Floral Expressions for your Wedding

Whether you choose to use trendy combinations of eye-popping, brightly colored flowers or opt for the natural look of grasses and wildflowers, your flowers communicate as much about your personality as your wedding dress will.  Consider these tips when hiring a floral designer. 

* Does the florist’s style fit with your own ideas?  If you view photgraphed samples, verify that they are of the florist’s actual work rather than just samples the florist says he or she can do.

* If you’re working with a smaller budget, ask how you can maximize your floral options.

*What flowers will be in season when your wedding takes place?

*Collect clippings of bouquets or arrangements from magazines that you find appealing.  This will help you and your floral designer determine your style.

* Has the florist done weddings at your ceremony and/or reception sites?  If so, he or she may have photographs of arrangements done at your site and will be knowledgeable about what sizes, shapes and colors work best in the space.

* What kind of time will the florist spend at your wedding site?  Will they simply deliver flowers for your wedding or will they spend time at the site setting up and making sure everything is in order?

* Are there other weddings the florist will be handling on the same day or weekend as yours?  Get definite answers on how much time will be spent on your wedding.

* Does the florist offer rental items such as vases, potted plants, arches, trellises, candelabras, or urns?

*Does the florist offer bouquet preservations?  If interested, make arrangements for your bouquet to be preserved after the wedding.

Article courtesy of Triad Weddings magazine – Spring/Summer 09

A Wedding – Maggie & Chris

December 31, Wintson-Salem

The first time Martha Anna (Maggie) went out with Chris was on a weekend visit to NC State while he was still in big Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.  Chris was “little brother” to Maggie’s (real) older brother.  That weekend, the two attended a college football game together, accompanied by her brother and her parents, and it was here that she developed a crush.  That crush turned into love as she arrived at the university for her freshman year, and it wasn’t long before Chris asked her to dinner at Southend Brewery–along this time!  After college, Maggie was preparing her classroom for her first year of teaching when she found Chris hiding behind a bookshelf.  ”He stood up and scared me so badly!: she remembers–but he also got down on one knee and proposed.

Event Ingredients: Photography by Missy McLamb.  Wedding at Centenary United  Methodist Church and Old Town Club.  Flowers by Randy McManus Designs.  Cake by Ketchie Creek Bakery in Mocksville. 

A Wedding – Adelaide & Mark

June 24th, 2007

Mary “Adelaide” ( a 25-year-old education teacher) and Mark (also 25 and a mortgage banker) met when Mark Introduced himself at a mutual friend’s party.  The couple hit it off immediately and danced and talked all night — and since it was Valentine’s Day the following Monday, the couple made that night their first date.  Mark cooked Adelaide dinner at his apartment.  ”It was obvious to us both within weeks of meeting that we were in love and would get married at some point,” Adelaide says.  Ten months later, Mark popped the question at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta.  After drinks and dinner at the hotel, Mark left and the hostess brought Adelaide a room key.  She opened the door to a room filled with roses and candles.  Adelaide says she doesn’t remember what Mark said, but either way she shouted “of course!” 

by Kate Wood for the 07 Fall Issue of The Knot Magazine

EVENT INGREDIENTS – Photography by Natalie Carter Hyde and Cyana Brilles/Aesthetic Images, Photography at the bride’s parents’ home; flowers by Randy McManus Designs, Inc.; cake by Julie Buchanan Wedding Cakes