The Elegant Calla Lily Wedding Bouquet

Few fresh cut flowers offer the elegance and versatility of the calla lily. If you are designing your own wedding bouquet, centerpieces or arrangements, the calla lily will provide all of the style, color and beauty you require.

The white calla lily is recognized immediately as the traditional wedding flower. For a simple bridal bouquet, tie ten to twelve calla lily stems with floral tape approximately six inches below the flower. Next, using ribbon that matches your wedding theme's color, cover the tape and tie a simple bow. Your walk down the aisle will exude class and understated sophistication with this beautiful, and simple to make, calla lily wedding bouquet.

If you prefer more color variety in your wedding flower arrangement, consider using the mini calla. A slightly shorter cousin to the standard calla lily, the mini calla offers tremendous color selection and versatility, often available in shades of white, pink, yellow and red, depending on the season.

Open the palm of your hand and place five standard length, white calla lilies flat in your hand. Arrange the flowers so that the middle flower is the tallest and the others slightly lower, roughly forming an arrow shape. Next, add eight mini calla lilies of pink, yellow or red and continue to fill out the arrowhead shape. Gently close the palm of your hand to solidify the wedding bouquet's shape and tie with floral tape. Finish once again with the ribbon of your choice.

Calla lilies work wonderfully with other fresh cut flowers as well. Roses are a great compliment to a calla lily wedding bouquet or arrangement.

Alternate roses and calla lilies while designing your next wedding bouquet, posie or nosegay. The differences between the flowers' shapes and contours will fill out your bridal bouquet, and add depth, dimension, shape and color.

Once again, don't be afraid to experiment with color. Pink roses and white calla lilies create the soft, pastel atmosphere of fairytales. Green roses and white calla lilies will announce your modern and stylish approach to life, while dark red roses and white calla lilies create a dramatic presentation that will catch the eye of every guest.

Be sure to incorporate calla lilies into your table centerpieces as well. Mini callas are great for table arrangements that don't force your guests to stretch their necks over towering designs that block everyone's view. Plus, with the wide color selection available, you are sure to find the perfect combination for your event's style and theme.

Calla lilies have much to offer and deserve their place in your next wedding bouquet or fresh cut flower arrangement. With style, elegance and a variety of colors and sizes, you can't go wrong.

Christopher Yow is the CEO of Sun King Wholesale, a provider of fresh cut, wholesale flowers to florists, event planners, business owners and the general public.

In addition to overseeing the daily operations and marketing efforts of Sun King Wholesale, Mr. Yow also travels to Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador to inspect fresh cut flower quality, as well as strengthen relationships with the international business community.

Christopher Yow lives in Miami, Florida with his beautiful wife Diana Ochoa.

http://www.sunkingwholesale.com

How to Make a Hand Tied Wedding Bouquet

This type of bouquet is made by holding the flower and foliage stems in one hand and adding the other stems around in a spiral fashion, criss crossing the stems at the one point,and binding them in position with string A ribbon bow with long tails completes the bouquet.

Choose suitable materials - you will need flowers with fairly long stems such as roses, irises, carnations, alstroemeria, freesias, Singapore orchids and lisianthus. Suitable foliage is camellia leaves, eucalyptus gum, box, ivy, nandina and leather fern. A mixed bouquet looks best using three to four varieties of flowers plus foliage.

Cut the ends of the stems on a slant and give flowers a long drink. Remove thorns and strip off the lower foliage from the bottom half of the stems. Lay the flowers out on the table. Start off with the largest flower to form the centre. Hold the stem between the thumb and first finger on the left hand about 15-20cm (6-8")from the base of the flower head. With the right hand add about 4- 6 clusters of foliage evenly around just below the flower heads to help fill in, criss crossing the stems on an angle and turning the bouquet around as you work. Secure the stems in position by placing the end of a piece of string and winding it around a couple of times. Do not cut the string.

Holding the bouquet in the same way as before with the thumb facing towards you place 5-6 of the same type of flowers evenly around turning the bouquet around clockwise. Secure all the stems in place with a couple of twists of string in the same place as before. Continue adding flowers for the next round extending these flowers out slightly further. Keep the bouquet a gentle rounded shape across the top like an upside down saucer, criss cross all the stems and give the bouquet a quarter turn clockwise after adding a few stems. Secure stems in position with string in the same place as before when necessary.

Continue adding flowers and foliage stems turning the bouquet around clockwise until the bouquet is the desired size. I have added wired camellia leaves around the edges, but you could use pieces of foliage having the tips extend out about 5-7.5cm(2-3")past the edges of the flowers. Secure all the stems together with string winding it firmly around several times in the same place as before, cut the string and tuck the end in.

Cut the ends off the flower and foliage stems so they are about 6-8"(15-20cm)long and all the same level. Spray lightly with water. Finish off the bouquet by tying a piece of wide ribbon around the bouquet to cover the string and tie the ribbon in a shoe lace bow with long tails.
Floral art School of Australia and International Floral Design School Floral Design home study courses
http://www.floral-art-school.com.au

Bouquet Tulips - Lucky New Garden Trend?

Did you know that your garden may have the luck of the Dutch with bouquet tulips? Just what does that mean? Good things come in fours. Think of a four leaf clover. Do you know how lucky you are to find a four-leaf clover? Why you would have to have the luck of the Irish!

According to Wikipedia, there are 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf one. If you have to examine 10,000 clovers to find a four-leaf clover, that would take you quite a long time. When - and if - you did find that four-leaf clover, you would be fortunate indeed. Like finding a pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow.

So what does this have to do with the luck of the Dutch? When something is uncommon or rare, it is considered good favor, almost like winning the lottery. Most of today's tulip bulbs are imported directly from growers in the Netherlands by distributors.

A modern garden trend is planting multiple-blossom bouquet tulips. Some of these varieties have four flowers on one tulip plant. How lucky are you when you find one? Discovering two blossom and three blossom tulips is a surprise in the garden, as well. You would have to look in a lot of tulip gardens before you ever saw one. But they do exist.

