Image: sxc.hu

A couple examples of keeping expenses down are my daughter’s and my weddings.  Perhaps you have some other tips to contribute.

Neither my daughter nor I had the traditional floral arrangements and bouquets for our weddings.  I had natural flowers and my daughter silk ones.  For both of us, the cost wasn’t exorbitant.

For my wedding, my mom purchased a mass of flowers from a local florist.  My mother-in-law-to-be made the bouquet for my aunt (who was my attendant), corsages for the mothers and two other aunts, boutonnieres for the men, and a floral arrangement that encompassed the small white Bible I carried.  She also made up vases of flowers for the luncheon tables.  The reception took place in the yard of my parents’ home.

Our daughter was married 600 miles away from our home, so there wasn’t a great deal I could do personally for the wedding.  I took care of the flowers and arranged for a local silk flower artist to make up the bouquets for the bride and bridesmaid, corsages for the moms, one grandmother and aunt, and boutonnieres for the men.  These arrangements were lovely and looked like real flowers.

You can order the traditional flowers for weddings or look to your or someone else’s talent for creating artistic arrangements.  If you plan well, you can keep your special event flowers within a reasonable budget.

Any tips on what has worked for you?

Post from: Blisstree

Flowers for Weddings & Special Times

Image: sxc.hu

Some ideas to consider:

• Do you want to use artificial, silk or natural flowers?
• Do wild flowers catch your attention?
• Look for flowers on sale that you might use for arrangements.
• Check with a florist and see if they have leftover flowers
• Perhaps a local florist teaches floral arranging classes or someone does in a continuing education class.
• Does your interest lie in more than bouquets in vases?  There are wreaths, hearts and other shapes.  You also can learn to make corsages and bouquets.
• Collect embellishments you can use in your floral arranging.

What tips do you have for creating art from flowers?

Post from: Blisstree

The Art of Floral Arranging

It’s especially funny, because, many moons ago, I lived out of town, near some outlet malls. My parents would often come to visit me over the long Labor Day weekend, and, we’d go shopping. Though he worked in retail most of my life, my dad isn’t exactly a big shopper.

My mother liked her some silk flowers, so, we’d often be in craft places picking them out, and, he’s be standing around. More often than not, it was his birthday, as it usually falls during the Labor Day Weekend.

Before my mother died, we’d ask him what he wanted to do for his birthday, and, we’d always offer the option of “go out to eat”, or, “go look at silk flowers” (OK, maybe you had to be there).

So, I’m pretty sure the earth shifted on it’s axis yesterday when he bought them of his own volition, yesterday.

If you’re wondering, he bought an antique pitcher that sits on a table in the front window of the house, and, it “needed something”.

Post from: Blisstree

Things I never thought I’d hear my dad say: Part the 3,273rd

Maybe you have to know my father to get all this, but, every day is a surprise lately.

He’s been looking for a small table for the den forever, I thought it’s keep him occupied all summer (he’s a teacher, and, is trying to figure out what to do with himself on summer vacation), but, he happened upon just the right table yesterday.

As often occurs in home decorating, the placement of the new table caused a shift in a lot of other things, and, a new list of “things to get”.

A side note: my father spent many a vacation pacing and eye rolling around malls and craft stores with me and my mother over the years.

Many times it fell on his birthday, so the running joke was that we’d give him the choice of going out to eat or going shopping for silk flowers for his birthday.

Anyway, yesterday, he was arranging and rearranging things on a table, and, decided on a vase to go on it.

He stepped back, and, said, “I think I’ll look for a silk flower arrangement to go here.”

And the axis of the earth shifted.

Post from: Blisstree

Interiors by my father – Part the Second