Wedding flowers fell apart!!!!!

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Maybe it's a regional thing. I don't do handtieds for wedding bouquets because they won't hold up in our summer heat and humidity, ( unless it's callas or cymbidiums). In my market, photos usually begin about 11 am for a 2 or 3 o'clock service, then after a 30 minute ceremony there is another 2 or 3 hour of photos, then to the reception with photos till 11 or 12 at night...no way roses and hydranges are going to last out of water that long, even if it is delivered in water.
I also agree with Rick...if a bouquet is properly designed it can be as beautiful as any handtied out there.
Often I'll have a bride say..."as long as its not in one of those white plastic things", and I realize that they must have seen some terrible bouquets. There is no reason anyone outside the industry should even know that "those white plastic things" even exsist. Properly made no one should ever see the bouquet holder. a bridal bouquet should be a beautiful mystery of creation...
 
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OB1 said:
Maybe it's a regional thing. I don't do handtieds for wedding bouquets because they won't hold up in our summer heat and humidity, ( unless it's callas or cymbidiums). In my market, photos usually begin about 11 am for a 2 or 3 o'clock service, then after a 30 minute ceremony there is another 2 or 3 hour of photos, then to the reception with photos till 11 or 12 at night...no way roses and hydranges are going to last out of water that long, even if it is delivered in water.
I also agree with Rick...if a bouquet is properly designed it can be as beautiful as any handtied out there.
Often I'll have a bride say..."as long as its not in one of those white plastic things", and I realize that they must have seen some terrible bouquets. There is no reason anyone outside the industry should even know that "those white plastic things" even exsist. Properly made no one should ever see the bouquet holder. a bridal bouquet should be a beautiful mystery of creation...
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Do you really think there is enough of a water source in a 4 inch piece of foam? I'm not against the foam holders, I've done several in the past 10 years, each time I tape 3 large ones together and I cut a piece of PVC pipe for the handles to be inserted then I tape stems to the pipe and then wrap with a batting and then finish with ribbon. Still I use plenty of FloraLock and lots of Crowning Glory.

I only do this when the bride wants a heavy cascading look and an artful design. I still wire and tape heavy stemmed blooms or botanicals. I'm always thinking while designing something like this, what if she drops it, or her MOH drops it.
 
OB1 said:
I guess it's whatever works for the bride and the designer.
All I know is that I've never had a problem with a bouquet holder, but I've seen lots of wilted hand tieds.
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You know, I've seen some wilted hand-tieds too (featured on florist's websites nevertheless!) I think the problem is that a lot of hand-tieds are delivered out of water. I've seen it countless times on Whose Wedding is it Anyway and even on some florist's blogs!

Included in the price of each hand-tied that I do is a vase with water. It's not optional.

But I agree, use whatever technique works best for you and your bride.
 
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HI Amy,
It happens to all of us until we learn about Floralock. It is a spray adhesive in a can. It is used on bouquet holders after you complete a bouquet. It can be used on all fresh flower bouquets created in a holder. The key is to make sure you shake the can before and during use. Also, make sure you turn the can upside down and depress the nozzle until only air comes out. This will insure the can can be used up until the bottom. Hope this helps. Donna
 
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Victoria said:
If her bouquets fall apart, she is NOT doing her job correctly.

I used to have nightmares about that kind of thing. I remember at Flowers Canada having to survive the "throw the bouquet" test... I learned my lessons well.

Your designer needs a refresher, period.

V
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I so agree with Victoria. This designer needs to attend a certified refresher course. That is unacceptable.

Carol Bice
 
Just got back from AIFD symposium. I am on idea overload and can not wait to do get back and start doing wedding flowers. It was truly amazing and well worth the money. I have been attending symposium for 9 years. I can't begin to tell you how many new things I have learned since I started attending. The presenters were excellent. You can go to www.aifd.org and purchase cd's from the event. My personal favorites was the program tltled "not your mothers color wheel. It was entertaining AND informative. I also cried during the wedding program. It was put on by Lori Novak and Derek Vasquez. I don't remember the programs title. It was over the top. Well worth purchasing either of these.