Just so you know, a common tulip plant yields one flower per bulb. You plant one bulb which forms one tulip plant, grows into one bud and blossoms into one tulip flower. That is the way it has been for hundreds of years. In hundreds of thousands of gardens around the world. When you spot any of these beauties growing in the wild, you have just found a "bouquet on a stem" that is the envy of any tulip arrangement you place into a vase.

Today, with modern science of hybrids, you can buy and plant bouquet tulip bulbs that grow two, three, four, five and even six shoots for every tulip plant. Each shoot yields a colorful tulip blossom. The more blossoms one tulip plant has, the smaller each blossom is. Bouquet tulips come in orange, red and yellow varieties.

Bouquet tulips make excellent tulip arrangements of cut flowers. Make sure to cut the main stem with a sharp knife at an angle. Don't use scissors to cut the stem. Using scissors will pinch the stem and the tulip flowers will not be able to draw water to keep them alive. When you cut the tulip plant stem at an angle, you are allowing the plant to drink more water. It's like using a larger straw in a soft drink.

Put two or three stems in a vase and you have a beautiful bouquet of tulips greeting you in your house. For example, if you had three tulip plants of four blossoms each, you could make a cutting of all three tulip stalks that you put into one vase. That would be a dozen compact tulip flowers in one arrangement. Cut tulips in a vase can last between four and seven days. When your neighbors, friends, or family visit, just think of how amazed people will be to see these unique and unusual gorgeous bouquet tulips on your table.

Dave Pipitone is a lucky tulip gardener. He found a four-blossom orange bouquet tulip. For see pictures and learn more information on four blossom bouquet tulips, visit http://www.bouquet-tulips.com

An Exquisite Bouquet for a Beautiful Bride!

A beautiful bouquet enhances the elegance of the bride!

The aroma from the flowers enriches the surrounding!

Before ordering the bridal bouquet:

Care should be taken so that the bouquet does not cover the bride. The ideal height should not exceed 15cms.

Care should be taken that the wire with which the flowers are tied should not be visible and at the same time does not hurt the bride.

The pollen of the flowers used should not blot the bride's dress.

A species of Chrysanthemum like Tagetes should not be used as green material because of its smelly odour.

Round Bouquet:

This type of bouquet perfectly fits a short youthful wedding dress. It should not be used for stocky brides, as it will accentuate her broad frame. This bouquet can be made from one single type of flower or many but it has to be in harmony with all colours and forms. The biggest flower needs to be placed in the centre. The following flowers like freesia, hyacinth, daisy and mini rose can be used for this bouquet.

Flowing Bouquet:

Any bride irrespective of age can use this tear shaped bouquet. These types of bouquets are recommended for the low or pregnant brides. The biggest flower needs to be at the top and flowers with a long stem like roses and orchids will give a flowing effect.

Irregular Bouquet:

This is a combination of all types presented earlier that specially brings out your imagination and common sense.

Steps to make your own bridal bouquet:

 

• The flowers of favourite choice of the bride to be used.

• Place the flowers in water. The damp bouquet holder needs to be dry on the out side.

• Place the flowers from the top of the holder.

• The stem of each flower should be wired through the foam of the holder.

• For a cascade effect insert ivy or fern and wire them to the plastic part of the holder. Wool, silk or gunny materials to be used for a modern bouquet.

• Cover the holder with aspidistra's leaves.

• A 2 inch wide silk or satin ribbon, pearl spray, flowing wired pearls can be used.

Visit UK Online Florist Shops to buy beautiful flower bouquet and you can send fresh flowers online for your loved ones and you will be rewarded by cashback when you shop through cashback Online shopping websites.

How To Have A Cheap Bridal Bouquet

It’s easy to spend a fortune on your bridal bouquet alone, so finding some money-saving bridal bouquet ideas is a must. Although bridal flowers are beautiful, it’s important to keep your costs in check. So here’s a run down of what to avoid and some tips to reduce your bridal bouquet cost.

Firstly, what to avoid
Bouquet arrangements tend to be the most expensive type of bouquet, simply because they take a lot more time to complete. They’re also very heavy and you’ll probably get arm ache carrying it around for a few hours. It may also do some damage when you come to throw it at the end of the night!

Long cascading bouquets also tend to be very heavy, since there are lots of flowers and greenery. They’ll also hide your beautiful dress, so it seems a bit silly to spend a fortune on a dress only for it to be hidden by your flowers.

The last thing to avoid is exotic flowers. It’s difficult to grow them locally, so they tend to have high transportation costs, which are then passed onto you.

It probably seems that your options are somewhat diminished. Not so and here’s a run down on how you can save on your bridal bouquet.

Low-cost bridal bouquet ideas
Hand tied bridal bouquets are usually half the price of arrangements. The florist selects the flowers, then arranges them together and ties them with floristry string or wire. A ribbon is then tied around the stems to protect the bride’s hands and finish the bouquet. Simple and effective.

You can use most flowers in a hand tied bridal bouquet, they’re versatile and more importantly, cheap.

Single stems can also be effective bridal flowers. Having a single stem is a dramatic look and works well with elegant, slinky dresses. You could have one stem, or even increase it to three stems tied together in a simple hand tied bouquet. Either way, it’s more cost effective as you use fewer flowers.

Lilies, roses, gerberas and sunflowers looks great as single stems.

Go for flowers in-season as they’ll be fresher, grown locally and therefore cheaper. There are lots of blooms available all year round, so ask your local florist what’s in season at the time of your wedding.

An alternative is find stems with lots of flowers so you get more blooms for your buck. There are lots of flowers that can give you this effect, including lilies and hydrangea.

Nicola Ray is the owner of Cheap Wedding Success, a website dedicated to planning and creating the perfect cheap wedding. With lots of advice, tips and ideas to lower the cost of your wedding, Cheap Wedding Success is the perfect place to start. You can find more articles like this one in the Wedding Flowers section.

How To Make A Candy Topiary Bouquet

Candy bouquets make great centerpieces or gifts for just about any occasion. Here are some instructions for creating your own candy topiary bouquet in either a flower pot or mug.

1. Either buy/find a flowerpot or mug to match your theme. For instance, for Mother's Day, you might want to use a flowerpot or mug with a Spring floral theme.

