rThe Reception is when it's time to really celebrate your marriage with family and friends and flowers can help make that space more enjoyable.  

Centerpieces are probably the first thing Brides think of when they plan their reception flowers.  Centerpieces can be as simple as a few stems in bud vases to lush overflowing arrangements.  Taller centerpieces create drama and height while arrangements in shorter vases provide a more cozy and intimate space. Some couples decide to sit alone at a sweetheart table while others choose to have the bridal party sit together at one larger table.  I usually recommend something extra special for either of these tables to elevate them from the guest tables.  

Welcome/Gift/Guest Book Table- Your guests will be looking for the guest book to sign and the gift table when they arrive to the reception area.  Why not draw their eye with a nice floral arrangement on this table.  

Food/ Buffet Tables - These are other tables that might benefit from a floral boost.  I love using greenery on these tables, especially herbs.  

Cake / Dessert Table - You can choose to dress up the cake with fresh flowers if you would like or only add flowers to the cake table.    

Floral Photo Booth/ Flower Wall - If you have money in the budget, Photo booths and Flower Walls are an over-the-top option for reception flowers.  Floral Photo booths can be arches or arbors with floral installations attached , see the one I did below that featured a super cool neon sign.  Just think about how many great pictures were taken with such a rocking back drop.  A flower wall is just what it sounds like, a wall created with either fresh or dried flowers and greenery.  It would provide a dramatic backdrop for all sorts of pic​tures to remember and share.  

Greenery and Garlands- Foliage and greenery is a wonderful option for reception flowers. Garlands work great on long tables (think Bridal Party Table) to act like greenery table runners.  If your reception is indoors foliages can be placed around candles on tables for elegant centerpieces. We grow 5 different varieties of eucalyptus here on our farm and it's one of my favorite things.... So don't forget about greenery.  

Toss Bouquet-  Do you like the tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet to single friends and family but can't stand the idea of throwing your bridal bouquet?!  Don't worry it makes me cringe too.  That is were the toss bouquet comes in, it's a smaller less elaborate bouquet that you won't feel bad about tossing!  Get double duty from the toss bouquet by using in a vase at your reception for decoration until it's tossing time.  

The ceremony is in a way, what it's all about.  This is the time where the big moment comes to say "I do".  Adding flowers to your ceremony is a great way to make your wedding even more special.  Here are some common ceremony florals that can take your wedding to the next level.  

Aisle or Pew Flowers - These include placing flowers/greenery down the aisle, either on or close to the chairs or pews.  These can be as simple as mason jars with fresh flowers or more elaborate arrangements.   

Entrance/ Welcome Table Flowers - Give your guest a grand entrance by adding florals to the entrance to your ceremony space.  Decorate the church door with garland, use wine barrels topped with flowers at the entrance way, or add a vase arrangement to a welcome table along with family pictures.  

Alter Arrangements - Many brides choose to add flowers in some way to the alter.   Oversized floral arrangements on either side of the alter is a classic look that never goes out of style. 

Arch/ Arbor Installations - These are my absolute favorites of the ceremony florals!  They are dramatic pieces that provide an exceptional backdrop for your vows and can really help convey the theme of your wedding. A fancy arch gives your guests something beautiful to look at while they wait for the ceremony to begin and provides a perfect spot for pictures.  

Last week we published our Wedding Flowers Guide, this week we are going to look closer at Personal or Bridal Pary Flowers including styles of Bouquets. 

Once you have established the colors that will be used in your wedding and what theme or mood you are looking for you can start getting into the details. 

The Bridal Bouquet is the single most important floral element in my opinion.  It is the base and starting point of all other floral design elements and is a huge focal point.  There are several styles or types of bouquets.  A Cascade bouquet is trailing and hangs down in the front creating a cascading or waterfall effect using greenery and flowers. A Round Bouquet or Posy Bouquet is round in shape and more uniform, these bouquets are typical bloom heavy and use less greenery. Sometimes Round Bouquets are made exclusively using one type of flower, like roses or peonies.  A Hand-Tied Bouquet is our specialty here at Sarah's Petals and has a looser more garden or boho style to it. These bouquets have an airier feel to them and incorporate more greenery than a Round Bouquet.  
We also love when Bride's want to incorporate something personal and special to them into the bouquet.  One time we incorporated buttons from a grandmother's wedding dress into the ribbon used to tie the bouquet, which is such a lovey touch.  

