Any Questions?

Just wanted to check up on everybody and see if there's any topics that you want us to cover. If you have any questions feel free to comment on this post, and we'll be more than happy to cover/answer them for you!

5 Quick Tips to Save Money on Your Wedding Flowers

1. Substitute costly flowers. Using flowers like calla lilies, orchids, peonies, and garden roses can be more expensive than regular roses.

2. Opt for more greeneries than flowers, like ivy, ti leaves, pittosporum, lycopodium, lion's head, ming, foxtail fern, seeded eucalyptus, and hosta. These are some greens which are great for weddings and cheaper than using expensive flowers.
        

3. Choose seasonal flowers. Having a wedding bouquet with seasonal flowers not only lessen the cost but are higher quality than using off-season flowers.

4. Stick to one or two types of flowers. Even with just one or two types of flowers, your wedding bouquet can look simple and elegant.
         

5. Use more non-florals, like materials. There are many materials like lanterns, candles, rocks, branches, tissue paper pom poms which can compliment the flowers and save you money.
        

Setting Up a Florist Appointment for Your Wedding

After spending a week to a month figuring out the styles and prices of the florists in your local area, go ahead and choose the florist you would like to work with for your wedding. The florist you choose must be able to match your personality to the floral arrangements she designs. In fact, make sure you see some of the florist's works.

When setting up your wedding appointment with your florists, tell them your budget for the wedding, if you have any ideas/themes, wedding date, and more ideas that you want the florist to recommend. This way, your florist will be able to provide you with some new ideas to help you imagine your wedding at the appointment.

In terms of budgets, if you give your florist a budget for how much you want to spend on your wedding, the florist can figure out some ways to substitute flowers or cut the costs.

Also, make sure you come into the wedding appointment with an open mind because not all ideas may work out. If you have a specific flower that you wanted for your wedding but the flower isn't in season, the cost to find the flower may be expensive. For example, if your holding the wedding in the winter but want to hold a bouquet of lily of the valleys, it won't be likely, due to the flowers not being in season.

So it is important to always be open-minded and willing to see new ideas.
Good luck!

Composite Bridal Bouquets

Composite bouquet is made up of many petals from the same flowers, glued together to form one petal flower. Also known as Carmen Lily, Fantasy Rose, Glamelia, Malmaison Rose, and Rose Duchesse, this type of bouquet takes extra floral design skills and may even be more expensive than the traditional wedding bouquets. However, the results of a composite bouquet is absolutely beautiful. 


              

Usually designed with rose petals or gladiola petals, other petals from flowers like lilies, orchids, calla lilies will also work as well. Composite bouquets have a vintage look yet a touch of elegance and simplicity.

Types of Wedding Bouquets

There will come a time in your planning where you will have to sit with your florist and discuss the type of wedding bouquet that you want. There are many types of bouquets for weddings with their own characteristics and personality. Here are some of the traditional shapes:

Nosegay:  A small, compact bouquet with 1-3 different types of flowers, with usually no greenery between the blooms. This type of bouquet is hand-tied with a ribbon and sometimes shows the natural stems of the flowers.

   

Round: A round bouquet is a traditional wedding bouquet of flowers, greenery, and fillers. For more contemporary looks, round bouquets are made with no fillers or greenery and focuses on one type of flower.

                           

Cascade: A cascade bouquet is the most formal and traditional of all wedding bouquets. The bouquet is designed to appear as if the flowers are flowing down from the bride's hands. This arrangement is sophisticated and elegant, yet free-willed.

                     

Tussy-Mussy: A tussy-mussy bouquet is a Victorian-style bouquet in a decorative holder. This type of wedding bouquet is used to show the elegance and details of the handle as well as the flowers. 

    

                
           

Presentation: A presentation bouquet is composed of usually long-stemmed flowers that are cradled in the bride's arms.Usually used for the chic style and modern weddings.

                     

Hand-Tied: A hand-toed bouquet is a cluster of flowers tied at the stems showing beneath the point they were held. This type of wedding bouquet is usually used for its casualness and natural feeling in modern weddings. 

                  

With so many different types of wedding bouquets, it should be easier now to match the characteristics of these bouquets with your own personality. Even with these different types of bouquets there are still so many other choices, we will be sure to show you some of the latest trends and ideas.

The Wedding Planning Timeline

Planning a wedding takes much time and organization, it's all about how well you are able to manage your priorities and stay calm. The worst thing that can happen is to have a wedding date that's too soon and not being able to plan in time. We don't want to be crazy brides do we? That is why, theKnot.com has provided a useful wedding planning timeline which will help you figure out the more important things to plan.

Set a Timetable

The minute you get engaged, everyone will be asking for your wedding date. But in reality, you won't be able to set an exact date until other major decisions -- like choosing (and booking) your venue -- are made. So first, focus on determining a range of dates that will work for you. A typical engagement lasts anywhere from six months to a year and a half or more, but also think about what season you'd prefer, any major holidays or family events you'd like to avoid conflicting with, and how long you predict you'll need to plan.

