Maybe you're crafty, determined to be individual or trying to save some cash, there are many reasons one may choose to DIY when it comes to your wedding flowers and decor. Although I would highly recommend hiring a professional if you want to decrease your stress level and enjoy the few days right before your event. That being said I can understand the DIY bride, in fact I was one. I designed my own flowers(I used silk so I could make them ahead of time), made my own favors, planned out all the decor and had friends handle the setup, I even printed my own invites, all in attempt to have a beautiful wedding on a small budget. In my case everything did work out and it can for you too. Here are a few tips and ideas for some easy DIY flowers and decor. 

• Silk flowers can be bought and arranged months ahead of time. No need to worry about them wilting.

• If using fresh flowers:

    -Where will you buy them?
    -Make a practice bouquet/arrangement to see how long it will take to make and how long the flowers will last. This will help you decide how soon ahead the designs can be made but still make sure you will have time to finish.
    -Choose tough, hardy flowers to make your job easier. Roses, calla lilies, mums, carnations and babies breath are a few good ones. You will want to avoid gardenias, stepanotis and asiatic lilies, they are far more difficult to work with.

• Keep your arrangements simple. Small Groupings of similar flowers in various vases look really clean and don't require a lot of design skills. Vases with colored rocks and floating candles are also a great DIY option, dress it up a bit and sprinkle rose petals on the table.

• Hand-tied bouquets are can be created by most. For a clean, modern look, choose all one type of flower in one or multiple colors. Or choose 3 or 4 flowers you like in the same color palette and create a hand picked look.

Check out the examples below. These are all things we feel would be rather easy DIY projects for your event. Have your own ideas but don't know how or where to start? In need of DIY flowers or supplies?  Contact us.  We are here to help.

So once again I was undecided which flower I wanted to feature this month. I had been mulling it over all morning when I opened my inbox the answer was staring me in the face. One of my favorite suppliers had sent me an email about a product they had just got in. Yes, it was cotton branches. You may not think of cotton when thinking floral design and I want to ask you, why not?

Cotton Branches adds a woodsy, earthy and very unique visual and textual statement when incorporated into a design. Here is a Pinterest link to a stunning bouquet using cotton branches. (While your there, make sure you follow me! Or if you need an invite let me know.) The best part, because cotton is a dried product, it is available all year.

Common Name: Cotton
Botanical Name: Gossypium

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants.
Generally grown on a shrub-like plant, the fiber is almost pure cellulose. Cotton fibers occur naturally in colors of white, brown, green, or some mixture of these. Cultivated cotton is also a major oilseed crop, as well as a main protein source for animal feed. Cotton plants thus have an enormous weight in the world economy and are of great importance for the agriculture, industry and trade of many tropical and subtropical countries in Africa, South America and Asia.

Interesting Fact: Cotton is the traditional 2nd wedding anniversary gift.

Has the recent cloudy, rainy weather left you feeling gloomy? I know I sure have felt like staying in my PJ's and in my bed a little more than normal lately. To get out of my funk I went on a flower picture hunt. Check out these awesome wedding inspiration ideas I put together. Guaranteed to chase away that gloomy feeling and maybe even spark your creativity. Let me know your favorite picture on the board.

So you find yourself asking the questions, Wedding Flowers, where do I start? Don't worry you are not alone. With the surge of brides I have been talking to recently, I thought it would be a good time to re post the planning video I made last year. It is full of good tips and information. It will walk you through, step by step, on how to begin planning your wedding flowers. I hope you find it helpful. Feel free to contact us or leave any questions you may have below.

This week we want to hear from you. Send us any question(s) you have about Blooming Envy? Has Blooming Envy had the privilege to have designed for your event, tell us how we did. Do you have a flower question you would love to know the answer to? Or is there anything else you would you like to know (with in reason, wink, wink)?  Also don't forget to tell us what you like and don't like about our blog.  Comment below, leave us a review or email us. Most of all let us hear from you.

For anyone following the CWWP, you may have already heard me talk about the cool new trend sweeping the floral/wedding industry.

