Wednesday, May 27, 2009

How to Make Floral Accents for Hair



A single flower tucked behind the ear, as simple as it may be to do, projects the splendor of a very special event. This is usually reserved for women’s hair. From a fl oral comb to an elaborate wreath, there are many ways to include fl owers in your special event and add class, character and charm to anyone’s hair. From the simplest to the more intricate, there are many ideas to decorate hair that are described in this chapter. We will cover barrettes, combs, head bands and simple accents. Add class and charm to your event by preparing hair-do blooms for all important ladies at your celebration.

Simple Accents
The simplest and most traditional fl oral hair decoration is a single bloom or sprigs of baby’s breath tucked in the hair. Simply cut pieces with the stem long enough to stick in the hair. To do it yourself, insert pieces of baby’s breath through pulled back or braided hair. Secure with bobby pins and / or hairspray. You can do this with hydrangea or daisy fl orets or any other theme fl ower from your special event. For a tropical look, orchids hold up very well out of water as a hair decoration.

Floral Combs
Relatively easy to make and very inexpensive, this type of hair accent goes a long way in terms of creating instant elegance.


What you will need:
 -Floral comb
 -Freshly made corsage
(for instructions, go to http://www.howtoweddingflowers.com/ and sign up to receive your free instructions)
 -Bow
 -Glue gun and glue sticks
 -Floral Wire
 -Bag

How to Make a Floral Comb
Step One
Attach your corsage to a comb by placing on top of the comb and by centering it.

Step Two
Wrap the stem of your corsage with floral wire. Wrap the wire through the teeth of the comb and around the stem of your corsage many times.

Step Three
Secure your comb even more by putting a generous amount of glue between the corsage and the comb.

Step Four
Finish your comb by gluing baby’s breath to fi ll in any bare spots.

Step Five
If your floral comb is created out of fresh fl owers, make sure to spray it with a fine mist of water or an anti-transpirant and store it in a plastic bag in the fridge until it is time to wear it.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

How to make sure your cake will be decorated as per your wishes


Since you will be very busy on your wedding day getting all prettied up for your grand entrance, your wedding day is not a good time to be running up to your hall to decorate a cake! Since your cake will likely be delivered in the early afternoon of your wedding day, there is really no way for you, yourself to decorate your cake the night before (unless it is an artificial cake!) However, by following this timetable, you can make your own wedding cake flowers, save at least 75% and make sure your flowers are exactly as you dream them to be.

Wedding Cake Time Table
Before the Wedding The first thing to do is to decide on your vision for your cake and to plan for the materials you will need and when to put everything together. The next thing to do is to explain what you would like to your cake maker, make her/him a little sketch of your vision of your flowers and accents. Make 2 copies of this sketch. Keep one in your wedding organizer and leave one with your cake maker a few months before the wedding and promise to return with the floral accents the day before the wedding (or earlier if they are silks).
Three to Four Days before the Wedding Make your cake topper and prepare your greenery. Spray all with a touch of water or even better, with an anti-transpirant such as Crowning Glory. Store both in a fridge until the morning of the wedding. The foliage should be in a plastic bag while the topper itself can be just loose in the fridge.
The Morning of the day before the Wedding Step One: Return to the cake maker’s with your floral and greenery accents all prepared. If you are using greenery or loose flowers, make sure your water picks are full. Instruct them to put your flowers and foliage in their fridge until time to bring to the hall. Step Two: Speak to the person who will be setting up your cake and give him or her the second copy of your vision if they need it. Answer any questions he/she may have and then trust that everything will be done according to your wishes. You have done everything you can. The second option is to get an aunt, uncle cousin…..to decorate your cake on the day of the wedding, a few hours before the wedding. Whether a cake maker or a family member is selected to decorate your cake, you should follow the same instructions as outlined above.
The Night before the Wedding: Go to your reception hall or send someone you trust fully to your hall to decorate your cake table. Make sure your cake table has a nice tablecloth on it with a table skirt as well as a base to rest your cake upon the next day. If you are adding lights or garlands to their front of your table, now is the time. Attach any accessory to the tablecloth with baby pins. Use the smaller baby pins either in gold or silver and try to conceal them with leaves or flowers.
Learn More about How to Make Your Own Special Event Flowers by following this link:
www.howtoweddingflowers.com/unleashinnerflorist/
© Copyright How to Wedding Flowers 2009

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Can I Really Make my Own Wedding Flowers?


Organization, timing and confidence are the three essential factors required for being able to pull off making your own wedding bouquets. DIY wedding flowers can be very simple or extravagant depending on your selections. Since modern stylish bouquets have become much more natural and simple, do it yourself wedding flower design has become increasingly popular and feasible. To ensure your success and minimize stress, you are best to choose simple styles of bouquets and centerpieces for do it yourself wedding flowers. The simplest bouquets are the one main type of flower bouquets, hand tied. You could use all roses, all gerberas, all sunflowers or all calla lilies to create your stunning bouquets. The bride would get 6-12, the bridesmaids, 3-6, the flower girls, petals in a basket. The centerpieces could be roses floating in water surrounded by candles. Anyone can pull that off as long as they are well organized.

