Double Duty ~ Budget Friendly Weddings Part 3

Part 3 of our Budget Friendly Wedding Series is about making your arrangements work for you.  

1. Your bouquet & the attendants bouquets.  All of our bouquets come in a clear glass cylinder vase.  These vases can be used on the head table at the reception to hold your flowers.  You can space them out between the attendants and place your bouquet in the center.  So if you had 4 Bridesmaids you could place 2 on the right side of the table, yours in the middle, and 2 more on the left side of the table.  This is a simple and inexpensive way to decorate your head table.

2.  Your altar arrangement.  If you choose to decorate the altar at your church you can find places at the reception to display them.  For example, a low long arrangement in a design dish would be perfect for a buffet table, or even the gift table.  A taller altar arrangement could be placed to welcome the guests as they enter the room.

These are just a couple of ways to make your flowers work for you. 

Wedding Checklist ~ What to know before you call your florist

This week we take a break from our budget bride series.  Today we will talk about what to know before booking your first consultation.

• Brides dress selected - once you have your dress we can help you with your bouquet choices.  Some dresses have lots of detailing that you don't want to hide with a flowing cascade bouquet.  Others have small details that can be highlighted with certain flower types or looks.  For example if you have an Ivory tone for your dress you would not want to use white flowers, this has a tendency to make the dress look dirty.  Instead we could make a beautiful bouquet of mixed flowers in shades to match your wedding colors.
• Bridesmaids dresses - Once these are on order we can get a better idea of what will look best with your selection.  We have had brides change colors or styles because it does not flatter a bridesmaid.  If we have already selected the perfect bouquet for the original dress it means lots of changes.  This could mean a change in flowers, colors, and even price.  It's best to have all of the dresses selected and ordered before the consult.
• Grooms Attire & Groomsman Colors- You may not know the exact Tux or Suit he will suggest but basic colors are needed to select his boutonniere.  What may look great with a black jacket will not look the same against white or beige.  We do offer tuxedo rental so we can show you books to help you narrow down your selection. Also if you are going casual the shades of the shirts are important.  We want the flowers to stand out not blend in with what they are wearing.  Also you do not want to pair a very dressy flower like a Calla Lily with a dress shirt and tie.  That is better suited for a full tuxedo.
• Wedding location - This is important when deciding altar flowers, pew decorations, and unity candle arrangements.  If it's outdoors vs indoors can also make a difference in containers, flowers, and more when we discuss what you want in the church.  It can also make a difference in what you carry down the aisle.  We would not want to put delicate flowers outdoors in the middle of summer heat.  
• Wedding date - This one may sound a little odd but some brides plan a year or more in advance.  It is important to have a final date selected before you visit us.  We need to make sure that it does not fall on a major holiday such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day before we agree to service the wedding. 
• Number in wedding party - Though it's not really a must have this is good to know if you want an accurate quote.  We can tell you how much each one is and you can do the math at a latter date but we would rather give you a full quote when we send it to you rather than have you try to add and subtract as you go along.  We can always add or remove people at a later date as needed.

When you have these things in order it's time to meet with us.  Give us a call and we can help make your day the day you always dreamed of. 

Your Floral "Footprint" ~ Budget Friendly Weddings Part 2

1.       Think about your floral footprint ~ Every flower has a “footprint”.  The footprint is the mark that flower leaves on your bouquet.  Think of the size of the bouquet you want.  Now picture each flower leaving a mark where it will go.  The larger the mark the fewer of that flower it will take to fill your bouquet.  The smaller the mark the more it will take to fill your bouquet.

     

        A hydrangea has a large “footprint” 

    Where a flower like ranunculus has a small “footprint” ~ 

     

     

      You may want to consider using fewer small blooms and more large blooms to get the size of bouquet you desire.   This could make your larger and more lush for a smaller price tag.  

      

      For example ~ Hydrangea blooms normally run between $6.00 and $10.oo a bloom.  Where a ranunculus can be as much as $3.00 - $5.00 a bloom.  It would take about 10ranunculus to cover the footprint of the hydrangea.  Even though ranunculus may cost a little less you would need more of them to capture the same amount of space.  

