Tips to keep your flowers fresh and beautiful!

Drooping or wilting flowers might not be your worst nightmare, but they certainly are for us. When your florist delivers your wedding flowers, they should look great, but we want to make sure they look great for the entire day! So we've put together a few tips to help you out. Most of these tips might seem like common sense, but you'd be surprised to find out how many clients ignore them and then wonder why they're flowers don't look so great by the end of the night.

What to do before your wedding: Here are a few things you can do when you design and order your flowers.

1. Try to order flowers that are hardy, and in season- tulips, peonies and stephanotis are gorgeous flowers, but might not last. Roses, most lilies, gladioli and carnations are much sturdier and will hold up to warmer temperatures.
2. Most clients want white flowers in their own bouquets, but consider other, deeper colors, especially for your attendants' bouquets and centerpieces. White, pink, blue and light yellow flowers will brown faster than darker flowers.
3. When you order boutonnieres and corsages, think about ordering extras just in case. The cocktail hour is a rough time for boutonnieres (because they can get easily crushed in the middle of congratulatory hugs). If you're on a very tight budget, only order an extra for the people that matter most and you can replace it either right before the ceremony, or between the cocktail hour and the reception.
4. If you're planning on taking any portraits before the wedding- consider doing it a few days before your wedding (at least for the happy couple), and ordering extra bouquets or boutonnieres just for that portrait session. This will cut down the photography time on the wedding day, so your other flowers won't have to be outside as long. If you take care of your portrait bouquet, you could even use it as a toss bouquet, or keep the boutonniere as a keepsake.
5. When you're designing bouquets, you might want to use a partial stem wrap, so the bottom of the stems will be exposed (shown left), as opposed to the more traditional full stem wrap (right). This style has become very popular, and allows you to keep the bouquet in water.

 What to do on the big day: After your flowers are delivered, follow these tips to keep them looking great.

1. Keep your flowers in water AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! When we deliver your flowers, we'll give you a vase full of water for each bouquet. This can be a great keepsake for the wedding party, especially if you personalize them. We'll also give you floral food/preservative for each bouquet to keep them healthy. Just make sure you have paper towels available so you can dry off the stems when you take them out of the vase.
2. Keep your flowers out of direct sunlight. This obviously won't be possible if you're having your ceremony or taking photographs outside. But at least try to keep them in the shade if they're not being used immediately.
3. If possible, refrigerate your flowers at your venue. This is especially important for corsages and boutonnieres (which can't be kept in water). If your venue does not have refrigeration available, try to keep them in an air conditioned room.
4. Use a spray bottle with water to spritz bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages periodically. This will help prevent wilting and fading.

What to do after your wedding: You probably won't just throw away your bouquet at the end of the night, so here are a couple of tips for when you get home.

1. Again, keep your bouquet in a vase filled with fresh water. Replace the water every two days. Also try to keep it in a cool place, out of direct sunlight. If you really want it to last a while, put it in the fridge overnight, then take it out for display each morning.
2. Each time you replace the water, add some more floral food. If you don't have any available, there are several household items that you can use as a substitute: a crushed up aspirin, splash of listerine or bleach, or even a penny can all help to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus which can kill flowers. A spoonful of sugar or even a splash of Sprite or 7up will provide sugar (i.e. food) for the flowers, and the acid in the soda will help kill bacteria and fungi too.

Hopefully these tips will help keep your wedding flowers fresh and beautiful.

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