Be Prepared-Know What to Bring to Your Bridal Consultation

If you're like most brides, you're excited, but overwhelmed about your upcoming wedding and
the seemingly endless details that go along with it. Your wedding professionals should make your decision making easier. The best way that you can help them is by being prepared at your initial consultation.

Your wedding floral consultation should be scheduled approximately 3-6 months before your wedding. If your wedding is on the weekend of a floral holiday (i.e. Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas) or national holiday (i.e. Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day), you should definitely meet with your florist as early as possible, hopefully 9-12 months prior to your wedding date. As with most details of your wedding, earlier is always better. Most florists will only accept a limited number of weddings per weekend, so that they can give your wedding the attention it deserves.

To make your floral consultation go quicker and smoother, you should bring with you:

• A swatch or swatches of your bridal party color scheme, if available
• Any photographs or pictures of bouquets from magazines or websites that depict flowers or the style of bouquets or centerpieces that appeal to you
• A written list of all corsages and boutonnieres for family members or assitants in the ceremony
• Names and contact information for your ceremony and reception locations

Trust your floral consultant to suggest flowers and combinations that will complement your color scheme and the style of your wedding. When you are prepared, planning your wedding will be so much easier for you.

Local Flowers are in Abundance

With so many flowers available year round sometimes it is hard to decide which one to choose. August is the best time to select from locally grown flowers. In the summer our local crops are ready for harvest and we are able to sell locally grown flowers. We still carry floral varieties such as stock and snapdragons from California, roses and chrysanthemums from Columbia and bulb flowers from Holland, but it is nice to be able to support regional farmers.

The local blossoms spend less time traveling to Fairless Hills, Pa. They do not need to be held in airports or in customs, or travel hundreds of miles by tractor trailer from Miami where the flower brokers are located. They arrive in our wholesalers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey by the afternoon and are made available the very next morning. Now that is fresh flowers! Local flowers are reminiscent of wildflowers, some are bold, while others are wispy. They add character to any loose bouquet or vase arrangement.

Keep your eyes open for these local flowers: ageratum, amaranthus, black eyed susan, celosia (or coxcomb), dahlias, gomphrenia, gladiolus in all shades and colors, grasses in assorted textures and hues, hydrangea, marigolds, millet, mint, queen anne's lace, snapdragons, sunflowers, tansy, yarrow, and zinnias.

Stop by Flowers by Jennie Lynne or check out our website: http://www.flowersbyjennielynne.com/ to see the local flowers available today.