Well now you do! Just go to the same place the pros go: the wholesale suppliers. You can be sure they know what’s in season when.

Mayesh Wholesale Florists are one of the largest suppliers of wholesale flowers in the United States. As such, they do not sell to the public, but their site is still a wealth of information; information from REAL experts for professionals. You may not be able to buy directly from them but you can still benefit from their knowledge and information.

I found this very handy Flower Library on their site. It lists flowers by color, by group and yes, by season.

What better place to get your information than from the authorities on flowers.

Related posts:

1. Wedding Flowers Every article on wedding flowers says that if you want...
2. Gorgeous Flower Ideas for Your Wedding There is a goldmine of flower ideas out there if...
3. Your Wedding Vendors Are a Valuable Planning Tool It’s always fun to sit down with other industry insiders;...

I ran across this very fun idea today that you might like.

This one was done by having the guests put their fingerprint on the tree and then add thier name. It kind of oooges me out to think of my guests having to be fingerprinted for my wedding.

{source}

Here is another idea that I think I like better. Get a line drawing or painting of a tree with out leaves

{source}

Then get either die cut leaves from some where like Paper Source , Hobby Lobby or Micheals or get a paper punch and make your own and have your guests sign them.

{source}

You could get some pretty baskets or glass bowls to fill with leaves and a pen and use them as parts of your centerpieces. Put another on with the tree picture and a small sign explaining the idea.

Once the wedding is over, put the leaves on your tree. Frame it and you have a piece of art to treasure for ever.

Or you could just have a boring book you won’t ever look at again.

Related posts:

1. Guest Book Alternatives I helped work a lovely wedding this weekend. Lovely bride,...
2. Puzzle Guest Book I saw the cutest idea for an out of the...
3. This Guest Book Alternative is Just a Little Dirty! You know I love alternative guest books, right? Well check...

1. Blue gift bags hold sunflowers and roses and lemons make unique place cards. Burlap makes a casual table cloth. {source}

2. A feasting table makes the most of the narrow confines of this barn. The mismatched china and garden flowers in mason jars give it a shabby chic look. {source}

3. Blue chairs, stemless glassware and lanterns are brightened up by simple arrangements of sunflowers in milk glass vases. {source}

4. A collection of bright colorful cans are re-purposed as vases and fill with garden grown zinnias. {source}

5. This look is perfect for a wine country or summer field wedding. The color palette of white with pale sage and brown is fresh and summery. {source}

6. This tented wedding is a result of the use of the tanned golden browns of a late summer field. The chairs really make it. Shop the picture with the rental firms in your area to see what alternatives they can offer. {source}

Related posts:

1. Pretty Aisle Decor One of the first things your guests see is the...
2. Shabby Chic: Getting the Look for Your Wedding I am seeing a resurgence of the shabby chic look...
3. Putting Together a Shabby Chic Table I had a great time today. Friend of the Dish,...

I was chatting with friend of the Dish, event designer extraordinaire Vicki Sanders yesterday and these tips came up. They are just little things to keep in mind that will trim your decor budget without resorting to the dreaded rose bowl with a single floating candle.

1. Limit your seating. Huh? Look at this, unless you are serving a seated plated dinner you do not need seating for every guest. By eliminating 2 or 3 tables you are also eliminating 2 or 3 centerpieces. If you are doing mostly heavy finger foods you could use a bit of lounge furniture and some smallish cocktail tables. Smaller tables, smaller centerpieces.

2. Choose your flowers carefully. I know that you already know that if you choose in season flowers you will save, but there is more to it than that. The minute you get you heart set on a specific flower, you are setting yourself up to spend more than you need to achieve your look. Work with your floral designer to determine which flowers will achieve your look AT THE TIME OF YOUR WEDDING. Short story, a bride simply had to have coral peonies, sadly her wedding was 2 weeks before they became abundant. By using coral roses and white peonies the florist could have saved her a bundle and still gotten her color and the fluff of peonies. If you absolutely have to have a specific flower, limit it to your wedding bouquet and let the florist make suggestions for the rest of your wedding decor.

3. Rent your containers instead of buying them. Even if you are going to DIY your wedding flowers this can save you significantly. You will get higher quality containers, you won’t have to figure out what to do with them after your wedding and you won’t have spent days and days running all over town trying to find them.

