It seems like it would be easier to handle flowers in the cold, right? Hot weather can wilt flowers quickly, especially without a water source, but temperatures below 28 can be tricky.
Picture this: You have a beautiful bouquet that you take outside before your ceremony to do your first look and bridal party photos with. It’s 10 degrees and snowing, but you had hoped for snow, so it’s perfect. You bring your flowers back inside, but then when you grab them to take them to walk down the aisle you notice that many of the flowers are brown and wilted. What happened?
This is what happens when flowers freeze due to the cold weather. There are certain flowers that are more susceptible to this then others (dahlias, lisianthus, hydrangea.) Where as a rose may hold up better. Here are a few things to think about if you have a winter wedding where temperatures can be freezing.
Choose flowers that are naturally more resistant to the cold.
When transporting your flowers put a plastic bag over them to protect them from the frigid air.
Keep flowers inside as long as possible
Be cautious of doing pictures outside before your ceremony with your flowers. You may want to alter the timeline
Don’t lay flowers in the snow
Know that you may not be able to reuse your outdoor ceremony flowers as centerpieces or focal pieces.
Don’t spray flowers with water, then move into cold weather
Be cautious of how cold the water you use are
Check your bouquet after the outdoor photoshoot. You may need to pluck a few blooms out if they have frozen.
Here are some flowers that are cold resistant:
Roses, Carnations, Bulbs, Proteas, Succulents, Anemones, Babies Breath and wax flower, Snap Dragons, Berries, Most Greenery
When I am meeting with a winter bride, I keep these things in mind when designing their wedding day. If the bride really loves more delicate flowers, then maybe using heartier items in the outdoor décor, and the daintier blooms inside is a better way to design if the weather will be bad.
Candlelight is something I can’t get enough of. It may seem simple, but candles transform your event and add an abundance of elegance. Honestly, it’s hard to have too much candlelight.
There are endless possibilities and tons of different types of candles, so how do you pick?
Let’s start with the basics: Types of candles:
Votive: a votive is a tea light in glass. This glass can be clear or virtually any color or shape
Pillar: These are solid wax pillars that can vary in size
Floating Candle: These are candles that float on water. They can float in all sorts of different glass.
Stemware: An elevated vessel that holds candles on top.
The list can go on and on. Candles often compliment your tables and centerpieces, so start with what type of florals or centerpieces you want. This often helps narrow in on the design.
Candle Planning:
If you have a tall centerpiece, then you should have taller candles mixed with some shorter ones. If you only use votives on this table, there will be a large empty space between the table and the florals. You can fill this in with taller candles.
If you have a limited budget for centerpieces, candles are a great way to create a beautiful tablescape.
For Example Three floating candles with loose foliage weaving around the base and a sprinkling of loose flowers with votives is a very beautiful centerpiece that is cost-effective.
Don’t limit yourself to one type of candle, a mixture of sizes, shapes and styles makes your centerpiece interesting and adds even more romance to your room.
Personally, I love to mix and match with all sorts of different candles.
For venues that do not allow candles, there are battery-operated candle options. My only rule for one or the other is not to mix. If you are going with real candles, keep them all real, or vice versa. Also, pay attention to the tone of light the battery operated has and try to match them. Some are warm and have a yellow glow, others are cool and have a white glow. You should keep these consistent.
Not all venues allow candles, so make sure to ask your venue.
Open flames must be contained. Most venues require candles to be in glass that is tall enough to go at least half an inch past the wick. This is why stem candles are often not an option (unless battery-operated)
Some venues require a fire permit. I’ve experienced this in some big hotels in Las Vegas. We had to get each candle type approved by the fire marshal. This was done for a fee.
Floating candles will be much more cost-effective then pillar candles.
Make sure there is no greenery or flowers, or anything for that matter, over the candles.
If you notice children’s place settings, place the candles strategically so the child won’t have access to them.
Is your event in the daytime or night
A few things to keep in mind:
Make sure your aisle is wide enough to allow for the train of the bridal gown. You don’t want to have the train brushing against the candles.
Section off your aisle so guests are not stepping over them.
Make sure the glass goes above the wick.
Don’t use votives or something super small, it’s just asking for an accident and looks a bit silly if not done correctly.
Candles in ceremony spaces:
I absolutely love the look of a row of candles down the sides of the aisle. There is nothing more romantic. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you choose this as an option.
Make sure your aisle is wide enough to allow for the train of the bridal gown. You don’t want to have the train brushing against the candles.
Section off your aisle so guests are not stepping over them.
Make sure the glass goes above the wick.
Don’t use votives or something super small, it’s just asking for an accident and looks a bit silly if not done correctly.
A great way to save some money is to use your candles from your ceremony (and florals, but that’s a whole other discussion) and use them in your reception. A few tricks to transporting candles between sites:
Don’t blow out the flame, instead, place something over the top to snuff it out. If you blow out the candles, wax can fly off and get all over the glass.
If you are using floating candles, take the candle out. Once you move it inside, replace the candle with a new one and light. I recommend this because once the candle is wet it does not re-light and the old floating candle is often hard to place back in because it’s hot and somewhat melted depending on the size.
