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Joe's Diary: Flowers and bouquet preservation

I've just got back from an appointment that Katie and I had with a florist that I found in my Organizer. I was there to sort out buttonholes and decoration possibilities, and Katie was there for a bouquet. I was really impressed by the florist's expertise, there's much more involved than I thought.

Pete and I, Mark as Best Man and the ushers are going to have matching button holes made from a single rose, carnations are not compulsory, thank goodness. She's going to put a single leaf behind it and some decorative loops of special grass to frame the bloom. Sounds a bit weird but the pictures she showed me looked great. I almost went with a cluster of smaller blooms as they can look just as nice as one larger flower.

Katie's bouquet

Katie followed a friend's advice and took a sketch of her wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses too, along with samples of the fabrics. It's important for the florist to see the shape of the dress as well as the colour, as that is critical for a well designed bouquet.

The florist suggested some beautiful flowers that will be in season at the time of Katie's wedding which helps to keep the cost down. Out of season flowers can be used, but it affects the cost and it's harder to guarantee that they'll be available. Luckily the roses Katie wants come in a perfect colour, but the florist told us that flowers can be dyed which I didn't know before.

Katie was relieved to see that it isn't all just carnations and freesias any more. There are all kinds of things that can be added - she's incorporating some sparkly beads into the bouquet and the leaves will be used more dramatically than in the past. In fact it's going to be so nice that we joked that she won't want to throw it to the single guests at the end of the day! She's going to have a mini version made for that, her friends would kill her if they don't get a chance to catch a bouquet!

Katie hasn't decided about preserving the bouquet yet, but she checked that it's possible with the chosen design and the florist said she'd keep the wiring to a minimum. It could be dried, mounted in a frame or even something more involved where it stays three dimensional and is protected by a glass dome.

The bridesmaids' bouquets are traditionally more simple versions of the bride's, but there were some striking long stemmed bouquets tied with a simple ribbon that we both liked. The rules are less rigid these days, as long as nothing clashes, there can be more variety between the bouquets. We liked that idea seeing as their dresses are going to be different designs yet made of the same fabric.

When the florist showed us her portfolio and we saw what she had done for younger bridesmaids, Katie threatened to rope a small cousin into being a flower girl! Saying that, not all venues allow petals to be scattered. There were examples of the wrist posies and little baskets of flowers that Katie cooed over, but alas, there's no-one that she can recruit.

Another option that we're both considering is silk flowers. They are incredibly realistic, won't wilt and there wouldn't be any need to preserve them. But there is something special about fresh flowers?

Reception decorations

I'm considering options for the reception decorations. I like balloons, I like flowers, but I think we only need one or the other on the tables. I'll see what Pete thinks, actually he won't be bothered, I'll talk it over with Katie and Mark, he has a good eye for design. Any flowers for the tables should be fairly small I think. I'd definitely like some to go around the cake, but not so many that it distracts from it.

So now all I have to do is wait for my confirmation of the order in writing and file it with my deposit receipt. I think I'm getting the hang of this!