let there be WHITE!

Three of my bridesmaids are getting married just a few months before I am and lately there has been one common aspect of the wedding with which we all seem to be frustrated -- FLOWERS.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't plan on having many flowers for my wedding.  My bridesmaids will wear white muffs in lieu of bouquets and the reception centerpieces will be white birch branches in a tall glass vase.  Since bridesmaids bouquets and floral centerpieces are usually the bulk of the florist cost, not having them will be a load off my budget.  But there are still some flowers that are necessary - like my bouquet and the guys' boutonnieres.

I don't really know much about flowers and honestly, I don't really care.  All I'm really looking for is a white bouquet with some pinecones thrown in (see picture below).  And for the guys, just give them a white flower to pin on their jackets.  I don't think I'm asking for too much so it's a little surprising when the florists do.  

I've shown this bouquet example to four different florists and have gotten four different costs, ranging from $100 to $200.  And the difference in prices is what really frustrated me.

First of all, aren't they looking at the same flowers?  With the exact same "product," wouldn't I just automatically choose the cheapest one?  I don't know; maybe I missed Flowers 101.  Even if some florists have magical greenhouses where the flowers live forever, I only need them for the day.  That's all.

Secondly, can you tell what each of those flowers are?  Cause I can't.  All I see are white flowers but supposedly there are roses and peonies and lisianthus and ranunculus and that, my friends, is what makes or breaks the cost.  Peonies, especially in winter, cost more than roses, which cost more than lisianthus.  

 White peony:

 White rose:

White lisianthus:

I'm glad I researched this before I went to the florist because if I just told them to replicate this bouquet, I'd be spending a fortune on flowers that I can't even recognize.  Instead, I was very clear to mention that I wanted to replace the expensive peonies with the more affordable lisianthus.  And honestly, I bet no one would even notice a difference.  Would you?

In the end, I went with Flowers By Chuck because he not only gave me the best price (by several hundred dollars) but he also received good reviews on Wedding Wire.   For my floral purposes, that was good enough for me.

Of course, there are a lot of brides who want a particular flower or a particular color that may be more costly but if you're like I am and are just having flowers for the sake of having flowers, here's my advice to you:

Visit a florist prepared with two things: your colors and your budget.  Then let them figure out the best way to combine the two.  After all, they're the experts!

muffs are in!

I'm very excited because the white faux fur muffs that I ordered from SewUDesigns on Etsy (thanks for recommendation Julie!) have just arrived at Momzilla's house and although I haven't seen them yet, MZ says they're beautiful!

Since I am planning a "snowy" wedding and do not want many flowers other than my bouquet and my sister's bouquet, here's what my 7 bridesmaids and 2 Juniors will be carrying down the aisle.

Aren't they different? I think the bridesmaids will appreciate having something to keep their hands toasty, especially since I'm praying to the Snow Gods that we have a little bit of white on the wedding day!

I know there are seasonal flowers that I could have used but I just wanted to stick with my theme. This may sound pessimistic (but if you know me, you know I'm quite the opposite!) but I love the "deadness" of winter, which is why I'm also planning on replacing floral reception centerpieces with white branches!

I'm glad I'll be able to bring the muffs when my bridesmaids order their dresses in the next month. The white is going to pop against the dark blue dresses. I'm also glad I got them out of the way so I don't have to worry later on about any timelines. These muffs were handmade and so the ordering process took about 3 weeks. SewUDesigns worked pretty fast but it still might have made me nervous had I waited until a month before.

The best part about these muffs? They only cost me $20 each! That's about a third of the cost bridesmaids bouquets would have been. Just another reason why I love having a winter wedding :)

Along with the muffs I also ordered this wrap for myself. I love it!! It's ivory and lined with fleece to keep my shoulders warm during our outdoor pics.

So yet another thing checked off my wedding to-do list! I'm really proud of myself for being proactive and doing things early enough. Sometimes I can be a bit of a procrastinator!

Thoughts on the muffs? Love 'em? Think they're too corny?

Don't worry; even if you do, I'm still making my girls wear 'em!