     Some great flowers with a large footprint are ~ Hydrangea, Fuji Mums, and Gerbera Daisies.  Some inexpensive flowers with a smaller footprint are ~ Carnations, Mini Carnations, Daisies, and Asters.

Bold in Gold

This weekends wedding was one that we just adore.  It has some personal touches that make it a one of a kind and that is just what we strive for here at The Secret Garden. 

We'll start with the bridal bouquet ~ The bride brought us this fan and wanted us to create something that would accent it.  We choose white hydrangea, a single white rose, white spray roses and some blue delphinium to match the bridesmaids dresses.  She wanted a small cascade style and this fit the bill.  The springeri with blue delphinium was perfect for a petite cascade.   Everything is touched up with gold glitter, it may be hard to see in the picture but boy did it sparkle! 

Now the Bridesmaids ~ The gold foliage in the back was part of a silk rose we had for the holidays.  The bride fell in love with the texture and the color.  We paired that with cream hydrangea, cream roses, and cream spray roses.  We finished it off with touches of gold glitter spray to really make it pop!

For the Grooms & his Guys ~ The groom we took some gold sticks and curled them for an extra accent.  Gold Baby's Breath and Springerie to match the brides cascade.  For the groomsman and dads we used an ivory rose with gold baby's breath.  For the little ring bearer we took a cluster of delphinium and a touch of gold.  Perfect!

For the Moms ~ Gold ribbon with small spray roses.  Can't let the Mom's miss out on the gold bling that everyone else is enjoying.  Love this wired ribbon because it makes a statement.

For the altar of the church we selected a blending of the bridal bouquet.  You see the gold sticks here again to give it the pops of gold.  White hydrangea, white roses, white spray roses, and blue delphinium.  This piece will also double as the centerpiece on the head table at the reception.  We kept it low so that the guests can get a good look at the bride and groom.

Wedding Choices

There are so many choices for brides today.  Some brides want to go the DIY route, others want to have every detail handled by professionals.  At The Secret Garden we have something to fit every brides idea of a perfect wedding.

Choice One ~ Full Service Wedding.  From creating your bouquets, to setting up the flowers at the reception we will take care of it all.  For brides with hectic schedules this may just be the way to go.  We will handle all of the details and you can enjoy every second of your big day.  You can preview some of our work here.

Choice Two ~ The Budget Friendly Bride.  Want to have beautiful flowers for your wedding but you are working on a limited budget?  This is the option for you.  We have packages that include, Roses, Gerbera Daisies, and even Fresh Seasonal Flowers.  You choose the color we do the rest.  You can see some of our packages here.

Choice Three ~ DIY Bride.  You want to create the wedding of your dreams all by yourself.  We are here for all of your floral needs.  The Secret Garden offers bulk pricing on all of our flowers, and discount prices on all floral supplies.  If you would like to learn more about our DIY option click here.

Choice Four ~ DIY Hybrid.  Sometimes our brides want to make the reception pieces but like for us to handle the bouquets and boutonnieres.  We are more then happy to assist with your wedding anyway you need.  You can even purchase your DIY flowers at bulk, and have us take care of the rest. 

Whatever you choose we hope that you will allow us to be part of your big day.  If you would like to schedule your consultation simply fill out this form and we can get started.

Wired Wonder

One of the big upcoming trends in wedding work is wire.  We have seen it all of the design shows and it is running rampant along the costs.  It's just a matter of time until it makes its way to our town.  We have seen designs like the one shown here and we just had to try it.  For a bridal show in August we featured this bouquet and the response was huge.  Out of all of the bouquets we brought this one had the most oohs and aahs.  


We sure can't wait until one of our brides falls in love with this as much as we did!

