Fresh Flowers: Good news first! One of the best things about having fresh flowers for your wedding is that they photograph beautifully, they have a richness that is captured by the camera and they are breath taking beautiful. Most fresh flowers smell wonderful. The scent of fresh flowers is a very welcoming scent for all of your guests to enjoy as they walk in to either your ceremony or reception. This is only good news to the brides who do not want to keep their bouquets. If you use fresh flowers they will not last so you will not be able to keep your bouquets, unless you preserve them which can be very costly.

If you are a bride who is budget conscious and would like to stay under your budget and do not mind a few extra steps then there is another option for you! Buy your flowers in bulk. This is a way to save you a lot of money, however remember when your flowers arrive; they are only good for about 48-56 hours, if refrigerated correctly. To refrigerate properly, fresh flowers cannot be in the same refrigerator as food especially fruit and they cannot touch the sides of the refrigerator walls, so you must cover them. You can use a trash bag to cover the petals. You want to cover them with something very light so they can still breathe, but that will also provide enough coverage so that the blooms do not have direct contact with the walls. And don’t forget them in water. They have to be kept in fresh water with flower food. Although this may sound painful to deal with, it’s really not as bad as it sounds. When you order in bulk they provide flower food. All you need is enough vases or good size buckets to hold all the flowers, not to mention a clean refrigerator or two. For those of you who want to save your bouquet of fresh flowers, there is a way. Fresh flower preservation is becoming quite a hit, however it can be expensive, but from the reviews I have read, extremely worth it. Read up on it by searching on the Internet, search on Flower Preservation.

Silk Flowers: Starting with our good news again, silk flowers are less to maintain. Less maintenance is an awesome benefit for the easy-going brides who do not really have to have real flowers. Also for those who just do not want the hassle, for those who are allergic to fresh flowers or for the ones who want to keep they’re bouquet without paying for the pricey preservation job. Another wonderful plus for our brides and bridesmaids who are allergic to fresh flowers, silk flowers do not have any scent at all which means no one has to deal with red eyes, hives, or any allergic reactions that could happen. Some florists do work with silk flowers, and silk are easier to work with, most of the time. Talk to your florist and get her advice on which she prefers, look at her sample pictures because those will provide wonderful examples of what she is capable of doing for you and it also helps you get a better idea of her style so we can avoid any surprises the day of the wedding.

On the down side, silk flowers do not photograph quite as nice as fresh, however they come close if you use higher end silk flowers. If you choose to go with silk flowers do yourself a favor and purchase higher end silk flowers and then put the bouquets together yourself. It is not hard at all and it will save you money in the end. This is also a fun way to get your bridesmaids and lady family members together for some “girl time”. Putting flowers together is so much more fun in good company. With a few friends to help you’ll be done with the arrangements in no time.

Darcy Wallace is a writer for WeddingsAreFun.com and has many years of experience as a wedding consultant. The Weddings Are Fun online store specializes in elegant bridal accessories. This article on Wedding Flower Tips For Brides is one of many services offered to bridal couples. Other services include wedding candles and bridal apparel, wedding favors, invitations and trusted personalized service which are available at Weddings Are Fun.

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Congratulations! You are engaged!

You are now on your wonderful yet often frustrating journey from engagement to wedding.

It is a journey that will take you through many avenues and some forks in the road where you’ll have to stop, consider and choose a path.

The road we’ll take together is the one leading to the “fork in the road” to wedding flowers selection.

Like most brides and grooms, Bar-Bat Mitzvah parents, the parents of a quinceniera or sweet 16, event organizers for a work place or for a special occasion you are probably not a flowers mavens. Yet, all of a sudden you need to consider not only what flowers to use at your wedding, special celebration or event, but also what arrangements, for which designations and whether to use fresh or silk – satin flowers. This is quite a feat.

Hopefully this article will shed some light and help you decide how to proceed.

Today, you can select to proceed to the Fresh Flower road or you may opt for the Silk Flowers road.

Before you decide, however you must weigh the benefits and drawbacks you will encounter on either road traveled.