4. Think about your labor cost. Your floral design teams time is not free. Every little thing adds time. A bride recently told my friend that she wanted her vases lined with lime slices. Beautiful look. When she was quoted the price to do this she just didn’t get it, so she asked how much if she bought the limes and brought them to the florist. Fail. What was expensive was the time it would take to uniformly slice a case of limes and then double vase to hold them in place in the arrangement.  What you are requesting may seem like a minor detail, but take a minute to think about the labor involved.

These tips and tricks are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the knowledge that true wedding professional bring to the table. DIY or hiring a novice may seem like a great idea at the time, but in the long run, the true pros earn their fees because of what they know.

Related posts:

1. Save On Your Centerpiece and Eat It Too! You want beautiful centerpieces for your tables. You want a...
2. Pretty Aisle Decor One of the first things your guests see is the...
3. How To Save On Your Winter Wedding Décor If you are planning a winter wedding, now is the...

If this is something you are going to DIY now is the time to get busy.Get an idea of the arrangement you want and then figure out how many plants you will need per table.

Even if your wedding isn’t for months do your shopping now.The garden centers and farmer’s markets are packed to the rafters with an amazing variety of herbs in the early spring. Grab your sweetie on the next pretty day and head on out to the biggest market or garden center in your area. Look for small (2″ or3″ pots) herbs in a variety of colors, heights and textures. Thymes are nice for a low plant, sage is a pretty color with a large leaf and rosemary will add height. Chives and lavender will flower, so will chamomile. Take some time to play around with a different mix to see what you like.

If you are using clay pots, I have found the best place to get the really small ones is at the craft store. The are inexpensive and plentiful. For the most impact, get a variety of sizes and remember to get the saucers to go with them.

Once you get home, you can paint the pots or put them outside to weather naturally. To get a really weathered look, go head and pot your new baby herbs and then sink the pots in your garden or surround them with mulch. The clay will start to get that weathered patina that you see here.

If you are going the galvanized pail route, check out the either the craft stores or the paint department of you local home improvement big box store for deals.

Yes I do realize that you will have to take care of these plant until your wedding. You never know, you may discover that you had a green thumb all along.

Related posts:

1. Wedding Centerpieces: Out of the Ordinary Nowhere is it written that your centerpieces for your wedding...
2. How To Save On Your Winter Wedding Décor If you are planning a winter wedding, now is the...
3. 4 Tips for Keeping Your Wedding Decor Budget Inline Every bride wants a beautiful backdrop for her big day....

How about doing something fun instead of just a card?

Like this for the sparkly bride…

{source}

or this for the eco-minded couple..

{source}

This is my favorite idea but I guess I am the only one since I couldn’t find a single image using this idea. Ok, here we go…

Take this idea as a jumping off{source}

marry it to the idea of having tasty beverages for your guests at the ceremony…

add a Martha Stewart DIY butterfly straw with your escort card detail and…

{source}

Voila! a refreshing fun idea for an escort card!

Stamp out boring where ever possible!

Related posts:

1. Escort Cards Maybe one of the hardest tasks you can take on...
2. Escort Card Alternatives Sometimes I get tired of seeing the same old set-up...
3. Escort Cards Escort cards are a necessary evil if you are having...

Enjoy!

Great as a centerpiece for a fall wedding

{source}

Perfect for a casual wedding in the woods

{source}

Modern bouquet with a touch of Whimsy

{source}

Beaded accents add a light, airy feel

{source}

So much prettier than the standard carnation balls

{source}

Tassels make all the difference here

{source}

This one would be an easy DIY

{source}

I love the hanging orchids on the ribbons

{source}

How's this for fun?

{source}

Related posts:

1. Flower Friday: All White Wedding Bouquets With all the beautiful color palettes being used for wedding...
2. Feather Bouquets for Flower Friday Feathers are a fun way to add punch to your...
3. Save On Your Centerpiece and Eat It Too! You want beautiful centerpieces for your tables. You want a...

How about centerpiece cakes?{source}

Back in my previous life as a cake designer I would do some very elaborate centerpiece cakes that cost mucho dinero but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you do a standard size cake from a good bakery and either add simple decorating or fresh flowers or fruit you can save a bundle.{source}

Think about it, a nice little 8′ or 9″ cake will generously(compared to standard wedding size servings) serve the 6 t0 10 guests at each table. Depending on what you choose and where you buy them, you will pay from $10 to $30 each, add $5 to $10 worth of flowers or fruit. So, on the high side you are looking at $40 per table.

Let’s look at an average wedding of 120 people. Six people at a table=20 tables.