Just like there are different styles and types of bouquets, we have different techniques or mechanics to create bouquets.  The spiral hand tied method is where the bouquet is made in your hand and the stems are placed at an angle to create a spiraling of the stems.  Another method that we use is the "floral egg" as an armature inside the bouquet.  The floral egg is made of plastic and has holes all around it.  The flower stems are placed through the egg and are held and supported by the egg.  This is a newer technique that was developed to help create the more airy and whimsical garden style that is so popular now.  

Bridesmaid's Bouquets are often similar to the bridal bouquet but smaller. This creates a cohesive look that flows together.  You could also go all greenery for the bridesmaids or create their bouquets using only one type or color of flowers. I love the idea shown at Brides.com with the bridesmaids wearing floral crowns and carrying only a small bunch of flowers.  18 Unique Bridesmaid Bouquet Alternatives 

Flowers are not just for the ladies, we can't leave the guys out!  Boutonnieres are typically worn by the Groom and Groomsmen on their suit lapels.  Fathers of the bride and groom often get boutonnieres as well, even if they are not in the bridal party.  

Corsages are typically worn by the Mothers and Grandmothers of the Bride and Groom.  Corsages are worn either on the wrist on a bracelet or cuff or pinned on the shoulder.  A pinned corsage is more traditional while the wrist corsage can be seen as more modern.   

Last, but not least is the floral crown, a favorite of flower girls and Brides alike.  I love making floral crowns, they are just fun!  They can be as simple as you like to over the top.  We can even make one for your pooch!  

​Flowers are an important part of your wedding day, they are as integral as the bride’s dress.  This guide will help you understand the basics of wedding flowers and give you a wonderful starting point to start planning.

Why are flowers important at a wedding?
They can first trace flowers being used in weddings all the way back to the Ancient Greeks.  Believe it or not the Greeks made the flower crown popular all those years ago. The tradition of using flowers at weddings continues because flowers are so good at convening feelings and expressing emotion and moods.  Flowers also bring natural beauty into your wedding space unlike nothing else can.  Flowers accent and elevate everything else in the wedding, including your pictures, the venue spaces, and your bridal party.

What flowers do I need for a wedding?
Florist typical break wedding flowers into the following categories- Personal Flowers, Ceremony Flowers, and Reception Flowers.  Let’s talk about each of these categories and provide examples of each.

Personal Flowers are the flowers worn and carried by the bridal party.  These include the Bridal Bouquet, Bridesmaids Bouquets, Boutonnieres, Corsages, flower crowns, and flowers for the flower girl.  Most Bride’s choose to have boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, fathers of bride and groom and often times the officiant.  Corsages are often provided for the mothers of the bride and groom and sometimes for grandmothers as well.  

Ceremony Flowers are the flowers used to decorate your ceremony space.  Examples of these would be flowers for the aisle or on the rows of chairs.  Flowers are often placed up front  where the ceremony is held and often times at the entrance into the ceremony space as well.   My favorite type of ceremony flowers is a floral installation on an arch or arbor.  This provides dramatic effect and the perfect back drop for the ceremony and pictures.

Reception Flowers are the flowers used in the reception area of the wedding.  These include centerpieces for the tables, an arrangement for gift or guest book tables and flowers for the cake and dessert table.  Something that I see trending is photo booths for the reception that include flowers and neon signs.
​
You have a lot more options when it comes to your ceremony and reception flowers. These are areas that you can either choose to cut back and go with less or really amp up the flowers for a statement. Consider your venue and the spaces that will be used for the ceremony and reception, this will play a factor into what arrangements will work best.  As a floral design studio this is where Sarah’s Petals can help make suggestions and provide guidance to the Bride.  