About Fresh Flowers

Traditionally, fresh flowers dominated the wedding and celebration receptions because the scent of fresh flowers fill the air with sweetness and empower the emotions.
However, fresh flowers are extremely expensive yet fade and wilt after just a few days.

Before you decide, you may wish to consider the following
# You may host guests who are allergic to fresh flowers. They may spend your wedding sneezing and with red, itchy eyes.

# You must order fresh flowers long before the wedding date. Yet, by their nature, you cannot see them until the florist brings them to your wedding site. Once done, with no time to spare, whether you like them or not, you are stuck with the bouquets, flower arrangements, and other floral accessories as created by the florist.

# Fresh flowers do not last long. They fade and wilt. If you want them to become keepsakes, you must have them preserved. Preserving them necessitates getting them to a reliable flower preserver and this is often a costly process.

# Fresh flowers are seasonal. So, if you are willing to go with flowers that are available at the season of your wedding you may pay less than if you opt for more exotic flowers that are out of season.

# Many flowers that grow in greenhouses or imported from other parts of the world can be available to you out of season. However, they are often very expensive.

Brides and grooms like to know the meanings of the flowers they choose. So we added the ones we know. Additionally the need to know which flowers are seasonal for their wedding date.

Following is a list of seasonal flowers and some of their meanings.

AUTUMN

Calla Lily: Magnificent beauty. Associated with the sixth wedding anniversary.

Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth. Is the birth flower for November.

Chrysanthemum, red: I love

Chrysanthemum, white: Truth, loyal love

Dahlia: Instability. Associated with the fourteenth wedding anniversary

Daisy: Innocence, loyal love, associated with the fifth wedding anniversary.

Freesia

gladiolus: Strength of character, splendid beauty, is the birth flower for August.

Gypsophila

Hydrangea

Iris: Wisdom, faith, hope, valor, is associated with the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Lily: Purity, modesty, Chinese emblem for mother, associated with the twentieth wedding anniversary.

Micklemas

Morning Glory

Orchid: Love, beauty, refinement, Chinese symbol for many children, long life is associated with twenty-eighth wedding anniversary

Rose, cabbage: Ambassador of love

Rose, red: Love

Rose, pink Grace, beauty

Rose, yellow: Friendship

WINTER

Calla Lily: Magnificent beauty. Associated with the sixth wedding anniversary.

Carnation: Fascination, distinction, divine love, is the birth flower for January.

Carnation, pink: A woman’s love, I’ll never forget you, mother’s love

carnation, red: my heart aches for you, fascination

Carnation, white: Innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love, good luck. And motherhood

Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth. Is the birth flower for November.

Chrysanthemum, red: I love

Chrysanthemum, white: Truth, loyal love

Forsythia

Freesia

Gentian

Gypsophila

Holly Berries:

Iris: Wisdom, faith, hope, valor, is associated with the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Lily: Purity, modesty, Chinese emblem for mother, associated with the twentieth wedding anniversary.

Orchid: Love, beauty, refinement, Chinese symbol for many children, long life is associated with twenty-eighth wedding anniversary

Peony: happy life, happy marriage, good health, prosperity. Associated with the twelfth
Rose, cabbage: Ambassador of love

Rose, red: Love

Rose, pink:Grace, beauty

Rose, yellow : Friendship

wedding anniversary: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth. Is the birth flower for November

Snowdrop

Stephanotis:

Winter Jasmine

SPRING

Amaryllis: Pride

Apple Bossums: Good fortune

Azalea

Bluebell: Constancy

Broom: Humility
Calla Lily: Magnificent beauty. Associated with the sixth wedding anniversary.
Camellia
Carnation: Fascination, distinction, divine love, is the birth flower for January.

Carnation, pink: A woman’s love, I’ll never forget you, mother’s love

carnation, red: my heart aches for you, fascination

Carnation, white: Innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love, good luck. And motherhood
Cherry Blossom

Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth. Is the birth flower for November.

Chrysanthemum, red: I love

Chrysanthemum, white: Truth, loyal love

Clematis

Cocus: Cheerfulness

Dffodil: new beginnings, yet, associated with the tenth wedding anniversary is the birth flower for March.