Purple calla lilies are one of the hottest things this season.  This bouquet also holds alstroemeria tucked inside, its deep purple color blends perfectly with the alstroemeria.  Blue thistle is also worked in to add more texture.  The tree fern that surrounds it really adds flare.  The wispy feel of it works amazing with the wire.  The wire is in a lime green.  It is twisted into spirals that pop out of the deep purple calla lilies.  Notice how the bouquet is wrapped in deep purple with a green wire twisted down the stems.  This really accents the green wire and brings the deep purple down away from the bouquet. This bouquet could be created in an array of colors and flowers.  Calla lilies are available in so many shades, and we could even create this bouquet with roses or carnations!

Wedding Flowers ~ Red Roses

Roses ~ Still one of the most popular wedding flowers for our brides.  For Lonni's wedding she wanted something simple, yet elegant.  Roses were the prefect choice.


Her bouquet was done in a "presentation style".  It was made to lay in the arm.  

We gathered the red roses in and bound them with a silver ribbon.  The roses we choose for Lonni's Bouquet are called "Forever Young".  We love the rich burgundy color, and the large heads.  

For the attendants and the Mother's Lonni choose a single red rose.  We tied a ribbon around the stems to bring the silver color throughout the wedding.  More and more brides are choosing single stems for the Mother's instead of the traditional corsages.

For the boutonnieres Lonni selected red roses with just a hint of greenery.  For the groom we added some tree fern to set him apart from the attendants.  We love the simple design of these boutonnieres.

Wedding ~ Things to do before you call your florist

It's wedding season!  We wanted to write a little bit about what to expect at a bridal consultation. First a little about us:

We are a full service florist, offering you a wide selection of fresh flowers as well as silk flowers and balloons.  In addition we offer rental items such as candelabras, floral baskets, centerpieces, and arches.  These pieces are available not only for the ceremony but for the reception as well.  We also offer delivery and set up of all of your wedding day items.

The Secret Garden is limited to only fifty on-site weddings a year so book as soon as possible to guarantee your date.

Now for the fun part~ Before you schedule your appointment you will need to have the following tasks completed.

Wedding Date:______________

Ceremony Location:____________________________

Contact Person at location:_____________________

Reception Site:___________________________

Contact Person at location:__________________

Photographer:___________________  Time of Photos:___________________

Caterer: _______________________  Set up Time:_____________________

Cake Decorator:_________________  Set up Time:_____________________

Theme or Style of Wedding, Color Scheme, and the number in the wedding party.

____ Brides dress purchased

____ Attendants dresses purchased

____ Grooms attire picked out or decided upon

____ Groom's attendants attire decided upon

____ Mother of the Bride's color scheme decided upon.

One of the most important things in making the floral selection is your dress.  The style of your dress sets everything into motion. 

We pride ourselves on our one on one attention we give to each bride.  This is why we only schedule one on-site wedding each week.  We want to make your day the wedding of your dreams and this insures our undivided attention. 

One thing that we prefer not to do is give a price quote over the phone.  The factors that go into pricing a bouquet range from type of flowers all the way down to what type of ribbon will hold it all together. Your wedding day is one of a kind and so are your needs.  We will gather all of the information we need to give you the most accurate quote at your consultation.  


If you are looking for a "budget friendly" wedding we encourage you to see what we have to offer.  We are now offering packages that may work well for you.  It is possible to add to the package or remove items that are not needed.  You can visit our website here for details.

Also keep in mind that not all flowers are in season year around.  The way flowers are grown now, it is possible to get most of the flowers you want anytime of year but at a greater cost.  For example, roses at Valentine's day would not be the best choice as far as cost goes.  But we will work with you on prices and selection at the consultation.

Expect your consultation to last about 2 hours.  First you will look through books to give us an idea of what size and shape you are wanting your bouquet to be.  Then we will walk through a check list to make sure we cover everyone from the Mother of the Bride to the servers.  Everyone in your wedding is special and goes into making your day perfect. Then we will discuss decorations, flowers for tables, pew bows, rented items, and so on.  Be sure to bring with you any pictures, samples, swatches, and ideas that you may have to help the process along.  

We sure hope this helps lay out what to expect at your bridal consultation.  If you would like to schedule yours today give us a call: 217-875-9038 or stop by: 1215 E. Pershing Rd.