There is a growing trend among brides nowadays to do some or all of the wedding flowers on their own or with their bridal party. Although the prospect of saving money may be appealing, the very real possibility that the bride will look back on her day with a twinge of regret about the floral end result is reason enough to make sure she needs to do it right.
“Flowers are one of the most talked about aspects of a wedding afterwards”
If you have a creative flair, or one of your close friends has a knack for floral arranging, you may decide to skip the florist and do it yourself. Although I take my hat off to you for your bravery and creativity, I put it to you that the next decision you will make it whether or not to use real flowers. There are many factors in deciding whether or not to use real flowers.
Season - If you get married in the Winter, you will definitely pay more for real flowers. Roses and other flowers will be very expensive to buy and not readily available from a wholesaler in your area. This might be a good time to use fake flowers. You can still get real flowers from a local florist and do the bouquets yourself but it will still be costly. Perhaps just the wedding party's bouquets can be real and the centrepieces and decor can be fake flowers if you are on a budget.
Allergies - More and more I am hearing brides say they worry about pollen issues with real flowers. Many flowers today are picked before they completely open so they are not pollinated by bees. Many varieties are now scentless and pollenless. If this is something you are concerned about, talk to your flower provider about which flowers would be best.
Longevity - People argue that you can keep fake flowers forever and so you should use fake flowers to create a keepsake. I would argue otherwise. You can dry the flowers from your bouquet and make sachets, use them in a wedding scrapbook, put them in a covered vase, etc. Pinterest is full of ideas of what you can do with dried flowers.
Cost - Although real flowers are more expensive, there are ways that you can save on the cost of flowers. First, buy from a wholesale flower farmer in your area. You will be limited as to what flowers are in season but if you give your flower farmer notice 6 months before your wedding, they can often accommodate you and you can work together to have the flowers you want ready at the time of your wedding. Fake flowers that actually look real (not the dollar store variety) are getting expensive also.
Scent - This is one of the best reasons to use real flowers. On the wedding day, the bride's senses are heightened due to excitement, nervousness and joy. She will remember many things in great detail about her wedding day and one of the things she will remember is how it smelled. Yes, she will remember the scent of the grass, they scent of the air and of course, the scent of her beautiful flowers. Using flowers that have your favourite scent (roses, lavender, dianthus, sweet peas) will provide another memory for a bride to reminisce fondly about.
Arranging
“Be original, show off your style, and tell your story.”
Your ideas for floral design will reflect your personality and individual creativity. It is rewarding to say while flipping through the wedding album, "I did my own flowers". Sometimes, brides get daunted at the prospect of doing their own arrangements because they think live flowers are difficult to work with or to keep them looking nice.
If you buy flowers from a wholesale farmer, they are often picked the day you get them or at the latest, the night before. This means that they will often last 1-2 weeks and stay looking fresh! The farmer will be delighted to show you how to keep them looking their best and give you tips on handling and cutting them. They will often have workshops at certain times of the year to help you understand how to work with flowers. This can be a fun outing for you and your bridesmaids!
Get Inspired
If you would like to know more about our flower farm (in Montague, PEI), please contact use via email @ abundancefarmmontague@gmail.com or give us a call (902) 326-8300 We currently offer wholesale, fresh flowers from June to October (weather permitting) and we also offer floral arranging workshops through the growing season.
Comments