Dffodil, bunch: Joy, happiness.

Daisy: Innocence, loyal love, associated with the fifth wedding anniversary.

Forsythia

Freesia

Heather: wishes will come true.

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love

Iris: Wisdom, faith, hope, valor, is associated with the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
Jasmine: Grace

Lilac

Lily: Purity, modesty, Chinese emblem for mother, associated with the twentieth wedding anniversary.

Mimosa

Orchid: Love, beauty, refinement, Chinese symbol for many children, long life is associated with twenty-eighth wedding anniversary

Polyanthus

Primrose: I can’t live without you

Rhododendron

Rose, cabbage: Ambassador of love

Rose, red: Love

Rose, pink Grace, beauty

Rose, yellow: Friendship

Stephanotis

Tulip, red : My perfect lover, Reclamation of love

Waxflower

SUMMER

Aster: Variety, elegance, daintiness.

Azalea

Calla Lily: Magnificent beauty. Associated with the sixth wedding anniversary.

Carnation: Fascination, distinction, divine love, is the birth flower for January.

Carnation, pink: A woman’s love, I’ll never forget you, mother’s love

carnation, red: my heart aches for you, fascination

Carnation, white: Innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love, good luck. And motherhood

Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth. Is the birth flower for November.

Chrysanthemum, red: I love

Chrysanthemum, white: Truth, loyal love

Cornflower: Delicate

Daisy: Innocence, loyal love, associated with the fifth wedding anniversary.

Delphinium

Freesia

Fuschia

Gardenia : Ecstasy

Gladiolus: Strength of character, splendid beauty, is the birth flower for August.

Heather : Admiration, wishes will come true.

hollyhock: Ambition, fruitfulness, is associated with the thirteenth wedding anniversary.

Iris: Wisdom, faith, hope, valor, is associated with the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
Jasmine: Grace

Larkspur

Lilac

Lily: Purity, modesty, Chinese emblem for mother, associated with the twentieth wedding anniversary.

Lupin

Marigold

Orchid: Love, beauty, refinement, Chinese symbol for many children, long life is associated with twenty-eighth wedding anniversary

Peony: happy life, happy marriage, good health, prosperity. Associated with the twelfth wedding anniversary: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth. Is the birth flower for November

Rhododendron

Rose, cabbage: Ambassador of love

Rose, red: Love

Rose, pink Grace, beauty

Rose, yellow: Friendship

Stock

Sweatpea

Sweet William

ABOUT SILK FLOWERS – SATIN FLOWERS

Today Silk and satin flowers are becoming more and more popular. With craftsmanship and high quality materials such as silk and satin, and the many applications creative brides and grooms find for them, many couples prefer the artificial flowers for their weddings. Let’s find out why.
# If you order your silk flowers from a professional, they will most probably look realistic. Some look so realistic in fact that unless you touch them you can not tell the difference. However, even if you spray them to emit the scent of the flower, the scent will evaporate after a while.
# When you choose silk flowers, you are not depended on the season and can get the flowers you want, in the colors you want, no matter how exotic and pay much less than fresh flowers.
# Silk or satin flowers will not fade, and will not wilt. Therefore, they become a lifetime keepsake without the trouble and expense of having them preserved. Your bouquet will always look the same as it did the day you walked down the aisle. If they get dusty, you can clean the dust off to restore their color and beauty.
# Silk flowers are not allergenic and will cause no one to go through your wedding sneezing and with red, itchy eyes.
# You can have peace of mind and be worry free when you order silk flowers because you can not only order them long before the wedding You are not stuck with the bouquets, flower arrangements, and other floral accessories as created by the designer. You can examine them and you can have corrections and changes made in plenty of time and go to your wedding knowing that your flowers are just as you want them.

Some brides feel that silk flowers are “not the real” thing and even when they look too real to be distinguished, when you touch them they just don’t “feel” like real flowers. Other brides prefer silk flowers. The choice is yours. With some information at hand, choose the road you wish to travel and whether it is Real Flowers or Silk Flowers, have a pleasant trip, beautiful wedding and a happy, blessed life together.

