What's your wedding timeline?

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SpringCity

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I started another wedding related thread and a reply made me think of this topic; what is your wedding timeline?
I've seen various ones in different shops. When I was doing weddings at the art gallery, for Sat. I would get my flowers in on Thursday (for things like lilies or other that needed to be open I would either get them a little earlier or aske the wholesaler to keep them out of the cooler for me), get them conditioned, possibly get any hand-tied bouquets out of the way that day too. Friday I would do centerpieces or altar stuff early in the day, corsages/bouts later in the day. Very occasionally I would finish off a bridal bouq. Sat. morning (like if I had to add stephanotis or something that was not going to be in water) but pretty much like to have it all done by Friday.
 
Flowers in on Tuesday, leaves us more time to replace something if it needs it. We used to get flowers on Wednesday but Tuesday works better, generally we're slower and have more time to process and such.

Wednesday things like bows are done, labels for corsages and boutonnieres. Fussy things like that. Often times this is a step we complete a week ahead of time if we have time.

Thursday we make all corsages and boutonnieres. Also hand tied bouquets, green any bouquet holders and sometimes altar pieces as well, depends on time.

Friday we finish everything, including any bouquets in holders.

Saturday we put ribbons on the bouquets if it was not appropriate to do so the day before. We floralock the stems on any bouquets in holders.

Saturday is also the day we apply our extra special condom wrapping technique to hand tieds that we need to, LOL!Tomorow I get to do this to 8 bouquets. Gonna look like I had a helluva good time when I'm done, what with all those condom wrappers littering the design room :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Pack it and deliver :)

If the wedding is on a Friday we just bump it all up a day.

I know people may think some of this is pretty early; consider this, most of your wedding flowers are in your wholesaler's cooler by Sunday so it makes no difference if they're in your cooler or if they stay in your wholesalers cooler. If they're in mine, I have way better control over them and can control how they open and develop better.

With regard to hand tieds, once the flowers are processed it really isn't any different if they're already put together in bouquets and in water or if they're sitting in buckets in water.
 
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Erlene said:
I know people may think some of this is pretty early; consider this, most of your wedding flowers are in your wholesaler's cooler by Sunday so it makes no difference if they're in your cooler or if they stay in your wholesalers cooler. If they're in mine, I have way better control over them and can control how they open and develop better.

With regard to hand tieds, once the flowers are processed it really isn't any different if they're already put together in bouquets and in water or if they're sitting in buckets in water.
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Thank you for re-inforcing our procedure here! Pretty much the same, except most flowers are in-house on Monday, except delicates like Steph, Gards etc etc. Hand tieds are made as soon as the flowers are ready, with the exception of delicates - wrapping is the day prior, or day of depending on what type of ribbon and wrap style. Corsages/bouts made up Thursday for Sat, again, except those delicate stephs, gards.

I used to get flowers in on wed, till I realized the same theory about it being the same flowers that are at the wholesale house on Monday for the most part.

Four weddings this weekend, one requiring all lilies - ordered half to come in last Friday so they'd be opening by Monday/Tuesday for working. Thank God, as we're still waiting for those that shipped in on Tuesday to crack. :( Can't stand weddings on short weeks! One more day - please oh please flowergods, have mercy on the working florist.
 
Hey Tracy!

We get our lilies early too, if we need to. Most lilies we get are grown in Maine and Tuesday works pretty well for them. We also use the pollen in the water trick to force opening, or the other trick of leaving them out of water for several hours and cutting and putting in water. Both really do force opening sooner.

We probably would get our wedding flowers in Monday as well, however it is the day we get most all of our other flowers and wouldn't get to the processing.

Reinforcement is a GOOD thing! :)
 
Erlene said:
We also use the pollen in the water trick to force opening...
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Did that too - I've been hoarding pollen like a fiend.
or the other trick of leaving them out of water for several hours and cutting and putting in water
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That's a new one for me ... might have to try that. They're stripped, topped, cut shorty-short, re-cut a few times already, hot water, outside in the warm day, with the breeze. I think today is the day they're gonna pop. Or I'm gonna pop.

:eek:
 
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I get my flowers in on Monday also. I have a choice between Monday or Thursday as those are the days the wholesaler I use wedding flowers for delivers. And they are 4 1/2 hours away so picking them up is not possible. This way if there is a problem with anything I can re-order for Thursday.

I also design early. Starting on Wednesday or Thursday. I just space it out so that I won't have to stay late. I am SO done with staying til midnight or later every Friday before a wedding. Although some may argue, I DO have a life outside the shop!
 
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Tracy, try recutting, putting in warm water, and placing a bag over the top, keeping the humidity in. I have also had good luck when setting them out in the morning sun. hope it helps.
 
...is the condom used to hold water?...or to deliver the bouquet in water?...or as an 'under-base' for ribbon-wrapping/finishing the handle?...plz explain...thanks!
 
David C. said:
...is the condom used to hold water?...or to deliver the bouquet in water?...or as an 'under-base' for ribbon-wrapping/finishing the handle?...plz explain...thanks!
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The latter, David. Under the ribbon, with wet paper towels inside to provide a water source for the bouquet. There is more info in this thread: http://www.flowerchat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10518&highlight=condom+wrap. The pictures I originally posted are no longer in the post as I took that specific site down. I'll have to post them later.
 
twiggy said:
Erlene, what's the pollen in the water trick???
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Put some of the pollen that is already turning powdery into the water (this can be from another type of lily). The pollen, as I understand it, releases a hormone that helps the lilies open faster.
 
Erlene said:
Saturday is also the day we apply our extra special condom wrapping technique to hand tieds that we need to, LOL!Tomorow I get to do this to 8 bouquets. Gonna look like I had a helluva good time when I'm done, what with all those condom wrappers littering the design room :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Just curious - do you use the ones with ridges?

Or the glow in the dark ones?
 
Erlene, have you ever had customers weirded out by condoms on their flowers? Or do they never notice?
 
studioflora said:
Erlene, have you ever had customers weirded out by condoms on their flowers? Or do they never notice?
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They always know ahead of time. We do not use this on all our bouquets. It is offered as an option for bouquets with very wilt sensitive flowers such as hydrangea and peonies. Tomorrow's bouquets all have peonies in them. It also hides the rather unattractive nubby stems on the hydrangea.
 
Ok, not to sound like a dumba$s but do you say, "we will put a 'latex covering' on your stems" or do you call it a condom? This is so interesting to me!
 
We call it a condom.

I would never use them in a wedding without letting a bride know. It could potentially be very embarrassing to them if they unwrapped their bouquet in front of a group of people.

On the estimate I use the term concealed water source.

No one has ever been offended by having it in their bouquet, they're relieved we can provide a way to help keep their flowers fresher longer.
 
No it sounds great. I am just in a rather conservative area and a lot of the customers here would probably have kittens at the very idea.
 
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