Flowers: It looks like the Phalaenopsis Orchids I wanted for the submerged arrangements ARE available, though substituting the Cymbidium for those will add over 40% to the arrangement’s cost! We are so spoiled here in the US. I love those orchids and am so used to seeing pots of giant Phalaenopsis in Costco for $20. Here though, we’ll pay $150 for a single submerged stem. (I actually wouldn’t be surprised if that submerged display costs just as much here at home.) So, I’m going to scale back the bridesmaid bouquets just a little, as well as reduce the number of orchids in mine, replacing some with a less expensive filler like freesia or roses. I’m going with an all white bouquet for me and orange calla lilly bouquets for the girls.

Still don’t know what we will do about ’sprayed mums’ vs another flower. She is advising against hydrangeas because they can fade in the heat so I will take her advice on that one. Bright pink gerberas are available however I do not want regular gerberas – you know, the ones we see in the grocery store for $5? Fluffy pink spider gerbera daisies would be really cool though. The frustrating thing is that I can’t just have this conversation with the florist. I feel bad that the wedding planner has to keep going back and forth between the florist and us. It also takes a lot more time to have questions relayed through a third party. 

Funny thing is two months ago I didn’t even care about flowers. I hadn’t seen anything I was ‘in love with’. Of course when I do finally fall in love with something is almost always expensive or hard to get. Luckily my groom laughs about it. He says I could look at three nearly identical items (ie. maybe three dresses), and will undoubtedly prefer the one that’s more expensive without ever knowing the price.