2. If you are using a mug, you will want to buy a piece of floral foam (to cut to size and put inside the mug base), a dowel rod (to stick in the base and form the topiary) and a Styrofoam ball (to stick at the end of the dowel rod and form the upper end of the topiary). If you are using a flower pot, you can buy the supplies described for the mug or you can buy one of the pre-made topiary forms that set directly in the flowerpot. I've seen these forms with a Styrofoam pot-shaped base and Styrofoam ball top at Michael's and Joanne Fabrics. If you go with the pre-made form, you can hot glue it directly into the flower pot.

3. Once you have your form in either your mug or pot, you should hot glue Spanish moss or other decorative items such as shells, dried flowers, etc to the to the top of the base foam to basically hide the foam that makes up the base.

4. Buy some floral pins and hard candies. I recommend getting hard candies that color-coordinate with your theme such as fruit bon-bons in pastel wrappers for Mother's Day or Easter and red/white hard peppermint candies for Christmas. Take a metal floral pin and stick it through the end of the candy wrapper (just outside the twisted end) and then stick the floral pin with the attached candy on to the round Styrofoam topiary ball. Keep repeating this process until the entire ball is covered with hard candies and you can't see any Styrofoam peeking through.

5. To dress up the candy bouquet, you can floral pin ribbons or small silk flowers between some of the hard candies. Also, tie pieces of ribbon around the dowel right below the Styrofoam ball. It looks great if you leave the ribbon tails long enough to hang down and disguise the wood dowel. I recommend either using curling ribbon or 1/2" wide organza ribbon for this task.

You've successfully completed your candy topiary bouquet!

Be sure to visit our Chocolate and Candy Gifts page to get more great candy bouquet and candy gift-giving ideas. We have edible candy bases and other unique candy gift ideas for birthdays, get well, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and more. Make your next candy bouquet gift memorable by buying it online at Cookie Gift Baskets.com

A Bouquet of Hawaiian Flower Tattoo Pictures

Many people like to have flower designs applied as tattoos to their body and a Hawaiian flower tattoo picture is one of the most popular images for this as it’s a very beautiful flower. Because of the intense colors that are present in many flowers the tattoo artist sometimes needs to go over a design for a flower a few times with different colors of ink that can accentuate the colors in any flower tattoo.

Some people have small tattoos of flowers on their ankle or wrist for example while others may have a flower that covers half their body. Some cultures value flowers mush more than others and this is one of the reason why some cultural groups prefer to have flower tattoos on their bodies more than others. In many cultures for example, the flower isn’t viewed as a fragile symbol of beauty as it often is in North American culture. In some cultures the flower is associated with strength and power and this is why some men have flowers as tattoos and don’t think anything is feminine or fragile about it.

Many women, when they can’t decide on what they might like for a tattoo, choose flowers more often than not simply because they know that they will like the design for many years to come. There are many styles and types of flower designs in tattoo shop catalogs that the customer can choose from. These designs can also be highly modified to make them even more unique for the customer.

Many Hawaiian people have flower tattoos due to the flower’s integral attachment to their past. Many of their tales have flowers as part of the story and that’s also why the lei – or rings of flowers - are associated with their state. Flower tattoos can be in any of a thousand colors and some will look better than others on different people.

Many women when they choose a flower motif as their tattoo image will choose the red rose simply because it’s associated with romance and true love. Others will choose the daisy or sunflower because it’s associated with vibrancy and life. The main thing to remember is that if you want a flower tattoo you should make sure that whatever design you decide upon is what you really want. Doing research on web sites devoted to tattooing or to flowers and flower designs can help you decide on which design might be right for you. The nice thing about having a flower tattoo is that if you want another style of flower someday you can simply have the tattoo artist ink one in next to the other one. Pretty soon you may have a whole bouquet of flowers on your body, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Kip Goldhammer owns and operates http://www.tattoosdesignsreviews.com Hawaiian Flower Tattoo Picture

If Your Wedding Bouquet Could Speak

Your wedding is one of the most memorable of your life. A great deal of planning goes into making this day a perfect expression of your love for one another, love of family, and uniquely yours. The day is abundant with symbolism and tradition: the dress, attendants, unity candle, music, and flowers. Yes, flowers can offer their own distinctive symbolism and therefore another level to the ceremony.

Tradition holds that Persia introduced the symbolic use of flowers as an expression of emotion, or hidden message. Later, due to trade and travel, Victorian England and America embraced the seductive language of flowers. You, too, can enjoy placing secret meaning into your floral selection,

The red rose is by far the recognizable symbol of love, a hold over from Victorian times. Roses are the most popular flower for both the wedding bouquet and decoration because of their beauty and intoxicating fragrance. However, the choice in color can lend an interesting touch:

Red =>respect, unconscious beauty, courage, love

Pink =>grace, admiration, thank you

White =>purity, innocence, secrecy, silence

Yellow =>gladness, joy, friendship

An example of utilizing rose language, before the bride and groom approach the minister, or official, they present each parent with a red rose and after the ceremony present each in-law with a yellow rose or maybe incorporating pink roses into the hairpiece of a flower girl or your attendants.

You do not have to limit yourself to roses other flowers speak to us as well. For example, the tulip is quite popular in wedding bouquets and, it too is froth with meaning:

Red =>declaration of love

Variegated =>beautiful eyes

Yellow =>hopeless love

Floral arrangements are limited to blossoms, however, there are many aromatic herbs that have lovely foliage that will add another dimension to the bouquet as well as their own secret message:

Wintergreen =>harmony

Lavender =>luck, devotion

Fennel =>strength

Oregano =>joy

Other greenery to consider:

Ivy =>fidelity

Fern =>grace

Whether you choose a cascade, cluster or hand-tied garden bouquet for you, or a buttonier for your groom add more breadth to your choice with the language of flowers. Choose them not only for their visual beauty but for the secret message they will hold between you and your bridal party, family, or the one you love.

Information for this article obtained through the following sources:

The Language of Flowers: Symbols and Myths by Marina Heilmeyer
The Language Of Flowers by Sheila Pickles

AE Wise is an avid reader, actor, and writer. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Prye.Com/ which is a site for Wedding Invitations.

