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

Caroline and Jon Update: 1/8 menu tasting!

This is a bit delayed but figured I would go over it!

On Jon and I's 6 year anniversary we had our first menu tasting. We were able to try all four of our h'orderves, our first course (salad), our main dishes (chicken, salmon), and our two cake flavors (as in different layers are different flavors). Everything tasted delicious, and I think the only amendment we made was changing the cheese on our salad. I know I chose the right caterer -- the presentation was phenomenal -- very interesting use of ingredients... very artsy! And so is the china Jon picked out so it should all come together very nicely. Our menu also has two subtle themes (essences/repeated flavors/?) to it and I believe they were executed tastefully (hah hah, get it?) soooo hopefully they will be obvious and yummy :)

In addition to just being our caterer, the same company provides all of our linens, silverware, chairs (ceremony + reception), cocktail hour tables, misc tables (guestbook, escort, bar, etc.), and even the lounge we are going to have under the tent. It really helps to minimize the number of vendors we have to talk to/deal with. My caterer even had one of her florist friends make us a centerpiece for our tasting. I am probably going to use him as my florist, just because I really don't have time to compare and contrast vendors. As always though -- remember to check and see what people say about your vendors on www.weddingwire.com, its a great resource!

This is the centerpiece the florist made me only knowing I like "pink,"

mine will be fairly different which is why I'll post this.

I will still use some of the same flowers (roses, spray roses) and colors,

although I don't really want much or any white in my arrangements.

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!

Jon Update

Jon has agreed to wear a bow tie!! Yes!

But it will be black :)

He will also be sporting a three piece Hugo Boss tuxedo. He even bought his white shirt. 

Way to go Jon! That's a check off of our list.

...somethin' like that!

6 months and counting...

Gulp! Under the 6 month marker! Things I need to do over break:

-Hire a DJ [hopeless]
-Pick an officiant [hopeless]
-Pick a florist [in the works]
-Pick an invitation set [extra hopeless]
-Select a bridesmaid dress(es) [semi-hopeless]
-Acquire bridemaids gifts [done! :)]
-Finalize catering [almost done]
-Finalize guest list and send out save the dates to family [in the works]
-Try on my dress for fitting [in the works - Dec 27!]

Wondering when I will crack and hire a wedding planner... although I will admit my catering rep is really good for that. She is introducing me to her favorite florist, and considering I have no direction or idea about who is good in the area, that will be fine for me. Often times your vendors will recommend other vendors they have worked with in the past. Often times this is the best place to hear about good options! BUT always double check their suggestions on http://www.weddingwire.com/! This is a great site for reviews by real brides.

My dress is almost ready for fitting!

I just received notice that my veil has arrived in Atlanta and my dress will arrive in next week! For the past four months, it has been hand-crafted just for me; every segment has been hand-cut, pinned, and then stitched together exactly to my dimensions. I am so excited to try on my dress -- one that will actually fit without the need for giant clamps (all gowns in a store come in a "sample size," usually of 8 or 10. They will use clamps if the dress is too small or too big). Eek... I hope I still love it as much as I did over the summer, I always hear stories of people not liking their dress the second time around. I'm not too worried about it, though. Hopefully it won't need many more alterations, because the price for that can ADD UP!

Wedding Hairstyles

Because both my ceremony and reception are outdoors in the June heat (albeit in the evening), I am considering a primarily up updo. Here are a few of my current favorites! Also, notice the drop pearls (see previous post) with Nicole Kidman's updo!

Wedding Jewelry!

Today I bought my wedding jewelry! Because I had decided I didn't want a necklace, I went looking for dangling earrings instead.

Each earring has small diamond chips on two 14K white gold swirls with a 7 mm japanese saltwater pearl on the end. They are exactly what I was looking for -- girlie and sweet but noticeable. Because I will probably have my hair up and teased in the front with a few wisps down (I know every hairstylist will tell me having my hair down for an outdoor wedding in June will be a mistake), I wanted earrings that could stand out and complete my look!

Delta Zeta Parents Formal

Jon & I looking fancy!

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).