Make Wedding Flowers

If you have questions about decorating a wedding cake with flowers, hopefully this article will shed a little light on the situation and inspire you to design a gorgeous floral cake for your wedding.

For my wedding cake I have bought four cakes of varying sizes and rented stands of varying heights to display them. How can I decorate my cakes?

When choosing a topper, be sure to balance its size and weight with the size of the cake. You could choose one traditional topper for the top cake and simple floral accents on the other three cakes. You could use single flowers such as lilies or roses in water picks. In this instance I would also put a mini accent on the cake with the topper.

Foliage used on the table at bottom would also complement your cakes. You could also add a coordinating bouquet in a vase to display on the table alongside the cakes. I’m trying to decide between having cupcakes or a traditional wedding cake for my wedding.

Which is less expensive and more appropriate for a modern wedding?

Cupcakes are usually cheaper than wedding cake. They are fun and familiar but if you are having a very formal wedding, cupcakes could be too casual, nontraditional and perceived as cheap, although some modern cupcakes are anything but cheap!

Keep in mind that depending on the way you wish to decorate all your individual cupcakes, it could turn out to be more expensive than decorating one grand and formal cake. If you are having a relaxed and casual reception where fun is the main goal, cupcakes could be ideal for your wedding.

If you are having a country wedding for example, you could decorate each cupcake with a fresh violet or other edible flower for that country charm.

Overall, the decision needs to be based on your wedding’s style. If you are having an elegant, classic event, the traditional wedding cake is the best choice for you.

My groom is a golf fanatic. I thought of surprising him with a golf theme cake topper at our wedding. Is this a good idea and do you know where I could get such a cake topper?

Yes, cake toppers are becoming more and more personalized these days. It would definitely be a conversation piece to have a comical theme cake topper or one that reflects the bride or the groom’s hobby or personality. You can find golf theme, fishing theme, soccer theme as well as many other creative cake toppers online or in select party and wedding decor shops.

To learn more about how to make flowers for your wedding and how to save lots of money doing it, check out my book: Unleash Your Inner Florist: How To Make Wedding And Special Event Flowers. Click here: How To Wedding Flowers http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com

By Sophia Rodriguez

When you lay out plans to make your own wedding flowers, there are certain things you should definitely avoid if you wish to have modern looking bouquets that will coordinate well with your wedding colors and your wedding decor.

1) Avoid colors and color combinations that are out of season or out of style. Never choose more than 2 colors as your wedding scheme. If you choose 2 colors, make sure they actually match well together. Choose colors that coordinate with the month or season you are getting married in. If possible, choose color combinations that are in style that year. You will have better luck matching dresses, flowers and accessories if you select colors that are current and modern.

2) Choose a bouquet style that matches with your body type, your weight and your style. Don`t choose an extra large cascading bouquet if you are a 100 pound bride. On the opposite side, don`t choose a small hand held bouquet of 6 roses if you are a 300 pound bride; it will look out of proportion!

3) Don`t choose super smelly flowers that will give you and your entire bridal party a killer headache on your most special day. Sure, you may enjoy the look of a Casablanca or a Stargazer lily but are you aware of your body`s reaction to this flower`s scent. Make sure to test yourself before making any final decisions.

4) Select flowers that won`t stain your dress or your men`s tuxes. Certain dyed flowers are beautiful and coordinate well with certain color schemes when natural flowers just don`t compare. For example, blue roses come in a dark cobalt blue but leak die as soon as any kind of moisture reaches the petals. Watch out for lilies too! The pistils at the center of the flowers give off a dark brown/yellow powder that stains clothes, hands, and anything else they come in contact with.

5) Choose flowers that give you a warm fuzzy feeling and that you totally love. Don`t just pick flowers for the sake of matching with the bridesmaids dresses. It should be the other way around. Research online and in bridal magazines until you find the bouquet and the flowers that really turn you on. This way, you will be sure to enjoy every minute spent with your wedding flowers and you will be extra proud of the flowers you made.

Do you want to make sure your wedding flowers look professional and well coordinated? If you are not sure how to go about it and want a step by step guide that will take you by the hand and unleash your inner florist, click here:

How To Wedding Flowers http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophia_Rodriguez

from: http://blytheponytailparades.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/09/wedding-trends-babys…

Enmaline Bride has posted some truly inspiring images of Baby’s Breath being used in countless ways on a wedding day!