Tips For The Bridal Bouquet

The bridal bouquet is one of the most important parts of any wedding ceremony; it is important that you should have just the right flowers that project the exact image that will complete your romantic wedding. It should match your décor theme. And of course, the bridal bouquet should reflect in some way the person that you are.

To accomplish this, to find just the right bridal bouquet for your big day, begin by going to weddings (when you can get an invitation) and pay special attention to the bouquet and how they work with the rest of the wedding flowers, looking through magazines, and doing internet searches of wedding pictures. Follow up with a consultation with your wedding planner as they might have resources that you might not have thought of.

When you do see a bouquet that you like, ask yourself what you like about it. Is it the size, shape, color, style, the way the ribbon is wrapped around the stems?

Ultimately your local florist is your biggest resource. Their experience and attention to detail can really help you refine your ideas to something that will really fit with your overall theme. But make sure you have a strong idea of what you want before you go to see your florist. You want your bridal bouquet to reflect what you want – not something that someone told you that you want.

Conventional wisdom suggests that shorter brides have smaller and more compact bouquets while taller brides have the cascading style. Generally this is good advice as it is based on what is generally believed to best compliment your body style.

Of course – ultimately, the decision is yours. It’s your wedding. That means it’s your bridal bouquet. So if you have a demonstrated eye for design and you prefer a certain style and believe you can make it work, you should go with that style. That, of course, is how styles change over the years. Don’t be afraid to be a trend setter, but do so with care.

Color is another important factor when deciding on the flowers for your bouquet. You will want flowers that compliment your wedding colors yet stand out in such a way that they draw the attention to you.

Again, your florist is really the best source for helping you to decide what style of bridal bouquet is right for you. Show your florist a picture of your wedding dress. A well chosen florist will be able to come up with just the right bouquet to compliment your wedding gown and make you the picture of beauty on your wedding day.

Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find more useful tips ranging from how to get groom involved in wedding planning efforts to minimizing wedding day stress options at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com

How To Make A Seashell Bridal Bouquet

Would you like to make a seashell bridal bouquet for yourself or for the bride? Follow these simple instructions.

Materials Needed:
Wood Dowel cut to the desired length
Foam ball 3" to 4" in diameter
White seashells (bubble shells, caycay shells, nassa shells or any other shells you desire
Hot glue (high temperature)
Hot glue gun
BOND 527 Multi-Purpose Cement Glue
Pearls or Swarovski Crystals for accent
Satin ribbon
Organza ribbon

Cut your dowel to the desired length and insert it into the center of the foam ball. The dowel can easily be pushed into the foam. Remove dowel, fill hole with hot glue and re-insert dowel into the foam ball. Let dry.

Apply seashells with hot glue as pictured or create your own design. Photos can be found by refering to Resource Box.

Once you have all the shells attached, apply the pearl or swarovski crystals for accent throughout the shells. This helps to hide any foam that is showing through. Use the BOND 527 Multi-Purpose Cement Glue for the accents.

Let the bouquet sit overnight.

Wrap the satin ribbon around the dowel to the top of the boquet and then tie on your organza ribbon.

This is a time-consuming project but the results are well worth the effort.

Article by Sandra Canfield, owner of SMC Connection. Bouquet Photos

Your Guide To A Beautiful Wedding Bouquet

As your wedding day quickly approaches, you will want to begin thinking about your wedding bouquet. The right wedding bouquet will compliment your dress, but at the same time, should not detract. Flowers are a very important part of your wedding ceremony and when you choose your bouquet, you want to make sure it reflects your personal style, personality, and the overall look of your wedding.

Artificial Or Real

One of the first things that you will think about when you choose a wedding bouquet is whether you will use artificial flowers or real flowers. Most brides choose to use real flowers because they look spectacular. However, you can often find artificial flowers that look so real that only you will know the difference. In addition, an artificial bouquet will last you for years, while a real bouquet will soon wilt and die if you don't have it preserved.

If you are worried about the amount of money, you will spend on your wedding bouquet and you still want to use real flowers, you can find a way to do it. The best way to get the lowest prices on your wedding bouquet is to shop around, and to use flowers that are in season. If you choose to use flowers that are out of season, it will certainly cost you more money. In addition, flowers such as carnations are usually cheaper than roses. You can dress up simple flowers using ribbon, baby’s breathvy and other greenery.

Go Simple

As mentioned before, your wedding bouquet should compliment your dress and your face. It should not be so elaborate that that is the only thing your guests will notice. For this reason, many brides consider a wedding bouquet that is simple. How do you feel using a few colorful tulips tied together with a beautiful ribbon? Unbelievably, wild flowers gathered right before your wedding ceremony and tied together with a beautiful ribbon can also look stunning. You do not need to spend a lot of money or have an elaborate wedding bouquet to impress. These simple or bouquets are also perfect for outdoor weddings or affairs that are more casual.

When you begin planning your wedding bouquet and the other flowers that will be used during your wedding ceremony, remember that you do not have to go with traditional flowers or arrangements. Your wedding is your day, and it should reflect your unique style and personality.

You can also find more information at Wedding Invitations and Wedding Photographer. Dreamweddingplanning.com is a comprehensive resource to know more about dream wedding planning.

Displaying Your Wedding Bouquet

The great day has come and gone, and you are now happily married. You now want to showcase your silk bouquet as a memory of the wonderful occasion. A good display will help to really show off your wedding, and will also help to make sure the bouquet stays in tip-top condition.

There are a few things you should think about when displaying your bouquet. In particular, you must be very careful about displaying your bouquet next to a window. But I'll tell you more about that later...

Anyway, there are 3 ways you can display your bouquet: in a display cabinet; on a shelf; or on a table.

Displaying In A Glass Display Cabinet

The ideal way to display your silk bouquet is in a glass display cabinet. This works really well with a picture of your wedding behind the bouquet, so that your flowers have a backdrop for other people to admire them in their full extent.

Displaying On A Shelf

Another place to display your bouquet is on a shelf. Try and use a high shelf, so that the bouquet is out of the way - you don't want people knocking it over! A couple of small wedding photo's either side of the bouquet will look great, and will really draw the eye to the display.

