How to Plan Your Wedding Flowers

By on May 16, 2012 in Daily Scoop, How To, Wedding Design Ideas

Planning a wedding takes a bit of organization, and a lot of decision making.  Deciding on your wedding colors and type of wedding flowers are just two of the many choices you’ll have to make during your planning stages.  Not to outweigh  big decisions like your wedding date, location, or wedding dress, but deciding on wedding colors and wedding flowers are a big contemplation as they can set the tone for your wedding day.  Liz from thebrokeassbride.com wrote a recent post on Your Wedding Flowers and How to Swing Them, a great guide of where to start when planning your wedding flowers. (it must be something in the name, she has some great information to share)

Liz shares,“Most of my brides come at the whole wedding flowers thing in one of two ways:  They know exactly what they want, or they have no clue.”  She suggests when starting your wedding flower planning to, “start before you even meet with a florist and pull all the basic numbers. Writing it down beforehand is going to make you feel a little bit more in control, and it’ll bring up  questions that you haven’t thought of.”

After you’ve broken down the basics like how many centerpieces, bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres for the bridal party and family you’ll need, figure out the percentage of your budget you’ll be able to spend on wedding flowers.  From there you can begin to make decisions on wedding flower colors and types.

Keep in mind you don’t have to rely on the knowledge of a florist to help you plan your wedding flowers.  Many websites like afloral.com allow you to search by wedding flower color or wedding flower type, giving you options to work with for your special day.  Reach out and use more of our resources for inspiration like searching for wedding design ideas by theme with great how to videos for step by step instructions.  If you are still a bit undecided on what direction to take your wedding flower types or colors email mindy[at]afloral.com and have her create a personal wedding inspiration board just for you!

Photo credits: Fuchsia and Blue Wedding theme from afloral.com, wedding cake from wedding-flower-and-reception-ideas.com

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Creative Ways to Save on Wedding Flowers

By on May 12, 2012 in Daily Scoop, How To, Wedding Design Ideas

A bride’s wedding budget has to be well planned and balanced to pull off a special day that won’t break the bank.  Having all the areas of your wedding, from your dress, decor and wedding flowers to rentals and caterers budgeted will help you know what you have to work with.  If one area is coming in over budget, brides will have to get creative in order to save on another.  Wedding flowers are a great example of where a little extra planning with the right type of DIY touches can save you cash to use somewhere else in your budget.  A recent article in Huffington Post Weddings, Wedding Flowers: How Do I Get a Cheap Wedding Bouquet, looked at creative ways to save on wedding flowers.

“Flowers and decor will take up approximately 10 percent of your wedding budget, and between personal flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages), ceremony decor and reception centerpieces things can quickly add up,” states Anne Chertoff.

Chertoff interviews floral designer and blogger Janie Medley for ways brides can save on wedding flowers, and one of her tips is to use larger bloom wedding flowers.  “My first choice would be peonies. Peonies are stunning on their own and you can even carry one single bloom if you prefer.”

Larger bloom flowers like peonies will help you reduce the amount of wedding flowers you’ll need for your bouquet.  Other choices like dahlias, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and sunflowers can create beautiful arrangements with just a few stems.  Choosing silk wedding flowers will take your savings a step further.  Brides can order their choice of wedding flowers anytime throughout the year, even months in advance to their wedding.  Brides can be chic with beautiful, large wedding flower blooms on their special day while also being savvy and smart with big wedding budget savings.

Photos: Sunflower bouquet, weddingbee.com; white dahlia bouquet, ruffledblog.com; hydrangea tied bouquet, weddingchick.com; peach peony bouquet, afloral.com

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Use Your Silk Wedding Flowers As A Keepsake

By on May 5, 2012 in Wedding Design Ideas

Afloral.com Purple-Boutonniere

Countless hours and unmeasurable amounts of effort are put into designing and arranging your wedding day decor.

Hours of your time are put into items that will be displayed for one day’s event.  With a little forethought and a bit of the right planning you can continue to enjoy your wedding flowers and wedding decor long after your special day.