Organization: The key to good floral planning is a bridal planner. You can either purchase a pre-made guide or you could simply use a binder or a notebook with flaps to hold pictures and samples. Anytime you get ideas or to do’s to put on a list, write down the information and place it in your planner. The same goes with photos. If you browse through wedding magazines or through the internet and you see a photo you like, tear it out or copy it and place it in your planner. This will be your guide and inspiration throughout the wedding planning process. Include a calendar page for the month before and the month of your wedding. Write out a list of all your flower bouquets and other floral items you need for your wedding. Next, write a list of all you will have to do to accomplish your bouquets. For example: buy flowers, buy ribbon, make bouquet, etc..
Spread out the tasks on your calendar pages, keeping the 2 days before the wedding empty of floral tasks (except for boutonnieres and corsages which should be done the day before the wedding)

Timing: To minimize stress and to still have beautifully fresh bouquets on your wedding day, you can easily make the bouquets 3 days before the wedding. For example if your wedding is on Saturday, you could make them on the Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. That way you’ll have enough time to eliminate any problems and enough time for them to remain fresh, as long as they are packaged properly. If you have access
to a fridge large enough to hold all your bouquets, or a cold cellar, you can even make them four to five days in advance. Either way, you should have access to a cool or cold area to store your flowers until the wedding day.

Confidence: If you are the people person type and if you have many bridesmaids or centerpieces to create, consider throwing a Pitch in party. It can be fun, add a personal touch to your wedding flowers and really boost your confidence level. Gather the bridesmaids, the aunts, the moms, and anyone else that could lend a hand and plan a Pitch In wedding flower party a few nights before the event. By sharing the tasks amongst your loved ones and guests, the stress dissipates, confidence is raised and it`s a chance to share good times and create memories for years to come. If you only have a few floral items to create, you could just get together with your maid of honor and enjoy working together, chit chat and release stress.


If you are still unsure, take our quiz : ``Should you make your own wedding flowers``

See below....

Friday, May 15, 2009

Can I grow my own flowers to save money for my wedding?



You can grow your own flowers or pick them from the garden of a relative or friend who grows beautiful flowers (with their permission of course!). Many precautions should be taken if you choose this option. Garden flowers are not the same quality as florist grade flowers. The stems are not as strong and the flowers not as hardy. Garden flowers could more easily be grown and displayed for centerpieces, especially if you want to float them in water. If you are planning to grow flowers and flowering shrubs in your yard or garden as a backdrop to your ceremony, you should have excellent results as long as you have a green thumb and are an experienced gardener. As for flowers for bouquets and centerpieces, if you are going for the garden look, you could pull it off by following these precautions:
You will want to plan to pick your flowers the day before the wedding or at most 2 days before the special event. The time of day is a major factor as to when you will want to pick the flowers. The morning hours, between 9-10 am is ideal, just after the dew has dried but before the sun is too strong. You don’t want to pick them after a rain since they will be too wet and won’t be at their best. You don’t want to pick them close to noon or in the hot afternoon sun. They will be dehydrated and not last their longest. Make sure the flowers and foliage that you pick are at their best; that they are free of insect holes and look healthy, vibrant and beautiful. Researching your type of flower for lasting quality and specific care would be recommended. It’s a great idea to carry a container of lukewarm water to the garden so that you can place the stems in the water immediately as you cut them. It would be wise to test the type of flower you plan to use well in advance of the special day to avoid any surprises such as the stems or buds dropping within a few hours of cutting. If you are planning on cutting many flowers, bring more buckets or vases of water to place them in so that your fine picks will not get damaged by
overcrowding. Flowers should be picked in the advanced bud or almost mature stage. If you pick them when they are at their peak, they will be past their prime by the time you showcase them at your event. To benefit future growth of the plant from which you are cutting from, cut your stem just above the nodes (where the leaf joins the main stem). This will allow the plant to keep producing well. Handle flowers quickly and try to only hold them by their stem so as not to damage them.


To summarize, if you grow flowers for your centerpieces and follow the above precautions, you should have gorgeous, fragrant blooms to show off at your wedding and will have the pride of your green thumb and thriftiness to show off.

If you grow flowers that will surround your wedding ceremony and that will still be planted and not cut, you will have a beautiful natural backdrop for your wedding.

If you wish to use fresh grown, cut flowers for your bouquets and centerpieces, you should do your research as to which flowers will hold up well when cut (ex. roses, straw flowers, statice, lilies, etc...) Plan to make trial corsages, bouquets as testers before the big day so as to avoid disappointment.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Fun Quiz from my Book

Quiz: Should you make your own wedding flowers?

1) I enjoy doing crafts once in a while. True False
2) I love the feeling of pride at creating something, whether it be painting, building, decorating.
True False
3) I would feel much more comfortable if a florist did my wedding flowers. True False
4) I can be pretty organized when I put my mind to it. True False
5) Making my own wedding bouquets terrifies me. True False
6) I would really rather somebody else makes my wedding flowers
True False
7) I would always remember fondly the fun and memories created while making my fresh
flowers, especially if shared with friends and family. True False
8) I have a great sense of what matches together and which flowers look real. True False
9) I don’t think there’s any way to make time for making wedding flowers. True False
10) I really don’t think that there’s any way that even with clear
instructions I could manage to make any type of flower bouquet.
True False

If you answered True to more of Questions # 1,2,4,7,8, you are a
prime candidate for making your own wedding flowers. You have the
confidence and the desire to pull you through this rewarding
experience.