Displaying On A Table

If you have a posy, then you can display it in a vase, on top of a table. Try and use a table out of the way (A corner table, or dining table maybe), so that the posy doesn't get in the way of your everyday routine. If you place blue and white stones at the bottom of the vase, it will give the impression that the flowers are sitting in water. It looks spectacular, and is definitely worth a try.

Whichever way you to decide to display your bouquet, there are 4 simple rules you should pay attention to:

1) Put the silk bouquet in a place where it will draw attention. A well displayed bouquet makes a great talking point, and will remind you of the happy day every time you see it.

2) Make sure the bouquet is out of the way. You don't want to be knocking it over, or pushing it aside all the time. Perhaps you'll be careful, but what about your children, or your pets?

3) KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Many people get carried away when setting up their bouquet display, and add too many photographs and other wedding items. This makes the display look cluttered, and the bouquet stops being a focal point. You want the display to be VERY simple, so that eye is drawn to the the bouquet.

4) Be sure to avoid direct sunlight hitting the bouquet. Direct sunlight is very bad for silk bouquets, and will make them fade and lose their color. Ideally you want natural room light. If you have your bouquet anywhere near a window, make sure the sunlight doesn't directly hit it!

Peta Fletcher has been making silk bouquets for over 14 years. She is the webmaster of http://www.visionsofsilk.com, a website featuring a catalog of bouquets that can be bought, as well as easy-to-understand articles about creating your own silk bouquet.

How To Make A Bridal Bouquet?

It’s good for you, as a bride to be, to know some things that will help you choosing the right flowers, form or aspect of your bridal bouquet. Thus you can tell the florist what your expectations are respecting the bouquet or you will actually make your bridal bouquet by yourself. making-bouquet.jpg

There are some advices for you to make a bridal bouquet:

* The bridal bouquet has to be easy to hold

* The bouquet’s height does not have more than 10-15 centimeters, so it will not cover the bride.

* The bouquet has to follow the lines of the bride’s body and not to exceed it.

* Not to be seen the wire with whom you tied the flowers into the bouquet and take care that the wire’s ends will not hurt the bride’s hands (that’s for the wires are flexed and filled it through the stems).

* The stems not to have awn.

* The bouquet has not to blot the bride dress (for example, the lily’s pollen).

* The bridal bouquet has to hold out and to be fresh for the entire wedding day.

* The green material has not to smell badly and that for you will not use the Tagetes (a species of Chrysanthemum ).

There are many types of bridal bouquet appropriate to each need or fitting special bride: the round, flowing, irregular bouquets.

The round bouquet is made from one single type of flower or many types, but it has to be harmonious by colors and forms. respecting the different forms of flowers, the biggest has to be the central one. This bridal bouquet fits a short youthful wedding dress and it’s not appropriate to a stocky bride, because this form emphasizes the imperfections of the bride. The small bouquet can be made by flowers like freesia, hyacinth, daisy, mini rose.

The folowing bouquet seams like a tear. Above you’ll put the noble, ponderous and the biggest or full-blown flowers and flowing effect comes from the flowers with a long stem (like the roses) and those with a tenuous and flexible stem. Those flowers are tied with wires and could be the punks, the fragile flowers like the orchids. This bridal bouquet is appropriate to each bride whatever the age is and we recommend it to the low or the pregnant brides.

The irregular bridal bouquet is made by the prevailing character flowers. It’s a modern type which puts to the proof your imagination, your common sense. This is a combination of all types presented before. It’s important the asymmetry and you can use every ornamental elements or materials.

For a bridal bouquet, you can use every flower you want, even the sunflower or immortal and field flowers, just to be in the same air and atmosphere of the wedding.

The bridal bouquet has to be very resistant, because the bride is carrying it all over and also there is the practice of throwing the bouquet. Therefore there are some special techniques of clenching the flowers. They could be knotted, wired or stick.

The most popular technique of making a bridal bouquet is that in which the florist uses a purchased bouquet holder. Bouquet holders are usually made of white plastic, are cone-shaped and have an attached handle. They come with floral foam already inserted into the cone.

There are a few steps for you to make your own bridal bouquet:

1. Choose the flowers that you will use (we recommend that the flowers from the bridal bouquet were bride’s favorites and will complement both the wedding colors and any other floral arrangements planned).

2. Keep the flowers into water and, while are you using them, maintain the flower up, thus the hydration process will deploy.

3. Place the bouquet holder upside down on the surface of a large bowl of water. Hold on to the handle and let the holder gradually sink to the bottom of the bowl. This will saturate the foam. Remove the bouquet holder from the water and dry the exterior.

4. Begin the placement of the flowers from the top of the holder. The flower’s stem could be as short as you need. Therefore you have to determine how much of the stem you’d like to have above the foam, and then cut the stem at a very sharp angle 1 1/2 to 2 inches below that point. If you want to rearrange an inserted flower, remove the flower, cut the stem once more and reinsert it in a different spot in the foam.

5. Wire every stem before sticking in the foam of the holder. The wire will pass through the foam and it has to be bended and knotted by the holder, for the best resistance. 6. To create a cascade effect, you have to insert various lengths of greenery such as ivy or fern at the bottom of the bouquet holder or let the stems of the flowers to be long and wire them by the plastic part of the holder. For a modern bouquet you can use an wool or silk material, even pieces of gunny.

7. You need to cover the holder with aspidistra’s leafs or cut stems or you can cover it with a purchased silk or tul material. A special bridal bouquet, a modern one, could be decorated by a wool material, especially if the flowers were field‘s ones or the wedding took place into a rustic space or outside.

Use a 2-inch-wide silk or satin ribbon in a color that complements the wedding colors. If the bride prefer, use some artifices: use a combination of different or complementary ribbon’s colors. Add a pearl spray or two as well. You can also use one or two flowing wired pearls or one warm colored butterfly.

Aura Surcel is a Romanian floral designer with many ideas of natural decorations, freelance writer of nature, flowers and plants, traditional treatments and of the flower shop business. She also loves nature, flowers and to make floral arrangements.

For more information, visit http://www.flowersgrowing.com

If You Have a Favorite Bouquet

If you have a favorite artificial bouquet that is looking kind of weathered and worn it can be brought back to its former beauty with a little effort on your part, especially if it is a silk bouquet. These can last longer than any other artificial bouquet. All it takes is a little attention from you for 5 minutes every three to six months. As with anything in your house, silk bouquets get droopy and dusty and do need some attention now and then.