I also recently bought the Oasis wire video from www.fusionflowers.com. If you have never been to this site you must go. The bridal magazine that comes out from this group is my personal favorite. The video is easy to understand and really shows some fun new ways to use the Oasis wire.
 
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dtheimer said:
HI Amy,
It happens to all of us until we learn about Floralock. It is a spray adhesive in a can. It is used on bouquet holders after you complete a bouquet. It can be used on all fresh flower bouquets created in a holder. The key is to make sure you shake the can before and during use. Also, make sure you turn the can upside down and depress the nozzle until only air comes out. This will insure the can can be used up until the bottom. Hope this helps. Donna
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Never happened to me!
 
I like to use Cowee wood pics on the ends of stems such as Carnations, Callas, etc. Once the wood soaks it expands and locks in the flower, attach the pic with the cut end exposed so that it can drink water.
 
Yes if you are going to design in a holder always make sure they are glued in. I just finished two weddings tonight and I always turn them upside down just to double check. You have to remember, you are only as good as your last job, no matter how many great jobs you did before that, Weddings are a start of someones life together and hopefully a life time customer for you, especially if you are going to take your place in the family business. My daughter is my right hand woman! since she was old enough she was in the shop, she can do everything in the shop from sales, light bookkeeping, and all floral designs. If you have it just jump in to being your part of the family business. Don't worry about hurting anyones feelings, you family business name is at stake.
 
With hand tied bouquets, I would wire the carnations that would be on the outside.
I love using pitt for the rim of the hand tied bouq. It just holds the flowers in tight. I sometimes wire the outside roses in a hand tied, it depends on the rose stem and how hot it is outside.
Always, always use stem loc when using a bouquet holder, especially for a cascade.
 
I guess those bouquets holders can't be trusted. Cascades can be heavy, like the one I just did last night. I would think the plastic cage over the oasis ball came loose and then the oasis just broke loose from the handle! Oh please, I hope my bride's bouquet holds up.
 
There is a huge difference in the quality of the bouquet holders themselves as well. Ideally, You will want one that has the handle portion and the cage portion glued or bonded together into one unit. Barring that..........Take a small cable tie/zip tie - slip in between the handle portion and the cage portion and cinch them together.

A little added security is a huge comfort knowing that your bouquet won't come apart.
 
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marie g bushnell said:
I guess those bouquets holders can't be trusted. Cascades can be heavy, like the one I just did last night. I would think the plastic cage over the oasis ball came loose and then the oasis just broke loose from the handle! Oh please, I hope my bride's bouquet holds up.
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The foam in bouquet holders is not glued down at all, I frequently reuse the holders and when I take them apart the foam falls out. When I think about it I will use the heavy green design tape for containers and make a run of it around the whole top and bottom of the holder as an added measure. After a bridal show I reuse them as practice pieces or replace with glued in silk foam for a silk bouquet.

Trish
 
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I have made thousands of bridal bouquets in holders and hand tied. Never once has anyone ever fallen apart. It is all about just knowing the right techniques to make it work. If you don't know how, please take a hands on class to learn how.

Anyone that puts out bouquets that fall apart give our whole industry a bad name.

Carol Bice
 
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marie g bushnell said:
Thanks for that info on the AIFD Symp. and the site to purchase the cd's. When is the next AIFD Symp.?
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The next National symposium will be held in Boston July 3 - 8 2010

THe next southen symposium (conference) will be held March 12 - 14, 2010 at Chattanooga, TN.
 
Tuberose said:
Really pretty bouquets! Don't have many requests for tussie mussie holders and I think they are so pretty.

I would worry about carnations snapping off in a hand tie, or do you wire them. I agree they don't need a water source so much, pretty hard to kill off a carnation.

Trish
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Trish.. I would wire and tape some of them - the outer .. but not all of them - Carns are really the only ones I would wire... I don't even wire roses... unless they just look stressed.
 
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