The nice thing about Baby’s breath is that dry or fresh, it is always inexpensive. If you are going for a soft vintage, whimsical look for your special day, this post may interest you even more! “Instead of placing those cards on an ordinary table, dress them up with a layer of baby’s breath underneath.

Place inside a vintage luggage for added rustic charm. “For a chic and inexpensive aisle decor idea, try grouping baby’s breath bouquets tied to chairs along the aisle-way.

“Decorate your ceremony or reception site with this elegant baby’s breath wreath. Stunning!

“Baby’s breath + a mason jar wrapped in burlap and raffia = Perfection. “Holy wow, table decor finds number seven and eight are incredible. It’s almost hard to believe it’s baby’s breath. Check out Emmaline Bride for more helpful tips, tricks and cost effective wedding ideas!

Check out the pics here: http://blytheponytailparades.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/09/wedding-trends-babys…

from: http://bellethemagazine.blogspot.com/2011/09/wedding-trends-over-rainbow.html…

I’m bringing you a fun, bright and inspirational wedding trend to start your week with a smile.

Some people think that couples have to pick one or two colors and base their whole wedding off of that, but a new wedding trend is to incorporate every color and have a rainbow-inspired wedding.

From the bridesmaid dresses to the flowers, from the decor to the groomsmen’s ties, no longer are weddings bound by the traditional color combos. While this trend may not be for everyone, it automatically sends a message of fun.

A rainbow says, “the party is here.” But forget the images of the Rainbow Bright bedroom you had as a little girl, because this wedding trend can be done in an extremely chic way. Check it out…

http://bellethemagazine.blogspot.com/2011/09/wedding-trends-over-rainbow.html…

By Sophia Rodriguez

If you are wondering how to dress up your guest tables, visions of centerpieces probably come to mind. Yes, centerpieces are an essential part of decorating your head table and should coordinate well with the theme and colors of your special day.

From floral centerpieces to candle accents to elaborate vase arrangements with flowers, grasses, stones, leaves and other natural elements, every bride’s centerpieces should be unique to her special event.

There are other ways to dress up your wedding guest tables though and this is what this article will discuss. Tablecloths are an important way to dress up your guest tables before even thinking of putting a centerpiece on it.

If you are getting married in a hall, 99% of the time, the hall will be responsible for doing this and so you need not worry about it. Make sure to ask though and to confirm that they will be white, which they usually are. If you want unusual or color linens, you will need to take care of that on your own by renting them, buying them or making them.

Another less expensive way to reflect your wedding colors and theme onto your guest tables is to use table runners, color overlays or other linen to go on top of the basic white tablecloth. These add much style to a table setting. From a raffia table runner for beach and tropical settings to bamboo table liners for exotic or Chinese weddings to simple colored cloths, this type of table upgrade can really make a difference on your overall look.

Accents on your guest tables is the next consideration. Depending on your theme and colors, different accents sprinkled on your tables around your centerpieces or down and around the middle of your tables would be ideal.

Rose Petals are the most popular embellishment for guest tables. Of course if you have no roses at all in your wedding flowers, this would not be appropriate for you. However, if you feature roses in your bouquets and your centerpieces, this would be perfect for you.

Now, should you go with fresh or artificial petals? If you want no stress and perfect petals the whole night long, fake ones would be best. Even if you have no other artificial flowers at your wedding, fake for petals is quite acceptable and unnoticeable.

Because you want to make sure your petals still look great throughout the whole reception, artificial rose petals are recommended. You can purchase these at any craft, party or wedding shop.

Petals of other flowers such as daisies and hydrangeas are also available and can look great as long as they match your color and your flower type. To use, simply sprinkle your petals all around the centerpiece. You can plan on using about 12-25 petals per table.

Other ideas for table accents are: Beach theme: seashells Fall theme: fall leaves (preserved oak leaves are gorgeous!) Summer theme: silk flower heads such as pieces of hydrangea or daisy heads For all weddings: candles, battery candles, mirrors, crystal beads

If you have questions about your wedding flowers that have not been answered here, visit my blog at How To Wedding Flowers Blog http://www.howtoweddingflowers.blogspot.com

If you decide you can handle making your own centerpieces and flowers especially at such an incredible savings to you, you need to get my book to make your life so much easier.

It will get you all organized and will give you the confidence and the instructions you need to achieve all your floral dreams for your big day. “Unleash Your Inner Florist” http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com : How To Make Wedding And Special Event Flowers Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sophia_Rodriguez

While many people think that artificial flowers are tacky and should not be a part of any special event or wedding celebration, the truth is, there are many variables that can make an artificial flower look tacky or not.

