January 29, 2010
Hi There,
I was recently asked what flowers are available in the Winter months that brides like to use. I have compiled a list for your review.
Roses
Roses are a bridal favorite and available all year. However, at this time of year, both red and white roses will start to go up in price leading up to Valentine’s Day! There is a logical reason for this…besides supply and demand!
It takes about 45 days from the time a rose is cut from a bush until there is another rose ready to be cut. So that means that growers have to cut back their roses at the end of December in order for there to be enough supply for Valentine’s Day.
When the growers cut back all the bushes, it creates a temporary “lack of supply” which raises the prices. As for the actual Valentine’s Day roses, growers are trying to make up for the “lack of supply” and taking advantage of the supply and demand phenomenon. Typical rose prices from a retail florist will vary between $3-$8.00 per stem. The average is $5.00 per stem. During the two weeks before Valentine’s Day and up to Valentine’s Day, the cost of a typical rose will climb to double or triple that cost. The cost does not necessarily reflect “design” time or cost.
TIP TOE THROUGH THE TULIPS
Other flowers available for winter weddings include tulips, alstromeria, anemone, antherium, bouvardia, some cymbidium orchids, dendrobium orchids, carnations, some lisianthus, freesia, gerbera daisies, hyacinths, iris, lilies, calla lilies and ranunculus.
Some of these flowers are less expensive to purchase, however, require more design finesse and thus raise the completed bouquet cost.
For example, tulips (as long as they are not French tulips) are relatively inexpensive flowers. However, tulips are an unusual flower in that they continue to grow even after they have been cut from the bulb. They also continually stretch and bend towards light or sun. So to use them effectively in a bouquet, they have to be wired and taped…which is a big labor cost. Otherwise, you cannot know for sure what your tulips will do when taken out of the cooler and presented to the bride.
MIX IT UP
The least expensive and most reliable flowers for winter bouquets are carnations, mums and alstromeria. However, most brides do not adore these flowers.
I have used carnations as a base for a hand tied bouquet and used more expensive/prestigious flowers as the flowers you really see above the carnations. It’s a great way to get a nice look without the added cost of an entire bouquet made of expensive flowers.
January 16, 2010
Hi There,
I have been getting prepared for a mini workshop I will be giving at the Elk Grove Bridal Show on 1/31/10. As a result, I have created a timeline that I recommend for any bride considering doing her own wedding flowers.
Plan out your timeline and helpers!!!!
-Figure out how much time it will take to process and design your flowers
- Decide what flower types you want to use and make sure they are available at the time of year you are getting married, check out www.cutflower.com
- Line up your helpers IN ADVANCE, make sure you pick friends and family you can rely on to be there for you when the time comes to process and design your flowers
- It is better to have too much help than not enough help! But don’t have so many helpers that it is a circus, because then you won’t get anything done.
- Have a practice run …make one of everything …just so you feel comfortable knowing you can do this!
- Anything that can be done ahead of time, do ahead of time….
- pew/chair end bows
- corsage bows
- fabric swags can be measured and cut to length
- dry goods can be purchased and stored until you need them…things like vases, votives, ribbon, floral foam
- Order your flowers 3 weeks in advance
- Have your flowers delivered or pick them up 3 days in advance of your wedding (unless you are using something that needs time to open like lilies. Depending upon the time of year and the weather where you are located, you could need anywhere from 3-7 days for lilies to open.)
- Process your flowers the day you get them (anything you want to open, leave out of the refrigerator or Air Conditioning)
- Design your flowers 2 days before your wedding
- Store your flowers in refrigeration or Air Conditioned Room until your wedding day
- Assign helpers to deliver and set up your flowers. DON’T DO THIS YOURSELF, JUST BE THE BRIDE AND ENJOY YOUR WEDDING DAY!!!
January 11, 2010
Hi There,
Happy New Year and Congratulations to all of you newly engaged couples out there!!!
The new year brings with it some trend predictions. The first I’ve seen are coming from The Wedding Report:
2010 Wedding Market Forecast and 2010 Wedding Trends
Estimated number of weddings: 2.16 to 2.18 million
Estimated spending per wedding average: $20,000 to $22,000
Estimated number of guests: 135 to 145
- Couples will want simple yet elegant events at a lower cost. They will choose DIY (do it yourself) and thriftiness as a way to cut cost
- DIY is bigger than ever and will continue to increase on items from Invitations to flowers
- From the dress to shoes, vintage will be in big demand
- June 2010 will be busier than normal. Couples that put off their 2009 June wedding, because of the recession have booked for June 2010
- Candy buffets will be very hot
- Warm, bright, bold, and vibrate color tones are in for 2010
- In vintage style, black and white photography shots will be in higher demand
- While it hasn’t gone mainstream, video streamed live weddings will continue to gain interest
- Tungsten is the hot metal for 2010, couples are looking for both engagement rings and wedding bands in tungsten
- As with 2009, couples will continue to want package deals over a la carte
- As with 2009, couples will continue to rely on family and friends to save money
- As with 2009, we will continue to see smaller weddings with fewer guests
Posted by Shane McMurray on 12/13/2009 at 9:30 PM
Categories: The Wedding Report – Wedding Industry News -
