Wedding – “Florals”

One day some months ago, I was on the phone with my good friend and bridesmaid-to-be, Ann. A common topic of conversation those days was the wedding and true to form, I mentioned Ryan and I were meeting with a florist that afternoon.

“Oh good,” Ann sighed with relief, “Flowers are the most important part of a wedding!”

I momentarily got tongue tied and silently eyed the box of origami roses in the corner of the living room. I had been trying everything in my power to NOT have flowers at the wedding! It was a lot of money on something that was just going to die. I wasn’t aware they were the most important part! 🙂

Later that day I was walking the dogs and as we strolled over moss, suddenly a notion struck me. On a number of hikes, my groom-to-be would suddenly announce, “Hey! A succulent!” He’d squat down and pinch off a leaf to plant at home.

Succulents have amazing diversity and patterns, they don’t require a lot of water to grow, they can propagate through clippings AND they are hard to kill. What about succulent bouquets?!?

Bouquets
When I returned to the Internet, I learned I wasn’t the only one with that idea (Stunning Succulents by Polka Dot Bride). It was feasible! I sent out some pictures and got immediate and unanimous bridesmaid buy-in!

With encouragement and research from celebrations, ec and the extensive capabilities of Page Kremp and the team at Newport News’ Jeff’s Flowers, Of Course, we pulled it off. Succulent Bouquets!

Succulent Bouquet– YEAH!!!! (Photo by Vick White)

Closeup of Bouquet (Photo by Deanna Felton)

Boutonnieres
On the groom’s side, we wanted something nerdy. Inspired by some pictures from TheKnot.com, we decided the nice Fibonacci curve of fern fiddleheads would be wonderful. Jeff’s Flowers, Of Course stepped up the geek factor by adding fractal-like Dusty Miller to the mix!

Fern Fiddlehead and Dusty Miller Boutonniere

Succulent Bouquet, Fiddlehead Boutonniere (Photo by Liza Franco)

Ceremony
For ceremony flowers, we relied on the beauty of nature. We had a simple table positioned in front of a waterfront and bird habitat. The table was sparsely occupied:

• Two potted orchids (later given away at the reception to the two couples who were married the longest)
• A heart shaped wreath which now hangs in our house
• A pot and supplies for our American Chestnut Unity Ceremony
• Two potted Cycads that were presented to our parents

Special thanks to my brother’s girlfriend, Jacklyn, and my cousin, Sam, for setting this up!

Ceremony Setup (Photo by Liza Franco)

Reception
As covered in earlier posts, our centerpieces were made by the neighborhood kids and also featured succulents. After the ceremony, we let the kids who wanted them to take their pots and their succulents!

Recap
When it was all said and done, the only flowers in our “florals” were:

• The two potted orchids for the ceremony
• Small wax flowers in the bouquets
• White orchids in the corsages for the mothers and my grandmother…which we actually forgot to hand out– so do we even count those? : )

Aftermath
Two days after the wedding, Ryan and I planted all three bouquets in pots. We only expected the succulents to make it, but we went ahead and planted everything just in case there was a surprise (There wasn’t).

Ryan Watering Succulent Bouquets

Today it has been exactly one month since we planted them. There was one troublesome species of succulents with all green, broad, rounded leaves. Those guys dissolved.

The Succulent Species that Didn’t Make It

All the other succulents, particularly the ones with the pointy leaves are thriving. One succulent from Ann’s bouquet even sprouted a new shoot!

My Bouquet From Above

Succulents From Carolyn’s Bouquet

NEW SHOOT from Ann’s Bouquet

Whenever I had a meeting on flowers, I would think of Ann and instruct the vendor, “There is only ONE person you need to please.”

With beautiful presentation, Jeff’s Flowers, Of Course was able to easily meet that goal. With reasonable prices and bouquets that are still growing a month later, they went above and beyond.

They managed to please the bride and groom as well! : )

Wedding Vendor – Florals Jeff’s Flowers, Of Course http://www.jeffsflowers.com 300 Ed Wright Ln Ste F Newport News, VA 23606 800-577-5333 757-827-5333

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