Nily Glaser, the CEO of A-wedding Day at: http://www.a-weddingday.com She writes important articles, and has presented workshops for wedding professionals all over the USA.
To read more of her articles CLICK HERE Her web site is very popular for its discount wedding gifts, bridal accessories, print your own invitations, favors and the very unique items offered including the exclusive line of wedding Accessories By Nily.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nily_Glaser

When you are thinking of silk flowers on your wedding day, do not think of the ratty flowers at the dollar stores with the misshapen petals or the thread coming undone. Think about high quality silk flowers that truly mimic the look of fresh flowers. These silk flowers have been put together with the care and the study of the real flower to make them look as realistic as possible. Silk wedding flowers give you the beauty of flowers on your wedding day without the fuss.

Where to Find Quality Silk Flowers

The DIYers already know that one of the best places to find beautiful silk flowers is at your local craft or hobby story. Because there are those who dabble in flower arranging, these stores offer a variety of flowers. Some stores even offer classes on arranging flowers or have someone who can make custom arrangements for you. Also, if you are like me, you want to feel and touch the flowers to actually see the quality of what you are getting. You can study them to see how well they can go with your look.

Your local florist is another place where you can get beautiful silk wedding flowers. Many people may want arrangements done for a number of events or their personal space where they don’t want the flowers to die in a few days. Because the florist has the best connections and the expertise on flower arrangements, they are a great resource in finding fabulous silk flowers for your wedding day.

Last but not least is the internet. The internet has many sites that not only offer silks, but packages with them arranged as well. You can get the flowers you want arranged at quite a reasonable price. Silk wedding flowers can even be found on eBay. However, always make sure you find a reputable company that has a reputation of providing quality service. Many sites do show pictures of their arrangements and offer testimonials. If this does not assure you, buy a test bouquet to see if the quality is what you are looking for.

The Advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

1. They can be done in advance. Although real flowers are very beautiful and breathtaking, they must be done right before the wedding in order to not wilt. If you are a bride on a budget and taking this task on yourself, you may find yourself overwhelmed and stressed during a time that should be fun and relaxing. With silk arrangements, you can arrange them ahead of time which can reduce the stress of the last few days leading up to your wedding. On the day of your wedding, they will still be even more beautiful than the day you bought them.

2. Submerged, they look real. One of the big trends in weddings now is the submerged flower. What is so good about this trend is that you can submerge a silk flower in water and no one will be able to tell if it is real or not. If the flower is submerged in water, all people will see is a beautiful arrangement. No one will actually put their hand in the water to see if the flower is real. Also, being that you need less flowers when doing submerged or floating centerpieces, this saves on money.

3. Allergies are not aggravated. You, your hubby to be, or any of your guests may have certain allergies when it comes to flowers. To avoid the inevitable sneezing, runny noses, or red eyes, silk wedding flowers are a great way to have that floral beauty and happy guests. This is also a plus if you are having an outdoor wedding and are afraid of attracting insects.

4. Life-lasting keepsake. The fabulous thing about using silk flowers for your wedding is that you can have a keepsake. You can bring a centerpiece home as well as your bouquet and save on floral preservation costs. They can become a decoration for your home and a reminder of the start of your married life.

5. Great as favors. Many of your guests may fall in love with the wedding centerpieces that you have on the tables. A great favor would be to send the centerpieces home with those flower-loving guests. Your guests get great arrangements to beautify their space as well as a reminder of your wedding day.

6. Sturdy flowers. Because real flowers are more delicate, cold or heat can cause them to wilt quickly. If you are having an outdoor ceremony, the flowers may not be able to stand the heat. What if you forget to put them in water to keep them looking fresh? Well, with silks, this is not a problem. They don’t need water and can stand any weather conditions.

7. Less expensive. Now this is always argued because quality silk flowers can cost as much as live ones. This is true; however, if you need a particular flower in December that can only be found in France, the cost can rise. You can use silk flowers instead and have incredible savings. Also, when submerging flowers, because you generally use less, you can use silks instead of the real ones which can run cheaper. You can also save money with silks by checking out sales on the internet and in stores.