Planning the right wedding decor items that can be reused, recycled or re-purposed is budget friendly, green and just plain smart. Many brides are going green, that is not just referring to their wedding colors or wedding flowers.  Brides are looking for items that can be re-purposed and reused on and after their wedding day.  Afloral.com showed us some gorgeous ideas to re-purpose vintage finds to create a romantic, vintage rose wedding theme.  Read more about how to score great vintage finds and transform them into a beautiful wedding theme in our vintage wedding design ideas post.

Silk wedding flowers are another great wedding decor item that are affordable and able to be reused after you special day.  Silk wedding flower arrangements are gorgeous, yet budget friendly options that also leave you with a special keepsake.  Silk flowers are an option you can enjoy for years to come.

afloral.com green wedding ideas

Brides can incorporate their wedding flower centerpieces into attractive home decor.  Take a look at Afloral.com’s green wedding ideas and wedding centerpiece idea, it’s recycled wooden crate is a huge hit for home decor right now combined with a fresh look of greenery, branches and trendy kissing ball accents. Wedding flower centerpieces can also be broken down into smaller arrangements to be used around your new home as accents.

Or think outside of the vase and find a way to re-purpose your wedding flowers.  You can use select flowers to decorate a home accent wreath or basket.  Take part of your silk wedding flowers and place them for display in a shadow box for a unique use.

afloral.com pink, blush vintage wedding ideas

Your wedding flowers are not only a  special keepsake for you but also consider making them into a keepsake for you mother, mother in law or other family and friends.  Seen in Afloral.com’s pink and blush (vintage) wedding ideas, a rose bloom inside a vintage tea cup would make a beautiful keepsake.  Your mother and mother in law will enjoy this thoughtful gift. It will hold special memories for years to come.

Silk wedding flowers are an affordable option that will also hold onto all your hard work you put into their planning.  Pick a wedding flower option that you can enjoy days, weeks, years after your special day.  There’s an old wedding practice to put a piece of your cake in the freezer to take out to celebrate your anniversary.  That cake might make it past your 1st year anniversary, but silk wedding flowers will outlast any cake for many years to come.

Don’t forget to search our blog by wedding flower colors for great ideas in planning your special day!  Use the browse by color menu at the top of our blog.

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Romantic Vintage Wedding Theme

By on February 25, 2012 in Daily Scoop

Romantic Vintage Inspiration Wedding, vintage china- greenweddingshoes.com, soft pink- cakesupplies4u.com, cinderella- graphicsfairy.blogspot.com, bride- afloral.com facebook page

A soft, pink romantic wedding is sure to fulfill any girl’s ideal fairytale dreams.  Today I have 4 inspiration photos to help you plan a Romantic Vintage Pink Wedding Theme.

The Vintage China Place Setting is our vintage inspiration, showing that you can take beauty and elegance from the past while also cashing in on savings by picking up second hand items. You don’t have to have a full matching set to serve all your wedding guests. Pick a few color accents like pink or gold trim for plates to have in common.  If you have a few accent colors running through each piece, they will tie together your whole reception table settings.  Keep an eye out at local thrift or second hand stores or visit estate or garage sales to pick up almost full sets.  Colored glass vases are another vintage or second hand find that can add a touch of elegance to your romantic wedding look.

The Soft, Light Pink Hue is going to set the wedding palette, this pink is a warm yet muted tone that will work well with white or cream neutrals, metallics, and greenery accents in floral arrangements.  Pair the pink hue with the beauty of the rose for your bridal bouquet and flower arrangements. Both the color pink and the rose flower are timeless, romantic symbols of love. Build your own silk floral bouquet or check out the 2012 Afloral Bridal Bouquet Line. Personally I’m in love with the tones and textures of the rose, ranunculus and peony arrangement in pink, fuchsia and cream for under $18!

The Cinderella image is a vintage illustration that depicts the classic story of prince charming with his princess.  Your wedding day is a day any bride has dreamed about since she was a little girl and played dress up and make believe.  It is a day you get to say yes to the man you love –  your own prince charming.  As you dreamed of this special day, you imagined the best, just like a princess would have: lavish accents making for an elegant and romantic wedding.  Any modern princess can get her “lavish” looking accents with smart wedding planning.  Map out ways to save like using cheap second-hand china, affordable silk wedding flowers, and setting a budget and sticking to it in each wedding category.

