How to care for your wedding flowers
If you ask me, flowers are the backbone to all wedding decor. Think about it, if you take away the flowers, you lose the elegance and gracefulness of weddings. You are left with a very plain restaurant dinner table, a very unworthy wooden arch and an unmemorable day. The color combinations used in the floral designs helps harmonize all of the surrounding colors adding life and movement to your day.
Like a fine wine to food, they are there to help accent the best attributes of your wedding day. The perfect bouquet will accent your ideal dress and make you look that much more glamorous. Your bridal bouquet can also provide a discrete place to fiddle helping to calm nervous and excitement.
It is my job as a florist to make your day memorable by utilizing carefully curated gorgeous flowers that will last for your entire wedding day. Please note, the blooms that are used for your wedding day are hand chosen to look their absolute best on your wedding day. They are usually at the height of their bloom showing off all their perfections and beauty. When you buy a vase arrangement from a florist, the blooms chosen are at a different point of their bloom cycle. The vase arrangement that is delivered to you contain flowers that are chosen so their blooms are staggered, allowing your arrangement to have a longer shelf life. As a wedding florist, we understand that you paid big money for perfection and we want you to look back on your photos and remember how beautiful and memorable your wedding was.
But once the flowers are delivered and set up, there is a bit of responsibility that falls on you to ensure that your flowers continue to look their best throughout the day.
Bridal Party Bouquets:
Bouquets are typically held for photos and then again for the ceremony. Many times they are thrown on a table while everyone dances, socializes and enjoys themselves. This can mean that the bouquets are without a water source for three to five hours.
If you are a DIY bride, make sure you are selecting flowers that will last out of water for a long time. There are a lot of delicate flowers out there that will easily brown or wilt out of water. The most popular one are hydrangeas in the summer heat. Talk to your florist or reach out to us if you have any questions.
Bridge City Blooms will always deliver your bouquets in a vase of water. Most florists do. When the bouquets are delivered, leave them in their vases up until the moment you need them for photos. This allows them to be as hydrated as possible. Also, if it’s hot outside, store them in a cool room, away from windows. Just like people, flowers get thirsty faster when exposed to sun and heat. So keep them cool. When you are ready to take your photos, pull the bouquets out of the water, dab the end of the stems off with a towel and your are ready for photos.
Many times, the bridal bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets are reused during the reception on the head table, cake table or guest tables. In this case, if you haven’t already worked out logistics with your florist, have a friend or family member take the vases down to be placed on the appropriate tables.
If it is a 100 degrees outside, you may even want to take the vases along with you during the photos. There are times where you are not needing or wanting your bouquets in the photo and this allows them to have an extra drink and will prevent them from getting scalded on the hot concrete or ground. The bouquets can also get squished or broken if they are laid on the ground.
Boutonnieres, Corsages and Flower Crowns:
When your boutonnieres, corsages and flower crowns are delivered, there will most likely be a bit of time before they need to be worn. During this time, you can do one of two things. If possible, store them in a fridge, away from fruits. This will keep them fresh until you need to wear them. If it’s not possible to refrigerate them, just like the bouquets, keep them in a cool room.
Word of warning: Weddings are a time for lots and lots of hugs. Just be careful that you’re not crushing your boutonniere or corsage while hugging everyone. For this reason, Bridge City Blooms will usually include an extra boutonniere for the groom- because everyone wants to hug the groom!
Centerpieces
Many times, guests will take home the centerpieces. This is great especially if you and your newly wed partner are heading straight to your paradise honeymoon. Many florists will return to pick up the vases if they are rented and will pack up the flowers for guests to take home. We will remind them to cut about an inch off the stems when they get home and place in clean water. Remember, these blooms are at the height of their bloom and will generally not last the traditional 7-10 days.
If you choose, Bridge City Blooms and many other florist participates in a program where the flowers are re-purposed and donated to hospitals and nursing homes. It’s a nice way to brighten someone’s day.
These small actions can make a world of a difference for the life of your wedding flowers. Don’t forget to pass these tips along to your bridal party, family members and everyone else helping to make your day special.