It all depends on the quality of the flowers chosen and the type of arrangement composed with these artificials. Of course, real flowers will never be topped by artificial blooms.

The smells, the vibrancy and the uniqueness of fresh blooms will always surpass fake flowers but artificials have their place in special event celebrations when chosen with discretion.

How do I know which artificial flowers don’t look tacky?
Take your time when you go shopping to find the right blooms that match your color scheme and preferences. Look for the most realistic looking silks. Color tone is also very important.

I’ve been to weddings where the bridal parties’ fresh flowers were beautiful dark red roses that blended with creme roses accented by dainty baby’s breath and feathery greens.

At this same wedding’s reception ,the centerpieces were made with obvious artificials. They looked plastic and tacky. What made it worse was the fire engine red color, the clumpy baby’s breath and the faded plastic green leaves. What a nightmare from a florist’s point of view!

To choose realistic looking flowers, they must be well made with no fringing or fraying of the petals. The colors should be representative of the real flower. If the stamens on a lily are yellow for example, dont pick lilies with hot pink stamens on a red lily. Eewh! The texture and materials used should look and feel realistic and appealing… No plastic rigid flowers please!
The overall look of the flower should be very close to the real thing for success with fake flowers.

What are the pros and cons of artificial flowers vs. fresh flowers?

As a general rule artificial flowers are usually cheaper than fresh flowers especially if you seek exotic or tropicals. Sometimes though, you are able to find amazing deals on your loose fresh flowers.

With artificial flowers, you can make your bouquets as far in advance as you are comfortable with and this is a great comfort to some brides.

On the other hand, making your own flowers either alone, with your close friends, bridesmaids or with a bunch of family members can be greatly rewarding. Imagine the memories created and the sense of pride at knowing that you and your loved ones collaborated in creating beautiful bouquets that will live on forever in the pictures and in the stories of the fun you all had making them.

Fresh flowers could never be surpassed in beauty and uniqueness.

The number one reason I’ve heard as a bridal florist when brides choose artificial bouquets is that they can be great keepsake souvenirs long after the wedding.

The number one reason brides choose fresh flowers is for the traditional luxury of fresh blooms on their most special occasion.

Can I mix fresh flowers with silks at my wedding?

Many brides successfully combine silk and fresh flowers. But please follow these rules for an elegant look:

1) Choose the prettiest, most realistic looking flowers if choosing silks and the freshest most beautiful flowers if going fresh.

2) Do not mix fresh flowers with silks within the wedding party bouquets and body flowers. If your bouquets are real, your body flowers should be real and vice versa. Some exceptions include flowers for little ones. Flower girls and ring bearers flowers can be silk. Since kids tend to be a little rough, artificials stand a much better chance of surviving the little one’s happy day. The throwaway bouquet is the other exception to the rule. Since this bouquet must withstand very trying conditions, silks are quite acceptable for this traditional floral item.

3) Many brides choose fresh flowers for their wedding bouquets and body flowers but prefer having silks for their centerpieces. If done in a tasteful and classic way, this can work out fine. For optimal elegance, choose your flowers well. They must be the exact same shades, especially if going with red.

4) Do not mix fresh and artificials within the same arrangement. For example, if you are floating a red rose in a rose bowl as a centerpiece, don’t use silk flower accents in the same arrangement. Silk flower petals are the exception; they are way more practical and most look quite realistic.

If you want to learn how to make all your real or artificial flowers for your special event and save a bundle, check out my book here: “Unleash Your Inner Florist” http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sophia_Rodriguez]Sophia Rodriguez

Are you wondering how you can combine your original idea of decorating your wedding cake with flowers with that cute little topper you found? A combination of flowers with a theme cake topper can be the ultimate way to top a wedding cake when done right. Follow the instructions in this article so that you can have your cake and eat it too…literally!

The easiest way to bring your floral theme to your cake is to add a few choice flowers in water picks here and there on different levels of the cake and surrounding your cake topper.

What you will need

* Chosen cake topper
* Small water picks
* Chosen flowers
* Glossy leaves

Step One
Let’s say you have chosen a golf themed topper and your flowers are yellow roses and baby’s breath, plan to place the topper on the top section of your cake at the center, then add a yellow rose in front of it resting on a small piece of foliage such as leather or pittosporum. Add another little piece of foliage over top of the water pick to conceal it. Please note that all roses should definitely be inserted into picks since they are heavy drinkers and will need the moisture to look great throughout the night.

