Melanie Benson Floral Design

Port Ludlow Summer Wedding

melanie — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:38:52 +0000

Jacquard ribbon

melanie — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:56:36 +0000

I love this under utilized ribbon. You all know it for the bright colors or memorable images. Just a bit on a bouquet would be so lovely. There are so many kinds and the bride could pick something that is memorable or for the colors alone. I still love satin, but this ribbon is to die for.

perfect for a pink and orange bouquet

maybe this for a rock and roll wedding

maybe this for my bride that is a baker

just a little bit vintage

Affordable Flowers

melanie — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:04:42 +0000

When you read about how to save money on wedding flowers the advice usually given is select local and seasonal. So what does that really mean? To better understand the meaning of seasonal I think we should know the difference between seasonal and available. Many flowers are available all year, but they do have a season when their price drops. Tulips are a great example of this concept. They are available to buy all year but right now through the end of April is their natural season to bloom. Growers have planted them in abundance and the wholesale price reflects this, the price has dropped 2/3 since January. Some flowers are never inexpensive but they do have a season. More about local later on

fresh from the field

Working on rebranding

melanie — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:32:46 +0000

OK well this is not very exciting but I am working on rebranding so expect more soon

summer at the ranch

melanie — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:32:57 +0000

Venues can affect budget

melanie — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:39:54 +0000

It seems funny to think that a venue can affect your flower budget, but its true. Time and distance have the most effect. For example a wedding we did recently we had to unload the van a good 200 yards from the set up site. We probably made 50 trips back and forth from the van to the dinning room taking 2 people 2 hours just to get all the flowers inside. Hotels have staff and a loading dock and a cart, but you end up winding around the back alleys and the dockmaster gets impatient when you stay to long at the dock. So after we finish unloading we have to move the van to a garage and pay a for the hours the van will spend there. Do you see what I mean?

Time, all venues have a rental period and brides forget that it takes time to set up a wedding. Of course the set up time varies but the average is about 2 hours with 2 people. So lets say the bride has rented the venue from 3pm to 11pm with the ceremony at 5pm. Guests will start arriving at 4 so that gives us only an hour to set up. The bride will have to either rent more time for us or we will need more staff. If we hire more staff for the set up we will need to give them at least 4 hours of work to make it worth their while.

We have a venue we love but everything has to be taken through the kitchen. Or the venue where everything has to be hauled down a dirt lane to the water. We love these palces but it does take time.

Yesterdays Flowers

melanie — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:19:49 +0000

GARDEN ROSES FOR BRIDAL BOUQUETS

melanie — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:57:00 +0000

Romance and fragrance, just add some garden roses. The billowy flowers remind me of a peony and smell even better. Add a few to your bridal bouquet for sweet memories.

PLACE CARDS FOR WEDDINGS

melanie — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Someone asked me the other day what they could as place cards. So I looked around the internet and found a few. What do you think?

WINTER WEDDING

melanie — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 04:08:00 +0000

Karen and Chuck recent college grads and now newlyweds. They had a lovely ceremony in sage and lavender. The reception was held at Herban Feast and decorated by family and friends. Photos by John and Joesph