When planning a wedding, choosing flowers in season is a well-known strategy for saving money. What if you are having a winter wedding? Are there flowers in the season even when the ground is covered in snow? What are the options for winter wedding flowers? Should couples use trendy alternatives to flowers in order to save money when planning a winter wedding?
Winter wedding flowers can be economical or break the bank. If you have your heart set on having flowers that are not in season during the winter, your floral budget can suffer. You may have to pay more or have fewer flowers to accommodate the extra cost associated with off-season flowers.
Some flowers are available year-round at very reasonable prices. Roses, carnations, Gerbera daisies, and some types of lilies are a few of the flowers that are generally available at any time of year. Remember, if your wedding is close to Valentine’s Day, the price of roses may be much higher than usual. Narcissus is an economical winter flower.
When choosing the types of flowers that you want for your winter wedding, you could ask florists what flowers would be easiest on your budget. If you want a particular flower to be the highlight of your wedding flowers, you can call local florists and ask for pricing for what you want on the date of your wedding. You may find a florist who has your favorite flower for a significantly lower price than the others.
Many types of filler flowers in a variety of colors are available throughout the year. Don’t be discouraged if there aren’t any economical choices for flowers that would show off the wedding colors. White flower-like white roses or white lilies could be used along with filler flowers and accents that match the wedding colors. Dried flowers and eucalyptus are other options for bouquets and wedding flowers.
Winter brides often get creative with alternatives to flowers. They may have fewer flowers and supplement the wedding flowers with handmade accents. Paper and burlap flowers are a popular DIY wedding decoration. One couple made burlap roses for their groomsmen’s boutonnieres. Modern bouquets can be crafted from fabric, feathers, colorful buttons, beads, strings of pearls, vintage brooches, or photocopies of pages from the couple’s favorite book. Even white, black, and gray leather has been used to make a rose bouquet.
Embrace the white, snowy look. While one option is to go bold with red roses and other red flowers that are in season, consider echoing the pristine winter with your flowers. Some gorgeous wedding bouquets and arrangements have been made with white peonies and dusty miller for a white winter look. The dusty miller provides a silvery-gray accent. Within the context of winter, they can look as if they are ferns dusted with snow.
For more information about planning an incredible wedding at any time of year, please take a look at the Best for Bride blog.
Floral bouquets have a refreshing beauty. You can never go wrong with adding more excitement to your wedding bouquet with a few well-chosen accessories. These accessories can easily tie your bouquet to the theme of your wedding. While we have seen bouquets that are entirely made from non-floral elements in another post, we will now look at some accessories that can be used with your floral bouquet in this article. This will not only allow you to have a unique design, but also give you the option to save something special from the bouquet as a keepsake to remember your great day by.
Silk ribbon tie
A bunch of flowers with long stems look naturally charming, but may seem a little incomplete. To add more finesse to the arrangement, all you have to do is trim off the excess length of the stems, and secure it with the most luxurious silk ribbon that matches your color palette. This is a very basic floral bouquet design, but one that is just right if your bouquet contains vibrant and lovely, large flowers which are attractive on their own, and do not require too many additional details. While securing the ends of the ribbon, it would be a good idea to use decorative pins in a row, to give it an attractive finishing.
Satin ribbon bow
For a compact round bouquet of flowers like roses, consider wrapping the stems with a double sided satin ribbon bow with a luxurious silky finish. You can tie the two ends into an elaborate bow, and add small details like button roses or little crystal brooches on the streamer.
Wedding brooch bouquets
Brooches are very dainty, feminine accessories, that add an instant charm wherever they are used. Dress up your wedding bouquet with these fantastic accessories, and it will be a wonderful addition to your overall look. You can choose brooches that match your wedding jewelry, or colorful brooches that match the wedding palette, and they won’t go unnoticed.
