Monday, July 13, 2009

Farmer's Market Flowers Part 1


I've decided that in order to prevent a complete breakdown anAdd Imaged utter frustration on my part on the day of the wedding I need to start getting my flower arranging skills in order now. Sunday means the Farmer's Market around here so every once and awhile I'm going to take $20 bucks down there and come home with a bundle of blooms.


I have to say that my first attempt wasn't so great. I was having a grand ol' time putting the flowers together per Sarah's instructions but the finished project was a little messy. Maybe less is more. I do love the little jars that I made and I think I'll work with more large flowers next time and less filler.

I bought the hydrangeas at Trader Joes. Now these things are supposed to last at least a week but the TJ flowers wilted in 24 hours. I don't think I will buy flowers from there again because there might just be a reason why they are so inexpensive. Anyone else have similar problems with TJ flowers?


Do you have any tips for DIY flowers?

PS: Who can tell me what the pink flowers are? I could not understand what the seller was telling me! UPDATE: They are lisianthus. Thank you, Elisa!

11 comments:

Jessica @ Mason Jar Bride said...

are you talking about the pink one that's being shot straight-on in the first photo? i'm not a flower expert but it looks like some kind of poppy to me. we're diy-ing our flowers too and i'm so glad there are friends and family members who know way more about it than i do... the whole thing makes me kind of nervous. i think we might get a florist to make my bouquet, since i still can't decide what i want in it... i'm pretty sure we can handle the rest on our own though. i can't wait to see how yours turn out!

Posh Play said...

I love the bouquets...they look cute! Trader Joes flowers are poor quality for sure and my florist even commented on that. Also hydrangeas need constant water...even the drive from the store to your house if it is warm out they will wilt and not come back. If you use them make sure to carry them in a vase from where you purchase them to where you are arranging them...for the wedding. I even had a bunch wilt in Kansas City in the winter when it was really cold out!

jes [a mountain bride] said...

oh man - i want my flowers to be so pretttttty.

Anonymous said...

Hooray! We went the farmer's market route for our flowers, and I can't recommend it enough - as long as the bride doesn't already have a really clear cut picture in mind of what she wants (in terms of blooms and colors). You've GOTTA be laid back about it because you just can't predict what will be available and/or looking good on any given day.

I have nothing to add to the discussion about how to actually arrange them, as we straight up winged it with absolutely no practice, and no input from anyone with experience.

But they turned out great.

Oh, and EVERYTHING at TJs (everything that's LIVE anyway) goes bad quickly. I love 'em to death, but that's a big component of their business model: They buy produce and flowers that are already nearing the end of their shelf life at cut-rate prices from distributors who are just trying to offload them.

There are great deals to be had, but you need to use things right away.

jessica lynn said...

just beautiful!! :)

Unknown said...

Which pink flowers are you talking about? The big puffy pink one is a dahlia. The medium-sized ones that are a bubblegum pink look like lisianthus (although if it's the same one in the top photo, that looks like a poppy). The other purpley-pink ones are carnations... You might also have stalk in there too.

I love the look of the messy flowers - to me, it's like you just grabbed them and stuffed them all in the jar, straight out of the garden... Of course, that's what my wedding was going for, so maybe that's why I'm so partial ;). The only reccommendation I can make - and this is purely based on what my florist did - is to vary the numbers of flowers/density in the different vessels. She had some that she packed with a bunch of small flowers; others had a single huge one - like the dahlia; and still others had a mixture of different shapes and sizes.
I think you're off to a great start - these flowers are gorgeous!

Meg said...

My photographer told me after my flower trial that DIY flowers almost always result in crazy enormous bouquets (which you are rocking here, just like I did). It's something I'm keeping in mind... I think less is more, I want people to see me not the flowers...

Anonymous said...

We're DIYing our flowers, too, and I was kind of counting on Trader Joe's. Uh oh.

When do you plan to make your bouquets, etc? The day of? Our ceremony is at 11am with pictures before, so I'm not sure when I'm going to do all of this arranging...

BEL said...

i think you did a great job! i love when the bouquets and arrangements seem casual and not overdone. you're going to do a great job!

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joyce said...

I think they look great!! We're hoping to go the diy route with our flowers too and will be going to the flower market in spring.

In terms of making the flowers last, what about those stuff that they give you to put into the water whenever you buy flowers. I can't remember what it is now but it makes your flowers last longer?