Step Two
Add more roses at different angles all around the cake, depending on which sides of the cake will be visible. To camouflage the water pick and to add style to your cake, use glossy leaves such as leather, camellia, ruscus or pittosporum and simply lay them on top of the water pickholder. Most foliage and fillers such as baby’s breath will look just fine out of water for an evening. Baby’s breath is great to fill in the gaps between flowers however it will look out of place unless you are using it elsewhere in your wedding flowers. Many tropical plants with short glossy leaves would also work wonderfully. The glossier they are, the longer they will look fresh. Other single flowers that look great on a cake are daisies, bits and pieces of hydrangea, lilies and sunflowers.

Petal Pointer:
Water picks are available at your local florist. When purchasing them for the purpose of cake accents, ask for orchid water tubes. They are the best since they are the shortest and easier to camouflage on the cake. If you can’t get those, a regular pick, the shortest you can get it will be fine.

if you want to know more than just how to decorate the top of your cake with flowers and wish to know how to make floral centerpieces, bouquets and corsages, check out my book called: Unleash Your Inner Florist: How To Make Your Own Wedding and Special Event Flowers. Save hundreds of dollars by making your own wedding flowers here: [http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com]How To Make Wedding Flowers

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Wedding-Cake-Topper:-How-to-Combine-Flowers-With-A-Cake-Topper-For-The-Ultimate-Topper&id=6173342] Wedding Cake Topper: How to Combine Flowers With A Cake Topper For The Ultimate Topper

By Sophia Rodriguez

Should I place my fresh cut flowers in the sunshine to help open them up?

No! Since temperature is the #1 factor in keeping flowers fresher longer, placing them in the sunshine will overheat them and promote early death. Set containers in a cool, dark area overnight before starting to work with them. The darkness helps to eliminate transpiration or water loss to keep the blooms at their freshest.

Where should I put my flowers while they are waiting to be arranged in bouquets?

The area used to recondition your flowers should have lots of air circulation but no drafts, heaters or fans. Ideally, this would be a fl oral cooler with a 38-50 degrees Fahrenheit (3-10 degrees Celsius) temperature and with a very high (80%) of humidity. Of course, in a home setting, this is rarely possible. Therefore, just do your best at finding the coolest area in the house (must be at least 3 degrees) to store your flowers. A cold cellar or basement would be great.

To increase humidity, just before leaving them for the night, use a mist sprayer to spray a fine mist of water into the air above and around the blooms. A simple procedure like putting the bloom in a cool spot overnight helps them recuperate from the journey and last longer. Even placing finished bouquets on the floor where it is naturally cooler can help with the freshness.

What about foliage, how do I keep it fresh until I am ready to use it in my bouquets and corsages?

The best way to preserve foliage until you are ready to use it is to first re-cut the stem underwater about 1″ (2.5cm), then spray them with a fine mist of water. Place them in a plastic bag in the fridge or in a cool location. This helps preserve maximum moisture into the leaves.

I heard that I should never put flowers with fruit. Is this true?

Yes. Ripening fruit causes the most amount of ethylene in a home setting and can greatly damage fresh blooms and foliage. Ethylene is a hormone that is like an odorless and invisible gas that speeds up floral maturation and death. Ethylene is produced by two main sources. The first is outside factors such as the burning of fuels, by bacteria forming and by the ripening of fruits.

The second source of ethylene in a home setting is from the flower itself. Even when you cut stems, small amounts of ethylene escape. This is not a huge concern as long as you store your blooms in a fresh and cool atmosphere. Make sure not to bunch them all in one vase: spread them out and let your floral beauties breathe. Also, make sure to keep all your tools, buckets and water solutions clean. Finally, remember to always store your flowers away from any fruit.

Do you want to learn a lot more about handling and preparing fresh flowers? If so, my book may be perfect for you. It is called: Unleash Your Inner Florist: How to Make Wedding And Special Event Flowers. Click here to get more information about how to make pretty bouquets, corsages, centerpieces and lots more: Unleash Your Inner Florist http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com

How to cut costs when planning your wedding flowers is easy when you follow some or all the suggestions in this article.

