Here is a picture of the two floral arrangements Mama Bud and I made for the ceremony. Our wedding venue is outdoors and we want to just have something by the outdoor “chapel” (a.k.a. open gazebo) to add some color.

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I have just met with my florist and finalized some wedding flowers.  Note to anyone who hasn’t done this yet: bring a picture!  I brought my inspiration board:

From there, she came up with this selection of flowers which I love!

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Any good piece of wedding advice that I have gotten so far has included talking to your partner about wedding-related stuff and making important decisions together. I mean, how hard can it be to talk to each other?

From lifeinbonitasprings.com

I thought I was doing pretty good at keeping the communication lines open between me and Calla Lily Dude even though he doesn’t really want to be involved in wedding planning (by his own admission). For all the talking that Calla Lily Dude and I have done pouring over wedding decisions, I realized that our communication is not as free flowing as I had thought… Here is a prime example:

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I’ve searched high and low through blogs, valleys, and magazines and I still have not found the flowers I envision. I want something modern (ie- branches with buds, tall, simple, not too frilly). However, I can’t seem to find a picture of what I am looking for anywhere. Our general color scheme is “fall” – golds, deep red, deep pinks, but primarily avocado green, burnt orange, and chocolate (you may already have made the assumption that I have trouble making decisions). Although Mum Dude is very involved in planning, he doesn’t really care about flowers.

So far this is what I have:

See? No branches. If anybody happens to stumble across a branch image – please – let me know!

Now to the spending part. The situation is as follows:

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daffodilparker.com

I love flowers but know little about them. I had been doing research and found that I like roses, dahlias, calla lilies, tulips and lilacs. Since we’re getting married in October, lilacs and tulips were out. Calla lilies are surprisingly expensive, so now I’m on a kick for roses and dahlias. Luckily both are available in October.

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I have to say that I didn’t know much about flowers or floral design before we got engaged.  Lotus Dude and I planned to meet with florists while we were in Ohio for Christmas.  So of course I did some research before the meetings.  And I kept hearing that fresh flowers are amazingly expensive.  Especially because the flowers I tend to like seem to be the more expensive ones like orchids and calla lilies.  I had already decided that I didn’t need any bouquets for myself or the bride’s maids as they are not traditional to Hindu ceremonies.  But I still wanted ceremony decorations, reception centerpieces, and boutonnieres for Lotus Dude and his groomsmen.

Photo from redribonstudio.com

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Since there will be no processional/recessional or aisle walk at our wedding and I am pretty allergic to most flowers, I decided against having a bouquet. Plus, I want to hold Calla Lily Dude’s hands during the short and sweet ceremony, not a bouquet!

But I would like something that says, “This is a special occasion, look at me, I’m the bride!” so I am thinking about getting a wrist corsage. I just don’t want it to be a bulky “prom” corsage… I would love to have something gorgeous and out of the ordinary.

Photo courtesy of theflowersmith.com

I am looking to have my corsage created using silk flowers to avoid having red, itchy eyes and monster sneeze attacks on my wedding day. (Apparently, I am quite an aggressive sneezer. Calla Lily Dude always asks if I am okay after sneezing because he says it sounds painful… As you can imagine, not a good thing for a bride!)

I am still hunting for a vendor to create my corsage (and hopefully a matching boutonniere for Calla Lily Dude). I am also considering taking this on as a DIY project even though I have never made floral arrangements before. But, then again, I never made jewelry before and that DIY project turned out beautifully!

After the initial planning of the ceremony and reception sites, the hotel block reservations, the photographer, and the wedding dress, I felt like I needed a break. The all consuming planning had worn me a little thin and I wanted to wait to do anything more. So I took a self imposed 6 week break. Boy did it help. I planned for the holidays, I knit and read a lot (and joined a book club).

And then… my fabulous stepmom, who has been a godsend these past few months, called to say that she would like a list of things to do from the couch, as she’d be recovering from foot surgery for a few weeks. Until she said it, I had not thought to ask anyone to help. She had to pretty much demand I give her something to do. So I did. I made a list of all the florists, salons, and bakeries I’d like to visit on my next trip home, and she’s arranging the whole trip. That’s about 10 hours of work, that I wasn’t exactly looking forward to, that is now done. I mean, I want to taste the cake, look at the flowers, and talk to hair people, but I don’t want to set the whole thing up!

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Sometimes I feel like there is something wrong with me because I’m a girl and I hate flowers. Sure they are pretty, but they are so impractical because they only last for a day or two. This posed a big problem for my wedding. I just couldn’t justify spending a thousand dollars on bridesmaid bouquets that would end up in the garbage at the end of the night.

Though I caved in and ordered flowers to appease the masses, I also decided to be creative and give my girls something cute that they could actually take home. Inspired by my fiance’s heritage, I thought Spanish hand fans would be a fun alternative. Not only were the cute, but they also helped keep us cool on the dance floor. For those of you who do not have a mother-in-law that will pick some up in Spain, I have found some beautiful fans online at Spanish Plates.

Photo by Michael Hawk Photography

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