Dream Up Your Style and Pick a Location

Before you try on a single gown, book a band or sample a bite of cake, look at the big picture and imagine what kind of style and vibe you want to set for your wedding -- and where you want to hold it. Close your eyes and picture your fantasy wedding. What do you see? Formal? Semi-formal? Casual? Have fun imaging the wedding you want, don't feel pressured to follow the weddings trends. There are many unique and original ideas which can be your inspiration to have a creative wedding. Also, depending on the formality of your wedding, you can choose the location of your wedding venue. If you want a small casual family wedding, backyards and parks are some examples. There are many endless choices.

Set Your Budget

Sit down with your families and figure out how much everyone is contributing. This number will affect every decision and purchase you make, so be sure to work out your budget before you start planning. It can be an uncomfortable conversation, but it's better to get it out of the way now. As a florist, we always like to ask our customers how much they would like to spend. We do this because not only can we work with the budget they have but also they're not spending more than they want. Planning your budget will open up more ideas, and allow you to figure out solutions if you have an idea that is more on the expensive side. 

Draft a Guest List

As you begin to build your guest list, you'll need to consider a number of factors. If you have a particular ceremony or reception site in mind, for instance, you're going to be limited by how many people it can accommodate (you can't squeeze 300 people into a lighthouse). Would you rather have quality one-on-one time with each guest or throw a once-in-a-lifetime party for all your friends and family? If mom and dad won't budge about inviting throngs of friends and family, you'll have to hear them out -- especially if they're footing a major part of the bill. Keep in mind that more guests means higher prices, as catering costs are generally calculated on a per-head basis. So, in addition to location, your budget will have a big influence on the size of your guest list.

Register (Before Your Engagement Party!)

Worried that you'll look gift-grabby if you register? Don't! With all the engagement parties, bridal showers and well-wishing relatives in your future, everyone will appreciate your foresight. And although gifts are optional for engagement parties, some of your guests may want to give you something to commemorate the occasion, so register for at least a few items beforehand so they don't have to ask (or guess) what you'd like. One thing to note: Don't include registry information in your engagement party invitations or in any other formal manner. Stick to using word of mouth or links on your wedding website.

Insure Your Engagement Ring

No matter how careful you are, the peace of mind that engagement ring insurance will give you and your fiance is worth it. There are two basic ways to do it: As an extension of your renter's or homeowner's policy (which would reimburse you for a set amount of cash if you lose the ring), or through a company that specializes in jewelry insurance (which might offer more coverage than a standard homeowner's policy by replacing a lost or stolen ring).

Choose Your Wedding Party

Now it's your turn to propose to your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Remember, the earlier you ask, the sooner you can enlist their help. And keep in mind that your wedding party is agreeing to spend their hard-earned money and donate their precious time -- be considerate and kind by informing everyone about all your plans, showing them a good time and making sure they know how much you appreciate them.

Consider a Consultant

If you're a super-busy couple, have demanding jobs or have big (read: complicated) dreams for your wedding weekend, then you should hire a full-time wedding planner to help you prepare your entire event, from the announcement to the honeymoon. You can also hire a part-time consultant to devise a wedding blueprint -- including budget, schedule, and lists of good vendor and site choices -- before you launch solo into the preparations. Another option is a day-of coordinator, who will make sure everything goes smoothly on your wedding day.Consider a Consultant

Book a Venue (and Set Your Date)

Your reception venue will become the backdrop for virtually all your photos and can influence everything from heavy hitters like your budget and guest list to smaller details like your menu (if you choose a venue with in-house catering). Ensure that you get the look, price and extras you want by scouring local listings, shopping around, scheduling visits and booking early. Bonus: By signing your venue contract, you will officially have your wedding date (congrats!)! Here's a great website with a detailed lists of venues in the bay area: Wedding venues in the Bay Area, CA.

Hire Priority Vendors

If you just can't imagine getting married without a certain local band playing at the reception or a photographer whose work you love, act fast. Many top wedding photographers and other in-demand vendors are hired more than a year in advance, and once they're booked, they're gone. Translation: Figure out what your highest wedding priorities are, whether it's world-class catering or exquisite flowers, and snap up the vendors whose work you love.

Here are some vendors in the Bay area: Wedding Vendors in the Bay Area, CA

Shop Dresses!

Begin your search by browsing dress photos online (and saving your favorites -- you'll want to take them with you to your appointments). Then, learn the lingo before setting foot in a dress salon. Read up on silhouettes, necklines, trains and hues that might flatter you. The season will also affect your choice. Getting married in the sweltering summer? Go with lightweight fabrics such as chiffon, linen or organza. Having a winter wedding? Brocade, faux fur and velvet will keep you warm. Satin, shantung, silk and tulle are perfect year-round.