How to Spice Up Your Silk Wedding Flowers

If you are using silk flowers for your wedding day, there are many ways that you can spice them up to make them even more unique which gives a personal touch to your day.

Scent. We love the smell of real flowers, so how can we replicate a fragrant smell with silks. Spraying the perfume of your choice on the flowers is a great way. This way, the flowers have a wonderful smell that can add spice to your reception. Although, you want to make sure the smell is something that will not aggravate guests. I would suggest a real clean, light scent.

Jewels. Instead of having a plain bouquet of flowers, add jewels to liven it up. You can get crystals glued to the petals of the flowers. This adds more pizzazz and personality to an already beautiful arrangement. Plus, you don’t have to worry about damaging the flowers because they are sturdy enough to be handled.

Feathers. Feathers can add flavor to any floral arrangement. Adding feathers to a silk bridal bouquet gives an extra flair that makes it stand out. Beautiful peacock feathers in a silk centerpiece arrangement helps add a certain level of exquisiteness.

How to Care for Silks

Although one of the advantages of silk flowers is that they need little tending and care, here are a few tips to make sure your silk flowers for your wedding day are in perfect condition.

• To clean silk flowers you can wash them or clean them by hand, but this is not the most recommended way because it can become a bit messy and time consuming.

• A great way to keep silks looking their best is to use an ozone safe aerosol spray. This can keep them looking clean and fresh.

• If any of the greenery is wrinkled, you can steam iron the leaves. Just make sure the temperature is on the lowest steam setting. Test a corner before steaming out the wrinkles.

• Many stores that carry silk flowers also carry silk flower cleaners that can keep silk flowers looking great.

http://www.inexpensivelyfabulous.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cassandra_Mallett

The advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

Hay Fever.. If you or any of your guests have an allergy to pollen or hay fever – silk wedding flowers will be ideal.

Transport Perfectly.. If you are getting married abroad then Silk Wedding flowers are easily transported. They will arrive in perfect condition without any fuss.

No Seasons.. You can choose your favourite flower varieties what ever the season – Silk wedding Flowers varieties are always in season!

Long Lasting.. When fresh wedding flowers have faded away your silk wedding flowers can be a long lasting memory of your wedding.

Robust.. Silk Wedding flowers don’t wilt or break easily and the pollen won’t stain your clothes.

Light Weight.. Compared to fresh flowers silk wedding flowers are lighter to carry.

Preparation.. Your Silk Wedding flowers can be made up weeks or even months before your wedding allowing you to make any adjustments that you like.

Re-Useable.. After the wedding your Silk wedding flowers can be re-used in decorations for your home.

The dis-advantages of Silk Wedding Flowers

Perfect Reproductions?.. There is a perception that silk wedding flowers will look fake and tacky – whilst there have been vast improvements in the appearance of Silk flowers – some flowers such as Calla Lilies are difficult to fake. Having said that there are some flowers varieties that are incredibly realistic and quite beautiful but you will need to shop around for them – good quality Silk wedding flowers aren’t the cheap option and can be expensive.

Fragrance.. Silk flowers don’t smell as beautifully as fresh flowers.

Choice.. The vast choice of colour, variety, shape and scent of real flowers cannot be faked – real flowers can create a completely unique mood for your day.

Selections.. If you are choosing Silk Wedding flowers also consider mixing and matching fresh and silk – maybe a fresh flower bouquet with Silk table arrangements.

If you are still in doubt as to whether to choose Silk flowers for your wedding – chat through ideas with your florist and visit them to see the quality of the Silk wedding flowers for yourself.

About the Author Cath Jones is a freelance writer, web designer and owner of the My Wedding Flower Ideas and My Wedding Cake Ideas Online Magazine Websites. My Wedding Ideas magazines are specially for brides looking for unique ideas, inspiration and pictures for their special day, see Wedding Pictures and ideas. Get advice on your wedding from planning to the latest hot trends in wedding bouquets and flower designs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cath_Jones

The most traditional flowers for a wedding in Italy are orange -tree flower, white lily, and white, yellow and pink rose. In general, use only delicate shades of colors (white, yellow, pink, orange), so that they match the bride’s white gown. The bride’s buquet is usually very simple, all white or yellow, with lily or orange-tree flower as the best choice (these flowers represent purity and innocence).