Cleaning up:
After the party you have a bunch of glass with candles. Here are a few ways to help get that wax out.
Put the glass in the freezer. Once frozen the candle will pop right out.
If there is a little wax on the glass, put it into boiling water and it will melt it off.
Before you even light the candle, put a bit of water in the bottom (this works great for votives). This makes it so the wax can’t stick to the bottom.
Reusing and sustainability are very important to me. And the good news is that there are lots of ways to do this with candles. Here are a few tips.
Look at goodwill or your local Facebook marketplaces for used candles.
Make your own using old containers. This can add a lot of character as well.
Melt down old wax to create new things.
I offer half-price on pre-burnt pillar candles so that we can maximize their use from them, and it helps with a bride’s budget as well. I only use candles that will last the entire evening and only ones that are in good condition with clean glass. I honestly even think pre-burnt candles add a romantic feel.
So, when planning out your tablescape, don’t skip the candlelight.
I am a huge believer in reusing ceremony décor to add to the reception. This helps with budget and it’s always nice to be able to use the flowers for as long as possible.
You can reuse all sorts of different flowers and the possibilities are endless as to what you can do. You can use shepherd hooks, have hedges or arrangements going down the aisle, and reuse candles, and the sprays from your arch. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few things to keep in mind when re-using.
Timing: You don’t want your guest’s first impression of your reception to be the florist leaning over them to put a centerpiece on the table. Cocktail hour is a great solution for this. It keeps the guests occupied while the ceremony transfer is being done.
Weather: Sometimes things shouldn’t be reused because they won’t last. If your flowers don’t have a water source, or the greenery will be baking in the sun for hours, it’s probably best to have a secondary plan. The winter is honestly worse for flowers than the summer. If it is too cold, the flowers will freeze and then when they are brought inside they will wilt. This is something to discuss with your florist.
Don’t reuse garland that has been placed on the floor as table centerpieces, even if it’s just to accent. You can still reuse this, but use it on the fireplace mantle instead.
Design: This part is for your florist to advise you on. But, when you have the plan to transfer ceremony items to use as centerpieces, they need to be designed in a way that is good for both.
If your arch is movable, have it transferred to the reception for a cool photo op for your guests. The arch also looks great behind sweetheart tables or accenting the dessert table.
Keep a vase on your table for your bouquet. By the end of your ceremony, your bouquet’s going to be thirsty, and you will want to keep it in good condition for preservation or to enjoy the next day. Have a vase on the sweetheart table to put it in so it’s not sitting out on the table all night. It’s also a beautiful decoration.
Not all florists offer full service. I offer delivery, transfer, and cleanup to all my couples, but not every florist does. If they only drop off, how will the items be transferred? You will need to have someone in charge of this because you will be too busy on your wedding day to want to manage this.
If you want to chat about how I re-use ceremony flowers and what some great ideas would be for your ceremony, give me a ring. I love to brainstorm.
There’s so much you can do with aisle petals. Not only can you do so many different colors, but you can also do so many different designs and effects. Here are a few things to keep in mind for the best effect.
Rope off your aisle so your guests don’t stomp on them. You may even want to use ushers to guide people to the sides to enter the aisle.
Don’t do silk. They are hard to clean up outside (not bio-degradable) and inside they are slippery on some surfaces.
Don’t go cheap or too light. If you don’t have enough petals it won’t have the effect you are looking for and might even look skimpy. It takes a LOT of petals to create some of these awesome effects.
Ask the venue what colors they allow. Some dark petals, especially red, can stain some surfaces, so depending on where your ceremony is there could be some restrictions.
Have a backup plan for the wind. If you try to do a specific design but it’s very windy outside, it will just make a mess. Maybe use these petals in a different design or move them inside where they will be best used.
Don’t sprinkle them too early or they will wilt. You want crisp, fresh petals. I de-petal roses the day of the wedding, not before to ensure they look amazing.
There’s nothing dreamier than a Colorado Fall mountain wedding and as we enter into the season, here’s a few tips to make sure your fall wedding goes without a hitch.
The Colorado fall weather is very unpredictable. Ask your venue what the backup plan if the outdoor space does not work. Many have secondary options and you have to plan that there is a real possibility that you will have to consider moving into the indoors.
Have accommodations for your guests to help with the weather. There are a lot of ways to still have your ceremony outside, even if it’s not the most ideal weather. You can utilize heaters, umbrellas, blankets, hand warmers and hot cocoa as ways to make the ceremony cozy and comfortable.
Adjust your times to make sure you have plenty of light. You will want to arrange pictures with your photographer and maybe do more of them before the ceremony to make sure the sun does not run from you.
Incorporate beautiful fall tones in your wedding. There are lots of ways to bring the fall to your wedding, including your décor. It’s the perfect seasons for golden, brassy, orange, purples and all that fall has to offer.
If your dream is to have photos with the yellow aspens, you may want to plan a second photoshoot that is dependent on when this happens. The aspens are the first tree to turn and their timing can be a little finicky. If you want photos in your dress with this amazing backdrop, chat with your photographer and you two can keep an eye out for when the leaves start to change. This way you don’t miss them.
