Am I crazy??

[pan_manda]

So I had my first florist meeting yesterday and everything went great... but the flowers for my flower girl. We are getting married in a church that does not allow petals to be thrown and I love the look of pomanders, so I wanted my flower girl to carry one.

I told my florist this and she looked at me like I had three heads and asked how old the flower girl is. I told her she will be 3 1/2 by the wedding, and that I wanted to do silk in the pomander so that it isn''t too heavy. She went on to say how terrible of an idea it was and that it would just be spun around and destroyed.

I am bummed b/c I really want her to carry a pomander, but now I am having second thoughts. Any opinions or experience that you ladies have with pomanders and 3 year olds (good or bad!) would be really appreciated!!

 

[MsP]

I think it depends on the child. I was MOH in a wedding with a just barely 2 1/2 year old flower girl who took her job very seriously... she tossed rose petals down the aisle and stood up by me during the ceremony. No problems at all. I do know that her mother ''trained'' with her for weeks prior with silk rose petals. Then once at the venue, she practiced there before the wedding.

I see that carrying a pomander would be quite easy.

 

[mayachel]

maybe the florist doesn''t know how to make them? I think a child that is well behaved/mature enough to walk down the aisle during the ceremony (by your choice!) is likely able to be handed the pomander at one end of the chapel and make it to the front without destroying it. After that? Who cares?

 

[Haven]

Could you do a trial run with your flower girl--give her something Pomander-ish to carry and see if she can handle it?

And, if so, insist that your florist do the job per your request. You are a paying customer, do no feel bad about being firm with your order.

 

[ilovesparkles]

The florist is being ridiculous! I am sure the pomander will be fine from one end of the church to the other. And then its hers to keep, so who cares what she does with it. Honestly, if she is sitting in the pews at the front, it will likely keep her occupied during the ceremony. And if she is a well behaved child, there shouldn''t be any issues at that age.

My guess is the florist either doesn''t have children, and/or hates them, and obviously knows nothing about them.

Get the pomander, like Haven said, be firm. Make sure you get what you want. You are paying her to do what YOU want done!

 

[Kelli]

I'd think a 3 and a half year old could handle walking one down the aisle. I think your florist is the crazy one, not you.

 

[pan_manda]

Thanks so much for your quick replies!

MissP - I thought that a pomander would be easier than having to explain dropping petals too.

mayachel - I don''t know why they are saying it. I definitely don''t care if it is destroyed later, and what you said is a good idea. If we don''t give it to her before she has to walk, maybe she won''t figure out that she can swing it.

Haven - that is a great idea!! I see her at least once a week, so maybe we can do some tests and gradual ''training''. If it will work, I will definitely tell the florist that is what I want, and I might even make it myself. If there is one thing that planning a wedding has taught me, it is to be more firm and confident in my requests!

sparkles and kelli - thank you ladies I feel much better about the situation now. I guess I thought they had more experience than me, so they must be right. That is why I love PS, I am back on track!!

 

[Blair138]

My church won''t allow anything to be thrown and my FG is 14 months. She is carrying a silk pomander and my florist thinks its a great idea. She can throw it around and it won''t get destroyed because it''s fake!

She should do what you want...make her

 

[LadyBlue]

I have 2 girls in my wedding walking aisle, 4 and 6 years old. But carried a pomander, they just loved it. I did not have any problem.

 

[merrymunky]

I thik a pomander is a great idea. It''s what YOU want so your florist should not be arguing!

 

[HopeDream]

Hi Pan_manda,

Maybe the florist is freaking out a little if she hasn''t seen the type of pomander you want
(I hear pomander and think apple covered in cloves),

Perhaps if you give her a couple of pictures for insparation?
If she could see what you meant I''m sure her doubts would vanish.

I think it sounds like a fabulous idea!

Good luck!

HD

 

[Bex215]

You are definitely not crazy! I JUST came from a meeting with my florist and I told him I wanted my flower girl (who is only going to be 1 1/2, mind you) to carry a kissing ball (I think they''re the same thing, right?)
He said no problem. He suggested silk in case she throws it around and I asked about the cost difference between a silk one and a real one and he said its pretty much the same. So I said, go with real. Who cares if she destroys it? Its hers! I''m having him make a ribbon loop attached so she can have it tied to her wrist if she gets weird about carrying it, but honestly, how heavy does this lady expect it to be? A 3 year old can carry an apple!

I think you need to show your florist some pictures to help clarify but I really don''t think your flower girl is going to have a problem carrying a pomander. In fact, I would argue that its a lot easier to carry than a basket filled with rose petals that also have to be tossed...that''s a lot of coordination!
You''re not crazy, its a fine idea. Be firm. Its your wedding and your money and you know your flower girl better than your florist.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Agree with the suggestions that you tell your florist what YOU want just make it a size easy enough for her to carry.

I don''t see what the difference is between her finding a way to dismantle a ball of flowers vs. tossing all the petals with two handfuls or just turning the basket over and dumping the petals out in one pile. I''ve seen both scenarios play out and every time people chuckle and smile - because you''ve got a cute kid all dolled up and it''s hard not to smile at that!