Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Wedding Flowers -- Behind the Scenes

The last wedding of the season has come and gone. The wedding was lovely, and the flowers came out so well!

Friday (flower day) was a day I had looked forward to all week. I must have caught the flower bug while doing Stephanie's flowers because I couldn't wait to do more flowers! I felt that same anticipation that I feel before Christmas.

The day lived right up to my expectations, although there seemed to be a few added things I wasn't looking forward to.....

Friday dawned bright and early and I went downstairs dressed in winter clothes to handle the "freezing" temperatures of the kitchen where all the flowers had slept for the night with the windows open.

Our fellow flower workers began to trickle in and work started, accompanied by plenty of tea and a Pumpkin Streusel Coffeecake!

Tragedy #1: I opened my camera and started taking pictures only to drop it on the floor after the 2nd picture, jamming the lens open.

I could hardly believe my eyes! My camera is my 3rd arm! Fortunately, my sister assured me I could borrow her camera, and Laura offered her camera for more pictures (so, thanks to Laura, we actually have 2 pictures for this post!)

So the flowers began to take shape: 14 bouttonneirres, 6 corsages, 4 bridesmaids bouquets, 1 bridal bouquet, 8 table arrangements and 6 church arrangements. We laughed about Emily's search around the city to find 9 Beta fish to complete the table arrangements, and the floral wholesaler's forgetting to send Emily home with the 150 red roses.

The wedding colors were red and black and thus we were using all red flowers (and even some black ones!). Peacock feathers completed the theme and appeared in everything from the invitation to the cake.

After a nice lunch, and plenty more enjoyable chatting, it was time for me to run an errand.

Tragedy #2: Off I go in Christina's car to run the errand, forgetting to pull the parking brake and driving 1/2 mile until a blue cloud of smoke and acrid smell alert me to my mistake.

Nevertheless, the flowers are finished in good time and we send Mom and Emily off to the church to do more work there. We decide to trade cars and send Emily in our van, leaving her car here for us to take to the rehearsal.

Michael and I dress for the rehearsal, the babysitter arrives, and we are about to depart. Where are Emily's keys?

Tragedy #3: I forget to get keys to Emily's car, thus leaving the minister stranded at home, far away from the wedding rehearsal.

Fortunately, we live very close to the groom's sister. A frantic call finds them still at home and, yes, they can pick us up. (Poor Alaina then has to rush around to organize her departure as she had no reason to be at the church by a specific time).

Meanwhile, Christina calls.

Tragedy #4: Christina is stranded at the pharmacy where her car is refusing to start. Oh no! Driving with the brake on must have mixed up her car's finicky computer. Unfortunately, all I can do is leave her to be rescued by her husband and wish her well.

Andrew and Alaina arrive to pick us up.

Tragedy #5: My child pees all over the furniture just as I'm walking out the door.

I hope the furniture dries and the smell will not linger. Off we go to the rehearsal where everything seems to go just fine. Emily's arrangements are done and looking beautiful.

Next comes a lovely rehearsal dinner with the bride and groom's families.

Tragedy #6: While passing someone the sugar, I inadvertantly brush my sleeve into the top of the cheesecake. Not realizing my mistake I replace my hand back in my lap. Several minutes later I feel something very squishy in my lap. A glance down reveals cheesecake and chocolate sauce smeared all over my clothes.

Fortunately it is the end of the evening and everyone is tired. No one will mind my stained outfit.

Saturday morning was spent helping Emily with all the finishing touches: putting flowers on the cake, making sure all the fish are still alive, and making a toss bouquet (which we almost forgot to do).

The ceremony was beautiful. Everyone looked terrific in their outfits and the flowers were stunning. The Fall weather was perfect: October blue skys, temperatures in the 80's and yellow and orange leaves everywhere we looked. All the flowers held up well - in fact, Michael's boutonnierre was still going strong on Sunday afternoon, pinned up to my bulletin board.

In the end my sister's car started for her to get home, but unfortunately continued to repeat the problem. Her car is in the shop now. Our car limped on its very last leg into the parking lot of the mechanic late Sunday evening. My Dad called yesterday to say his car would not start. That's us out 3 cars out of 6 in the local family. :)

Once I have a car back then I can deal with the broken camera and then I will have lots and lots of beautiful pictures to show you.

And now I must clean my house. Twenty to thirty little girls and their mothers are coming tonight to learn to knit and I've got to get ready....

6 comments:

Heather Anne said...

Oh Heather - what a comedy of errors! Doesn't it make you really appreciate the smooth days? I recently 'enjoyed' a day like yours - though not quite at such a vital time! Isn't it a big sigh of relief when the wedding season is over for a pastor's family?

I too, have pictures of our home filled with fresh flowers that I arranged for weddings - one picture I still laugh at - the florist mistakenly doubled the floral order and didn't care to have me return them, so I made wonderful luxurious (large) arrangements but quickly realized I had no place in our tiny parsonage to accommodate such lavish displays! Every available surface - including the ironing board was just covered! They were so big that they didn't fit in our station wagon so I walked them in 6 trips to the church in the wheelbarrow! Thankfully we were not too far from the church!
I hope your camera is quickly fixed ... and you car too! Our well pump needed repairs today - $$$ I always say we never have trouble with money because it is never in our hands long enough to be troubled with it!

southseaislandhome said...

Oh Heather! Oh oh oh is all I can say - with a smile because you wrote about it so well. I've done that to my camera three times! I have a patient husband who has replaced it twice. The third time it survived. Looking forward to seeing more pictures when your camera is mended.

Lovella ♥ said...

heather. . .some days I can hardly believe you are the same girl that I began to read about while you were on bedrest. . . . You are amazing. Imagining all the stress of your tragedies. . and the VERY beautiful job you did on the flowers. .. well. . .I just thank God for your better health.
oh .. and sickening about the camera. . my sympathies with that. (I dropped my dil's camera not more than 3 hours after giving it to her for Christmas. ..and the lens wouldn't close either. .so I feel for you)

willow said...

Oh my goodness, what a day. After all those things happening in one day I reckon you should have a long run of good days to make up.

Hope the knitting goes well.

Monica said...

What a string of events!

The flowers are gorgeous. I just love the rich, dark colors. I'm hoping that you and your sisters are still in business, say, ten or so years from now:)

Thanks for hosting the knitting last night- I stayed up way too late trying to practice casting on. I think I've got it now.

Amy K said...

Oh my goodness! Isn't it strange how bad things happen in groups?

The flowers were beautiful. You and Emily, etc., all did a beautiful job!