring and it just so happened that a couple had cancelled, so we took their date.  This does not happen for everyone (or anyone - we were pretty lucky), so if you want this venue, you have to plan ahead - about 2 years ahead.  I worked with DGS (Department of General Services) to set up our date and to coordinate drop offs and pick ups, deliveries and that sort of thing.  They were very helpful and made this one of the easiest parts of planning my wedding.

Things I've Learned Doing My Own Flowers

Okay, okay.  I know doing your own flowers is one of those things that appeals to a small minutia of brides.  That said, I think that going in with eyes wide open can make this option more viable for more brides.  Not to mention thrifty.

I did all of the flowers.  Bouquets to Boutonnieres, Corsages to Tablescapes, it was all me.  Here's what I learned:

1.  Make absolutely certain someone is chained to the address you are having your flowers delivered to, even if you are quoted a delivery time.  Our flowers showed up 2 hours early and we had to ask them to do a second attempt delivery because we thought they were arriving much later.  Excess Stress does not help this close to the wedding.

2.  Buy too many containers to prep your flowers in.  We had to make another run for containers mid-way through prepping on Thursday.

3.  Invest in quality florist shears.  I was thankful I had purchased something other than a pair of Fiskars office scissors.  It makes a difference.  In that vein, waterproof garden gloves were essential.

4.  When in doubt, buy water.  We weren't sure the flowers would "like" our water, so we were cautious and purchased spring water for the flowers.  Nothing exotic, cheapest they offer is fine.  Buy way too many of these too - you can drink what's left.

5.  Make sure you clear your schedule the two days before your wedding to deal with the flowers.  It is a lot of work (which you pay for if you hire someone), but it is quite doable with some help.

6.  YouTube is your friend.  There are hundreds of arrangement ideas and tips out there if you look for them.

7.  Don't be afraid to re-do your bouquet (I did).  I did my bouquet first but came back after rehearsal and tore it apart to change out some of the blooms.  I never looked back.

8.  Use floral foam.  Buy it in bulk.  Soak it for 2 hours.  The flowers hold up beautifully, as long as the venue knows to put a little water in the next morning.

9.  In that vein, if you can store them at your venue DO IT.  So much easier than lugging flowers to the venue the day of your wedding.

10.  Do not use hydrangeas in your bouquet unless you are using entire blooms.  This is why I tore my bouquet apart.  I wired some hydrangeas and they just don't hold up.  They DID do well in the centerpieces, and would be fine if you are able to keep them in water as long as possible.

11.  Transportation.  Make sure you have a vehicle or someone who can assist you in moving your creations safely.  Keep your boxes that your flowers come in - they were useful in transporting our arrangements.

12.  Use wholesale disposable containers whenever possible.  I ordered silver-looking vessels and some julep cups.  It was great to offer arrangements that guests oohed and ahhed over as parting gifts, without having to tear them apart and repackage them.

13.  Manpower to set up centerpieces.  This depends upon how complicated your tablescapes are.  Enlist a friend who can't afford to be a bridesmaid but wants to help.  She is also a good option for helping you prepare and make the arrangements.

14.  This is NOT as hard as it looks.  The biggest thing to remember is that its not about perfection, but about your own achievement at your own level.  Be ambitious, but not overly so.  Be flexible with your esthetic.  This is not a project for the overly-controlling bride, believe it or not.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have done one party of similar guest count prior to my wedding.  I am not a florist, I have not taken any classes on arranging or horticulture.  I have to say, having used vases and floral foam to arrange flowers, I prefer the foam 1000 to 1.  Chop it short, stab it in, move on.  My mother, who has even less experience, is confident she can arrange flowers now.

So all of this to say, doing your own flowers can be a great option for a bride who wants to save some money (I spent probably $900 on flowers and supplies all totaled - and I think I got about $2K worth of arrangements).  It is not for the bride who has to have everything "just so", but if you are willing to be flexible with your final product, you can create something that adds extra personality to your wedding.  I have to say I love my bouquet more because I made it myself - and despite all the work it was, I'd do it again.