Flowers and lace are always a perfect match. A floral bouquet with a small lace trim in the perfect bridal accessory for a vintage style wedding. You can choose the trim to match your wedding dress, if it is in lace. It can also be your something old, where you can pick your lace from your mother’s or even grandmother’s wedding dress. Not only will this have sentimental value, it will also be a choice that renders a unique touch to your bouquet.
Patterned cloth trim
If your wedding theme incorporates patterns like chevron, geometrical prints, polka dots or stripes, add the same details as the trim for your wedding bouquet. It will be a perfect addition to the décor, and the brighter the color, the more attractive it will be against your white wedding dress.
Which of these ideas do you like? Come visit us at Best for Bride, and we can help you realize your ideas for the best wedding bouquet you can possibly think of
Roses, petunias, daisies, lilies, tulips…..do the floral varieties have you in a tizzy?
Flowers are so beautiful, that it is often impossible for a bride to pick a favorite from the stunning variety available. Yet, some flowers are more popular than others.
This article is dedicated to those wedding favorites—flowers that have secured their place as the top choices in gracing bridal bouquets and wedding centerpieces. Let us look at what they are.
Ravishing roses
The flower that symbolizes romance, love and all the emotions that go with it—Roses;particularly red roses, are an all-time favorite. These charming blooms come in an astounding range of colors and sizes. They are versatile; the flowers can be the focus of the bridal bouquet or centerpiece, or used to add sophistication to a diversity of blooms. Tea roses are the common variety that you often see in florist shops. The other two varieties include large and fragrant garden roses, as well as spray roses which are smaller and come as a bunch on a stem.
Happy hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are a popular choice for centerpieces, as they easily fill a space and add a cheerful note to any setting. The colors range from pink to blues and whites, and it can be used as a bunch, or as sprigs. These bushy flowers remind us of spring and are a colorful addition to any space. Perfect for both casual and formal weddings alike, they have a surprising richness.
Tantalizing tulips
Tulips are flowers that spell romance and look exquisite when bunched together. All you need are a few tulips to create a beautiful bouquet. Since these spring flowers are available in various colors, tulips are an ideal choice for spectacular bouquets in a single color. They are usually used by themselves in bridal and bridesmaids bouquets, but can be mixed with other blooms like pieris or ranunculus to form interesting combinations.
Classic carnations
Strong flowers that add color and texture to any setting, carnations are available in a variety of shades and are super-affordable. While they are hardly ever used by themselves, they add the little details that complete a bouquet or centerpiece. Carnations are a popular choice when the venue decoration requires more flowers than usual, like when there are floral backdrops. These flowers work well in bouquets that have roses, orchids, petunias and daisies, and the ruffled petals add texture and charm to the bouquet.
Dainty daisies
The go-to choice for outdoor, spring and summer weddings, daisies are traditional wedding flowers that symbolize purity and innocence. They are even used as hair accessories in garden theme weddings. A simple flower that can lift the atmosphere and be creatively spun into any centerpiece, daisies are perfect for vintage theme weddings. While white daisies are an eternal favorite, daisies in various other colors are also used in bridal bouquets and floral centerpieces.
These are but, a mere introduction to the sensational world of wedding blooms. Turn to your florist for suggestions and go with seasonal flowers or those that are available all around the year, to stick to your budget. For more inspiration and wedding flower ideas, visit us on Best for Bride.
Isn’t it interesting how your wedding day—one you looked forward to for months, and planned to the minutest detail—gets over in no time? Wedding days can seem so busy, that you later feel it passed too soon. Once it’s over, your photos and wedding video will help you recollect all that happened to a certain extent. Nevertheless, for the sentimentalists among you, a memory box is a treasure trove that will allow you to relive every special moment of your wedding.
After all, your wedding is not just about the day you got married. The excitement of the event is complete only when you consider all that went into the wedding planning, right from the very day you were engaged. Many of you reading this post will most probably will planning your wedding. So, start putting together your treasure box immediately, and you will save every detail that will help you remember your wedding day, once it’s over.
