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I died and went to heaven at the flower market...

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selflove

selflove

Brilliant_Rock
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May 12, 2005
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Huge warehouses with vendor after vendor selling so many different kinds of flowers! Lordy--it was fantastic! I searched for my pastel pink hydrangeas but they won''t be around until May, luckily that''s when I''ll need them. So I got ivory hydrangeas and pastel pink roses, and just for some variety I threw in some white little flowers with pink/lavender veins and tips (were they orchids? I forgot to ask).

I played around with them and made about 7 different BM bouquets, 2 different bridal bouquets, and just one centerpiece. Those poor flowers got a workout, getting wired and ribboned, and unribboned and unwired, and again and again wired and unwired. So by the end, 3 of the roses had had enough (one even took a leap off my balcony!) and I only had 21 with which to create the final bridal bouquet.

I took about 2 dozen pictures but won''t bore you with all of them.

By the end, I had found a new love...aquafoam!

So, on with the pics!

Here''s the centerpiece, keep in mind it will be all pink flowers. I loooooooove aquafoam.

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Next is the first bridal bouquet...it was a little lopsided with only my set of hands working it...
 
Oops, for to attach the pic.

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But then adding some hydrangea sprigs shaped it some, and I was able to adjust some of the roses too and it took on a better shape. The hydrangea in the real thing would be pink too...in this version...

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Then I decided to break out the secret weapon...the form with a handle and a domed ball of aquafoam and about 24 little cutout sections to insert flower stems....this was really the greatest thing ever invented. I got an XL size and if there hadn''t been the 3 rose casualties earlier, the 2 dozen roses would have nicely filled this out. As it is, there''s only 21 in this picture and it was on the top that you can see I only had one lonely little rose left to pop into the top. But, next week I shall return and start out with the secret weapon, and also pick up size medium for the BM bouquets.

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Another angle, higher up. That form with the ball is virtually fool proof!!

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wow!! i love them! and it''s the PERFECT pink!
 
And here''s the last two...BM bouquets...these are the two best but I did a lot of experimenting since these are smaller bouquets. None of the orchids (?) made it into the "final round" of any of the arrangements. (Although they are making a killer centerpiece to my coffee table, at the moment.)

I''m definitely not going to have hydrangea the main flower in the BM and bridal bouquets. But I thought I''d show a pic of how the hydrangea BM turned out, with rose accents.

Any suggestions or tips? I''ll keep practicing. Anyone want to come to the LA flower market next Saturday? Hee hee!!!!

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BM with a ribbon.

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Thanks jcrow!
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They look AWESOME! I''m really considering dong my own flowers. I''ll have to look into the aquafoam ball.

I take it you went to the flower market in Downtown L.A? That place is the best!!
 
CG--Yup, downtown LA. I agree, it''s the best! I loved it!! If you are going to do your own flowers, you''ll save so much $$. Plus, it''s so much fun. I''ve got at least 3 talented women who are going to help me the day before the wedding, plus other friends who are like "Just tell me what to do and I''ll help" so I think it will be a fun morning of playing with flowers.
 
Those are beautiful!!!!
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Very full and lush looking. Good job.

I''m jealous you have a flower market.... I wish we did here in MI, at least I don''t know of one here.
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WOW! They look great!!!
 
Selflove, I have you to thank! You''ve talked me into doing my own flowers (and you didn''t even have to talk to me!)! I love the L.A. Flower Mart, and I''ve got some very creative people in my family, so I think it may be great. So were there good deals? You did a great job, and it looks so professional! Unfortunately, I was really wanting a bouquet that''s kind of tied like a corset.. I wonder if I could figure that out myself?
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corsetflowers.jpg
 
That''s the wrong one, I meant like this:

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Amber that''s cute! I think you could totally figure that out! If you have a sewing machine it shoud have a fuction that makes button holes for you. Then you can lace it through there. That''s the easiest way I can think of. Unless you got those little grommets. Is that what they''re called? That little piece of metal that makes the hole? I don''t know how you put it on the fabric, but someone at a fabric store must know. Anyways, it''s a cool idea!
 
Thanks, Sunkist! Selflove, how are you going to do the stems? Ribboned? Or are you going to use ribbon and pearl pins?
 
