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And not a talent that I have, either. Sidenote: when I was younger, I convinced myself that I was a super awesome skier and that skiing was My Talent. When I finally went skiing at the age of 20, I realized that this was not true. I am not a secret talented skier, nor am I a secret talented flower-arranging fool.
Let’s start at the beginning.
I’m kind of lazy. So even though I knew that a farmers’ market existed in town, and in the next town, and in the capital nearby, um, I never quite made it over there. Until there was a ring on my finger!
Cause everyone knows…
= 
Well, for this Southern bride it does, anyway.
Since the one-year countdown has officially begun, I figured it’d be a good time to check out some flowers and see what North Carolina has to offer this time of year. We’re planning on having my bouquet professionally done, and the girls’ flowers too. But the centerpieces are totally do it myself, with the lovely milk glass I have been collecting all this time—yay for long engagements!
Mr. Magic, having missed me for a week while I was off babysitting, even offered to go to the State Farmers Market with me! Course, by the time we made it out of the house, only one of the farmers’ markets was still open. Whatevs.
First, we found some awesome pumpkins! And they are cheaper than any other pumpkins I have seen so far.
Yay for pumpkins! I mean, I’m not gonna have like a million jack-o’-lanterns chillin’ or anything. I’m just thinking something like this:
Or this:
Then, we stumbled upon some flowers. Ch-ch-check it out!
These are pretty and colorful, no?
I bought these for 12 bucks!
Like my enormous sunglasses? I know, they are kinda ridiculous.
OK, so here’s where things got all challenging. I thought to myself, “Sweet! Ima go home and divvy these up into some milk-glass vases. So easy! Dunzo!”
Um, hmmm. NOT so easy. Turns out, there is a reason people pay to have professionals do this. Who knew? Certainly not me. My apologies to everyone in the flower industry.
They aren’t bad, but they look a little…rough. I think part of the problem is the extra leafy greenery. Maybe the stems are too long. Maybe it’s too colorful. Maybe someone can just volunteer to do this part for me?
Did you ever tackle a seemingly easy wedding task, just to find that it was much more difficult than you anticipated?
See I think those are great! I’m a big fan of the wildflower look. I agree that you should trim some of the excess leaves–maybe put them into that really skinny vase–but I think it’s a nice, unfussy look.
Just keep in mind that the market offerings will vary by week and season…
My FMIL is doing mine and we did a test-run this weekend. I’m also using milk glass and she bought floral foam to cut and shove into the vases to poke the flowers into, which holds them in place and gives you leverage to “arrange” them better, rather than just letting them flop where they may. She bought Spanish moss to put on top of the foam so you can’t see it. She also stripped almost all of the greenery off the flowers before sticking them in the foam and then added it back in according to how it would look best. It was amazing what she was able to do in just five minutes, and it definitely looked neater than just throwing them in the vases (which is EXACTLY what I’d had in mind too).
I’ve gotten flowers from that farmers market (yay raleigh), (not for my wedding, just for fun) - and they’re so organic that bugs still live in them! No kidding, we kept finding little brown dustings under the bouquet I bought (looked just like that one). It wasn’t dust - it was worm droppings! It was eating my beautiful flowers. And there were more! They looked wonderful but barely lasted 2 days since the bugs were eating them and we had to put them outside.
So long story but firstly clean them after you buy them and make sure they’re good to sit next to food so no buggies drop out onto people’s plates.
I don’t think your arrangements look that bad! With some practice you will get it exactly the way you like it!
Just strip some of that extra greenery out at the bottom. I think they look fab, though; I’m a huge fan of the wild/ messy flower arrangement look. Call me crazy.
have you tried daisys? they are much easier to arrange. i love the way billy balls look in milk glass too.
LOVE the love pumpkin!
I love them, personally! I think if you strip just a little of the green, they’ll be great! Just make sure no leaves are below the rim of the glass and sitting in water, or they’ll mold.
They are definitely not too colorful! Honestly I love all the colors you have going on there. Maybe with a little practice and cutting a few of the stems down a bit more?
ummmm, maybe I’m an idiot, but I think your arrangements look great! Now, maybe I also don’t understand your vision, but if you’re going with a more rustic approach as would be indicated by your pumpkin aisle markers, then more rustic, “rough” flower arrangements would actually be more appealing to you and your guests! You’ll all feel more laid back, a little less fussy!
I think if you took out a few stems of the greenery, it’d look great! Seriously… it looks great! Rough/wild = country chic? haha.
I *love* your mock-ups arrangements! The bright colors paired with the milk glass vases is perfection.
A secret to being a DIY bride is knowing one’s limitations (which you are very quick to acknowledge–good job). That said, perhaps there is someone around you who has magical hands when it comes to all things floral. This way you can engage a friend/loved one who’s itching to do SOMETHING for you, and you can check off one more thing that you don’t have to do. Win-win, in my book, anyway.
Flower arranging is not hard! You can do it! The only thing you need to do is strip the leaves off the stems and then cut the stems down! I generally cut my stems about 1-2 inches taller than the vase I’m using, works perfectly! OH, and definitely strip any leaves that will be below the water line, they’ll rot & kill your flowers quicker!
lol I have to say I love your dry humor in all your posts. You really put the real in wedding planning. I too keep saying I’m going to do such and such myself, then try, and think to myself I’d rather go hungry a few days in order to PAY someone to do it for me.
I actually really like your arrangements and if we were having flowers at our wedding, they’d be exactly the look we’re going for!
I’m going to DIY my flowers in milk glass as well and I’m not planning on including any greenery. I’m just going to order lots of garden roses and cut them to be not might higher than the top of the vase. I think if you cut them a bit shorter it would help.
Hi Miss Magic! Are you getting married in NC? If so I have a friend who is a fantabulous wedding photog if you are looking for recommendations. Her and her Husband are the photogs and their website is http://www.lovetheschultzes.com.
Good luck with vendors and flowers, etc…
I love the flowers you selected and the vases - looking on the bright side you’re halfway there. Tidying up the greens and practicing until you get the look you want (how terrible having fresh flowers around the house!).
Um, yeah. Just check out my first crack at DIY poms. Oh, and I realize I don’t have a discerning eye, but I think you did a good job arranging :).
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Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NC Age and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Researcher Engagement Date: December 1, 2009 Wedding Date: October 2011 Venue: Barn at Valhalla About Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
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