Here is a list of all that should go into your memory box; the various treasures you can hold on to and preserve your wedding memories for ever.
From your engagement
The minute you agreed to be together for ever—that magical moment has to be treasured forever. If you had an engagement shoot, add a picture of it into your treasure box. I like this idea on the Hitched website, of making a journal with the details of how you were proposed to, so you have a crystal clear reminder of how it was for the later years.
Did you host an engagement party? If so, save a sample invite and a few pictures highlighting the event. Another detail that will remind you of the beautiful moment is a picture of the place where the proposal took place. Make sure you get a snapshot of it as early as possible. You never know if it will change over time and you will lose the visual element of that special moment.
You can also hold on to any special love notes, cards or tags from the gifts your beloved gifted you during your engagement. These will bring back the wonderful memories of the time you spent as an engaged couple.
Reminders of the wedding venue
How did your search for the perfect wedding venue go? Did you settle on the first one that you saw, or did you search for days to find the appropriate one? Save a venue brochure and all those memories of finding the place you were wed at, will stay with you. Save a picture of what stands out at the venue, the unique altar design or the perfect view of the outdoors from the window, and it will be a precious keepsake. If you had an outdoor wedding; at the beach or in a garden, pick a few mementos from nature itself, and save them forever. This could be pretty pebbles, shells or pine cones, that can conjure up the images of the day.
Invitations and Save-the-date cards
This is something every bride normally does, even without any instruction. Every bride will save a copy of her wedding invitation for herself. While you do this, it will be a good idea to save any of the other stationery that you customized for your wedding day. Since you will be choosing the menu cards, wedding programs, table place cards and other details with so much effort, why not save a copy of each for your treasure trove.
Memories of your bachelorette party and bridal shower
Invites to both events, your bachelor party favors and any other physical items that will remind you of the big celebration you had. If your friends and family splurged on cake toppers, party buntings, customized napkins and more, you could borrow one of each to put into your treasure box. It will serve as wonderful reminders of the fun you had at these celebrations. Similarly, pick out a memento from your rehearsal dinner too. It could be anything like a menu card or a picture of the two of you on the day.
Food and drink
Think of the time you spent in choosing the perfect menu for your wedding reception? It certainly deserves special mention in your bridal box of memories. Drop in a copy of your wedding menu and beverage list, and also add a few pictures of the fare that was served on the day. I think it would be wonderful to add in few comments on why you chose certain dishes or small notes on what everyone especially loved. You can also save a wine bottle stopper or the champagne bottle corker to remind you of the toasts at your reception.
The special wedding dress moment
One of the most important decisions a bride makes for her wedding, is choosing her wedding dress. I’m sure it would have taken you hours of research, planning and shopping to finalize the one dress in which you were to get married. Plus, it is usually one of the most exciting and enjoyable parts of wedding shopping. Remind yourself of this over the years to come, by saving the tags from your gown into your treasure box, as well as a fabric scrap from the inside of the gown.
If you have a picture of yourself on the day you said “Yes” to the dress, this goes into your box too. Take a look at all the smiling brides who got their dress from Best for Bride. We make sure their shopping day is preserved forever with a wonderful photo keepsake from this special day. Make sure you get yours too.
Unlike the wedding dress, brides usually find use for their wedding accessories on another occasion, except perhaps the tiara and veil. If you have any accessories that you will not be using in the near future, save them into your treasure box. If you have customized your ensemble with interesting bridal accessories like shoe stickers, flowers or brooches, these can be saved as well. Another good item to store is your wedding perfume. If you chose a special new scent for your special day, how about putting it into your wedding box, and saving it for those special moments that are to come in the years.
Bouquets, boutonnieres and other floral creations
Imagine opening up a box, and the scent of potpourri wafting through your senses. Spellbinding, isn’t it? Make this possible by saving the flowers from your wedding in your treasure box. You can always have your wedding bouquet preserved professionally through freeze-drying and add it to your art work at home, and relish its beauty everyday. Read all about it on this article at Keepsake Floral.