What flowers should I choose?
Sometimes we have Brides come to us with specific flowers that they want used in their bouquet and we can normally make that happen.  Some flowers are only available at certain times, peonies are a good example of this because there are several months out of the year they are just not available.  We like using our own flowers the most since we know they are super fresh but sometimes we do have to buy flowers in to meet certain requests.  You don’t have to know everything about flowers to have great florals for your wedding day.  As a flower professional we know what flowers will be in season at the time of your wedding and what flower choices will be best, so no worries. Most brides come to us with a mood and what colors they are using, and we translate that into beautiful florals that are just right. 

I'm so excited about the start of the market season and then Mother's Day right around the corner.  The Botetourt Farmer's Market opens Saturday May 6th, I have missed the flowers and the friendship.  There was considerable planning and effort to have flowers for the very first market and Mother's day.  If you check out the last blog post you can read about our 2nd hoop house that we put up and filled with flowers to be blooming now.   We also did our largest planting to date of fall planted flowers outside, like corn cockle, sweet Williams and heirloom carnations.  These hardy annual flowers survived all winter outside and have really kicked into gear now that the weather is warming. We also added more Dutch iris bulbs and ornamental onions to the spring line up. All these spring beauties are just begging to be made into bouquets.      

The day before Mother's Day we will be selling at the Botetourt Farmer's Market and the Garden Festival in Buchanan.  Make sure to stop by and see us and pick up something for your mom.  Bouquet cards are available for purchase again this year, they make a great gift and who doesn't want free flowers.  We also have some potted up succulents for sale in cute containers like dainty tea cups.  I know my mom would like this sitting on her porch. 

This fall we put up a second hoop house or high tunnel.  It went up pretty easy seeing as we had done it once before.  Mark is the mastermind behind it's construction,  I'm there to hold and fetch things.  I  found the instructions on the Kerr Center website - http://kerrcenter.com/organic-farm/hoop-house.  It's not too complicated and relatively inexpensive.  The 2nd hoop house has been planted with anemones, ranunculus, delphiniums, bells of Ireland, Digitalis, and Icelandic Poppies. Planting in the hoop house in the fall gives us a head start come spring and helps us have flowers earlier.   Another investment we made this fall was woven landscape fabric.  I felt like all I did over this past growing season was weed.  This isn't the kind you buy at Lowe's, it's commercial grade and should last at least 10 years.  We burn holes in the fabric with a torch and use metal templates for the desired plant spacing. We will reuse this fabric year after year which I like better then using the plastic that gets thrown away after one season.  It makes planting out transplants a breeze. 

Fall time has always meant new beginnings for me, it's the change in the air.  Summertime is so intense around here with all the flower work to be done.  It's also very beautiful and full of new life. There is such abundance in summer.  When the cooler weather comes everything starts growing slower and then finally dies in a frost.  All the dead brown flowers mock me in their beds, the cutting season is over. No more lush flowers all over the house. The transition can be hard for me. Fall is also a blank canvas, full of possibilities.   Perhaps that is behind my motivation to get up the 2nd hoop house or plant 600 anemones and ranunculus which I have never grown before.  I have never planted so much in the fall time, I cannot wait to see the results.   

Above are pictures of the flowers we provided for the Botetourt Farmer's Market appreciation lunch that was held in early November.  We had a killing frost the night before so all these flowers came out of the protected hoop house.

Did you know that only 20% of cut flowers sold in the US are actually grown here in America?  Tomorrow marks the start of American Flowers week, a campaign to bring awareness to the origin of cut flowers used in the floral industry.  American Flowers week was created by Debra Prinzing of Slowflowers.com and author of "The 50 Mile Bouquet".  Debra has this to say, "It's important to raise awareness for and celebrate American grown flowers, as well as flower farmers who grow a diverse selection of botanicals for the cut flower trade.  At the same time, we salute floral designers whose ethos and intent inspire them to source domestically."  As a flower farmer this cause is near and dear to my heart.  I don't think the average consumer realizes where their flowers are coming from and the journey they took to get there.  The average grocery store bouquet has travelled 2,000 miles and been exposed to up to 127 chemicals during it's lifetime.   40,000 boxes of flowers arrive daily into Miami International Airport, mostly coming from South America.  The majority of those flowers are transported out of water and smashed into a box. South American doesn't have the same environmental and labor regulations that govern American farmers.   $7-8 billion dollars are spent on flowers a year here in the US, with a measly 7% going to our American flower farmers.   Let's support our American farms first, we can provide a fresher product that is more sustainable.   This 4th of July, celebrate Independence from Imports and buy local.  We are giving out American Flower Week Coloring sheets at our booth this week at the market so stop and get one and pick up a bouquet for your cookout!

