"Where are my engaged people at?" Are you stressed out yet? If not, chances are you will be. And let's be REALLY HONEST....it's just the way it goes, for everybody! And of course, we're not just talking about the stress of the actual "I Do" Day! (Tip from experience...If you're writing your vows...don't wait until the day of to start. You're very likely to sound like Kevin Hart being distracted by a squirrel professing your love). That time between the engagement and wedding date can be the most stressful date and time for a bride and groom. SPOILER ALERT! There's a reason why not every engaged couple makes it to the wedding! Sad, but the truth! That's why we wanted to step in and do our part to try to take out some of the stress-related to planning a wedding.
So, before we get too far into this blog, let me tell you what this blog isn't. We're NOT going to try to sell you on the reasons why you SHOULD use artificial flowers (although we do that here). What this blog IS, will be a compilation of tips and tricks so that your faux bouquets won't look like a Dollar Store Special. Following these guidelines will ensure a beautiful and realistic impression of a fresh bouquet that you will love for many years to come, and most importantly not have the "WTH was I thinking carrying that thing" panic looking back in 10 years.
Blush and Bashful
There is no bigger dilemma for some couples than figuring out their color scheme for the wedding? The scarier follow-up to that is that there's no quicker way to set you up for failure than picking a difficult color combo. Y'all, not every color is wedding friendly, especially if you don't do weddings for a living and have lots of experience implementing uses of color. For example, orange and turquoise are fun colors together, but your wedding could end up looking like a teenage birthday party instead of a wedding. If that's the style you're going for, right on. But I would put money on that's not what you were going for.
With all of this said, that doesn't mean you have to do pink and white, or white and green, or blush and bashful. Just know that some colorways are easier to pull off. And even further, the simpler color combo, the better. Pick 2 colors and stay within that range of color. 4 way or more color combos are harder to pull off.
Rolls-Royce vs 1992 Geo Prizm
On a day where you were dreaming of a Rolls-Royce, a 1992 Geo Prizm isn't going to cut it. We've discussed many times the difference in the quality of faux flowers out there. And on a day that you are going to be photographed and visually documented for all of time...now is not the time to visit the dollar store for flowers. So please, step away from the Memorial Day bushes. But also know you don't have to spend for the Rolls-Royce to get a realistic-looking arrangement. There are lots of realistic stems out there for affordable prices (we would know!).
Here are some points to keep in mind while shopping for perfect faux stems.
- Get flowers that are realistic in size. We don't need a rose the size of a teacup saucer, or a daisy the size of a dining plate.
- Look for stems that have a range of color in the flower. A flower that looks like it's painted all one color is a no-go!
- Get faux stems in colors or similar colors they come in naturally. (IE. No blue magnolias or purple poinsettias)
- Blues can be difficult. If you need lighter blue tones, a blue hydrangea can be your answer. Or look to lambs' ear and eucalyptus to bring out that blue-green, gray color. And if you need a darker blue, look to thistles, berries, and ribbon to add the navy accent! NO BLUE MAGNOLIAS or anything else God didn't grant us with!
- Try to choose seasonal accurate flowers. For example, if you're having a wedding Feb 2, and you really want yellow... yellow sunflowers are going to be a red flag of FAKE.
- Finding flowers that mix your colors together are a great way to connect the dots and help a color palette work together. For example, our peony buds and bloom in this bouquet have both pink and white in them and help connect the colors.
Recipe for Success!
Mixing flowers can be like baking the first time without a recipe, a disaster. We have a whole blog about mixing and matching flowers for arrangements (You can check the full blog out here) And we have a similar one for bouquets. Have 2 forms of greenery (1 leafy, 1 fluffy), 1 type of feature flower (roses for example), 2-3 accent flowers types, 1 type base flower (most of the time hydrangeas), and 1 extra texture if you want (think thistle, berries, etc). Limiting yourself to a combo of this sort, will ensure that you don't have a bouquet that looks like your lost your mind at a buffet adding to your plate.
In the bouquet shown in this blog, we used:
2 Hydrangeas (Base Flower)
1 Vintage Peony Bloom (Feature Flower)
2 Peony Buds (Accent Flower)
2 Rose Bloom (Accent Flower)
1 Pink Ranunculus Bundle (Accent Flower)
1 Asparagus Fern (Fluffy Greenery)
1 Italian Ruscus Vine Stem (Leafy Greenery)
2 Muscari Bushes (Extra Texture)
Keeping these points in mind will help keep some of the stress away and make your day more enjoyable! And no worries, if you don't get it right this time, you have another chance at your next wedding. ;)