- 1. Which flowers are seasonal (which seasons), which are all year round and are in high demand for wedding bouquets? For boutonnieres?: What I've discovered, while focusing on Summer season florals and weddings, Roses, Carnations, and Orchids would be available nearly all year round; and for the time frame of my project, Dahlias, Hydrangeas, and Lilies were ample. Using the same flowers in the bouquets and boutonnieres only made the most sense in coordinating.
- 2. What are the various bouquet shapes, and the various ways to put a bouquet and boutonnier together?: From what I can understand there are, Round, Pageant, Crescent, Cascade, Nosegay, Pomander, Hand-Tied, Posy, & Composite. But the best way to figure out what style someone wants, is to use photos. Lots and lots of them. There are also a number of ways to decoratively tie them together, but I only had time to do a simple spiral wrap with ribbon for the most part.
- 3. What materials will I need for keeping the arrangements together, for hand tying bouquets and boutonnieres?: Garden wire helps immensely and was easy to use throughout the whole process of assembling. I found that a sort of foam lining (the type you line shelving with) helps smooth out the handle and makes it softer to hold. Pins definitely helps to keep the tied ribbon in place and prevents it from unwinding.
- 4. What are the various fillers, greens, and wild plants I could include that are long lasting?: Using the trims (leaves) from the flowers themselves help layer the underside of the bouquet. Various grass and foliage are better found in Garden Stores than in florist shops. Wild plants around the neighbourhood are great too, depending on your location and available gardens.
- 5. Where can I source out locally discounted/warehouse flowers for making my own arrangements?: The best options I found are warehouses that are open to the public, although, once committed, I'd recommend getting a business license to have access to a supplier with better quality and quantity of flowers. Costco has great rose options at a reasonable price (Costco requires membership though). Avoid internet purchases, you can't handle the flowers or know how well they hold together.
- 6. What resources are available from farmers and distant suppliers?: Online shopping is great for supplies, but in terms of flowers, I would still have to explore this area and learn more. It may be a possibility to connect with those at farmer markets instead of having to travel so far.
- 7. Which shops will provide the materials needed?: My best option so far is Michaels, using their 40% or 50% coupons along with educator's discount.
- 8. Where are the best ideas and examples to use for myself and my clients?: It works really well to refer my clients to my Pinterest boards. However, if some do not have an account, they can simply forward their own images of what they like. Then I could build a board for them to confirm. Continual meetings are essential to understand what the client visualizes for themselves.
- 9. What is the time frame for each step required for each type of bouquet or boutonniere?: Different bouquets take different amount of time. Cascades, Crescents and Pageants are especially difficult because the flexibility in the flower stems need to be considered. I haven't had a chance to use the floral handles with the wet foam but at least I know how it could really help make arranging the directions of the flowers a lot easier and to decrease the amount of stems bundled together to hold such a large arrangement. Boutonnieres are a lot easier and quicker to make, but will definitely require the use of wire to keep them altogether.
- 10. What technical skills are required and need the most practice in able for me to succeed?: How to maintain the life of the flowers before using the flowers is my greatest struggle. The next biggest skill to improve on, is understanding how each type of flower stem works and which type of bouquet they fit in best. Last but not least, how do you get clients?
At the end, despite what I think, my final client was happy to see how her suggestions were recreated. I'm glad I had something to show before I dove into making something for someone other than myself. The four weeks really did help prepare me for my last week. Thank you to everyone who helped me through this great learning experience!
3 Comments
Sheila
8/8/2015 02:05:00 am
Kay, I like what you tried to do here. But, the song iscompletely drowning out your voice. Is there a way to lower the background song volume or delete it?
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Sheila
8/8/2015 02:16:11 am
Haha. Kids. Disregard my earlier comments. Here are my real comments, Kay: I liked your very thorough presentation. Thanks for reminding me about Michael's teacher discount. The crescent shaped floral arrangement was my personal favorite. I wish you well in your future business plans.
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April 2016
Kay's Books
Some very interesting concepts of how the education system needs to be adjusted.
Very informative. Although quite repetitive and a few oddly worded parts.
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Easy read. Interesting perspective and reminder for many aspects of how to look at one's own work and work habits.
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