Kate Middleton’s bouquet has been the subject of much conversation in the floral industry. It was composed entirely of seasonal British garden flowers & greenery, locally grown, much cut from the royal gardens. Ms. Middleton gave a nod to tradition in using Victorian meanings of flowers in her bouquet as well, but the floral designer chosen was one who is known for having ecological sensibilities, in keeping with the down to earth Kate & William. The best photo I’ve seen of the bouquet is on the Guardian’s website.
The flowers in the bouquet and their Victorian meanings were:
Lily of the Valley: Trustworthy
Hyacinths; Loveliness, I will pray for you
Sweet William: Gallantry, Finesse and Perfection (perfect for her Prince Charming, don’t you agree?)
Myrtle: Love, Mirth and Joy ("The bouquet contains stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.
The tradition of carrying myrtle begun after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Albert’s grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany. In the same year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House as a family retreat, and a sprig from the posy was planted against the terrace walls, where it continues to thrive today.
The myrtle was first carried by Queen Victoria eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, when she married in 1858, and was used to signify the traditional innocence of a bride")
Many of the conversations about the bouquet focus on the size (quite small by royal standards) and the price-tag of it over here. While the flowers were cut from the royal gardens or are in-season in England, the Lily of the Valley is an extremely expensive flower in Texas and much of the US. It may grow in gardens in the north for a few weeks in the spring (and so rampant that a friend of mine in Wisconsin said they used to mow it down,) it has a very short natural season and is very fragile, making shipping it expensive. When out of season, it must be entirely grown in refrigeration; custom ordered weeks in advance, making it something that is quite expensive and not at all earth-friendly. The size bespoke the intimate nature of the wedding, even with over 1,000 guests, it was still an intimate affair for Kate and William. Seeing them see each other, it appeared there weren't aware of all the eyes on them, only the eyes they had for each other, and it was very charming.
Her floral designer said that the shape was a “shield” to bring in the shape of her new coat of arms.
From this floral designer’s viewpoint, it was more teardrop shaped, than that of her coat of arms, but I’ll “buy” that it was generally “shield” shaped.:)
For budget-conscious brides, this is NOT the bouquet for you. I priced it at $1,000 for this week in Texas, and this is while Lily of the Valley is in season. Hyacinths and Sweet William also have a rather short growing season, and unlike Lily of the Valley, they are not grown year round on special order.
I was one of the floral designers live-posting on The Society of American Florists’ Facebook page during the wedding. After it, a question was posed- how can this bouquet be made more budget conscious. My solution is Million Stars Baby’s Breath and tuberose, hyacinth, or stephanotis (depending on the season.) I will be creating this “budget conscious” bouquet for SAF, and it will be featured in their magazine later this year.
If there is a “takeaway” from this wedding, I hope that it is “be YOU!” Kate was not a slave to tradition in this wedding. While her gown traditionally covered her arms and shoulders, from photos at the reception, it is clear this was actually a strapless gown, with an overlay. At the reception, she unbuttoned it, and it gave the gown a look of being totally modern. The décor was spring-like and very natural. Possibly more greenery than flowers were used, and many different types of greenery at that. Her gown, while traditionally covering her arms and shoulders, was basically a strapless gown with the Chantilly lace overlay, giving her tradition, but updated. It also reminded us of Princess Grace’s lovely gown.
Grace Kelley, also a “commoner” who married into royalty. Arriving by car and leaving by royal coach reminded us of that, but when she exited the car, it was clear this young woman is very “comfortable in her own skin” and she wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone. She and William have dated long enough that they’re past the first blush of first love and have developed a deep friendship, which is a great basis for a good marriage. She was regal in every way, quietly and elegantly so. As the pastor said, “every wedding is a royal wedding,” and, I might add, every bride should get to feel like a princess. The key is, be you! No one is as good a “you” as YOU and you should celebrate that. Have the wedding you want, not what someone else thinks you should have. You can nod to tradition, but you don’t have to be swallowed by it.
Best wishes to all brides!
Showing posts with label green weddings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green weddings. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, January 11, 2010
Wedding Budgets
There are so many shows on TV these days, showing weddings that cost upwards of $100,000. That is great and glorious, but in real life, not a lot of folks have that much to spend on weddings. No one should go into debt for a wedding- for your house, yes, for a wedding, no. Adjusting to married life is major as it is, you don't want to add paying off a big wedding debt to that.
