Sweet idea. As a florist I know that people don't know how hard and messy and time consuming it is to work with flowers especially if she was going to do them for the reception too. Just a bouquet can be very easy. But she should have cut them down, alot. Look at online wedding blogs to see other flower combinations.

I did my own flowers too and blogged about it :-) It was great fun!

http://lilkidthings.blogspot.com/2007/09/flowers.html

My wedding was very low key and simple but I didn't want my flowers to be! So i did them myself and they turned out SOOO perfect! I used baby green hydrangeas for the base of the bouquets, yellow, peach, pink and dusty red roses, yellow cymbidium orchids, and parrot tulips that were pink, green and white! Then we wrapped them in black and white polkadot ribbon and they were FABULOUS! I was a very low key bride and 2 days before the wedding we went to our local Central Market and they had an amazing selection! The day before, after decorating the reception hall and before the rehersal dinner we put them together. Not too difficult I thought and we spent about $200.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28213707@N04/2639241046/

findsas is right she should have cut down the stems.

We did ours - I found out that floral glue is your friend! We got everything online since we are rural and don't have any floral markets nearby. Turned out well, except that two of the heads of the dahlias I'd fallen in love with fell off that morning (made the bouquets the night before). Luckily, we'd bought a lot of extra flowers.

Lessons learned - lambs ear, hydrangeas, scabiosa, daisies all were very resilient. Dahlias didn't deal with my man-handling as well. Having a groomsman's sister step in at the last minute and finish up the wall displays so that we could go to the rehearsal was a lifesaver. Doing the corsages and boutonnieres yourself isn't worth it.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1355/1139382325_48de9adf86.jpg?v=0

Love the idea, love the daisies, but those dry, dead, brush weeds sticking out so awkwardly really overwhelms what was a nice simple arrangement. Oh well, each to their own, and I hope it was a happy day! Congrats.

we did all the wedding flowers (boutineers, bridemaids bouquets, centerpieces, flowers in the church, etc.), except my bouquet, which afterwards i thought we could have easily done it just as nice as the florist. i used all callas and mini callas, which hold up very well. i purchased them wholesale from a local florist supplier (with a little research, you can often purchase directly from a wholesaler). kept it simple, just loads and loads of callas in tall vases. for boutineeers and bouquets, just wrap with floral tape and cover the tape with ribbon or silk fabric. sooo easy!

I'm afraid I agree about the wheat. All daisies or a mix of another actual flower would have been nice. Wheat seems a bit prickly and dead for a wedding.

I bought all the materials for the flowergirl's pomanders (they look like balls that are made of flowers) and SIL helped me assemble it all. All it took were: round floral foam (3in diameter), ribbon, big fluffy flowers - we used carnations. Our florist was going to charge $50 each....ours were MUCH less. They looked gorgeous and lasted for 2 weeks! If I had known how inexpensive and easy they were, I would have made them for all my centerpieces...I'd have like 3 different sized ones on each table.

I actually think the wheat is symbolically pretty cool, as it traditionally symbolizes efforts coming to fruition, bread to the table, freedom from want, etc...maybe I'm reading too much into it, and might have arranged it differently, but still the idea of including wheat in a bridal arrangement seems to me to be innovative and timeless simultaneously.

I did all my own flowers (bouquets, boutineers, corsages, table arrangements, etc.). I used orange and purple calla lilies, seeded eucaplytus, bells of ireland, dahlias, and a few different types of orchids, all of which I ordered online. I kept the bouquets and table arrangements very simple, and I actually finished all the flowers in less time than I was expecting. They looked great, and I had a lot of fun. I've done a couple of other weddings since then, too.

My MIL did alllll the flowers... well, no, my mom helped with a few arrangements. But MIL did the bouquet. It was roses, ferns, ivy, different orchids... I'd have to get a pic to remember them all. It trailed about a foot and a half. She had it in this water-absorbing bouquet holder thingy that weighed about five pounds. I had my matron of honor pick it up before the ceremony so she wasn't caught unawares when I hefted it to her. Certainly not a throwable bouquet, although we had this bracket so it could be used as a centerpiece, too (much easier than carrying it all the time).

MIL frequently uses stuff from the landscaping or houseplants she buys for the purpose. Pittosporum and sago palm are favorite fillers. I've seen her use crotons, baby pineapples, peppers and tomatoes (not at my wedding).

Jill - you're a girl after my mother's heart. She had daisies at her wedding, though I don't remember if she did her bouquet or not. And I like the wheat. It looks kind of punkish, like a spikey hairdo.

I did my own wedding flowers as well. We did candles for centerpieces, so it was just my bouquet and some bouts for my wife and our parents. Then we gave some to the cake baker to adorn our cake.

I ordered roses in bulk from rosesource.com - it was only about $100 for 75 roses I think? I found a tutorial online and did a practice run with a small amount roses in advance. I found the whole process to be very easy and rewarding. Saved us some money as well!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21267684@N02/2068140657/in/set-72157603304688130/

I am operating on the thinnest thread of an internet connection...just noticed that the 'host of other photos' was lost to the internet's dark belly. We'll enjoy them next week when I hope my connection is more reliable.

But for now Jill's photos survived, so let's celebrate her day and the spirit behind it! As far as I am concerned I have bottomless admiration for anyone who can do their own *anything* for the big day.

We tried, and even though it was a simple wedding in Central Park, we still had to buckle and order a cake, have a reception elsewhere, and have a florist do the bouquet. Balancing the pressure and keeping it a celebration is one tough balancing act.

By the way the last comment was from mattplantguy, not Maxwell...

It was hard to get the feel of the flowers when I saw them in the vase by the door, but when I saw them in action-- they really do look lovely. And your dress! Way to go. :)

I did all the flowers for my wedding, with the help of my awesome friends! One of my friends and I went to the flower district in downtown LA the day before, bought about $200 worth of flowers. The centerpieces were mainly gerberas cut short sitting in a fishbowl with colored stones at the bottom. The boutonnieres were blue hydrangeas. My maid of honor helped me with putting my bouquet together, which was a cluster of bright-white gerberas with hot pink centers, wrapped with a turquoise ribbon. I still beam when I see pictures of the flowers today.

Oh happy day, congratulations JILL!!!!

I love the bouquet, the long stemmed daisies, the shaffs of wheat, all of it. It looks wholesome and organic and very natural. There's nothing natural about a short, squat bouquet of overly opulent flowers (held together by glue), iMHO.

Thanks for sharing your efforts and pix of your big day (and weeks leading up to it).

I wish you all the best and then some more best.

I really liked the bouquet of daisies with the wheat -- very shibusa. Kept it from being twee and trite -- lovely. And looked very lovely with the cake as well. And I have to say, what a beautiful bride -- gorgeous dress too!

Congratulations -- love how you did your wedding!