B.'s weddinng flowers...

I went to Alabama,[with a banjo on my knee :) ] on Wed. to pick up the flowers I had ordered from the wholesale floral business there. Lesson #1: ask how much before you place your order, so you won't have to be picked up off the floor when you go to pay. And got some gorgeous roses. A dark almost chocolate brown, called 'Chococinno', some variegated orange/reddish, a few yellow, and some that were ordered to be a brick or rust color, rather than traditional rose shade that is more pink or burgundy/wine. I'm stuck with that last color, and will have to make the best of what the guy at the wholesale store ordered. But hopefully close enough that the bride will be pleased (or at least oblivious until the photos come after the whirlwind day of the wedding.)

They are called 'spray roses', a term I did not know until I started working at Publix 16 plus years ago. The size of a sweetheart rose, but with three to six buds/blooms on a stem. So when you buy the average bunch (at Publix, it usually has three or four stems in a sleeve) you are getting at least a dozen buds or open roses.  Sold for four bucks a sleeve, so in a perfect world, we could easily make two corsages out of one bunch/sleeve of roses. And charge between $15 and $20 for it, but you have to consider: Publix overhead, like labor, lighting and cooling.

This is what the bucket of flowers has been looking like, sitting in the kitchen, waiting for the roses to open up, so they would look more like what the bride wanted, which was ranuculus, not at all in season.

And though this photo does not look much different, this is what the hand-held bouquets looked like, when I made all five of them, for the bride, and her four attendants, and put them back in the bucket, to keep fresh until time to go to the church and get the stems wrapped in navy blue satin ribbon.

I ordered twelve or so bunches, plus stopped at a Publix on the way to Opelika and bought another bunch in a color I can use. I've got about $200 invested in roses. Not sure what the brides' budget is for flowers, so hope I am not stir frying, sauteing, casseroling some rose buds in the next couple of days. I've started on the hand-held bouquets. There is one for the bride, four attendants, and some corsages. A mom or grand., plus a couple of folk who will be helping with the reception: serving or cutting cake. The rest of the cut flowers will go in some small square glass containers she wants to put out on eight tables for people to sit at while they are enjoying eating and visiting. 

And a big glorious arrangement to go on the food table.  Which I have polished up the silver urn for. The urn is almost as old as adult children: won in a golf match when P. was in his golf playing days with the Hackers group,art of the foursome that came in with the lowest score in a tournament in 1987. I will have to take the urn, and bucket of cut flowers to the church to put it together. When I realized it would be too big for me to safely transport into town, I decided I would just take the 'ingredients' and assemble it there. So I would not have to worry about spilling, tipping, traffic, sudden braking, unexpected veering, or some other impending disaster that only occurs when you know you cannot afford any problems.