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In this issue:
- Editorial: 5 ways WFDIY will help you
- Decorating your wedding
- Our featured partner - "Snapfish"
- Ask the Expert - Orchids
- The Bride's Corner - Special request
- Sharing Success
- Laughter is still the best medicine
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The
DIY Review
Because every bride deserves
beautiful wedding flowers -- no matter what the budget! |
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June 2007
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Editorial:
5 ways WFDIY will help you
By Jo Lind
The number of Brides opting for DIY Flowers has probably tripled in the last five years. They are researching the flowers online, looking for help with designing, advice on what to buy, and how to care for them. They are shaving at least 50% off their floral costs as a result.
When a bride does some of her own flowers she is saving on the mark-up of the flowers, the labor costs, the packaging, as well as the delivery and set-up fees. A 50% savings is a conservative estimate.
And, for you that is real money that can be used elsewhere in the wedding
- or spent on the honeymoon!
But brides need to get some help. There are lots of "Tricks
of the Trade" that, when followed, make the entire process much
easier, and virtually assuring a finished product with a professional
look.
"Wedding Flowers - DIY may have a lot of information, but how will it help ME?"
1. Planning - WFDIY makes planning your wedding flowers as simple as following your favorite recipe. The material is presented in an easy to read, conversational style - no stuffy lectures. It will walk you step by step . from the start to the finish. Plus every page is packed with extra tips and ideas. It answers questions you didn't know to ask.
2. Designing - WFDIY will guide you through the process of deciding what designs you want . and what designs you need. You will design your wedding flowers just like a Professional Florist. It's all laid out for you with charts and forms suitable for printing. The same forms and charts I have used for hundreds of weddings. It's easy to calculate the supplies and the flowers you will need.
3. Creating - WFDIY is with you, literally every step of the way. The tutorials guide you through each step with concise pictures and detailed instructions. And we will show you how to care for your flowers and your designs, from the time you get them right through the wedding. There's no guessing what to do next - it's all spelled out for you.
4. Time Management - WFDIY will help you to plan out your time.
We will help you decide what can be done ahead of time. We will
help you to lay out a realistic timeline. Even help you delegate,
prioritize, and manage things the day of the wedding. We will
help each bride develop her own, individual timeline.
5. Support - Last, but not least! I am just an email away. Ask
me anything about your wedding flowers and I will try to help.
I will answer ASAP, in detail. Do you need help with an idea?
I'm there for you. Want some advice? Just ask. If you run into
a problem . I've probably got a solution. Especially, after
all of my many years in the wedding business. You have your
own personal, professional, floral consultant.
So what are you waiting for?
Browse
our gallery for inspiration, or get
started on your DIY wedding flowers today. |
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Decorating your wedding
Choosing Ribbon
Bride: When choosing ribbon for the bridal bouquet, try to keep
the color and the fabric of the ribbon similar to the skirt
of the bridal gown. Too much contrast will draw attention to
the ribbon instead of the bride and her gown. You're going to
pay a lot of money for that gown and you don't want it upstaged
by a few dollars worth of ribbon.
Attendants: Bridesmaids dresses come in a very wide variety of colors as well as fabrics. You can spend an enormous amount of time, and drive yourself crazy trying to match the bouquet ribbon exactly with the dress. Don't! The ribbon needn't match exactly - it only needs to blend. With the bridesmaids, even contrasting ribbon is not a problem, since the attendants are not the center of attention. In general, if the dresses are satin, I usually use a satin ribbon. If the dresses are any other fabric, I use a chiffon or organza ribbon.
Corsages: Once again, don't worry about trying to match the ribbon with the mothers' dresses. Many mothers won't even know until late in the planning stage what they are going to wear. Just use a color that goes with the colors of the wedding. It's a good bet that the moms will not be wearing something that will clash with the color scheme of the wedding. If you really have concerns, just keep it neutral with a white or ivory ribbon.
If you use ribbons for decorating the aisle, staircases, or other places, keep them consistent with the wedding colors. Let the Bride's gown determine the color. If her dress is ivory, use ivory ribbon instead of white. It looks more professional. Then add touches of color according to your particular color scheme.