To clean your bouquet you can rice clean it. This can be done by placing your bouquet in a shopping bag along with a half cup of rice, twist it closed and shake it for about sixty seconds. What happens inside is the rice becomes loaded with static electricity and the dust will attach itself to the rice. In the past some people used to use salt, but it was found to be too harsh and would sometimes scratch the flowers, whereas white rice is softer and not damage your flowers at all.

After you have cleaned your flowers then you have to fluff them. This just involves turning your bouquet upside down and giving them three or four good shakes. This not only loosens the rice that's left on the flowers, but also fluffs up your bouquet to look like new again. After fluffing you have to arrange the flowers to their original position. Just use your hand go to the back of the plant and start pushing the stems toward the front. This is called plumping the bouquet. Once you have gotten all of them back to the right position you can do some teasing with the flowers to help them take their original shape this may involve some pulling and pushing.

The things you don't do to clean your bouquet is spray them with water. You may have heard somewhere you can do this but if you use this method the water mixed with the dust can stain your beautiful bouquet so that it will never look the same again so stay away from the water! Stay with the rice to have a long lasting bouquet.

For lots of information on bouquets and other related topics, visit The Flowers Guide at www.theflowersguide.com

The Fragrant Bouquet Of Confidence

Are you confident?

We’ve all been intoxicated by the smell of confidence – a personal triumph, an inspirational leader, tantalizing news. Confidence comes in various degrees. There’s the “I’ve got a good feeling,” confidence, there’s the pop the cork, pour the Champagne confidence, and then there is total euphoria.

Confidence is a balm that smooths the rough spots in our lives and businesses. Where there’s confidence, there’s progress. That’s why confidence is so eagerly measured by economists and politicians. We know confidence matters.

A Flourish! reader from Brazil writes:

“I appreciate your insights about American confidence – keep up the good work.”

Another from the United Kingdom writes:

“If we could more confidently embrace the North American way, without ridicule, we could boost our numbers immeasurably.”

There’s no cultural gap here. Americans are universally seen as optimistic -- reservoirs of confidence. Despite this perception, I find many of my American colleagues in search of greater confidence:

An owner of a multi-million dollar business talks to me about the need to personally develop more confidence in his company’s ability to execute new ideas.

A real estate agent talks to me about conveying more confidence when dealing with the affluent and showing high-end properties.

A young salesman, just starting out talks to me about developing the confidence to drop in on clients, and pitch his products and services.

I am asked about the concept of confidence just about every week. So, let me put my cards on the table. Confidence isn’t something you get – it’s something you discover.

When you see people that are confident, you see someone engaged in their work and often simultaneously analyzing the result. When they step back and really understand the results – they become confident. Sometimes this happens fast and sometimes this takes time. However, confidence is usually the unintended consequence of another action – a confidence catalyst.

Let me share five of the common catalysts for confidence:

Naivety
Noland Walker, a talented young filmmaker recently sent me a copy of his work, Citizen King – a two-hour documentary about Martin Luther King that aired on the PBS series, The American Experience. Watching the film I was moved by the behind-the-scenes candor of Dr. King in film clips documenting private moments from 1963-1968. He expressed fear, vulnerability, and naivety about the response to his Civil Rights crusade. In the early going he and his colleagues were not necessarily confident, but they were passionate about their mission and knew that acting confident was part of the drill. This film illustrated that not knowing all of the answers is no reason to lack confidence – you can be naïve and somewhat afraid, but if you act decisively, you can change the world.

Responsibility
Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to set foot on the moon, told CBS correspondent, Ed Bradley of 60 minutes that his thumbs up signal to the camera, just before the launch of Apollo 11 was, “a bit of a sham.” Knowing that the world was watching, he decided that he had a responsibility as the skipper of the first lunar spaceship to “convey confidence.” The world was counting on Armstrong and his first words upon setting foot on the moon, demonstrated that he knew it. Sometimes your responsibility to others is so significant that you just have to embrace the attitude: “One foot for man. One foot for mankind.”

Experience
You can be knee-deep in trouble, but your level of experience gives you confidence that you can work your way out of it. In a recent keynote, Donald Trump shared details about his financial collapse years ago and his real estate empire teetering near-bankruptcy. But it was his business experience in negotiation, marketing, and building that gave him confidence that he could come back. When you’ve traveled down a road before, even if it isn’t exactly the same, you have the benefit of understanding similar terrain – and thereby stirring up your confidence.

Comparison
Comparing your assets, work ethic, attitude, and commitment to those of others often elevates your mood to confident. You can either see what you have that others are lacking, or if you’re not as strong as you’d like to be, you can borrow the confidence of others as personal guideposts for your own development. Comparison is a key issue facing ABC News at the moment. They have the enormous challenge of filling the roomy shoes of evening news anchor Peter Jennings. Guess what they need? An anchor that can convey confidence.

Association
Years ago, my firm used to get calls about a project we were involved with from a fellow that worked at the White House. I know this fellow loved calling and announcing that he was from the White House. It always got the attention of everyone in the office.

An attendee at one of my workshops recently asked me about her own association – that is, how could she convey confidence when she no longer worked for a prestigious company? Yes, it’s easy if you work at the White House, but you can create your own association by connecting yourself to clients, trends, a great location, or even years in the business. We all have plenty of confidence-building associations if we are willing to see them as such.

I hope I have made the point that confidence can be rooted in a wide variety of emotions and situations. I am convinced that many of the problems companies are struggling with -- competitiveness, complexity, bureaucracy, timing, strategy, and even branding are actually confidence issues. Somewhere along the chain, someone is lacking confidence.

So clear away the clutter. If you find yourself gridlocked and unable to reach higher performance levels and have “good excuses” like staffing, financing, or connections, you may really be saying: “I don’t have the confidence.”

How can we amplify our confidence?

Use the nearest catalyst. You may not feel confident when you start, but confront the work. Analyze the results. Blow through the opinions and criticism of others. Tame your own inner dialogue. You can develop and maintain the confidence you need. Confidence isn’t just something you have. It’s something that you discover.

