This is a question we get asked often.  That question is really too general to answer; a number of factors play into the pricing of a bridal bouquet.  These factors include (in no particular order):

• What flowers will be in your bouquet?  On average, daisies are cheaper than roses, which are cheaper than calla lilies, but this is not the sole factor.
• How many flowers?  A hand tied bouquet of two dozen roses is cheaper than a hand tied bouquet made from three dozen roses.
• What time of year are you getting married?  Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are peak floral holidays, and we're asked every year to do weddings at these times (the answer is always no--we're busy with the holiday).  Also, New Year's sees increased prices because of the Rose Parade.  Not much goes on in October, so flowers are usually a little cheaper then.  A red rose bouquet at Valentine's Day is going to be 2-4 times more expensive than the identical bouquet in August (or heck, even April for that matter).
• What style of bouquet?  Cascades and pomander balls take a considerable amount of time to make, and so the labor charge is usually higher.  Hand tied and arm bouquets are a little easier to make, and labor is a little less.
• Are your flowers in season?  Sure, we can sometimes get lilacs in August.  You probably don't want to pay for them, though.  Lily of the Valley is another very seasonal flower.  Roses, most lilies, pomps, gerberas and carnations have excellent availability throughout the year.
• How fragile are your flowers?  Flowers such as orchids, gardenias and stephanotis are very sensitive to environmental conditions, lilies are very fragile, but carnations are quite sturdy.  The sensitive or fragile ones require extra precautions when designing and delivering your bouquets, which also figures into the price.
• How good is the designer/shop?  Yes, we're a little more expensive than the "basement Bettys", but we're worth it.  We have a staff of trained and experienced designers, plus the coolers and vehicles to make sure your flowers arrive in perfect condition.  We stake our reputation on it almost every weekend, over 100 times a year for the past 5 years.  There are people in our area claiming to be cheaper than the retail florists, but your bouquet may share space with the milk in their fridge.

We have created bridal bouquets in the $40 range, and bouquets in the $250-$300 range.  That's why you'll see us give an approximate price or a price range in the photos we post on our blog or in our photo gallery.

If you're looking for the cheapest bouquet you can get, look into an arm bouquet or clutch of daisy pomps and/or carnations.  They are plentiful, inexpensive, and sturdy.  As for silk flowers--good silk flowers are sometimes as much or more than their real counterparts; cheap silks look cheap.

Want a few insider secrets for choosing your wedding flowers?  We shared a few with By-area writer Mike Adamcik, in his recent post "Interviews: Floral and funna …".  He's right, that's a terrible pun.

The interview's been up for a couple of days, but since we're on the beach at Hilton Head Island right now, we're a little behind in our blogging.

And now, something from the groom’s perspective. Mike Adamchik is a writer in the Bay Area who recounts his transision from bachelorhood to married man on his blog "Hitched: My last year as a bachelor...".  In addition to essays he’s written, Mike also answers submitted to his Ask Groomzilla section.  We make no guarantees as to the usefulness of any advice.

Something we’ve seen at many weddings lately is small bottles of asti spumanti, sometimes with homemade labels celebrating the bride and groom.  Along the same idea, but also a great idea to bring some local flavor to your reception, check out local wineries.  Many of them produce the small bottles, and some may even provide custom labels for your event.  It’s also very common (especially here in Pennsylvania) for couples to arrange for their own bar and tending services, adding local wines to your bar would give your reception both an exotic and local flavor.

We have a wedding at one local winery very soon—La Casa Narcisi Winery in Gibsonia, PA.  In addition to their wines, wineries also can be picturesque locations for showers, ceremonies and receptions.  We’ve also had the occasion to try several of the wines from nearby Rustic Acres Winery (right here in Butler), and they were very good.  If you’re not a fan of traditional wines, fruit wines or blends may be more your style, and local wineries will usually have a better selection of these than your typical wine store.  Local vintners can also work with you to pair the proper wine with your meal choices for the perfect meal.

If you’re unsure about choosing a wine, find a winery nearby and attend a tasting.  There, you’ll be able to sample various wines and learn about each one.  Here in Pennsylvania, you can find local wineries at http://www.pennsylvaniawine.com/.  We here around Pittsburgh are in the Pittsburgh Countryside region, with at least a dozen wineries close by. 

If you’ve had a good experience with a local winery or their wines, let us know.  Also, if you’re a local winery, please feel free to leave a comment below describing what you have for weddings and events.

Anyone who wants a meal at the reception should RSVP, especially if you need a special meal choice (for instance, vegetarian).  Vey often the person counting the meals is not the bride or groom, and may not think to count the wedding party.   If you don’t send your RSVP in, you mighe get overlooked in a late rush at the end.

In a previous post, we mentioned that golf courses make good locations for wedding receptions.  We recently did a wedding at the nearby Butler Country Club, which features a beautifully manicured course, with one picturesque water hazard a short stroll from the main banquet hall; the view from the banquet hall’s veranda overlooks this hole of a thousand Kodak moments.  If your photographer finds out about the water, willows and rustic bridge, make sure someone grabs you some cookies.  You might be taking photos for a while.

