Choosing the small details of a wedding can be stressful… Especially if you’re not one that enjoys planning things months in advance. Maybe you don’t have a creative eye for things like colors, patterns, decorations and flowers. The idea… the pressure of having to put together a magical day for you and your guests is terrifying… and not to mention, expensive. You’re not made of money and although you’re looking forward to your special day and all that comes after, spending hours on end putting together all the little pieces sounds like a puzzle that you dread getting out of the box.
This isn’t my thought process, but I understand it. I enjoy the planning and the small details. Thinking of ways to tie together a color scheme with centerpieces is thrilling to me. I’m a crafter and artist at heart. I haven’t figured it all out just yet, but I’m a work in progress. My sister’s wedding was a great first exposure to all the crafts that could potentially become part of a wedding and it seems that my mind has been turning ever since.
Although my sister is also a planner and fairly crafty, she was outrageously overwhelmed by some of the decisions that had to be made for her day. Together, we learned some things that did and didn’t work out, along with some tips and tricks to make a good day even better.
Making a wedding fit a budget seems impossible at times – especially when you begin looking at the small details like flowers. My mind just can’t seem to wrap itself around the concept of spending hundreds of dollars on something that is going to die in less than a week. (Although I’ve never been a fan of flowers anyway – I think they stink.) You want to cut something out to make the bills smaller but you know that your mother would throw a fit if you decided to abandon the traditional flowers – and what bride really wants to do that? The thing is… you don’t have to. (Insert moment of silence for gasps and reactions.)
If you’re not crafty, maybe you can gather your bridesmaids together and the group of you can work some magic. Because the secret is that making your own bouquets isn’t so out of the question as you might think. You can do it and save yourself hundreds of dollars. When you go through a floral company, you’re paying for the flowers and the labor to put them together. There are plenty of resources out there that will give you a step by step process to put together your own flowers. I won’t go through all of them, but APW (http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/04/how-to-make-a-wedding-bouquet/) puts it all out simply and it’s a great process to follow!
There are a few things to keep in mind, however. Even if you have a color scheme, don’t be afraid to stray slightly off what’s been chosen. For example, if you want to have navy as your base color, making bouquets with purples and light blues is a great touch. You want your bouquets to be full, colorful and complex. If you’re really set on just one color, be creative and compose a bouquet made up of an array of flowers.
The biggest tip I could suggest (this, coming from a photographer’s point of view): try to stay away from making your (the bride’s) bouquet completely white. White roses clustered together are gorgeous… Just make sure you put a little color with it- when you get your pictures taken, the bouquet will fade into your dress and all the work that’s been done will look like nothing when you look back on your day. Adding a little color throughout the bouquet will also break it up so it doesn’t look like you’re holding a big white ball.
Even if you decide to choose a floral arranging company, keep these little tips in mind. I think in the end, you’ll be quite pleased with your photographs, especially! And remember, you don’t have to ditch the flowers. (Yes mothers, you can breathe.)
Carley Event Consulting 