Lastly the Lace Bridal Look showcases the delicate beauty of a lace overlay on the bodice of this gown.  Lace has been a recent popular accent on bridal gowns.  It offers a soft, yet intricate detail that adds a touch of romance and elegance to your look.  Lace allows the bride to feel feminine and beautiful without having to be too revealing.  There is a way to tastefully show a little skin, and lace is the perfect way to do it.

A Romantic Vintage Pink Wedding Theme is feminine, elegant and timelessly beautiful.  Remember key elements like the romantic soft pink palette, classic beauty of the rose, vintage elegance (and savings) in second hand china, and the beauty and grace in lace detailing.  May all your fairytale dreams come true on your special day!

 

 

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Romantic Silk Rose Floral Guide

By on February 9, 2012 in Daily Scoop, How To

Afloral.com Red Rose Wedding Theme

“Which is loveliest in a rose?  It’s coy beauty when it’s budding, or it’s splendor when it blow?” George Barlow

Many poets and writers have alluded to the beauty of the rose.  A symbol of love, passion and beauty.

Approaching Valentine’s Day, the international day of love, countless men will be visiting their local florist to purchase bouquets of roses for their special someones.

Roses aren’t just popular one day of the year.  They are a favorite wedding floral choice.  Roses are a timeless symbol of love and beauty that lend themselves to a classic, elegant wedding look.

Silk rose flowers can get you this beautiful, classic look at an affordable price.  Silk floral stems range from $1.49 to $3.49 a piece, ideal prices for any DIY wedding projects.  An added bonus you can order them weeks or months in advance completing any projects with plenty of time before your wedding day.

Today we’re going to go through a few different types of silk rose flowers so you’ll be able to get the right look using the right type of rose stems for your wedding needs.  Welcome to the silk rose floral guide.

Afloral.com Red Rose Boutonniere

Rose Buds

Rose buds are a petite, rich accent to any floral arrangement.  Available in a variety of colors from traditional red, pink, yellow to blue, purple or gray.  They come on long individual stems with greenery.  Tuck the rose bud stems amongst arrangements with greenery and baby’s breath or accents like feather or rhinestone sprays.

Take the same hue of rose bud and make your own boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen.  For around $2- $5 a piece, get great savings making your own with a rose bud, greenery, floral tape and a lapel pin.

 

Afloral.com Red Rose Bridal Bouquet

Open Rose

A large, open rose  can be a beautiful focal point to your wedding floral arrangement.  Lush and bold in bridal bouquets and accessories and attention catching in reception centerpieces.  The intricate layers of an open rose are historically a symbol of elegance and beauty.

Both the American Beauty and Suzette Garden silk floral stems are large, lush open roses that will get you that classic look.  Pair larger blooms like these with other medium to large blooms so that the arrangement is balanced.  The afloral.com red rose wedding theme features a 26″ red rose, the same size bloom of the large American Beauty or Suzette Garden stems.  Arrange several silk floral stems in a tall or short inexpensive vase like the mint julep cups and viola you have a simple, beautiful and affordable wedding centerpiece.

Afloral.com White Rose Centerpiece

Garden Fresh

If you’re on the fence about using silk flowers for your wedding, the garden fresh line can sway your vote.  Garden Fresh and Sophia silk floral stems offer a “fresh from the garden” look  with soft, plastic coated wire stems complete with thorns.  The realistic stems and petals can be placed in a vase of water to complete the look or used in a submersible arrangement.

Both are available in large, open blooms with lush silk rose petals.  The afloral.com white rose wedding theme showcases the beauty and versatility of the silk rose stems.  Classic, simple arrangement of 6 sophia rose stems are placed in a clear vase with water and floating white rose petals for a stunning centerpiece idea.  The Princess Mary rose bud stem is trimmed and submersed in a small clear vase for an accent arrangement.  Each element checks in at under $5 a piece, demonstrating how affordable silk flowers and staple and inexpensive pieces like dollar store vases can create a gorgeous yet budget friendly wedding arrangement.

For additional savings look at silk rose sprays offering multiple floral blooms to be used in DIY arrangements.  And as always ordering silk wedding flowers in bulk will save you both time and money.

Happy early Valentine’s Day!  With all the money you’ll be saving ordering silk wedding flowers let your man to be take you out for a romantic dinner……enjoy!

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