First of all you will save big if you make your own flowers for your wedding. if you can tolerate the thought of having fake flowers at your wedding, you will save if you make your own artificial flowers.
Of course there are artificial flowers that will cost you an arm and a leg and there are real flowers that are just as cheap as fake flowers.

However, if you love calla lilies, orchids, stephanotis and other exotics, the artificial variety will be cheaper. If you are getting a florist to make your flowers ask for a price for both fake and real flowers.

Making your own wedding flowers will greatly decrease your bottom line price. Even if you don’t feel comfortable making all your wedding flowers you can focus on one aspect of your wedding flowers.

Centerpieces is the number one thing you can do to reduce your costs. Centerpieces, even ones made with real flowers can be made at least 4-5 days before the wedding; artificial ones can be made weeks ahead of the big day. You could get together with your bridesmaids a few days before the wedding and have a go at creating your centerpieces and bouquets.

To save the most on the actual bulk flowers, you can order a growers box online which could be a large bundle of roses or hydrangeas fresh from the farm at incredible prices and base your floral wedding theme around an abundance of that flower. Of course, you will need proper instructions and a complete plan of action to ensure your floral success.

Boutonnieres and corsages are another area where you can definitely cut costs when making your wedding flowers. Consider that it can cost you $1 for a rose and.50 for greens. Add floral tape and a corsage pin and you have yourself a recipe for a boutonniere for under $2 whereas if you order one all made up for you at the florist, it will cost you at least 3 times that amount.

Reusing bouquets is another way to cut costs on wedding flowers by making the most of each bouquet.If you have bouquets in flower holders, you can purchase or rent bouquet holders that can be clipped on the front of the head table to decorate the head table elegantly. Bridal bouquets can also double as bouquets to decorate the cake table, the sign in guest registry table or another focal table at your reception.

Not sure if you should use fresh or fake flowers at your wedding? Take the quiz here to make sure you do what`s best for your personality type Fake or Fresh Quiz
http://makeweddingflowers.com/should-you-use-real-or-fake-flowers-for-your-we…

If you want complete and inexpensive instructions on how to make your wedding flowers, get my book called Unleash Your Inner Florist. It will guide you every step of the way and make it look like a professional florist made your flowers. Read more about my book here: How To Wedding Flowers http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com

By Sophia Rodriguez

Are you wondering what makes a special event look professional vs. tacky? If so, this article will shed some light on the subject and help you achieve a professional look for your special event.

We will discuss color choice, unity of decor and richness of materials.

Color choice is the number one element that can make or break an overall elegant look. Please refer to a color chart before picking your definite colors or go with a look of the year color combination to make sure you choose modern colors that coordinate well together.

A bad color choice can create tackiness. For example, we once decorated a wedding in a beautiful timber framed ballroom. The decor was sheer elegant draping on the ceiling with twinkling lights. The head table and the cake table had mini light accents as well.

It could have been quite elegant. However, the bride wouldn’t budge on the colors…olive green and dull red! It totally ruined the look and left the decorator and florist cringing! Another element of decor that makes it professional looking is unity of decor.

For example if you choose to use ivy in your wedding bouquets, it would be great to use ivy in your decor at the reception as well. Touches of ivy on the front of the head table could be used as well on the cake table. If you use the colors red and white in the wedding flowers, use the same colors in the centerpieces as well.

If your theme is a beach theme, you will want to follow through with your theme all the way from shells in your bouquets to a cake topper in a beach theme and shells sprinkled along a sandy candlelight centerpiece. Don’t overdo it though. If you exaggerate one element too much, it will become tacky.

Finally, the best way to create unity and save money is to reuse bouquets, bows and an arch that you will use at the church.

Get trusted family members to move these items. Make sure to tell them, better yet, make them a diagram of what and where you would like things moved. They will appreciate your instructions and allow them to perform their task as per your wishes.

Finally, materials used should be rich looking, vibrant, healthy and modern.

For example: lace and lattice are now rarely used at modern weddings. Same goes for plastic and cloth flowers, flower fans and paper bells. Of course, there could be exceptions, but usually, try to leave these materials out.

For more information on how to choose colors for this year`s special event of yours, check out my blog: How To Wedding Flowers Blog Http://www.makeweddingflowers.com

If you want complete and inexpensive instructions on how to make flowers for your special event, get my book called Unleash Your Inner Florist. It will guide you every step of the way and make it look like a professional florist made your flowers and unified your wedding decor. Read more about my book here: How To Wedding Flowers http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com