Flowers 101: Blooming months and average prices

Once a girl gets engaged, she usually goes out and immediately buys a bridal magazine. Open one and you'll find gorgeous bouquets that you'll want to mimic for yourself -- but beware! Many flowers have specific blooming months and a lot of times they will not overlap, but in expensive photo shoots anything goes. November bride? Peonies are a lost cause. Peonies in May and June? Instantly available and way more affordable than off-months.

Price

Some flowers are notoriously expensive, others it depends on the time of the year. I found this great list of average prices, and I'll include pictures if you haven't heard of some of these flower (and non-traditional flower) types.

Most expensive: >$10 per stem

1. Callas Lilies -- mini & regular

2. Casablanca Lilies

3. Garden Roses

4. Hydrangea

5. Lily of the Valley

6. Orchids (A. Cymbidiums, B. Cattleyas, C. Phalaenopsis -- typical orchid)

Medium Price: $5-10 per stem

1. Dahlias

2. Fern Fronds (monkey tail)

3. French Tulips

4. Gardenia

5. Glorisa Lilies (isn't that interesting?)

6. Orchids (A. Dendrobiums, B. Mokaras, C. Oncidiums)

7. Peonies

8. Pincushion Protea

9. Succulents

10. Viburnum

Least Expensive: < $5 per stem

1. Anemones

2. Asiatic Lilies

3. Bells of Ireland

4. Carnations

5. Craspedia (Billy Balls)

6. Freesia

7. Gerber Daisies

8. Gladiolas

9. Grape Hyacinth (Muscari)

10. Green Fuji Mums

11. Hyacinth

12. Hypericum Berries

13. Larkspur

14. Lisianthus

15. Phlox

16. Poppies

17. Ranunculus

18. Roses

19. Scabiosa

20. Snapdragons

21. Stephanotis

22. Stock

23. Sunflowers

24. Sweetpeas

25. Tulips

26. Tweedia

Blooming months

Different flowers are available in different seasons. However, if you're willing to pay the price, you can almost get just about anything any time of the year, but it will likely be shipped in from another country. The #1 way to keep your flower budget down is to select blooms in season! Note: these listings below are not completely strict; my wedding is June 18 but I will be using a lot of Spring category flowers but they may be near the end of their blooming period near my wedding date.

Spring

Apple or cherry blossoms 
Daffodils 
Dogwoods 
Forsythia branches 
Hyacinth 
Iris 
Larkspur 
Lilies 
Lilacs 
Lily of the Valley 
Pansies 
Peonies 
Sweet Peas 
Tulips 

Summer

Asters 
Calla Lilies 
Dahlias 
Daisies 
Delphinium 
Geraniums 
Hydrangeas 
Iris 
Jacobs ladder 
Larkspur 
Queen Anne’s lace 
Roses 
Shasta daises
Stock 
Sunflower   
Zinnias 

Fall

Asters 
Chrysanthemums 
Zinnias 
Gerbera daisies 
Marigolds 
Roses 
Sunflowers

Winter

Amaryllis 
Camellias 
Forget-me-nots 
Jasmine 
Orchids 
Poinsettias
Holly

Bustles 101

Okay, here goes on catching up on a million posts!

This winter break I had my first fitting. Because the gown was cut to fit me, it was a perfect match. So my two main reasons for going were for (1) I was adding in a sweetheart neckline and (2) I needed to have my dress bustled.

[buhs-uhl]

A pulling up of fabric at the back of a dress where the bodice meets the skirt. Many trains may be bustled so they are out of the way at the reception.

There are many types of bustles to go with, and they can add their own stylistic flair to a dress. Usually the Maid of Honor (MOH) is in charge of helping the bride bustle her dress post-ceremony.

1 point bustle

The most simple and inexpensive. Can be over-bustled (left) or under-bustled (right). This is a very full bustle and should only be used on light fabrics because it is notorious for breaking with heavier fabrics like satin.

Another 1 point under-bustle

3 point bustle

The 3 point bustle spreads out the train more than the 1 point, and is more expensive but better at holding up heavier fabrics (see an overbustle below).

The French Bustle

This is a more complicated bustle, and is great for delicate and heavy fabrics -- a definite wow factor (but not too crazy)! This bustle has anywhere from 2-25 points, making it a bit more pricey. 

The Double and Triple French Bustle

Sometimes known as the "whipped cream" bustle -- for a good reason. Very dramatic and has a victorian charm -- my thoughts exactly on what a bride of Mr. Darcy would wear!

The Ballroom Bustle

This bustle is meant to create the illusion that there is no train to the dress. This tends to be pretty secure and is good for long trains.

The Australian Bustle

This bustle is becoming a new trend, it makes use of a pull and loop system of ribbons similar to window shades.

What about me? Actually, just a 1 point bustle. I hadn't done "bustle" research beforehand and my seamstress offered me 1 point and 3 point. 3 point pulls more fabric up and out for a fuller look, so my dress looked shorter. Having a fit-to-flare style, I have a semi-wide train area, so I didn't want it to look really short and full. I opted for a 1 point to retain a little length on my train (don't step on it! ;). It blends in really nicely, which I liked since I am not the biggest fan of bustles in general. Because of the very decorated nature of the bottom of my dress (that's all I'm going to say, most of my friends have seen it already) it has the effect of a ballroom bustle. I'm happy with it!

Wedding Albums 101: Matted vs. Flush-mount

Wedding albums can come in all different shapes and sizes, with different types of cover material. The bigger the album, the higher the price. Likewise, you'll pay a premium for a leather-covered album. 

However, the inside is the most important! There are two distinct types of album layouts, matted and flush-mount. 

