....and by small things I mean the boutonnieres and corsages. You can tell A LOT about a designer by looking at their work on the things that "may not matter".
Boutonnieres and corsages can eat up a lot of time and, let's face it, it is not a high priority of the couple (well maybe the groom and groomsmen's boutonnieres but not much after that) so some florists will slap, literally slap, together a leaf and a bloom and call it done and boy is that U-G-L-Y! And that amount of ugly will show up in your photos:)
Now well constructed boutonnieres and corsages can cost a little more than ones that a designer takes special care with but I've heard of people going to "budget florists" only basing their decision on cost alone and the boutonnieres have FALLEN APART before they even walk down the aisle-now that is a waste of money! A lot of the time, unfortunately, your wedding may be one of a dozen (or more!) events that week-businesses are there to make money and if they aren't charging you properly they need to make their money on volume, so boutonnieres and corsages are the first casualty.
There are ways to keep costs down without having them fall apart. Designers can create simple, no frills, boutonnieres and corsages (mostly for the extended family where a couple would really like to keep costs down) but still maintain the same level of care...this is an important question to ask your designers when you are in meeting.
Here are some simple boutonnieres and corsages for such times....
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| Kermit mums for Ushers |
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| Calla lilies are a little more money but this basic one was used for the usher and they last all day! |
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| Green dendrobium orchids, wrist corsage and boutonniere, for the extended family |
For the groom and bridal party is important that their boutonnieres are as great as the bouquets and the general rule, but by no mean the only way, is for the groom to pull his flower from the bride's bouquet and the groomsmen's boutonnieres to be pulled from the bridesmaid's bouquets.
The Maid of Honour had some added bling so we added some to the Best Man's Boutonniere
The bridesmaid's had blue delphinium & baby's breath in their bouquets and some wire accents which I added to the groomsmen's boutonnieres as well-very effective!
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Bride had white calla lilies and rust coloured freesia which we did for her groom but she also had wire accents on her handle so I added some to his boutonniere
Bride LOVED calla lilies and had some in her bouquet as well as one for her groom. He has some Irish roots so we added just a bit of heather to acknowledge that, not in her bouquet though, but there was wire accents on her handle so we added some to his boutonniere
Mini-cymbidium orchid, GREAT flower that lasts well!, with stephanotis and I wrapped the stem with a leaf and a black ribbon "belt"- very cool!
This groom loved the speckled leaf and the bride loved the striped leaf so we used both to make them both happy:) Her bouquet contained calla lilies and spray roses and we used this in his boutonniere
Calla lily and lily of the valley for this spring wedding but their colours were pink, and the groom was not a fan of a pink flower, so I added a small pink crystal to a tiny leaf accent just to bring it in without scaring him away
Bride's favorite flower is ranunculus so the groom had a double ranunculus, with a touch of green hydrangea, and a variegated monkey grass wrap with a tiny grey, one of their wedding colours, ribbon accent....it looked great!
Parents are another place to maybe splurge a little, they are your parents:). They may drive you nuts but they are so thrilled to have something a little special
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| White dendrobium orchids |
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| White spray roses |
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| White mini-cybmidium orchids with a "tennis bracelet" w/crystal & wire accents |
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| Mini-cymbidium orchids with upgraded bracelet and a green "pearl" accent |
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| White spray roses & green hydrangea w/a pearl & crystal combo accent |
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| White spray roses, kermit mums and hypericum berries |
You may notice a lot of orchids, spray roses and calla lilies-they are a little more costly but will really stand up the best during the day. If you're having a longer day or it is going to be warm out these are good options.
And just a side note-does your designer tag your boutonnieres and corsages? It is so important because the day of your wedding you will not be handing anything out and you can't expect anyone to know who all of them are for. It can be absolute craziness and you've spent the money so make sure everyone who you wanted to have them does!
WARNING: Boutonnieres and corsages are very delicate and should be treated as such. They should only be worn just as everyone is leaving, and should be kept in the fridge until then. When people are hugging, holding children, putting on over coats, or any number of variables, these can all damage the bloom (I've even had a groom sit on his boutonniere before he walked down the aisle-UGG). Also, lighter coloured flowers, especially when it is warm, will show their ware much more quickly than a darker coloured flower-they are flowers that are out of water all day so really talk to your designer about options that work for you and your day.
Hope this gives you a little more understanding of how the small things can tell so much! Ask questions and have fun too....boutonnieres and corsages can be fun:)