Exercise caution when using metallic ribbons. They can be used
in many places, but try to use them as accents rather than the
main color. For bouquets and personal flowers, use thin metallic
ribbons along with your white, ivory, or colored ribbons. When
you use a wide metallic ribbon it overwhelms the flowers. I
once saw a bride with a lovely arm bouquet of large, white callas,
but they were tied with a wide metallic, silver ribbon, a large
bow, and long tails.
Whew! That's all you could
see coming down the aisle.
Save the wider metallic ribbon for the larger bows in your decorating; like those on the aisle, the candelabra, a staircase, or perhaps on a door.
Ribbon is meant to compliment and accent your flowers. It is not meant to be the main attraction.
Browse
our gallery for inspiration, or get
started on your DIY wedding flowers today. |
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Quick Tip!
When Using Roses
Blow in each of them once or twice as you design with them. This will help the rose to more fully open to reveal its true beauty.
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Our featured partner -
"Snapfish"
It's not just online photo management!
Special Promo: One Free photo mug and 20 Free digital camera prints
This is just too good not to share!
With the Father's Day holiday in just a couple of weeks I wanted to bring something to your attention. Perhaps I'm the oddball, but I have a problem trying to come up with gifts for the guys in my life - and especially my Father. He just doesn't need anything. At least nothing that is really affordable.
If my Father has one passion it's his family. That's where Snapfish comes in.
Think calendar. But not just any calendar.
Each month features pictures of the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids that have a birthday that month.
And each date on the calendar has a picture of that person along with their name and their age. (No more guessing how old people are.)
I also added couples and their anniversaries.
Every page has a different design border according to the season of the year.
And I even configured the calendar to begin with JULY!
Do you know what's even better? I did all this from the computer at my desk. And, even with shipping, I saved money off the cost of having my local "Pharmacy Chain Store" do it. (They use the same service, I've discovered.)
The icing on the cake was that I got "credits" for photo printing. So for just a couple of dollars extra, I had all the photos that I used on the calendar professionally printed, and I'll give those to my Father to keep.
That's a great gift that will keep on giving all year!
Snapfish might seem a strange partner for a wedding related business. Not so.
Aside from the obvious photo management, Snapfish has a unique assortment of Wedding Gifts.
I'm sure you have been to a wedding reception and seen the nice
canvas portrait of the bride in her gown at
the entrance. Ever wonder what that cost? Snapfish can put your
picture on canvas at a fraction of the cost. Take your own picture
when it's convenient for you. Then display it proudly!
Have photo stickers made of the bride and groom to place as seals on the invitations - or the thank you notes. Have photo notes made, also.
Here are other ideas:
- Postcards
- Placemats
- T-shirts
- Playing cards
- Trivets
- Posters
- Memory books
- Coasters
- Even a photo throw blanket!
You'll be amazed at the large selection of fun ideas. Don't be
shy - Take a look!
[Note: Wedding Flowers-DIY has teamed with reputable companies
to provide you with quality resources. You can access all of
these companies from our website. Visit our Partners
Page, our Links
Page, or just click on the logo links below our Main
Menu.]
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Ask
the Expert
Submitted
by: Arlene
Arlene had a question about the orchids she will be using for a friend's bouquet.
Read on to learn what Jo Lind has to say:
Question:
Hi Jo!
I am making a bridal bouquet this weekend for a friend. I will be using white roses and Mistine orchids. I will be placing them in the new elegant bouquet holder with water wicking system. I am thinking the best way to keep the orchids fresh is to put them in tubes and then into the bouquet holder. Do you have any better ideas?
Thanking you in advance.
Answer:
Orchids hold up quite well in moist, fresh floral foam. Just make sure your flowers are well conditioned before you work with them, and give them a fresh cut before you insert them into the foam. (You should do this with ALL flowers)
Make sure the foam stays moist and keep the bouquet(s) in a cool spot. If you have access to refrigeration, great. If not, a cool room away from sunlight will work. (See the Wedding Flowers-DIY Planning Guide for more details.)
Using tubes would be much too cumbersome and your design would probably not turn out as you envision.
I'd love to have a picture of the finished product (or your other designs).
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Have fun!
Jo Lind
[Ed note: You can read more of Jo Lind's design tips in
the Wedding Flowers - DIY Planning Guide, and also get one-on-one
attention with personal email consultation. Both come complimentary
with every Step by Step Tutorial Package. Order
yours today! ]
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Do you have a question for Jo Lind?
