Wedding flowers?

i'm planning my wedding. when you got married, did you go to a florist and have them do everything, or did you buy your flowers wholesale? if so, who created your bouquet and arrangements? i really want irises and either white roses or calla lilies, but i dont know where to start on finding them (i havent gone to any florists yet). i've just been looking online, and i found lots of wholesalers where i can get each flower at about $1.25 (give or take) a stem, so for like 225 flowers it would only cost around $300. i can arange them myself (i think), but i dont know how to make the bouquet. but i dont know what a florist would charge to get the flowers and do all the arrangments herself.just thought i'd get some ideas for you guys. my wedding isnt until may 2009, so its not a rush kinda thing. for valentines day, my fiance and i each got eachother irises, both arranged by ourselves cause they just came as buds in a box and came out great so i dont think that parts an issue

Wedding flowers?
my mom is a florist and did all of my flowers, we did mostly silk so that the week before the wedding wasn't overwhelming. you can easily make hand tied bouquets but realize that's one more thing you need to do the week before the wedding and that week goes fast. as for the flowers you mentioned, i don't think calli lillies are that price whole sale but you should still be able to find them cheaper than at a florist. if you have a family member that is willing to help that would make a difference, if not you may want to spend the extra cash and have a florist do it for you.
Reply:when I got married, I had Loblaws create a bouquet of Casa Blanca Lillies...they were absolutley stunning...and very reasonable.





check out places like Wallmart, Loblaws,...etc...they're very reasonable, and really nice arrangements.





(remember after the day,...they don't last very long,.....put your money towards something else).....





also...keep the arrangement very simple..less is best
Reply:When I got married, I bought all of my flowers wholesale and my Mom did all of my bouquets... They turned out beautiful and have much more meaning to me than if I had just hired someone to do them. Silk flowers may be an option (that is what I used) they look real and keep forever. As far as making a bouquet, they can be as simple or elaborate as you want them. Flowers in weddings have become so versatile that you can go from one simple long stem to a bouquet the size of a basketball... that is really personal preference.
Reply:I made my own and used fresh flowers. I was able to buy tulips online and they were packed well and were in excellent condition despite the hard texas july heat (and tuplis are a spring cool temp flower). I had them delivered Friday morning and my wedding was Saturday. My moh, my mother and a family friend put them together the night before the wedding. They turned out great. You need to be able to keep them in the fridge though, so make sure you have room and dont have them shipped too far in advance. You're taking a change that they might not arrive, so I was very nervous, but it turned out fine. I had a back up plan to go buy silk flowers at the last minute just in case but I did not need to. I found a lot of help on making the arrangements and getting ideas from www.bhg.com.
Reply:I went with a florist - and a wedding planner. She's taking care of about 90% of everything - right down to making hotel/limo/dinner/makeup/hair reservations... cake... you name it, she's taking care of it for me. Even is finding a place to have my gown/veil steamed before the wedding.





Gotta love it!





I'm doing a destination/elopement wedding on the other side of the country. So she's been a great help!





Good luck and Congratulations!!!
Reply:I don't recommend doing flowers yourself. I almost never do. Florists know how to process the flowers etc from beginning to end. Wedding flowers are a lot more involved than people really know. Wholesalers usually only sell to floral shops. Unless you have a flower market near you that would work. Keep in mind the price of flowers fluctuates. Prices go up and down depending upon the harshness of the season, oil prices(to heat greenhouses , shipping etc.) supply and demand of certain fad flowers and colors.


I advise having a consultation with a floral designer. I am one and I never charge for the first meeting. Make sure before you call for the appointment you have all of the dresses picked out, swatches are helpful too. Be prepared. Have a list of everything you need. The less you have to go back to the designer the less your flowers are. Pick up your bouquets and boutonnieres instead of having them dropped off if that is all the flowers you are buying. Good luck :)


By the way Iris are lovely and especially at that time of year!
Reply:i had my florist do it all. i told her what i wanted and she more than came through. i would hire a florist you do not want to stress out about how your flowers look and how many boquets you do. can you be sure that you can have all the bridesmaids look equal?