Tulip Wedding Bouquets

Flower arranger divulges trends for weddings

Wedding season is here again, and Loretta Stagen, a transplant from the state's Gold Coast happily acclimated to western Connecticut, is fired up with enthusiasm and ideas.

Yes, the recent royal wedding and the U.S. Color Council 's 2011 palette can't help but influence choices in style and color, and the average spending for one family's personal extravaganza could easily buy a mid-size car.

Stagen has overseen flowers at weddings over the top as well as modest, and she believes beautiful bouquets and arrangements can go a very long way to setting a tone.

On a recent Friday at her studio in New Preston, she was working on a wedding for a bride with only $1,400 to spend on flowers.

The solution? A large arrangement that would be mounted on a pedestal for the service and a bouquet of double white freesia, snowy sweet peas, and purple lianthus and anemones.

"This is going to be elegant and gorgeous," she declared, "and well within her budget."

After more than 20 years of enhancing brides and tables in Fairfield County, and now Litchfield County, Stagen has learned to deflect any practical problems that might come her way.

The week leading up to such occasions has been whittled to a science -- whether it's ordering and fetching flowers from her favorite vendors in the New York flower district, to conditioning them and saving the very best to arrange on the wedding day.

Stagen gets her ideas from upscale designers and from shops, from her travels, and sometimes from museum exhibitions. She has done ethnic weddings and theme weddings, weddings with orchids and roses. as well as with sunflowers.

She has done glorious weddings at the ocean and in the country, and weddings for a succession of a client's daughters and cousins.

Receptions these days are a far cry from ones many aging boomers remember -- at the church hall after the service or the potluck celebration in a field.

And the flower budget, once about 10 percent of the total cost of the wedding, must now often compete with spending for lighting. For the average wedding with 150 guests, Stagen said, the flower tab now runs about $5,000.

Tastes are formed not only by British royalty, but by what the stars are decked out in at the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

The colors are already shifting from Sandra Bullock blush to Angelina Jolie 's emerald green, and mixes like hot orange and pink (think of Sasha Obama 's dress at the presidential inauguration) are gaining popularity.

Pretty Tulip Wedding Bouquets And Centerpieces

One of the most beautiful wedding flowers is the tulip. They grow in several distinct varieties, come in a spectacular array of colors, and are available during much of peak wedding season. Find out how tulips can be used for fabulous centerpieces and bouquets for your wedding.

Tulips are one of the signature blossoms of spring. They are the perfect choice for a spring wedding bouquet. Other than fall and early winter, tulips are a good option for most of the year. A classic round bouquet of pink tulips would be delightful for the bride who is wearing a lace bridal gown and elegant pearl wedding jewelry . A silky wide ribbon is just what this bouquet needs.

Use cream or snow white tulips for a gracious style. They also work beautifully for a nautical wedding or one with a restrained color palette like navy and green. A very classic look is white tulips with a streamlined silk bridal gown. A crisp striped fabric cuff is a wonderful bouquet wrap for these tailored blossoms. Pearl buttons look terrific on the bouquet ribbon. Match sparkly or pearl accents to your bridal jewelry.

Yellow tulips are sunny and cheerful for daytime weddings. Arrange them in clear glass cylinders with a wide ribbon band for a simple yet beautiful centerpiece. Bunches of tulips also work very well for submerged centerpieces. They are durable in the water. In the spring, sunshine colored tulips with polka dot bows are delightful. It would be a lovely complement to a simple wedding dress worn with pearl tin cup wedding jewelry .

Tulips make centerpieces that will bring a smile to your face. Parrot tulips are exotic and eye-catching. Parrot tulips will blow your guests away when arranged in masses for reception and church displays. You will be amazed at all of the colors in which parrot colors grow – many of them in combination in a single bloom.

Tulips can also be extremely dramatic. Brides seeking blossoms so dark they are almost black will find tulips that suit their style. While actually a bruised dark purple, they look virtually black in color. There could be nothing more ideal for a goth wedding. Black tulips and red tulips used together will create very striking centerpieces. Brides who prefer a more dramatic style can use deep dark tulips with a black ribbon. When you think about it, tulips are a remarkably versatile wedding flower!

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