If you answered True to more of Questions #3,4,6,8,10, you do not have enough self confidence and positive thinking to create your own bouquets. You are best to make an appointment with your local florist to book your wedding flowers with them.

If you enjoyed this quiz, there are many more in my book: Unleash Your Inner Florist
Buy the book at Authorhouse, Amazon or Barnes & Nobles

Monday, May 11, 2009

Frequently Asked Questions about Artificial Bouquets


SILK BOUQUETS

I have decided to make all my wedding flowers out of artificial flowers. Do I just follow the same instructions as for your live bouquets ?

Yes, to make your silk bouquets, simply follow the instructions for the live bouquets with a few variations. You will need a few additional items. Instead of floral shears, you will need wire cutters. Instead of a “Wet” bouquet holder, you will need a bouquet holder specially conceived for silk flowers: a “Dry” or sometimes called “Sahara” bouquet holder. The best holders to use for your silk bouquets are the white Styrofoam holders. You can add-on lace or tulle collars to decorate the back of your bouquet. These are sold separately. You will also need wooden floral picks and floral tape.

What if I can only find bouquet holders for fresh flowers but want to use silks?

As a last resort if you can only find the wet bouquet holders, simply use a lot of glue to create strength and stability although this is not the best option. If you are using a wet bouquet holder instead of dry foam, every time you insert a stem, add a spot of glue to create stability. Add glue especially on the outer flowers and not too much on the inner stems since you will run out of room to stick the stems in if you use too much glue.

I’m trying to stick my flower stems into my bouquet holder but my stems are all flimsy and won’t go in. What can I do?
The secret to securely inserting artificial stems into a bouquet holder is to use wooden picks. Whenever you feel that a stem is not rigid enough, simply follow the instructions in Chapter 10 Essential Techniques: How to attach a floral pick.
Learn More about How to Make Your Own Special Event Flowers by following this link:
www.howtoweddingflowers.com/unleashinnerflorist/

Saturday, May 9, 2009

How to Select the Perfect Colors for your Wedding or Special Event Flowers


Frequently Asked Questions

When should I decide which colors I would like at my special event?
Choosing your wedding colors should take place in the early stages of special event or wedding planning. Your color scheme is very important for bringing unity to the flowers and decorations of your ceremony and reception. As you plan your event, consider the colors that will be found in your flowers, linens and accessories. Many people select their wedding or special event colors based on their favourite shade or favourite flower. However, if your favorite color does not match with your hall, you might want to reconsider. If the all the chairs at the hall are burgundy for example, please do not choose fire engine red! Your chosen colors should also reflect your personality, especially in the case of wedding flowers. If you are unsure about which flowers match your personality, take the quiz at the end of this book to see which flowers represent your character best.

How many colors should I choose?
You’ll want to choose one primary color and one or two accent colors. Try to limit your choice to a max. of 3 colors to avoid tackiness.

How can I make sure that my colors will match my event?
To help you finalize your colors, make sure that if the reception site has strong colors, they match with your chosen colors. Also, make sure your chosen colors will match your theme flowers and your bridesmaids’ dresses if it’s for a wedding. The season when your ceremony will take place should also influence your choice of colors. Spring weddings and events are usually in soft pastels whereas summer events include bright colors. Fall usually reflects earthy colors such as oranges, reds, yellows, and copper. Finally, winter suggests deep shades of reds, burgundies, gold and silver. Black and white is often a popular color scheme for weddings. Just make sure to brighten up the affair with a bright color in order to avoid that the happy occasion turns out looking like a funeral. Whichever combinations of colors you choose, remember that fresh flowers grow in a natural range of colors that will never match exactly but their natural colors can still work together to create enchanting flowers for your special event.




Are there any colors that I should definitely avoid putting together?
Please never put red with burgundy. Oftentimes people will assume that all shades of red match together, they do not, nor do pink and red. If you are going with bright red, make sure that all your accessories: your ribbons, linens and flowers are the same shade of red. If you choose burgundy, again, make sure that everything else in your décor is burgundy and not red. Most other colors within the same shade match well together.

Learn More about How to Make Your Own Special Event Flowers by following this link:
www.howtoweddingflowers.com/unleashinnerflorist/

Links to my Book

Here is the link to my website with more information on how to make wedding flowers : www.howtoweddingflowers.com

Wow! My First Blogging Attempt

I`m so excited to be starting my new blog!! Please bear with me as I learn the ropes...
The inspiration for my new blog is my new book called: Unleash Your Inner Florist: How to Make Wedding & Special Event Flowers. It`s just been released by Authorhouse.com and is now also available on Ebay as an E-book. In this blog, I will be giving tips and tricks on How to Make Wedding Flowers by posting some articles from my book. Enjoy!!