Drop her a line at newsletter@weddingflowers-diy.com
-- and you might see your question answered in an upcoming issue
of The DIY Review -- Ask the Expert! |
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Sharing Success
Cheri has been kind enough to share a picture of an Urn Arrangement that she did over Mother's Day weekend. A design like this would make a great accent for an altar area or placed on an entry table. How about using it on a buffet? And wouldn't it look regal placed on a grand piano?
Cheri, this is absolutely beautiful. The colors, the flower choices, even the container work together so well. You are right to be proud of yourself. Keep it up!
__________________________
Hi Jo Lind-
It was a real treat visiting with you. Most of the time, with business owners, I get a lot of their staff members.
I want to thank you for your step by step instructions in the "I Want It All" package. I am helping my sister in law plan a 40th birthday, not a wedding. Now your book just gave me more confidence.
I know I have the knack for creativity but I wasn't really sure about tricks of the trade. Your book is awesome! In fact, I did some arrangements on Mother's Day for my family and it turned out great.
I am proud of myself and so is my husband. See attached picture. Please let me know what you think of the arrangements. My next project is a bride's cascade bouquet. I will be sure to send you some pics
Thanks again.
Cheri
[Editors note: A design like this, from a florist, could very well cost several hundred dollars. You can rent an urn and make it yourself for 1/3 of what you'd pay a florist.] |
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The Bride's Corner
I would like to ask a special favor .
Our International DIY Community continues to grow by leaps and
bounds. We literally have readers on 6 continents. (Sorry, no
one from Antarctica, yet) But, it really is a small world in so many
ways.
What makes this so grand is that we all have different traditions - especially when it comes to wedding ceremonies. Even here in the United States there are regional differences in our wedding traditions.
So here's what I'd like you to do:
Send me your wedding traditions. Maybe it's a tradition specific to your country. Maybe it's specific to your religion. Maybe it's just specific to your family.
It should be quite interesting to get a glimpse into what others are doing. And we might find something we'd like to adopt for ourselves.
I won't use your last name unless you ask me to, but I would like to use your location; i.e. city, region, country.
Send your tradition to: newsletter@weddingflowers-diy.com
Subject Line: Traditions |
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Laughter is still the best medicine
"The Rules"
Q: What is the most important asset in planning your wedding?
A: A healthy sense of humor.
Seriously, things will not always go as planned. Your ability to laugh is invaluable.
Below is a set of "The Rules" that I give to each of my clients during our initial Bridal Consultation. It is important that every groom understands "The Rules". I will tell you that my husband faithfully follows "The Rules" (yeah, right), which is largely responsible for our 36 years of marriage.
The Rules
- The female always makes the Rules.
- The Rules are subject to change at any time without prior notification.
- No male can possibly know all the Rules.
- If the female suspects the male knows any of the Rules, she must immediately change some or all of the Rules.
- The female is never wrong.
- If the female is perceived as wrong it is because of a flagrant misunderstanding, which was the direct result of something the male did or said that was wrong.
- If the above rule applies, the male must apologize immediately for causing the misunderstanding.
- The female can change her mind at any given time.
- The male must never change his mind without written consent from the female.
- The female has every right to be upset or angry at any time.
- The male must remain calm at all times, unless the female wants him to be upset or angry.
- The female must never, under any circumstance, let the male know whether or not she wants him to be upset or angry.
- Any attempt by the male to document the Rules could result in bodily harm.
- If the female has PMS, all Rules are null and void.
The moral is: Maybe we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously. |
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Share your ideas with the DIY Community!
Do you have ideas, design tips, solutions, or anecdotes you'd
like to share with the DIY Community? Do you have a special
wedding tradition in your country that you'd like to share?
Send a comment to: newsletter@weddingflowers-diy.com
Subject Line: Bride's Corner
Only your first name will be used. Your comments will appear
in the next issue. |
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What is the DIY Community?
We are brides, friends and families of brides, entrepreneurs,
and wedding designers worldwide. We share ideas.
We also share successes. [coming next issue]
We are from countries worldwide:
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexica, Micronesia,
Monaco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway,
Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore,
Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,
Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom, United States, Yugoslavia.
Your country not listed? We'll add it!
Email: newsletter@weddingflowers-diy.com
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