Wedding Flowers

Most people know that I absolutely love flowers, all kinds, colors, and fragrances. They make me smile, warm up a room, and can even say "I love you."  My wedding flowers were so beautiful, every day I wish I would've been able to keep some alive and vibrant for my kitchen table...but no such luck.

Making pretty bouquets is one of my hobbies, although I don't splurge on fresh flowers often enough.  Anyway, my brother and sister know how much I love to make flowers, and they both asked me to make the flowers for their weddings.  My brother's wedding was in 2008, and my sister's is in 14 days! 
Two weeks ago when I was in Ft. Wayne, I spent two whole days working on Anna's.  Thank God my mom was there to help me, and James had all sorts of grandparents to play with him while we worked. 
1 bridal bouquet
7 bridesmaids
1 flower girl
1 altar flower arrangement
18 boutonnieres
6 corsages

It was a busy few days!  Here's a quick tutorial on how to make a boutonniere.  It's really quite simple, and will save you tons of cash...it just takes time and patience. 

1.  (above)   Start by purchasing a few flowers, silk or fresh.

2.  Strip down the stems, cut off all extra leaves, thorns, etc.

3.  Hold them tightly in the order you want them arranged, and begin to wind floral tape tightly around the stems.  You want to stretch the floral tape a bit so that it will stick together for you.

4.  Cover the stem completely with floral tape so there are no loose parts hanging out!

5.  Twist the stem around a pen to finish it. 

6.  Trim off the excess stem.  You're done! 

Attach a bow if you wish. 

Corsages

Here they are....finished!  I wish i had a close-up of the bridal bouquet, but that will just have to come later! 

Greg and Sarah's flowers in 2008.