Last week the rain finally stopped and the sun was shinning.  The week of warm weather made me and the flowers happy.  I was finally able to do some serious weeding and get more rows seeded.  The sweet Williams are just starting to bloom in lovely colors like black cherry, red, white, and pinks.  The statice plants are putting up tall stems and starting to show some color.  The black-eyed susans are starting to put on their display, slowly but surely. I can barely contain my excitement as the Lisianthus starts to bud up.   But of course as the seasons change we have to say good bye to some flowers as well , like the bell's of Ireland and the Bell Flower that is slowing down in the heat.   

This is also the time of year when the evening primrose blooms.  It's not useful as a cut flower but it's a really cool plant that I always try to have planted up around the house. This variety is called Tina James Magic Evening Primrose, Tina hosted parties with this flower as the star.  What is so special about this plant is how the flowers open.  They literally unfurl in front of your eyes.  It's a fragrant pale yellow flower that opens at dusk.  It's pollinated at night by moths that can get as big as hummingbirds. 

Check out these arrangements that I made over the weekend.  One went to Mark's mom and the other is sitting on my desk, where some much flower planning and dreaming takes place. 

Its hard to believe that its almost the end of July. This summer has passed so quickly, it will be over before you know it. You can tell its summer in the garden.  The zinnas, sunflowers, celosia, are blooming like crazy. It’s getting hard to walk in between the rows with the flowers spilling out of their beds.  The cosmos are getting ready to start their endless airy blooms.  Its such a delight to harvest all the cheery happy flowers.
    Things have really progressed in the field. We now have a water hook up at every row and have installed drip irrigation. I have to give Mark total credit for the water system. He figured it all out and then did the digging.  Its been really nice to have easy water, mother nature hasn’t been helping out much on that front. It has looked cloudy and like rain for the past two days, yet nothing comes. We have tilled up the space where the hoop house will go and planted buckwheat in that area to start working on the soil. There has been so many flowers to cut that Mark has been helping me. Cutting the flowers has always been my responsibility but the sheer volume of flowers makes the help welcome. While I enjoy the relaxing solitude of just me and a bunch of flowers its also a wonderful experience to share, especially with someone that you love. When one of us finds the “perfect flower” we like to show it off to the other. Mark’s favorite has always been the zinnia but this year he might be swayed over to the dahlia after seeing some of the new ones just starting to bloom.             
    I have battled Japanese beetles, handing picking them off into buckets of soapy water. It’s a slow painful death for them in my bucket. My Dad told me a story about his grandfather picking them off his rose bushes and refering to them as “little mother f**kers”. I total understand, they shouldn’t eat, poop, and fornicate all over the pretty flowers. I have also been monitoring the pumpkins closely for cucumber beetles and squash bugs. I have won some bug battles but I have lost some too. I only got two good cuts from the snaps before they were totally infested with thrips. It was a hard loss for me because none of my fall planted snaps  survived so it was the 2nd snap crop to fail this year. I have always thought of snaps as an easy crop, and an beautiful vertical element in arrangements. This year they just haven’t wanted to cooperate.
    The garden is always changing, it is never the same for very long.  The 2nd week of July I planted another round of sunflowers and zinnias, this batch is featuring more fall time colors. The celosia that is growing under lights inside should be ready to go outside in a couple more weeks, to fill the spot left empty by the failed snapdragons. This final batch of celosia should carry me thru to the last frost. I’m already thinking about next year. I have started some perennials and biennials for bloom next year. I’m trying some new things like, Dame’s Rocket, White Mugwort, Butterfly Weed, Cup and Saucers, and Veronica. I also need to start planting my hardy annuals that will go in the ground this fall to bloom first thing next spring. I’m trying to enjoy every moment of this summer as it whirls by.