Floral centerpieces with traditional wedding cake:

20 centerpieces @ $65 each=$1300

Wedding cake for 120 @$4.50 per person=$540

Total spend=$1840

Centerpiece cakes with DIY decorating:

20 tables @$40 each=$800

Let’s see, that looks like a savings of $1040.

Maybe you use a hundred of that for a bigger cake for the head table and you are still saving a bundle.

You can do this.{source}

Tips:

Look around for your cakes at traditional bakeries and upscale grocery stores or even Costco.

Use flowers or fruits that are in season. If you use fresh flowers put a doily on top of your cake to protect it from contaminants in the flowers.

Put it on a cake stand. Treat it with honor and make it LOOK like a centerpiece.

Related posts:

1. How To Save On Your Winter Wedding Décor If you are planning a winter wedding, now is the...
2. 4 Tips for Keeping Your Wedding Decor Budget Inline Every bride wants a beautiful backdrop for her big day....
3. Fruit Centerpieces for Flower Friday I love the way fruit adds to centerpieces. In the...

If you are planning a winter wedding, now is the time to be stocking up. If you are going to DIY your décor for your winter wedding stop thinking wedding and start thinking Christmas! Head to Home Depot or the local WalMart.

Beyond the obvious twinkle lights, look at all that yummy garland and those cheap wreaths. Green, you say? Not for long I say!  A few aisles over is white spray paint, grab that. On your way home hit the craft store for white or iridescent glitter. Paint lightly, sprinkle with glitter while wet and !Voila! snow covered evergreens. Now I bet you wished you had stocked up on the paint and glitter to work your magic on the naked branches you can just cut from your yard. Plop those in a heavy vase, add a few crystal and you have a centerpiece.

While you are at the big box store, look for mulit-packs of ornaments in white and silver to tuck into the greens. Last year HD had sets of 50 assorted ornaments in white & silver for under $30. Two of those will go a long way.

Don’t forget the fake snow. Buy bunches!

Check the dollar store for plastic snowflakes; again buy bunches. They are something like 4 for $1 for the small ones. This one is from Home Depot and is 12″ across so it is a bit pricier, but hey, you could still get a couple to hang from the ceiling.

Don’t forget the candles. You are in luck, white is usually available in bulk.

While we are on the topic of saving serious money on your winter wedding décor, here is one you may never have thought of: baby’s breath.

Baby’s breath is unbelieveable cheap. That is why so many low price florists use it as filler. But here is the deal: used in over the top abundance, by itself it can be pretty cool. Think of it as clouds of snow! Check out these two pictures.

All you really need to round out your look are the odd pieces of clear glass and silver. Beg, borrow,rent or thrift shop those and you are on your way.

Winter weddings really are the easiest to DIY. I did the cake for one on new Year’s Day a few years back. The family worked with their church to get permission too use the Christmas decorations in the parish hall. The day before, they pulled every bit of red out of the room decor, took all the fresh evergreens outside and flocked them white, replaced all the red with ice blue and it was DROP DEAD gorgeous! It looked like a winter fairy land.

You can do this. Just think outside the wedding box.

Click thru images to view source.

Related posts:

1. Save On Your Centerpiece and Eat It Too! You want beautiful centerpieces for your tables. You want a...
2. 4 Tips for Keeping Your Wedding Decor Budget Inline Every bride wants a beautiful backdrop for her big day....
3. Winter Candle Centerpieces I had a great time this weekend with the fab...

Branches with battery operated lights with silk blossoms to add lights to your flower arrangements.

I was at a networking meeting last night and ran across these. I have never seen them before and the ideas just started popping. The lights are attached to a battery pack and have a burn life of 36 hours. As you can see from this image they come in an amazing variety of colors.

Now usually I am not a fan of silk flowers, but these, wow! I can see how the addition of a one or two in a large arrangement would make quite a statement. What with the growing popularity of branches in wedding arrangements I think these would be a great choice. I also understand that you can break down the branches to make them small for low or smaller arrangements. What can I say, I am smitten. I wish I could show them too you in person.

Bella Aeris is a local Nashville company that is having them manufactured so I doubt you are going to find these everywhere. You can order from their website and they are available retail or wholesale to the trades. You can find them here. Be sure to check out their Flickr galleries. If you are in the Nashville area, they have a shop in the Mall at Greenhills.  I’m thinking field trip!

Related posts:

1. DIY Centerpieces: Paper Lanterns I was so inspired by this image that I went...
2. What Flowers Are in Season for Your Wedding Every book and expert will tell you to save on...
3. Fruit Centerpieces for Flower Friday I love the way fruit adds to centerpieces. In the...