When budgeting for your wedding, figure what you can realistically spend FIRST, THEN work on the guest list and then on the site. There are some beautiful sites that will only hold a few people, but that are very expensive. That is fine if you want only a few people and don't have a limited budget, but if you've got a more limited budget, then you need to find a less expensive venue.
There is also nothing wrong with having your wedding and reception at your place of worship. That will cut down on the costs of your reception greatly, since many churches don't allow alcohol on the premises. Don't do what "everyone" does- do what is right for you. Be an individual! If you have your wedding at 2, and then a reception in the church hall immediately following, you avoid major food needs. Folks will have had time to eat lunch before going to your wedding, and a church reception generally is only 2 hours, so that means you're done before supper time, so you just really need to provide cake, punch, coffee & tea, and maybe some light finger food. This is the best time for a wedding if you're trying to keep your food costs down. Just be sure your reception is finished by 5 PM, well before supper time for folks.
Another alternative is to have an afternoon wedding and then a much later reception. For example, you might have a 2 or 3 PM wedding, and then have your reception begin at 8. That is clearly after supper time, and you won't be expected to provide heavy food. This would be an option for a couple on a limited budget but for whom a party is important. You can have a DJ playing music for dancing, have wedding cake, champagne and a nonalcoholic punches, have a wine toast. No heavy food would be expected if you had what is clearly a "supper break" between the wedding and the reception.
As far as flowers, give your floral designer the colors, and a list of flowers you like and those you really don't like, and then let them use their magic for you. By allowing your floral designer the flexibility to get the best seasonal flowers, you will usually get more for your money. For centerpieces, do some with candles, a few large pieces, and then smaller ones, too. I always suggest 3 to 4 different styles, depending on the number of tables. This is not only more interesting, but maximizes your budget.
Talk to your designer about being "gentle on the earth"- using locally grown flowers whenever possible, not using foam or anything else that doesn't biodegrade.
If you're on a tight budget, rather than hiring a full service wedding consultant, hire one for the "day of" only- that will help you have a less-stressed wedding day but won't blow your budget on a wedding consultant that you don't really need. (Don't get me wrong, a good wedding consultant is great, but if you're on a tight budget, it is not necessarily the best use of your money IF you've got the time to do the research needed to find your vendors for your wedding.)
Make your 2010 wedding wonderful in every way- including budget!
When budgeting for your wedding, figure what you can realistically spend FIRST, THEN work on the guest list and then on the site. There are some beautiful sites that will only hold a few people, but that are very expensive. That is fine if you want only a few people and don't have a limited budget, but if you've got a more limited budget, then you need to find a less expensive venue.
There is also nothing wrong with having your wedding and reception at your place of worship. That will cut down on the costs of your reception greatly, since many churches don't allow alcohol on the premises. Don't do what "everyone" does- do what is right for you. Be an individual! If you have your wedding at 2, and then a reception in the church hall immediately following, you avoid major food needs. Folks will have had time to eat lunch before going to your wedding, and a church reception generally is only 2 hours, so that means you're done before supper time, so you just really need to provide cake, punch, coffee & tea, and maybe some light finger food. This is the best time for a wedding if you're trying to keep your food costs down. Just be sure your reception is finished by 5 PM, well before supper time for folks.
Another alternative is to have an afternoon wedding and then a much later reception. For example, you might have a 2 or 3 PM wedding, and then have your reception begin at 8. That is clearly after supper time, and you won't be expected to provide heavy food. This would be an option for a couple on a limited budget but for whom a party is important. You can have a DJ playing music for dancing, have wedding cake, champagne and a nonalcoholic punches, have a wine toast. No heavy food would be expected if you had what is clearly a "supper break" between the wedding and the reception.
As far as flowers, give your floral designer the colors, and a list of flowers you like and those you really don't like, and then let them use their magic for you. By allowing your floral designer the flexibility to get the best seasonal flowers, you will usually get more for your money. For centerpieces, do some with candles, a few large pieces, and then smaller ones, too. I always suggest 3 to 4 different styles, depending on the number of tables. This is not only more interesting, but maximizes your budget.
Talk to your designer about being "gentle on the earth"- using locally grown flowers whenever possible, not using foam or anything else that doesn't biodegrade.
If you're on a tight budget, rather than hiring a full service wedding consultant, hire one for the "day of" only- that will help you have a less-stressed wedding day but won't blow your budget on a wedding consultant that you don't really need. (Don't get me wrong, a good wedding consultant is great, but if you're on a tight budget, it is not necessarily the best use of your money IF you've got the time to do the research needed to find your vendors for your wedding.)
Make your 2010 wedding wonderful in every way- including budget!
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