Matted

In a matted album, photographs are printed and hand-mounted to a matte (or border) on the page. The borders can be a variety of colors but are usually metallic gold, silver, pewter, copper, and sometimes black or white. Pictures can be in full or half panorama and are each their own separate picture. This is the more traditional type of album.

Flush-mount

With flush-mount, the entire photo-layouts are mounted to cardstock (so pictures are not printed individually). Photos can be overlayed, and many more can fit on a page. This opens up the opportunity for interesting designs and collages. The pictures stretch to the end of the "board" or page, and thus don't have any borders or edges. If you want to optimize the number of pictures in your album, this is your album!

What are Jon and I doing?

A hybrid! I prefer matted, because a lot of times I think the collages (that are the heart and soul of flush-mount) can get a little busy. I like simple elegance, and I want each picture to be distinct and noticeable. BUT, that being said -- flush-mount gives you the opportunity to mount a picture the whole length of two pages, which really makes it pop (they also make these seamless, so no dark crease in the middle cutting the picture in half -- see above). The center page of my album will be flush-mount; I want to have a huge panorama shot of the entire bridal/groom party with Jon and I. I think it will look gorgeous and really show off our colors and the essence of the day. I am still considering doing flush-mount pages at the front and back of the book -- but as for the rest of the flush-mount incorporation, I will be relying on advice from my photographer.

An example of a full 2-page spread in the center of the album.

I want this but a bridal party picture -- it would look stunning!

This is an example of a flush-mount page that I like. 

The ones I showed above are far too busy for me,

but this one was still done very cleanly (I guess I'm not into overlays).

Bridal Bouquets 101

Surprisingly, there are a TON of different options when it comes to bouquets, whether it be in the way the flowers are arranged, how they are tied, or how they are trimmed. For a non-traditional look, go for something visually interesting, such as a pomander bouquet. These are especially good for flower girls because they are easy to hold by a ribbon. Check out the pictures below and see what style is right for you!

Types of Bouquets

The Posy Bouquet

This is your traditional round and small bouquet. 

The Nosegay Bouquet

Another traditionally small bouquet, often with more greenery and herbs than flowers. Usually used for bridesmaids or flower girls.

The Biedermeier Bouquet

The Biedermeier bouquet is comprised of concentric rings of flowers, which each ring consisting of a different type and color of flower than the next ring. This style originating in Switzerland in the 1800's, but is again gaining popularity due to its dramatic contrast.

Traditional Biedermeier

Modern Take on the Biedermeier

The Arm Sheaf or "Presentation" Bouquet

This bouquet is comprised of long stem flowers, such as calla lillies, and is held rested against the forearm. Perfect for a more modern wedding for someone craving a slightly different look. Also known as the pageant bouquet.

The Crescent Bouquet

A truly artistic bouquet, with greater flower density in the center and tapered off sides (even or asymetrical). This bouquet generally has a thin bunch of stems and looks best held beneath the waist. Orchid is a popular flower used in this arrangement.

Traditional Crescent

Asymmetric Crescent

The Cascading Bouquet

These large bouquets reached their peak in the roaring 1920s and became scarce as the US entered WWII. Apparently this is the most traditional and formal of the bouquets, and was sported by the late Princess Diana.

1920s bride

Princess Diana's lavish cascading bouquet

Modern day cascading bouquet

The Pomander Bouquet

Also known as the "kissing ball," the pomander bouquet is a flower covered styrofoam ball with a looped ribbon hanging from it. Great for flower girls!

Style your Bouquet!

Tie Breaker : Hand-tied vs. Wired

For an unstructured and relaxed look, go for hand-tied. However, for a more formal affair or nighttime wedding, wired is the standard. If you want a large bouquet but are concerned with the stem diameter and a comfortable hold - wired is the solution. What florists actually do is remove the stems of the flowers and weave a wire through the base of a flower. These wire stems are usually wrapped with ribbon or organza all the way down to disguise the wired look.

Hand-tied

Wired

The Power of Ribbon

Ribbon is the perfect medium for adding another dimension to your bouquet and has such effects as:

Giving a bouquet texture and a different look than most

Allowing the bride to feature a wedding color that isn't a natural flower color

Add a punch of color for a youthful feel

Add volume to a smaller bouquet

Honor family (i.e. using fabric from a mothers or grandmothers dress)

Giving a clean, polished look to less expensive flowers

Add color to an all-white bouquet

 

Must have Wedding Day photos I

Capture the Moment

As most of you know, I am an amateur photographer so photography is one of the most important aspects of my wedding day. That being said, there are just some shots that must be taken... the getting ready pictures, the KISS, cake cutting, etc.

Photographs before the Ceremony? A do or don't

An increasing number of brides are opting for this, albeit some believe it's bad luck to see each other before the ceremony. For someone like me with a nighttime ceremony and reception, doing family/wedding party pictures before the ceremony and newlywed pictures during the reception is a good option. That way, the attendants and family can enjoy the reception and Jon and I can revel in what just happened. Although, Jon hasn't quite agreed to this yet, and insists on bribing me that he'll only do it if I take his last name. Sigh. We'll see. For afternoon weddings with later receptions, however, this isn't as necessary as there are multiple hours between the ceremony and reception, while I will only have one hour between.

Quintessential Photos

A shot list is a great way to ensure that your photographer knows just want you want!

Pre-Ceremony

Getting ready: Doing the Bride's Make-up

Getting ready: Tying the Groom's Tie

The Groom's "Tie-Suit-Bout" (as I'll call it!) Picture

The Dress - before you put it on

The Shoes

The Hairstyle - before the heat gets to it!

A Magazine-worthy shot

The Rings - go for something other than the traditional pillow shot!

Family Moments