How I Tied the Knot: Bouquets and Boutonnieres

Previously in the post, tying the knot: bouquets and boutonnieres, I shared some of my favorite pictures of our flowers from our big day. Now, it's time to let you all in on how I developed my vision for the flowers, dealt with the florist, and the lessons that I learned from that aspect of our wedding day. And, of course, some pretty pictures to display along the way!

This was my inspiration behind my bridesmaids bouquets. I told my florist to take out the peach and marigold (leaving just the plum and raspberry) but that I wanted the same flowers with the same fullness. I went in to see a trial version of the bridesmaids bouquets. And I cried. In front of the florist. Perhaps only one or two tears rolled down my cheek, but I cried all the same. It was horrid. The peach/marigold was quite present and apparently my raspberry translated into her hot pink. Thus,

Lesson learned #1. No matter how much it costs, ask to see a mock-up of your/your bridesmaids bouquets. I would have been sobbing the majority of the morning of our wedding day had I not seen that sample and had the time to sit with the florist and get it straight. I gave her a ribbon of what "raspberry" meant to me, so that she could order the dahlias in the correct color. So if you are picky, like me, about what colors you want your flowers to be, give your florist a sample of ribbon or cloth to work with.

At the end of the day, the bridesmaids bouquets turned out lovely.

After seeing the disastrous first mock-up of my bridesmaids bouquet, I was scared to think what my bouquet was going to end up looking like. So I scrapped any notion of a bouquet that would pop with color. I went with an all white fluffy bouquet. And the result (of spider mums, button mums, and asters) was beautiful. But what made my bouquet perfect was the finishing touches that I put on it. I attached my sorority pin and a locket. The locket was a gift to me, from my bridesmaids. They gave it to me on the day of my Daddy's memorial service. The silver locket held a picture of my Daddy and I and had engraved "Always with you, Daddy". It was just what my bouquet needed.

Here's the kicker, friends. Total price for the 8 bouquets (bride & 7 BM's) and 10 boutonnieres (groom, 7 GM's, my uncle and Chris' Dad) was $500. Thus,

Lesson learned #2: You do not have to use the florist that every other bride in town uses. If I would have gone with the first florist that I talked to (the most popular one in town), the cost of our flowers would have been tripled. Look and ask around, get quotes, and check for florists with smaller shops or that operate out of their home. You can save yourself a couple hundred dollars, get more personalized service, and your flowers will still be just as beautiful.

previously in the series, "how i tied the knot": getting ready, our first look
all pictures by: nicole green. please link back to tying the knot when posting any of these pictures.