Bouquets

So, you've decided to gift a beautiful bouquet of something for Valentine's Day. We applaud the choice, but you have more of them to make. There's technical considerations like color, fragrance, and form that can be sneakily stumping — especially if you aren't consulting a florist.

Take it away, Michael!

• A Floral Story

"People love arrangements that create a floral story by mixing different types of flowers, like calla lilies, orchids and stock flowers. This classic American design works for many occasions, especially Valentine's Day. The arrangement also makes a great DIY project, since the flowers are readily available at farmers markets or grocery stores."

• Fragrant Flowers

"Who doesn't love the lovely aroma of flowers? Fill bouquets with a variety of fragrant blooms including roses, stargazer lilies, wax flowers, and freesia. These arrangements will fill any space with wonderful scents long after the holiday is over."

• The Classic

"You can't go wrong with a classic rose bouquet. It's the number-one most requested arrangement in America. From a single rose to a full bouquet, the flower still stands for love. Just avoid purchasing 'bullet roses,' which have tight bulbs and will never open. Instead, choose a rose slightly 'unfurling.' These roses have been harvested later and will open and last longer."

• Focal Flowers

"An arrangement that has tons of flowers is everyone's dream. Try combining mass flowers (full and round blooms) such as lilies, roses, sunflowers, hydrangeas, magnolias, and daisies into a grand arrangement to really make a statement and make the person you're giving them to feel special."

• Don't Skimp

"A person will know when you skimp out on the good stuff. On Valentine's Day, try to avoid the overdone arrangements filled with carnations, baby's breath, lots of greenery, and other mass-produced fillers and flowers."

Thanks for sharing your tips, Michael! Wishing you a very happy Valentine's Day.

We're excited to present a guest post from Matthew David Hopkins, Creative Director of 360 Design Events as well as soon-to-launch Matthew David Celebrations!

When you consider the bouquet for your upcoming wedding, make sure to think about your dress, along with your profile in it. The bouquet is a big part of your fashion statement, as well as an opportunity for a fashion twist. Here are some gorgeous bouquets with an obvious nod to the dress itself; how stylish is that?

If you have an heirloom gown that you want to wear for your wedding, then you will most likely need to have the gown reshaped and resized. The leftover pieces of fabric are perfect for wrapping your bouquet. I spoke with master dressmaker and tailor Guillermo Molina of Guillermo Couture about how pieces of an updated gown can be used to wrap the stems. He noted that when a gown is updated, it often features elements that are no longer in style — like bell sleeves or a big collar. When he updates a dress and removes these elements, they become perfect pieces of satin or lace to use in wrapping the bouquet.

Maybe you don't already have a gown to harvest from? Check out the bargain section of stylish secondhand stores like Housing Works in NYC or look on the web; this shop has a bargain section with gowns for as low as $70.

I love to use fashion accessories like beaded pins, buttons, or ribbons in fun ways. Again, remember to look to your gown for inspiration; are there fabric-covered buttons? Does it feature grosgrain ribbon? Find one element and then mass it. You might sew 100 (or more) of those buttons very close together and then use that to wrap the stems. Ribbon looks fantastic when the stems are tightly overwoven with ribbon and then accented with a few streamers emerging from the bottom for length.
Where to find inspiration for the project: you, silly! Your personality and the shape of your body will inspire the dress. There is something out there for everyone. Your personality and that of your fiancé should inspire every decision about your wedding. There is a way to do just about anything for any budget. Whatever you choose, the goal is for you to be calm and present on your wedding day.

In many regions of the country, finding a wide variety of beautiful blooms in the Winter months is sometimes challenging. Instead of sticking with the same mix of roses or carnations, fill out your bouquets with a variety of your favorite citrus instead. I particularly love the look of these gorgeous arrangements spotted on The FlowerSchool's blog.

Head to green markets, farmers markets, or Asian groceries to find citrus still on the branch or displaying leaves. Kumquats, pictured in the bottom right photo, are a wonderful addition to bouquets, given their smaller size. Mandarins, satsumas, and blood oranges would also all add drama to a bouquet. In lieu of branches, use bamboo skewers to suspend the oranges within a bouquet, filling in the area around them with fuller flowers that camouflage the skewers. Think ranunculus, roses, or mums — showy blooms that take up a lot of volume.

If you're tired of paper whites, amaryllis, poinsettia, and other standard holiday fare, try a bouquet featuring succulents this holiday season.

I featured several succulent bouquets at our annual holiday party this past weekend, which I mixed with yellow freesia and lavender-tinged calla lilies, I love the way the flowers looked together, and they were a nice departure from the classic red-and-green color scheme prevalent at most holiday gatherings. I harvested the succulents from a friend's overgrown succulent patch in her backyard, so the arrangements were quite cost-friendly, too.

Another great aspect of succulents is that you can replant them after you've used them for your bouquets. Simply bury about half of the stalk, stripped of leaves, in soil. Water every two to three days, and you'll have a new plant rooting and growing in no time!

If you're squeezed for space on your Thanksgiving table (and let's face it, who isn't?) try this easy idea. Instead of placing a pretty bouquet front and center on your dinner table, move it to a side table or buffet instead. This will free up room for the turkey and stuffing and will also avoid any accidental tipping of the bouquet.