- The Break Away Bouquet

The break away bouquet is a throw bouquet specifically constructed of multiple smaller bouquets. The tradition of a bride tossing a bouquet goes back many centuries, why not put your modern touch on that special moment. It does not mean that your bouquet will fall apart but rather separate into smaller bouquets as it is tossed.

Imagine you start the bouquet toss as usual, while the guests distracted by the MC, the bride unwraps the ribbon surrounding the throw bouquet revealing a number of smaller individual bouquets. When the bouquet is thrown it will split apart resulting in multiple mini bouquets and just as many "lucky ladies". You can even take things one step further and add fortunes, lottery tickets or words of wisdom to each bouquet. Make it your own and have fun.

Part of the fun with a breakaway bouquet is certainly in the surprise. The less people who know about it the better. A few people to let in on your little secret would be your MC and DJ, photographer, videographer, and potentially the wedding planner(if you have chosen one).

If you are interested in a break away bouquet call Blooming Envy. We would be happy to custom design a break away bouquet for your event to create a fun and unique experience.

Have you ever heard of a Pumpkin Tree? or Pumpkin on a stick? If not you have been missing out. Pumpkin Tree has a very appropriate name, it really looks just like a tree branch with tiny pumpkins on it. This really cool looking decoration is becoming more popular in fall flower arrangements. It is always an attention getter and the best part, it lasts a very long time.


Common Name: Pumpkin Tree, Pumpkin on a Stick,  Pumpkin Bush
Botanical Name: Solanum Integrifolium

Pumpkin trees grow best in mild desert climates. The plant grows three to five feet tall. It produces ribbed fruit, about the size of a miniature pumpkin. As the fruit grows, it is a deep green color. The fruit ripens to a deep, reddish orange. When the fruit is dried, it's color lightens, appearing more orange in color.  

Interesting Fact: Pumpkin Tree is a member of the solanum family, which also includes the likes of potatoes and eggplants. As you might infer, this means the little pumpkin shaped fruits are quite different inside than their namesake. Inside it resembles a pepper, with loose seeds and a mild peppery taste. However, westerners tend not to like the flavor and prefer to use it ornamentaly. In Asian cooking, the tiny “pumpkin” peppers are more popular.

A couple of weeks back I found myself making a special trip to the wholesaler to pick up some extra flowers. This was a rare occasion for me. Normally my flowers are delivered and honestly, I had never been to the warehouse before. Upon my arrival I was greeted by the super friendly and helpful staff. When I mentioned I had never been there before I was given a full tour of their facility. Truthfully, it was the highlight of my day. And when I say they showed me everything, we went from the loading docks to the extras cooler, a complete tour of the cold chain.

The cold chain can be defined as the temperature controlled supply chain. This particular wholesaler has their own refrigerated semis. This means when the flowers are picked up from their origin they are immediately packed into the temperature controlled trucks. From there they are transported to the wholesale warehouse. Upon their arrival they are unpacked into a super huge cooler, imagine a refrigerator as big as most houses. In this cooler, the flowers are sorted and prepped for the next leg of their journey. From this super cooler the flowers are loaded onto smaller refrigerated trucks and delivered to the customers, like us at Blooming Envy or the leftover flowers are moved into the extras cooler. When the flowers arrive here at Blooming Envy they are immediately conditioned and once again placed into cold storage. An unbroken cold chain is vital to the health and longevity of the flowers.

Get your flowers from Blooming Envy and know your receiving a high quality product because it has followed the cold chain.

A sad as it may be to admit, summer will soon be just a memory. But before you get too down, remember that this is a great time of year for a wedding. The change from late summer to early fall brings along a stunning color palate. Orange is still on top for the season but if your looking for a change try paring it up with deep burgundy or purples. Check out my inspiration and let me know what you think.

This week I share with you a special treat from Heartfelt Ministries called Not Your Mom's Wedding Blog. I have personally work with Heartfelt Ministries over that last few years. They are wonderful professionals and a real pleasure to work with. Their blog is full of valuable information and unique ideas for planning a wedding. You can also visit them on Facebook, when you do tell Kelly and Zita "Hi"  and that Blooming Envy sent you.