I’m back (it’s Katrina, resident wedding planner for Coco Wedding Venues BTW!) and taking over the introduction reigns again from Emma as today marks the third and final part of our practical and pretty three-part series about wedding flowers in collaboration with the inspirational, honest, creative and award-winning Jay Archer Floral Design.
In Part I, Jay provided an essential guide to wedding flower budgets (a MUST read for anyone planning a wedding or involved in wedding planning!) and in Part II Jay once again dished up a healthy dose of planning advice with another meaty topic – seasonality.
If you haven’t already done so, then both Part I and Part II are well worth a read and whilst you’re at it, don’t forget to pin the relevant bookmarks so that you can return at a later planning date.
Today’s topic, emergency bouquets and buttonholes (wrist corsages also get a shout out too!) is actually the main reason why this series even exists.
You see, a couple of years ago now I was providing on-the-day support for a marquee wedding in the peak of Summer and when I say peak, I mean no breeze, no shade, sticky skin, excessive sweat… nice! As the Groom approached the Church with his boys I noticed that their buttholes had wilted in the heat and in all honesty I had absolutely no idea how to resolve the situation other than delving into my emergency wedding kit and propping them back up with a healthy covering of sticky tape and safety pins. At the time, it worked, but it also made me realise that I really should learn what the more professional solution was, just in case that situation ever arose again.
Cue my road trip to the Jay Archer Floral Design Flower School (alongside the lovely Hannah Duffy who was there to capture the experience – pretty pics from the day (apologies for my concentration face!) above/below) to expand my horizons, learn more about wedding flowers and most importantly, what to do if I was ever faced with a similar situation again.
So, here’s what I learnt and hopefully what you’ll learn in return so that if you’re ever faced with a wedding flower emergency, you’ll know what to do!
Firstly, Jay’s essential pieces of kit to add to your emergency wedding kit (most of which are available from Hobbycraft, whilst the more specialist items can be found online):
So that’s the kit sorted, now what to do!
Well firstly, don’t panic! Panicking won’t help and if you need to do anything super fiddly then fiddly + being worked up = not a great combo! And secondly, read on for Jay’s must-read advice and top panic free tips…
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Bouquets
Bouquet workshops are probably amongst the most popular you can attend. To make or fix your bouquet, you’ll need a few basic bits of kit including parafilm or twine, wire, ribbon and floristry scissors.
Top Tips!
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Buttonholes
I see many a wilting buttonhole picture on the internet! We personally deliver ours in water and pin them on ourselves when they’re just dry. Some people place them in the fridge although I always worry they’ll blow open when they come into the warm from the fridge, in the shock of the temperature change.
Top Tip!
Wrist Corsages
Sometimes these can be floppy or petals can fall of. There are super delicate pieces and should be treated as such.
I would suggest having a couple of spares on hand just in case you need to replace part-way through the day.
Also, discuss with your florist how these will be tied – they can come on pearl bracelets, ribbon or some have magnets. If the latter, these can simply be glued back on should they come loose.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
Image by <a class="text-taupe-100" href="http://www.hannahduffy.com" target="_blank">Hannah Duffy Photography</a>.
Wedding Flowers Part III: Emergency Floral Tips.
So, there we have it! The third and final installment of our practical, pretty and essential Coco & Kat series with Jay Archer.
Hopefully having read through all three parts you’ll be more clued up when it comes to budgeting, more prepared for what to ask your florist, aware of the value behind florists’ professional skills and clued up about what to add to your emergency kit to remedy any flower related emergencies.
Finally, a shout out to the lady herself… THANK YOU Jay for being the author of this series, for sharing your valuable insights and experiences and for inviting us over to Hampshire for a day of jam-packed, hands-on and insightful training at your Floral Design Flower School.
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