We have a shoot on the blog today that's just brimming with unadulterated prettiness, but as always, we've snuck a little wedding wisdom in there too!
Photographed by Svetlana Strizhakova in sunny Spain, it shows florist, Elena Goryainoff of Sweet William Floral Design putting together the most beautiful peachy hand-tied bouquet, with orchids, roses, tulips, peonies, matthiola and woody foliage.
But along with the lovely loose floral inspiration, Elena is also sharing her tips for making your wedding flowers last as long as possible.
Many brides or grooms might wonder why you need your flowers to last (after all, your wedding is just one day!), but there are lots of reasons why a little floristry know-how might come in handy on your big day.
Some brides will DIY their wedding flowers, in which case they may source them the day before their wedding. Others may be getting married out of town, so need to collect their blooms ahead of the day itself.
And while the hope is, a quality florist will deliver a gorgeous fresh bouquet on the morning of your wedding, problems do arise, wilting does occur, and it's good to have a few tricks up your sleeve if this happens (as it did to a good friend of mine when the hotel forgot to put her flowers in the fridge!).
And of course, you may want to simply keep your bouquet or gift it to someone special after your big day (it's perhaps the most gorgeous/special/expensive bunch of flowers you'll ever own, after all!) and so, if that's you, the lovely Elena of Sweet William Floral Design has lined up some nifty tips for how to make your flowers go the distance.
How To Make Flowers Last As Long As Possible
Many species of cut flowers can last a week or more with the right care.
Most of flowers like low temperatures, about 5 degrees Celsius, and don’t like direct sunlight and cold drafts. When you cut flowers, it’s best to wrap it into wet paper or spray some water on them.
Add flower preservatives or “flower food” for cut flowers, they are available from florists, gardening supply stores, and supermarkets.
These should have all the ingredients flowers need to thrive, including sugar for energy, acid to stabilize the color and the water pH, and a biocide to kill bacteria and fungi.
Matthiola (Stock)
Preserve these at 8-10 degrees Celsius. Flower food will help to keep them fresh for twice as long.
Matthiola prefer clean vases and water, so it's best to clean the vase every day.
Roses
Preserve roses at 5 degrees Celsius, put them at first into a water as deep as possible, (but the buds should stay above the water), at least for three hours. Water temperature should be about 20 degrees Celsius.
All thorns should be removed.
Peonies
Preserve peonies at 5 degrees Celsius.
If you have a tight bud on your peony blossom, but want it to open, you can put it into a hot water for a very short time, and it will blossom in front your eyes.
Orchids
Preserve orchids at 8-10 degrees Celsius.
Be aware of drops of water left on the flowers as they can harm blossoms – fresh clean water is a best way to keep orchids fresh.
Tulips
Tulips love very cold water, even with ice.
If you want to keep straight stems of tulips, you should fix them with paper and leave in the water for couple of hours.
Oh that bouquet is just stunning, I love the silk ribbon to finish it off, and aren't the photographs beautiful too?
Another handy tip I picked up at a flower workshop – be sure not to let hairspray or perfume near your wedding flowers, leave them in a cool bathroom or another room if needs be (there's often a lot of chemical-filled products in the air if you've a room full of pre-wedding prep bridesmaids!).
Thanks so much to Svetlana Strizhakova and Elena Goryainoff of Sweet William Floral Design for sharing their wedding flower inspiration and advice with us.
Read our 10 Dos and Don'ts for DIY Wedding Flowers.