André Taylor is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and advisor to growing companies and one of today’s dynamic voices on business and personal success. He’s the author of many audio and videos, courses, and coaching programs reflecting more than 25 years in enterprise management. He provides an uncommon understanding of the lessons of business and personal resilience, and extraordinary insight and commentary on the subjects of leadership, entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, innovation, and growth.

The Dream Wedding Bouquet

Chances are you will purchase more flowers for your wedding than at any other time in your life. Choosing the perfect wedding bouquet is almost as important as picking the perfect gown. There are many different styles of wedding bouquets and which style you choose usually depends on your wedding dress. When you are having your wedding is also an important factor when considering which bouquet is perfect for you. Wedding bouquets come in many different styles.

The most traditional and formal type of wedding bouquet is the cascade. It is a beautiful water fall like spill of flowers in a hand held base. As the name implies the flowers cascade down like a waterfall. The traditional flowers used in a cascade wedding bouquet are white and are traditionally roses or lilies. The cascade wedding bouquet has the appearance of being loose and free flowing, and should match the dress. The perfect dress for a cascade wedding bouquet is the traditional wedding dress with a long flowing train.

Another traditional wedding bouquet is the classic hand tied bouquet. It usually consists of a bunch of blooms anchored in a bouquet holder and either wired in or hand tied. This option gives the look of fresh picked spring flowers and is usually used in spring weddings. This is a very versatile wedding bouquet and looks great with any type of flowers or wedding dress.

If your going for something a little less traditional then there is the nosegay. The nosegay is a general term for any small and round cluster of flowers cut to a uniform length. There is typically very little greenery in this type of wedding bouquet. If you are thinking of a Victorian theme for your wedding then the nosegay wedding bouquet would fit in perfect. For an even more Victorian look you can replace the typical bouquet holder with a tussy mussy. A tussy mussy is just a silver carrying cone that can replace the bouquet holder.

Two other less traditional wedding bouquets are the arm bouquet and the composite. The arm bouquet is exactly what the name implies, an elegant crescent shaped bouquet designed to be carried in one arm. The composite wedding bouquet is a handmade creation in which several different petals or buds are wired together on to a single stem to give the impression of one giant flower.

The type of wedding dress you wear, the time of year your wedding will be held, and the colors of your wedding will all play a part in the type of wedding bouquet you pick. Picking local and in season flowers for your wedding bouquet will help lower the cost and will guarantee freshness. Silk flowers are also becoming a popular option for wedding bouquets.

Bonnie Goodwin Ray has more than sixteen years experience in the wedding industry. She is the author of Wedding Planning Made Easier and has become a leading expert in silk wedding flower design.

Spice-Up Your Wedding Bouquet

Are you searching for something unique for your wedding? Anything that could show how stylish, trendy, interesting, and fun-loving you are is most desired. Now, instead of bringing an ordinary usual boring flower wedding bouquet, carry with you exciting, unusual bloom bouquets and offer people something to gossip about.

Unusual does not mean that your bouquet will not anymore contain flowers. Of course, it still will. Wedding in the absence of flowers is no wedding at all and is like a garden without blooms.

Anyway, there are lots of flower kinds available. Thousands of charming blooms are there to make the romantic touch your nuptial deserves.

It is best to regard the various flower meanings and design to a wedding bouquet which is not pretty to the eye but might as well heartily meaningful. You may perhaps regard the time of year. Several blooms are much common in a certain season than to others and so looking for off-season blooms can be tough.

On tradition and custom basis, the following are few of the much popular bridal wedding bouquet flowers with their corresponding meanings and season.

- Rose (red) means love, year round availability
(white) suggest unity, year round
(yellow) suggest joy, year round
(orange) means passion, year round
(pink) means sweetness and gray, year round
- Baby's breath blooms suggest innocence, year round
- Alstromeria blooms mean devotion year round
- Calla Lily flowers suggest magnificent beauty, spring season
- Daisies suggest romance as well as innocence, year round
- Carnations dedicated love year round
- Ivy blooms marriage and loyalty, year round
- Myrtle blooms joy and happiness year round
- Orchids love and splendor, year round
- Stephanotis blooms marriage happiness, year round
- The classic tulips passion and love, January to April
- Zinnia blooms mean affection, year round

A great way to pick on the correct bouquet flowers is to select the right florist and the easiest way to look for a good florist is to through the use of the word-of-mouth method.

One of the unique wedding bouquet choices is a bouquet created of fruit. Yes, you've got me right, a fruit bouquet.

Perhaps you thought about fruit bouquet would definitely be unique and interesting. However, the idea would not be the right look for your wedding. You're probably thinking that a fruit bouquet is too much plain and silly.

Surprisingly, a fruit bouquet can be fantastic. Keeping a little bouquet that is carefully crafted would absolutely be a terrific wedding bouquet which will totally be a chitchatting focus amongst your relatives and friends after the wedding rites.

The magic is for you to not overstuff the bouquet of much fruit. The overloading of fruit would give a tacky bouquet look.

A variety of fruits such as nectarines, passion fruits, strawberries, apples, kiwi, mandarins and apricots are best selections for a fruit bouquet. Make sure though that you pick on small fruits. Wrap fruits such as strawberries in a cellophane so that you won't be worrying about getting stained.

It is far tough to create a fruit bouquet and it's absolutely some stuff that you should regard if you like something a bit cooler than a normal wedding flower bouquet for a wedding. Here's the ridiculous but fun part, if you ever get hungry during the rites, you'll readily have something to eat.

Now, could you think of a nicer way to show your emotions than through flowers? Any wedding would be different without having flowers in it that's for sure.

Thanks for reading! For more fresh and pratical tips and information on wedding, visit my site at Wedding.InfoRevealed.info.

Catch that Bouquet!

Throwing the bride’s bouquet, as well as catching the bride’s bouquet, has its moments.

Erratic brides have been known to underestimate their throwing capabilities and throwing the bouquet so far that no self-respecting person would bother to run for it. Or, as in playing squash, in the nervousness of the moment, bouquets have been known to be thrown at walls, windows, ceilings, and most disastrously, into overhead ceiling fans.

