As a floral designer I am freshness obsessed.
For this reason I find myself torn between understanding the practicality of scheduling “first look” photos prior to your ceremony and the risk of wilted blooms as you walk down the aisle.
On my Love it/Hate it list I’d file it under both columns!
So this post is for you, the engaged, and also for the professional photographers out there who are in the unique position to help protect those delicate wedding day blooms!
I understand the appeal of taking photos prior to your ceremony, but when I see the photographer snapping shots 2 hours before the ceremony and bouquets been out of water that entire time both the flowers and I die a little inside.
I reached out to one of Vermont’s most sought after photographers, Daria Bishop, to inquire about how she handles the delicate balance of photographing while preserving the bouquets.
I was happy to hear that Daria brings the water source when they are out on “safari” with a couple (which is so funny by the way!). She also suggested that couples who are interested in first looks should invest in 2 bouquets; one for the photo shoot and one for the ceremony. Sound advice and a great solution to a potential problem. (This is also a good excuse to get two distinct looks for your photos if you simply cannot choose which style of bouquet suits you best!)
Here’s the deal…
You must leave your flowers in water if you’d like to them stay alive. If you want to take photos prior to your ceremony with your bouquet you will want to have someone on-call who can place the flowers back into the florist vase/box whenever you are not using them.
Bottom line…
If you carry your flowers around for 2 hours in your hot little hands (quite literally if you’re marrying in July or August!) you can expect to see some wilting blooms as you’re walking down the aisle.
So if you don’t know, now you know! I want your wedding day to be spectacular, your pictures to be beautiful, and your flowers to look fab-u-lous.
P.S. I love you. Here are 5 simple tips for handling your bouquet on your wedding day!
P.P.S. If you don’t know Daria and Andy’s work you should check out their wedding work here!
I am so thankful for the images they share with me (you’ll see them all over my website!) and I’m thrilled to see a couple of the weddings we’ve done together featured on their wedding site slideshow! xo
