Tips for picking out a florist

It's hard to imagine a wedding without flowers. They add a special touch of beauty and fragrance to the event that complements the overall style and color scheme. But before you begin making up bouquets of roses and lillies, you must invest time in choosing a quality florist. Here are some tips from the experts.

• Family and friends are excellent sources for recommending florists. If
  you've admired the flowers at a friend's wedding, request the name of her
  florist.
  
  
• The role of the florist is to demystify the whole experience. But there
  must be a level of trust.
  
  
• The bride should allow them to use their discretion when it comes to
  choosing the right flowers.
  
  
• The florist you choose should help you work within your price range as
  well.
  
  

Once you've come to a decision, go over the details with him or her. Your florist should also visit your church and reception, site with you to discuss the most visually effective floral arrangements. It also helps to have a swatch of the fabric you're planning to use, so that you can choose flowers to accent the look.

Preserving your bouquet

Bridal bouquets represent the loveliest expression a bride will make on her wedding day. It may be one of the few memories that is important enough to preserve and display prominently in your home throughout your marriage.

Experts say that a bride's bouquet can be a source of supply for many different interesting home accents. If choosing to keep it intact, some form of preservation is essential to keep it from crumbling; freeze-drying being the best solution. Silica preservation can also work reasonably well, although flowers will take on more of a dried floral appearance with this method.

Once preserved, these complete bouquets can be encased in glass to be further enjoyed, possibly hanging on the wall or even placed in a dust-free spot like a china cabinet. Broken apart, it can become part of a floral arrangement, suitable for a dining table, hall or anywhere else in a home.

Or, the flowers can be made into a garland or swag wall hanging, or even a wreath.

68% of couples still prefer white wedding

A white wedding in church is still the most popular way of tying the knot although costs have shot up significantly in just one year, according to a new survey.

Despite the growth in unusual venues from ballrooms to rollercoasters the majority of couples still prefer to keep their big day traditional. The poll in Wedding & Home magazine found A majority of couples, 68 percent, still prefer walking up a church aisle compared with 90 percent 10 years ago.

More and more are opting to complete the traditional look with a white wedding. Trendy outfits are rejected by 88 percent of brides, a 20 percent leap on last year. But while brides splash out up to $860 on a new dress their husbands-to-be are most likely to spend a tenth of that on hiring morning dress.