You've made your decision. You’ve selected the perfect flowers for your wedding centerpieces, bouquets and room decorations. But now what? To make the process easy and less stressful, Wholesale Wedding Flowers will take you through the process from ordering to displaying, and everything in between.

Ordering the perfect flowers for your occasion:

If you know exactly which type of flowers you want, nothing is easier than ordering them directly off our website. With the click of a button you can arrange for hundreds of fresh flowers to arrive at your door at just the right time before your event.

Customers who prefer more personalized service can call our expert floral consultants to arrange a floral package created with your unique needs, preferences, and financial limitations in mind. Our flower experts can process your order and ensure that the flowers will be sent to you on time.

Determining the quantity of flowers that you will need is a common question when ordering flowers. Unfortunately, there is no basic formula to follow. Quantity is highly subjective according to your taste and style. A centerpiece can be made up of an elaborate arrangement of every variety of flowers, or it can take the form of a single striking blossom. Some brides like a tight pomander ball bouquet, while others prefer ones that cascade. What you can calculate, however, is how many boxes you will need. Decide on a centerpiece, arrangement or bouquet idea that you like. Figure out how many tables will be requiring arrangements. Factor in flowers for the dais, as well as pews, alter, bouquets, and any other area that will be decorated with flowers. Once you figure out how many of each bloom will go into an arrangement, you can simply multiply by the number of areas you'll be decorating. A good trick is to order extra greens. This way, even if you are slightly off on your calculations, you can use these to enhance the arrangement, and your arrangements will still look fantastic.

Storing and Caring for your flowers:

Another important question to answer is what to do with your flowers when they arrive.

Once they have arrived, you will need to properly care for your flowers to ensure their longevity and freshness. Flowers need two things: water and air. Cut flowers will drink thirstily, and lukewarm water seems to be the best temperature (see below for some flower varieties that prefer cool water). Your cut flowers should be kept in a cool place; a fridge or cooler is preferable, if one is available.

• Cut the stems approximately 1" from the bottom at an angle, and remove any lower foliage that would fall below the water level.
• To the water, add the flower food that is provided with your flower purchase. Hollow stems like bells and larkspur need to be filled with water- not just placed into a bucket. Turn the flower upside down, fill the stem with water, and secure a cotton ball to the bottom of the stem before placing in water.
• There are several things that you should avoid bringing into contact with your flowers. Keep flowers away from direct sunlight. Ripening fruits and vegetables, car exhaust and cigarette smoke emit ethylene gas that is extremely toxic to most flowers. Avoid air vents and drafts. Don’t place flowers on top of anything that gives off heat such as a car hood or television. Don’t keep flowers in a freezer.
• Change the water every 1-2 days, trimming the stems each time. If you notice the water getting murky or cloudy, change it immediately, clean out the container thoroughly, trim the stems, and replenish with fresh water and flower food.
• Spray a mist upon the foliage, but not the blooms as this can cause fungus to grow.

Preparing and arranging your bouquet/centerpiece:

The time has come at last to bring your envisioned floral arrangements to life. If you have a few friends helping out, your flower arrangements may be able to wait until the night before, or even the morning of your event. Here are a few tips to use when preparing your floral arrangements.

• Make sure that you have all of your flower arranging supplies on hand before beginning.
• Decide before you've even made your purchase what your centerpiece/bouquets will look like. Sketch out a rough likeness so that you will have a model to go by.
• Trim away any unnecessary leaves, and cut the stems to the appropriate length.
• Use your green tape, hard wire, and other accessories to create the perfect shape, angle or design.
• Don't pack in the flowers. An overstuffed container doesn't allow the onlooker to appreciate the beauty of each individual flower. Even in a tight ball of flowers, care must be taken to arrange each blossom so that it appears as an entity of its own.
• Uniformity is the key to an attractive floral arrangement. Even if you are using a variety of flowers, you can incorporate this idea. Picture your arrangement as a whole unit and then divide the whole into three or four equal parts. When designing and arranging, incorporate each flower type into all sections of the whole. This will create a consistent theme throughout.
• Keep things in proportion. Experience has proven that it is best to keep the flowers' height within one to one and a half times the container being used. Anything longer tends to fall limply or overpower the arrangement.
• If handling lilies, you may want to remove the anthers to avoid pollen stains on the petals. Make sure to be gentle during this process.

Here are some specific tips for the individual flowers:

- Alstromerias prefer cool water, though warm water will promote opening if some arrive closed.

- Birds of paradise are shipped closed to prevent damaging. Place in warm water for half an hour, and manually open the blossom.

- Lilies are hearty drinkers so replenish their water supply often.

- Pompons prefer cool water as well.

- Greens need to be kept moist but not wet, and proper temperature control and air circulation is imperative. Keep them in a cool place that is well ventilated at all times. Check that the stems are drinking water on a regular basis. Floral preservatives can cause more harm than good to tree ferns and leather leaf, so fresh, cool water is preferable.

- Larkspur will arrive tightly packed. Loosen bunches for best circulation.

- When dealing with roses, keep as much foliage as possible (only above the waterline), as the leaves promote water circulation to the upper half of the stem and bloom.

- Snapdragons should be stored upright as they will naturally grow upwards and may become disfigured if stored at an angle.

- Statice should not be stored in water for long periods of time because this can turn the stems black. Instead, keep in a cool place such as a refrigerator or cooler, and avoiding getting the heads wet at all.

- Stock is tightly packed for shipping. Separate the clusters, and change water frequently.

If you have any additional questions about the care or arrangement of your specific flowers, please feel free to call our flower experts at 888-883-6840, or email us at any time.