Wed Outdoors - Wedding Planning, Decoration, Locations, and Shopping

Have the flowers delivered, or pick them up, the day before. Recruit family and friends to help get them ready. The flowers can be arranged into the individual vases or containers, and easily brought to the reception location in boxes.

Stems should have at least 1" cut from the end before placing them in vases. Total amount cut will depend on the height of your containers. When trimming stems, use a sharp knife or shears, and cut while holding under water if possible. This helps the stems to take up water. Place them into the vases immediately.

Many flowers have stems that need to be stripped of excess leaves so that they can be arranged properly. Of course, do not remove all the leaves, as they contribute to a beautiful arrangement.

If your flowers have arrived closed, you might want to help speed their opening along in time for the reception or ceremony. Lukewarm water will help them open faster. Storing bouquets in the refrigerator up until the ceremony may not allow them to open up enough in time. Watch them closely and follow instructions from the florist.

When choosing an area for your outdoor wedding, give thought to the time of year and location. You may end up with a bounty of natural, live floral arrangements!

Keep in mind that many wildflowers do not have the most pleasant scent (such as daisies.) This may influence your choice of location or decoration.

If you want to use wildflowers for table arrangements, bouquets, etc., it may be wisest to buy them at the florist. The quality will most likely be better than what you find in your backyard. Also, unless it's your own property, it's probably illegal to pick flowers at your wedding location, such as in parks. Flowers and all natural things in public areas must be left for all to enjoy.