My Michigan wedding is in August '05-but my fave flower is the beautiful and fragrant May-June Lilac. I have toyed with the idea of scented silk lilacs but am wary of them looking too fake. Any suggestions of seasonal fresh alternatives to lilacs for my bridal bouquetwould be appreciated. Also any ideas on bridesmaides flowers-I've found the most to-die-for lilac dresses but don't want my girls to be blah-all the same color.
Being young-and-in-love, I'm also on a tight budget and have been thinking of trying to grow my own flowers-any advice?
flowersue
WEDDING FLOWERS PRO
Post #2 of 4
(2627 views)
Re: [MissModica] In Love w/ Lilacs-August Wedding
[In reply to]
Hello fellow lilac lover....There is no subtstitute for the real thing...so pick and enjoy them this spring and go to plan B on the wedding flowers. Sounds like you are excited about these dresses so make them your tribute to your love of lilac. Then the way to go is to choose a contrasting color and mix it with your lilac colored flowers. Soft buttery yellow, white or any shade of pink would be lovley. (my website has a yellow and lilac mix you might look at..the third picture in the bouquets gallery.) I would suggest stock as a lovley, beautifully faragrant and reasonably priced substitute for the lilac flowers. As a contrast you may consider roses...which are in prime form and reasonably priced in August. Depending on your style you may also consider some filler flowers including monte casino asters, caspia, solidago and queen annes lace. None of these flowers are particularly expensive ones...If you have the talent and interest you may consider doing the arranging yourselves. You can have wholesale flowers shipped directly to you from the growers these days,..and they are generally quite nice. You do have to buy case quantities but for a wedding this is usually o.k. Pricing for a box of 200 single colored roses shipped is usually about $200 and that is a lot of roses...the same applies to many other flowers ...Check out www.smartcart.com/marisol or google wholesale flowers... How i got started as a florist was by growing flowers to sell to florists...I would say give it a try but don't rely on your own flowers for the main focus. Maybe you should grow all the pretty filler stuff. Just be aware that it is a lot of work to grow them yourself and you may not be 100% satisfied with the results. So do a bit of both...practice designing and putting bouquets together. Look at the library for instructions on making bouquets. If you have a super creative friend or two to enlist all the better...Good luck...If you decide to get the mail order flowers let me know and I can send you some good tips on re-conditioning them so they are in top shape for the big day...Lots of luck and be happy! Flowersue
b_girl
Post #3 of 4
(2554 views)
Re: [MissModica] In Love w/ Lilacs-August Wedding
[In reply to]
Hi! I just wondered if you have made any decisions about the lilacs for your wedding... I'm facing a similar problem! Have you considered freeze dried flowers? I'm not sure, but I think it's expensive, so maybe just have some lilac flowers as accents to your wedding, or you can order the petals. I'm researching the whole idea of freeze dried flowers, but I've heard that they are still fragrant and they keep their color.
Bianca
(This post was
edited by TWQadmin on Mar 18, 2005, 3:31 PM)
flowersue
WEDDING FLOWERS PRO
Post #4 of 4
(2551 views)
Re: [b_girl] In Love w/ Lilacs-August Wedding
[In reply to]
Hi Lilac lovers...Freeze dried flowers can be nice but they are very fragile and it is unlikley they would come on stems, with leaves or in pieces large enough to get the look of real lilac without a great deal of effort. I have used them quite a bit in dried arrangements and on wreaths and such. They can be a very nice sccent. In the case of a bridal bouquet i think you are setting yourself up for and expensive dissapointment by going that way. They are also extremely humidity sensitive. Beware of the sales pitch...Freeze drieds are best under glass and way too frail for a Wedding bouquet. Ihate to see you spending all that money to be dissapointed. Have lilacs be your favorite flower in spring but find another for summer...There are plenty of great other choices! Be happy and take care.
In Love w/ Lilacs-August Wedding
Hello fellow lilac lover....There is no subtstitute for the real thing...so pick and enjoy them this spring and go to plan B on the wedding flowers. Sounds like you are excited about these dresses so make them your tribute to your love of lilac. Then the way to go is to choose a contrasting color and mix it with your lilac colored flowers. Soft buttery yellow, white or any shade of pink would be lovley. (my website has a yellow and lilac mix you might look at..the third picture in the bouquets gallery.) 