Inside, to accomodate the large bridal party, the head table was set at two levels, with the higher level raised on a stage.  The projection screen was used to show a video tribute to the new couple.  A centerpiece was placed at each end of the lower table.

BCC’s usually elegant table settings were enhanced with floor length satin tablecovers, with sheer overlays trimmed by ivory toile, and satin chaircovers that were tied onto the chairs by knotting their corners.  The knots in this case were symbolic of the couple “tying the knot”.  These linens were provided (and tables dressed) by the bride, but as part of your wedding planning, we can help you arrange linens such as these.  From a distance, our stands almost disappear, giving the impression the candles and flowers are floating above the tables.

 

Below is a close-up of the centerpieces we made, containing two dozen white roses, 8–10 heads of white hydrangea, and 10 stems of spray roses, plus white petals around the base.  Four votive candles encircle the top of the stand, and eight more were placed on the table.  These stands are made from heavy gauge wire, and are very stable on a table, even when supporting heavy floral pieces.  The open design allows guests at opposite sides of the table to interact, and when the lights are dimmed and the candles lit, the flowers appear to float above the tables.  You can rent the stands and votive cups from us, and the flowers are made in removable dishes so your guests can easily take them home.

The wedding cake was a very non-traditional shape, and included floral pieces made from white hydrangea, lavendar and white roses, white spray roses and mixed greens.  The staircase and fountain were provided by Penny Bestwick, the cake baker.  White and lavendar rose petals and votive candles rounded out the table decoration.  The ivy-draped columns are part of our colonnade, which was set up around the cake table.

Non-members can hold functions at Butler Country Club, but you must be sponsored by a member of the club.

We all know that golf courses make great locations for wedding receptions.  They usually have ample parking, large banquet rooms, liquor licenses, and on-site kitchens.  Plus, golf courses have picturesque areas that make great locations for your wedding photos.  One of the newest courses in our area is Oakview Golf Club in Slippery Rock, PA.  Oakview was formerly the private Armco Golf Course, but has been remodeled and opened to the public.  Oakview’s spacious ballroom overlooks the serpentine 17th hole.

Our recent wedding there featured pink pots with bows (supplied by the bride), which we filled with white carnations.  The entire wedding was chocolate and pink, and the tables featured fanciful pink polka-dot runners and pink napkins.

While there, we ran into our friend Autumn Bupp of Autumn’s Cakes.  She was adding the pink flowers to the chocolate-frosted wedding cake (the cake itself was white, and featured a coconut and chocolate chip filling-YUM!).

Autumn has been so busy with her cake business that she’s been referring brides looking for cookies to Cookies by Rachel, down in Pittsburgh.  In addition to cookies, Rachel is also an event planner, specializing in weddings and corporate events.

If you ordered stickr seals with your wedding invitations, you traditionally place them on the back of the envelope, so the center of the seal is right at the point of the flap.  In the days before envelopes with the glue already applied, not to mention stickers, this is the location wax was dripped and stamped with some sort of monogram or motif to hold the envelope closed.  In many cases these days, stickers have replaced wax seals, but wax seals are sometimes still used on formal wedding invitations, just for that Victorian look.

For our first Featured Location, we want to share a beautiful rustic barn just north of Pittsburgh.  Betsy's Barn is part of Cheeseman Farm (warning: site plays music), located just off I-79 and Rt. 19 in Portersville, PA.  Betsy’s Barn is an authentic post barn, located amongst green fields and rolling hills.  In the photo below, a bar/buffet tent has been set up outside the barn.

The other side of Betsy’s Barn features a gazebo for relaxing, or in the case of our recent wedding, a place for a small ceremony.

Inside the barn, our bride wanted an elegant yet rustic look.  She attained the elegant part with floor linens, chair covers and sashes and fan-folded linen napkins. 

Her centerpieces were placed on squares of green gingham fabric and featured white hydrangea loosely arranged in mason jars (decorated with a handmade apple cutout), accented with small baskets of apples.  To help keep our bride’s costs down, we simply provided buckets of loose hydrangea, and she and her helpers assembled the centerpieces when they set up other parts of her reception.

For this wedding, Betsy’s antique buggy held a chapel-shaped card box.  In a previous wedding, this same buggy was the candy buggy.

The head table was arranged in a U-shape, and featured the same green gingham runners as the guest table centerpieces. 

In the middle of the U was a stunning cake fondant cake decorated with gum-paste flowers from Carol’s Cakes in Ambridge, PA (warning: site plays music).  We could smell this cake when we were taking the close-up photos of the head table, and it smelled wonderful!

Head table arrangements were made in small crates, and featured white hydrangea, pink roses, green hypericum and red and green apples.  In front of the couple was a larger arrangement, while two smaller ones were in front of the bridal party.

The bridesmaid bouquets wwere hand-tied arrangements made of white hydrangea and green hypericum berries.

The bridal bouquet was a hand-tied arrangement made from the same white hydrangea, green hypericum and pink roses as in the head table arrangements.