Hand Job. Consider the Width....
Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 7:44AM Seriously. You have to consider what you're about to hold onto. How big will it be? Will it be heavy? Will it be slippery? Will it make your hand sweat? Will there be thorns?
I'm talking about your bouquets, ladies. What? You thought it was something else? Huh?
More specifically, I'm talking about the stems of your bouquet. The size of your bouquet and the flowers you choose will determine the "hand job" of your bouquet. Certain flowers have really thick stems (lilies and tulips can have them, for example) while others are much thinner (mum varieties). I personally think that a bouquet you can't wrap your hand around looks ridiculous. Yes, there. I said it. RIDICULOUS. I mean seriously, folks. Are you caring a bouquet or a freakin' wide load parcel?
REALLY? What the hell is wrapped around that sucker?
Pretty, but definitely a two-handed job here.
Seriously gorgeous and way too big. Maybe if you're walking the aisle solo and don't have anyone's arm to hold onto, yes. Otherwise, no. How did she even keep this thing straight with one hand?
Am I crazy to think that these giant 2-handed deals are ridiculous? Should your bouquet weigh enough to use for last minute, pre-ceremony bicep curls? To be honest, I never even gave it a second thought when I planned my flowers. As I'm sure you all know, flowers weren't a huge deal to me, even though I still paid $1500. I loved the way the flowers of my bouquet looked, but I didn't like the stems or the hand job part at all. Here's a quick picture of them:
Jonathon Campbell Photography, natch.
See how the ribbon doesn't go all the way down and how the stems are kinda poking out? That annoyed me. Why? Because I was afraid that the stems, having sat in water, and by the sheer nature of what they are, might get something on my dress. You know, some sort of flower goo or ooze. No one wants goo or ooze all over their hand job, right?
I had given my florist the left over lace from my mom's mantilla that I made my veil out of. I wanted her to wrap the stems in it so that is was tight and thick (the lace, that is) and covered all the stem parts. I wanted it to look more like this, but with the lace and my grandmother's pearl pin.
Flowers by the wonderful Hilary at Brocade Designs.
There was plenty of lace left over for my florist to accomplish this, but I think she was thinking to use it sparingly as she only wrapped one thin little layer around the satin ribbon. And my grandmother's pearl pin was up way too high on the bouquet. I just didn't care for the hand job construction - that's all. And the lace didn't even really stay on all that well. It's a good thing I didn't really care about it. However, since hindsight is always 20/20, I'm going to share what I learned. Make sure you talk about what you want your hand job to look like with your florist. Think about the width and girth of your hand job, particularly if you have small hands. If you care about this, talk to your florist and be specific.
Your bouquet will be in your hands all of 10 minutes during the ceremony. You'll have it for pictures, of course, but as soon as you get to the reception, it will be totally out of sight and out of mind somewhere on your table. This is not a terribly big deal, unless flowers is your thing.
So have you given any thought to your hand job? Your FLORAL hand job, that is? If you've already tossed that bouquet, what were your thoughts? Did you talk it over with your florist or were you (un)pleasantly surprised? Do tell.
Designer, TruLu Couture
Blogger. Wife. Smart Ass.
9 Comments Share Article Email Article Print Article tagged Blog Fun, Bouquets, Flowers Permalink
Reader Comments (9)
This is too funny. Too many dirty references, couldn't stop laughing.
I have tried to talk to my florist about the size of my bouquet. I'm a little concerned she doesn't get that I want a really small one though. I don't want something big and bulky. Just a little nosegay. I'm starting to think I need to start shopping around for a new florist.
We did our own flowers, so I had COMPLETE control over this. As our bouquets were a bit small, the stems didn't leave much to hold on to ... so we added cut stems to widen it a bit. Each was made to a comfortable width of the hands that would be holding it. I think mine was widest, but I wanted to have something substantial to hold onto ... and was scared I'd break it in half!
Here's a shot before it was wrapped ... for reference: my bouquet
My bouquet width was perfect - Jasmin did a fantastic job and I could hold it with one hand the entire time. It wasn't too heavy for me, I only wish my photographer had gotten better pictures of it (among other things). I couldn't bear to let it go, so I dismantled it and pressed the flowers. I wish I had thought of doing that before the wedding and I would have read more about technique. As it was, I waited until the last minute and press them all willy nilly as the roses were starting to fall apart.
Hand jobs are very important to get right.
I made mine using a child's bath noodle, which made it both a perfect girth for one-hand-holding and soft yet smooth and firm (no lumpy or floppy hand jobs for me). If anyone is making their own bouquet, I highly recommend the bath noodle (much, much smaller than a pool noodle).
Ughhh... please don't even get me started on this topic. I only touched on it on my wedding blog recaps but I CUT OFF a piece of the satin sash from my gown & gave it to the florist so that he could match the color. I even gave him a swatch of the bridesmaid dresses to get a color that would coordinate (not match).
What'd we get? Gross, cheap "ribbon" (if you can call it that). I was livid!! Thankfully a friend had given me a pretty handkerchief to carry that day & I used it to squash the ugly bow & I wrapped it around my bouquet.
@Sarah - A bath noodle? For reals?
Yes! A bath noodle. I yanked the squirty toy off the top, stuffed the floral wire stems into the center whole and wrapped the whole shebang in silk and chiffon. It's very comfortable. (Note: my bouquet is made out of brooches.)
http://mysanfranciscobudgetwedding.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/diy-how-to-assemble-a-vintage-brooch-bouquet/
@Sarah - Just read that DIY. Genius! Bath Noodles with a Squirting Nemo almost makes me want to attempt procreation. ALMOST.
Love the bridal bouquet! The garden roses are gorgeous!
Wholesale Flowers Co