DIY Wedding Flowers with FiftyFlowers.com Part I

If you follow my blog regularly you might know that Mom and I love to dabble with flowers.  From our 10 Year Renewal Celebration to my best friends shower and wedding, we indulged in blooms from on of our favorites FiftyFlowers.com!  So many questions have come in from curious brides wondering how it all works; is DIY’ing flowers a good idea, and how to prep the blooms for longevity.  So in response I partnered with FiftyFlowers.com to create a 3 series post answering many of your questions.  Today you will hear from me and the FiftyFlowers.com team about how to choose your blooms, color variance and the best substitute for Peonies.  Read on!!
How do I choose flowers that are in season for my wedding?
At FiftyFlowers we don’t have a season! Because we work with farms from all over the world we can get many varieties of flowers year-round, for example, many people think Peonies are only available a few months out of the year, but we can get them year-round most of the time. This does depend on weather and Mother Nature and does not apply to all flower varieties. Another way to choose flowers for a particular season is to shop by season in our wedding flower category.  Here you can see trends and popular flower choices for each season.

Darker Shades of Brown Photography

An easy way to experiment with bloom combinations and seasonal choices is to simply fill a shopping cart on the FiftyFlowers website.  Add choices, choose appropriate delivery dates and instantly you will see if your choices are available.  Keep in mind, most flower types need to be delivered no sooner than 3 days before the event!  -Kristy

What level of color variance can I expect when ordering DIY flowers?
This depends on several factors, including monitor variance, self perception, and Mother Nature. Everyones computer is different and can show a slight to moderate variation in color. Also, everyone perceives colors differently, I may call a flower purple whereas someone next to me may call it lavender, everyone has different ideas on what certain colors should look like. Mother Nature and weather can also play a role. A certain variety of rose may range in shades from one crop or harvest to another. We try to update pictures regularly to show the most “true” color, but if color matching is something that you find very important we suggest choosing complimenting colors instead of expecting an exact match or spray tinting the flower. You can find floral spray for fresh flowers at places like Michaels and other craft stores.

Darker Shades of Brown Photography

For past events, we chose a variety of blooms that have a distinct color variance BUT the best part of working with FiftyFlowers.com is their incredible customer service.  Don’t be suprised to receive a call telling you the batch of Anemones ordered is looking a bit more pink than white or your Piaget Roses are coming in a bit smaller than normal.  The FiftyFlowers team leaves nothing to the imagination when processing your order and keeps you in the know the entire time! – Kristy

What is the best flower to substitute for peonies?
Garden Roses and Peony Garden Roses! Both the garden roses and peony garden roses have lots of ruffled petals and full heads that resemble peonies, yet are more affordable. We have a large selection of garden roses in different colors and varieties that are available year-round. We also have spray garden roses, which feature several smaller blooms but are still lush and full like their larger siblings. For something a little more unique, we carry peony tulips, which are a salmon pink, full bodied tulip, that have lots of ruffled petals!

Amanda Brooke Photography, Danny Bostwick Photography

We also love the Helga Piaget Rose and Althea Spray Garden Roses .  When they first arrive the petals are tight and closed but within a few hours of soaking up some feed solution and sunlight these babies open up to reveal a lavishly petaled look very similar to the peonies we all love.  An added bonus is their fragrant aroma!!  Piaget roses were the centerpieces bloom for each of the 30 + arrangements created for our renewal and the Spray Roses Made an appearance in all of  My Best Friend’s Wedding Bridesmaids Bouquets! – Kristy


Stay tuned for more soon from our friends and lovely sponser, FiftyFlowers.com!