How to Make Beautiful Flower Arrangements

I am doing a budget wedding. In my package, centerpieces are included so we picked out beautiful blue glass vases (blue is our color) with fresh spider mums and bells of ireland.
Because other flowers are NOT included, we are going to be using silk flowers for bouquets and corsages.
Here is my question- in my home I have a variety of beautiful vases in the same blue glass, just as decorations in my living room. Do you think it would look pretty to have them around as other decorations? As in, on the present table and place-card table, etc?
I love this idea, the problem is that the vases from home wouldn’t have the same flower arrangements as the centerpieces, I would have to either do silk flowers or stop at a grocery store and pick up flowers the day of, and there is no way to mimic spider mums either way.

Also, if I go with this idea, how do I make sure guests don’t take them home? I’ve heard that usually guests try to take the centerpieces, which is fine. I just don’t want to lose my personal decorations.
… like I said above, the centerpieces are already ordered. Those are set in stone.

I think the cons outweigh the pros.

You have to spend more money for the flowers, and if you are on a budget this is money that could be better spent elsewhere. Plus you have to worry about buying the flowers on that day and making sure the vases go home with you.

If you decide to do this, just put two or three vases on the placecard table and one in each bathroom. Not on the gifts table or elsewhere.

I am planning a wedding in July and at first thought about doing the turquoise and brown wedding, but now I am leaning more toward turquoise, black, and silver…..I’m wondering, however, if the pink stargazer lilly flowers would look okay to incorporate in with flower arrangements??? Any ideas????

Stargazers are lovely, but they tend to have a … strong scent.

Also, if you plan on having them in your bouquets, make sure you tell your florist to remove the pollen. The pollen is orange and it stains. Easily.

If you really want bright pink flowers (which I think would be beautiful; my girls wore turquoise dresses and carried bright pink bouquets), you might want to consider:
roses: http://images.google.com/images?q=bright%20pink%20roses&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi
gerber daisies: http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&tbs=&ei=fAGKS7z6KsPJlAf-uMHPAQ&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=pink+gerbera+daisies&spell=1&start=0
aster: http://www.whitfillnursery.com/images/PowerPics/Nature/Pink%20Aster.jpg
zinnia: http://gloriapoole.com/photography/closeup-pink-zinnia-photo-by-gloriapoole@80206-20090702_102323_0156.jpg
alstromeria: http://static-p4.fotolia.com/jpg/00/10/15/37/400_F_10153790_lOnmbZjQ0DX8vqm7sdZyxXHFpVpaEPrp.jpg
hydrangea: http://www.johnstonplants.com/fl.shrub/hydrangea%20forever-pink%5B1%5D.jpg

i know there are a few like balloons, cards and sometimes candles..
What else?

Thanks (:

My family owns a flower shop and we opened up a gift shop within our boutique. In the gift shop we sell everything from Christmas ornaments to specialty chocolates to earrings.

Other ideas include…
coin purses
picture frames
jewelry
sweets
wreaths
decorative pillows

Best of luck!

Lauren

I’ve recently got engaged so me and my fiance are trying to figure out cost and ideas for our wedding which hopefully will be around june 2011. I really don’t know much at all about flowers as i have quite bad allergies but would still love a few flower arrangements at the wedding. Which flowers would work with my colour theme and be cheap at that time of year?

Also does anyone have any ideas for alternative table pieces other than flowers?
Thanks in advance

It was a long time ago, but I remember attending a reception once where there were floating candles on the tables. The water that the candles were floating on was colored different colors using liquid food coloring. It was really pretty. Also, you could do votive candles surrounded by those small glass stones. The stones come in many different colors. Congratulations, and may you have a lifetime of happiness together.

I need the glue to dry clear and look just like water when it’s in a glass. Does anyone know of a brand or type of glue that can do this?

If you’re looking for "artificial water" that’s clear and will hold the stems of plastic flowers, for example, in position in a clear vase, you’ll want the kind of clear resin called "floral setting resin." In the U.S. various brands of it can be purchased in the floral depts of craft stores like Michaels, or in many floral shops… or online.

Here’s just one brand:
http://www.industrialpolymers.com/clear_elegance.html
You can find more info, and more brand names and info on using them, for that kind of resin on this page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm …click on the category almost at the end of the list at top of page called *SOFTER SURFACE Epoxy Resins*

P.S. If you’re really looking for a "glue" that dries or cures clear just to do spot gluing, you could try 2-part epoxy glues (Devcon’s 2-Ton 30 Min. Set sets up very clear), or E6000, or various "white glues," or acrylic medium, or clear "cements" in tubes, etc… depending on how strong and how flexible-inflexible you want the glue:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/glues-Diluent.htm