You can also show the bride and the groom what kind of flowers and plants that you had in mind that why the bride and groom have a good idea of what kind of flowers and plants will be there and they can kind of picture what it is going to look like when they walk in for the first time on there wedding day.

Yellow and orange would be a good colors. You want to use a yellow that is in the same intensity as the orange of the dresses. Burnt Orange sounds subdued. You are not going for a match with your dresses because that gives a very fake look. You want to coordinate the colors to go with the dresses.

There are many flowers that are yellow. Actually, since you are using silk flowers, you can dye flowers yellow and or orange with Rit fabric dye. So if you can get white silk flowers, you can get your orange or yellow pretty easily.Make sure to always wear gloves with using dyes. Follow package directions exactly for rinsing so the colors don’t rub off.Use nice silk flowers. If they look nice to you up close they should photograph well. Personally I think real flowers are less expensive than nice silks.

But they are more difficult to use than silks and if you have alergies or if someone that gose to the wedding has alergies it can be a real problem. For that person and it is going to make them leave a lot faster even if they don’t want to.

But because of the alergies they will have to leave. Having silk flowers dose sound good, but you should also add in some real flowers so that it will make the silk look as though they are real flowers. But make sure that the flowers you choose are the colors that you want for the wedding. If you get the wrong color it could throw off the other colors of your wedding and it will not match any of the colors that you have in the wedding.

The one thing to keep in mind with blue is that there are few design materials in that color. One that comes to mind is Hydrangea. Another is Hybrid Delphinium. That pretty much sums up the blue flowers. All the others are more toward the purple. So you could use that color as an accent…as the focal flowers do not come in that color. The wood tones will go with anything. The cranberry should go with all your magenta/pinks (“Pink Broadway” Lily).

There are roses and lilies in various red and bright pink shades plus quite a few other flowers that are in those colors. Alstroemeria as a filler. Another flower with a lot of bright looks are the Gerber Daisy. Less expensive are the mums and carnations.

What about utilizing orange and pink flowers with just a touch of purple to accent. You could also go with cream colored flowers and have them tied with a champagne ribbon. Orange and shades of pinks are really pretty together and go well with purples. All of these colors would work well with your colors. You don’t want to get to many colors going, but also don’t want to draw attention to the groom’s “special” tie) I’d recommend you take in a swatch of your dress and your bridesmaid dresses to your florist for her to also assist you.

Another idea is to take the swatches into a hobby shop where they have silk flowers. Experiment with different colors until you find just the right combination. Just because the groom will be wearing a purple tie, doesn’t mean you have to incorporate that into the wedding. Because you are all wearing very neutral colors, your flowers can be a combination of any colors you like. Look through catalogs and bridal magazines to get ideas.

You could stay simple with white bouqets with pinks and reds incorporated or throw in some greens. Or, you could just have a mixed bouqet with several colors. Look around and visit some florists to get better vision. Since you are mentioning warm colors we would suggest a warm color for the flowers. Any ivory or latte flowers would not provide enough contrast and would just be blah. To make it more festive we would say peach color and if you want to you can mix in some ivory and latte color, that will help blend in everything together.

Gerbera daisies, calla lilies, gladioli, stargazers, asters, and chrysanthemums are beautiful fall flowers for fall weddings. The lilies tend to have very long stems as do the daisies. For the shorter stemmed flowers, a little florist tape can keep those tidy looking even in a revealing hand-tied bouquet. All of the flowers (except for the calla lilies) come in beautiful fall colors (reds, yellows, oranges, etc.) Also, depending on where you’re getting your flowers, you can also have quite a selection of roses.

Remember that South America has different growing seasons, so getting some South American roses in fall colors is also an option.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.SendFlowers4.info. SendFlowers4.info is a great place to shop for flowers, gift baskets, and plants when you are looking for a special gift. Start here to search by “Special Occasion”: http://www.SendFlowers4.info/category/occasions.html.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victor_Epand