Thanks everyone!!
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Amber--yes, the deals there were phenomenal. Those pink roses were 2 dozen for $10. The hydrangea was $2/stem and I needed 4 stems to fill out the silver bowl (which is actually plastic and was $1.58 at the floral supply warehouse). The orchid stems were 10 for $4.50 (not pictured as I couldn''t find a way to incorporate them and the color was more purple than pink anyways). The XL bridal bouquet form was $2.98. So I''m looking at about total costs of:

$13 bridal bouquet
$7 each BM bouqet (3 total)
$12 each table centerpiece (about 8)

There are also huge pre-made arrangements to put in vases and they were all priced $10-20 and the $20 size was HUGE. I want to get that one for the ladies room at the reception hall and a couple other larger-sized ones for the bar and entry table and any other just-in-case places that we need at the last minute. If I don''t need those bouquets, I''ll just keep them at my house.

I estimated everything I''ll need and it will be less than $250 for all the flowers.

And Amber--for the "corset" style you want for your bouquet, I think at Joann Fabrics they could explain to you how to do grommets. I myself have never done this but I saw a show once where someone showed how to do it and it''s just a hand-held machine you use to punch into the fabric. I think that corset style looks easier than the pins. Looks like just one piece of satin that is not quite the circumference of the stem and then crisscross with ribbons. I actually really like that--thanks for posting it! Bring it along to the LA get together if you make it before that date!

I won''t need to do anything to the stems b/c this oasis form has a plastic handle and I don''t NEED to do anything, but I will probably cover it with white ribbon, just to make it more finished and dressy looking. I really love the look of the ribbon with pins but I scoured those floral supply warehouses downtown and I couldn''t find any pins like that. Maybe they are just plain old sewing pins?? I have no idea but I really like that look also.
 
selflove those turned out fabulous!!! I really like the white hydrangeas w/the pink roses actually, even though you are planning on doing monochromatic.

I esp love the bouqet w/the roses and a few hydrangeas sprinkled in there.

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Thanks Flopkins! I can''t wait to practice again next weekend!

Amber--I think the sage green satin wrapped around the stems would look the best and then use the pink ribbon criss-crossed into the grommets. Or you could take a pink and a green ribbon together and crisscross into the grommets, so you get a 2-toned effect. Fun! I love that idea!
 
beautiful! they look so professional! i''m so jealous, i would love to DIY, but my wedding day starts at 6am and is non-stop until after midnight...no time to make the bouquets the day of, and am too nervous they''ll wilt if i do night before. would have saved me a nice bundle, let me tell ya!
 
Also have you thought of making your own boutonnieres? I helped make them at my friends wedding a couple years ago and they weren''t difficult at all. If you''re interested here''s how we did it.

You need that green floral tape, wire, flower (maybe a rosebud or whatever you want), some greenery, and maybe a ribbon. We cut a small length of ribbon and folded it back and forth on itself, like a zigzag. Then take a piece of the wire fold it in half and then place the center of your folded up ribbon on the V in the wire and twist the wire tight so the ribbon won''t come undone. Now you have loops of ribbon attached to your wire. Arrange a greenery and flower with the ribbon so it looks pretty. Then take the floral tape. Start at the top and wrap the flowers to the wire. Make sure the loose end of the tape gets covered up. Twist the tape down the wire and tear it off and make the end look clean. Then you have a tail of green covered wire, so curl it around on itself (kind of like a pigs tail or something). Then you''re done!

You''ll have to practice a time or two, but they shouldn''t be that hard.
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If it doesn''t make sense maybe I can clarify it for you...
 
Thanks SUnkist! I had been starting to think that boutinieres might not be too hard for us so these detailed instructions are great! It''s defnitely worth a try!
 
Gorgeous, Selflove! I think DIY flowers is the best way to save money. Your centerpieces and bouquets look amazing and wrapped with a little ribbon, I can'ttell the difference between yours and "professionally done"!

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Aw, thanks ebree!!!!!
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Great job on the flowers. They look so beautiful.
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I would have died and gone to heaven in that warehouse too. I looooooooooooooove flowers so much.
 
I think we need to hold a DIY flower session ASAP! When I was little, we grew hydrangeas in our yard, and every time I''d play "Bride" I would take one bunch and hold the stem in my grubby little hands pretending I had a huge bouquet. Your flowers always remind me of weddings now, SelfLove.

You should totally try some single bud things, just take one off someone''s rosebush, give it a whirl! Practice makes perfect!
 
Yes! DIY at Cozymel''s when we have the LA Get Together! How funny would that be??

I was actually wondering if any of my friends will have pink hydrangea shrubs blooming on May 6...like playing "bride" 20 years later!
 
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