However, if you do not want to opt for this expensive method, you can still hold on to your wedding flowers by drying them out and adding them to your memory box. Simply hang them in a dry ventilated place, till they dry completely, and then store them safely in a polythene bag. Or, you can make potpourri out of it, as detailed here.
Don’t forget to save pictures of your bouquet, the centerpieces and floral décor at the venue to remind you of the floral details that transformed your venue into a work of art. You can also press the larger blooms between the pages of a heavy book and add these to your collection.
Reminders of the ceremony
Capture the moment you got married by saving something used at the altar. Flowers used to decorate the altar, a candle that flickered beside you, the ring pillow or even your groom’s boutonniere would be a befitting addition to your wedding treasures.
Save your wedding favors
While you give your guests a keepsake from your wedding to take home and save, don’t forget to set one aside for yourself. If it is an edible favor, you cannot store it as such. In this case, save the packaging, and a picture of how the favors looked when they were given away. Non-edible favors like wine glasses, key chains, candles, photo frames or mirrors can be saved as such.
Wedding cake
The traditional practice of saving the top tier of the wedding cake, and savoring it on the first wedding anniversary is still popular. All you need to remember is to freeze it safely soon after the wedding, and make sure that the flavors you choose aren’t ones that spoil easily. However, you need your wedding cake memories to stay with you for much longer than your first anniversary. For this, save a copy of the drawing your baker created for your wedding cake. If there were non-edible items on it, like ribbons, figurines or flowers, box it.
Guest book and well-wishes
Your guest book is a valuable possession and deserves it’s rightful place in your treasure box. You can also make use of our beautiful petal wishes kit to save your well-wishers blessings for the future. This interesting novelty from Best for Bride, allows you to collect wishes from your favorite people on petals, and then snap them all together to form a beautiful flower. It makes a wonderful keepsake that you can frame or store for later, so try it out.
Wedding entertainment
The entire ambiance of your wedding reception is set by the music you chose for the evening. Create a CD of the songs that your DJ or band played at your wedding, and also save a written copy of the playlist. If you had a band playing at the wedding, don’t forget to include a picture of them performing at the event. Also, add in the details of all the important dances like your first dance, the mother-son dance and father-daughter dance.
Wedding cards, gift tags and notes
Your wedding gifts will arrive beautifully wrapped and with tags on them. Don’t just throw away them. You can create a mini-scrapbook with the tags and notes. If you used special stationery to write your thank you notes on, save a card for yourself too. Put the wedding cards you received into your memory box, and on a later day, you will have a delightful time looking through them and remembering the people who made your day so special.
From your honeymoon
The getaway after the wedding is not to be forgotten easily. This is the time you enjoy your newly wed status as husband and wife. Assuming that you go on a honeymoon to a destination away from home, make sure that you pick a few things to stuff into your wedding treasure box. Collect shells from the beach, toiletry bottles from the hotel you stayed at or a souvenir. Also add a stash of photos from the days you spent there, and it will make a beautiful finale to the great celebration that was your wedding.
Once your wedding is over, you will be surprised at how much time you seem to have, all of a sudden.. After all that hectic wedding planning, this may seem a welcome respite. Use this time to linger over the beautiful days that led up to your wedding. Pull out your wedding memory box, sit back and run through the various treasures you’ve so lovingly put inside. Sort through it, enjoy it and relive the precious moments associated with each keepsake, it will make you smile with all your heart.
Make sure you make a list of all that you intend to save from your wedding, so you do not miss collecting them when the time comes. Delegate the responsibility of taking charge of things at the venue to a trusted friend, so you get it all even if you are too occupied on the day to collect it yourself. Add it to your bridesmaids list of duties, so it isn’t forgotten.
For more wedding planning tips, advice and all your wedding related needs, continue visiting us on Best for Bride. We have every aspect of your wedding covered.
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