On the side of the catchers, there have been moments where catching the bouquet became so violent, that a referee had to be called in to separate the combatants. As embarrassing as that might have been, there have also been those weddings where self-assertive women refused to play this silly old-fashioned game where women were thought to be dying to catch the bouquet so that they would be the next in line to get married.

Ha! They weren’t that desperate!

So, perhaps, before the bride decides to enliven the wedding by tossing the bouquet among the unwed females, she should count up just how many unwed single females she’s inviting, and just how many are actively looking for life-long partners. And, of course, and most importantly, she should get in some throwing practice to ensure the accuracy of the landing.

Having said that, why do brides bother with this bit of tom foolery? And is there any truth that whoever catches the bouquet will be the next to wed?

As far as throwing the bouquet is concerned it’s all about the lucky wedding couple sharing their good fortune, the flowers being yet one more symbol of it. In this spirit, some brides compose a bouquet which consists of dozens of minuscule bouquets. When she is about to throw it, the bride unties the ribbon which holds it in place, and literally showers guests with minute bouquets and good fortune.

As for weddings, have you noticed how when one of your friends gets married, not long after another follows suit?

Could it be that by catching a bouquet you will become the next bride? Actually, that’s a bit psychology in the making. In this part of the wedding, the female who is actively searching for a partner, has the opportunity to make herself visible to a prospective husband. If she is truly serious, she should make that opportunity count. Like the thrower, she should practice graceful and nimble leaps to make herself memorable to all those young bucks watching. If she can continue to hold their interest after the catch, so much the better.

Never forget, would be brides, weddings are catching!

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorised to perform marriages in Australia. She also perform general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about her as a celebrant and an author visit vlady at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com

Choosing a Bridal Bouquet

As you plan for your wedding, you’re faced with the question of which type of bridal bouquet is right for you? Before you determine that, you have to first answer a few questions.

• What kind of atmosphere do you want for your wedding? Will it be formal, casual, elegant or something in between?

• Where are you getting married? Is this a casual outdoor wedding, an elegant candlelit evening wedding in a cathedral, a simple country church wedding, or a fancy country club event?

• What is your body type? Are you short and petite? Full-figured?

• What season are you getting married in?

• What is your color scheme?

• Are there certain flowers that you simply “must have” in your wedding bouquet?

Another important thing to consider is the style of wedding gown you will be wearing.

• Romantic or fairytale gowns

With lots of lace, tulle and layers of luxurious fabric, this type of gown lends itself to the traditional cascading bridal bouquet. Keep in mind, however, that the cascading wedding bouquet does not necessary flatter a petite bride. If you’re petite, you don’t want to get lost behind a large wedding bouquet. If your gown has a lot of detail to it, be careful not to order a bridal bouquet that actually competes with the gown, rather than complementing it.

• Simple and elegant gown

Think Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn and you’ll have visions of a less fussy gown, designed to show off the beauty of the bride. These gowns are often strapless and have structured lines. Your flowers should be simple and elegant as well, as in a hand-tied bouquet of white calla lilies, a symbol of magnificence. A showy bouquet wouldn’t be your best choice with this type of gown, but a classic clutch bridal bouquet might be the answer. Pastel pink roses would be ideal in a clutch wedding bouquet, the perfect symbol of happiness, gentility and grace.

• Vintage gowns

This is a huge category that includes Bohemian gypsy-style dresses, medieval princess frocks, and Charleston swing era gowns. Match wedding bouquets with the style of dress that you choose. Some bridal bouquets simply would not work with some of the vintage dresses. Of course, these dresses are updated to reflect the styles of the early 21st century.

Make sure that you let your florist or online wedding consultant know exactly what type of gown you have chosen. It would be best for them to see a picture of the gown, preferably with you in it! If you’re unsure of how to pick the style of bridal bouquet that’s best for you, given all of the choices that you’ve already made, rely on the advice from the experts.

And remember, you’re not restricted to fresh flowers for your wedding. Silk wedding flower packages are available at great prices from many online merchants. They can help you decide if the cascading bridal bouquet, the hand-tied wedding bouquet, or another style is best for you considering the location, the season, the atmosphere, your figure, etc. Silk wedding flowers are a wise choice for budget-minded brides, as well as for extravagant brides who only want the best!

Bonnie Goodwin Ray has more than sixteen years experience in the wedding industry. She is the author of Wedding Planning Made Easier and has become a leading expert in silk wedding bouquets design.

Buy Flower Bouquet

Flowers are some of the best gifts that you can give a friend or loved one for a birthday, anniversary, and get well wish or just because you want them to know that you are thinking of them. Some people may not know what to look for when they want to buy a flower bouquet. Here are some things to keep in mind whenever you decide to surprise someone with your thoughtfulness.

Make sure that you buy a flower bouquet that matches the occasion. For example, you do not want to send a bouquet that comes with balloons that say “It’s a boy!” for mothers day. You just mixed up a baby bouquet with a national holiday. Sometimes people will say that it doesn’t matter; it’s the thought that counts. This may be true, but wouldn’t make more sense to not only think about the person but also take time to pick a great gift for them?

You should also keep price in mind whenever you decide you want to buy flower bouquets online or in person. Flower bouquets can range in price from $30-$100+ and can be a simple bouquet or an extravagant spectacle. It all really depends on how much you feel you want to spend on the person. Once again, to them price wont matter, just the thought.

Something else that is less considered by people when buying a flower bouquet is making sure that what you buy for someone won’t be harmful. For example, if you are sending flowers to someone who is in the hospital and they have certain allergies, then make sure that the flowers you send are not going to aggravate them. Also, if you send flowers to a child for any reason, make sure that the bouquet does not have small pieces that they could possibly choke on.

The best way of buying a flower bouquet is online, where you can do it during work or at midnight before you go to bed. This is also good if the person you are sending flowers to do not live in the same city or state as you. Most online flower boutiques also have next day delivery for a quick response. As you can plainly see, buying a flower boutique can be a fun and easy thing that anyone can do. All it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and you can tell someone that they are special to you.

If you would like more information on how to buy a flower bouquet, check out http://www.squidoo.com/buyflowerbouquet/