Angie's Blog » Save 50-75% of the cost of your wedding flowers! http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog Do It Yourself Wedding Flower weblog Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:36:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Stock- A Fragrant Favorite Flower http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/stock-a-fragrant-favorite-flower http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/stock-a-fragrant-favorite-flower#comments Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:42:31 +0000 admin http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/?p=596 Hi There,

Stocks are members of the mustard family….some people call them “gillyflowers”.  Their botanical name is Matthiola, and I have to admit I’ve never heard anyone call Stock by any other name than stock!
 
Stock comes in a variety of colors including white, pale yellow, lavender, purple, fuscia, pale pink and peach.  They have a spicy, cloverlike scent.
 
 
Stock FlowersStock is not a flower I use a lot of in bouquets.  When I do, it is normally just the tips that I am using.  I do use a lot of stock in centerpieces though.
 
Here are a couple of pictures of stock used in bridal bouquets that I found on the internet.
 
                                           LNIgazebo
Both of these bouquets have used white stock in them combined with other flowers and accents.
 
Stock is available year round, but peak season spans from February through August.
 
When you buy stock, make sure they have at least six, but no more than half open florets per stem.  Avoid bunches with smashed, flattened, bruised, brown, molded, rotted or otherwise infected florets.  Soft, limp flower spikes, leaves or stems should also be avoided.  And, if the stems are slimey and/or the leaves have yellowed don’t buy them!
 
When you get them home, as with ALL flowers, give them a fresh cut (about one inch cut off bottom at a sharp angle) and strip any foliage that will fall below the water line fo the vase or bucket you will be storing the flowers in.  Sometimes these flowers come with roots attached!  If yours came that way, cut the entire root off or any white portion of the stem.  It is always best to dip the flowers in a hydrating solution before putting them into the bucket of water.  Store them in buckets/vases with flower food and lukewarm water.  Then, after a couple of hours, put them into refrigeration until you are ready to use them.
 
Change the water and flower food and recut the stems every day or two.  These flowers should last you 5-8 days, depending upon how fresh they are when you buy them.
]]> http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/stock-a-fragrant-favorite-flower/feed 0 Wedding Planning – Time for DIY Wedding Flowers http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/wedding-planning-time-for-diy-wedding-flowers http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/wedding-planning-time-for-diy-wedding-flowers#comments Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:24:06 +0000 admin http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/?p=484 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!!!

]]> http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/wedding-planning-time-for-diy-wedding-flowers/feed 2 Making A Cascade Bouquet http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/making-a-cascade-bouquet http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/making-a-cascade-bouquet#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:22:09 +0000 admin http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/?p=403 Hi There,

I show you how to make a cascade bouquet in my Do It Yourself Wedding Flower Guide – Bouquets DVD….it is much smaller than the one in this video done by JTV.  In my opinion, the cascade done by JTV is WAY TOO BIG.  But, the point is, if you want to learn how to make a cascade bouquet, the steps are here, all you have to do is modify the size for you.  Cascade bouquets typically reach just about the top of your knee.  However, as I always say, you’re the boss, do what makes you happy.  If you want a super long cascade bouquet, make it super long.  If you want a short cascade bouquet, make it short.  It is YOUR day and you should have your bouquet YOUR way!  Enjoy!!

How to Create a Cascade Wedding Bouquet!
uBloom – Sunday, 01 November 2009

2009 © uBloom
]]> http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/making-a-cascade-bouquet/feed 0 Many Couples Get Engaged Over the Christmas, Chanukah, New Year and Valentine’s Day Holidays http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/many-couples-get-engaged-over-the-christmas-chanukah-new-year-and-valentines-day-holidays http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/many-couples-get-engaged-over-the-christmas-chanukah-new-year-and-valentines-day-holidays#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:49:10 +0000 admin http://doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com/blog/?p=3 Congratulations! If you are one of the many couples getting engaged over the holidays!!!  It is an exciting and scary time.  There is so much to think about and so much to plan and so much money to spend.  In the diffucult economy we are currently in, money may be a really big issue for you and planning your wedding.  Are you a recessionista?  A savvy young woman who loves the finer things in life but doesn’t necessarily have the money to buy them?  Well, a recessionista will find creative ways to get what she wants without spending the money!  I’d like to help all of you recessionistas out there who are planning a wedding.  I have recently written and published a Do It Yourself Wedding Flower Guide.  It is a workbook, with step by step instructions on how to make everything you will need for your wedding flowers from your bridal party bouquets, to the corsages your moms will wear to the boutonnieres the groom and the groomsmen and dads will wear to the ceremony decor and the reception centerpieces and cake decor.  I also have produced more than 4 hours of video instruction showing you how to do all of these things yourself.  And, the biggest bonus is that you will save 50 – 75% of the cost of your wedding flowers by doing them yourself!  What recessionista doesn’t get that???? 

I am scheduled to be on a radio show out of New York on January 2, 2009.  Here is a link to the radio show where you can listen to past interviews and set it up to listen to me live on 1/2/09!

 

 
Up Close & Personal with Bonnie D. Graham on WGBB Tonite Click to LISTEN LIVE Dec. 5, 2008

6:00 PM: Ever wonder how certain women “light up a room” with a signature move and radiant smile? YOU can, too, with coach Jacqueline Bradley‘s comedic, feminine and unapologetic “The Bombshell Bible” style & soul makeover guide.    

6:30 PM: Masters degrees earn 24% more than BAs and PhDs earn 70% more. Admissions pro Don C. Martin’s ”Road Map for Graduate Study” navigates the choppy grad school waters, including financing. We’ll also cover relationship survival during school.

 

Visit 

 

 

 

Happy Weekend!…/bonnie 

 

Visit 

 

 

  
 

(Both of the above people who Bonnie interviewed on 12/5/08 were at the New York National Publicity Summit with me this past October 2008).

 

Then I am scheduled to be on a television show out of Atlanta, Ga. called EveryDay with Marcus and Lisa.  ‘EveryDay” airs nationally via cable on FamilyNet tv.  “We are a live, daily talkshow that covers a diverse range of subjects, from health and wellness to beauty, fashion, music and authors.  We would love for you to come on and do a 10 to 12 minute segment on flowers for weddings. ”  Actually, they have told me that while I am in Atlanta, they want to tape a second segment to air in March, 2009.

 

I believe you can go to www.familynettv.com  and enter your zip code and find out if the show airs in your area.

 

Okay, this is getting exciting.  Keep good thoughts for me and pass on the website to anyone you think might be interested.  THANK YOU!!!  www.doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com

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