I hate those white plastic bouquet bases. You know, the ones that have a wad of soft green foam in the middle. I much prefer pretty hand-tied bouquets. For a variety of reasons, however, many brides don’t want to go the hand-tied route.

Enter the cone. I stumbled across this DIY guide on the Flower Arrangement Advisor earlier today while doing a search for unusual bouquets and immediately fell in love. There is simply something so earthy and sophisticated about the cone bouquet…even if the blossoms themselves do look like they are resting on a birds nest. Who knows? Maybe that’s part of the appeal of the cone.

Get your glue guns handy, people. Because from where I’m sitting (which is in front of my desk, incidentally), the cone looks like an easy-to-put-together alternative to other DIY floral arrangements.

How about something new for a new year? It’s new to me, anyway, as I’ve never heard of anything like it, and I know for a fact I haven’t written about it before. What is it, you ask?

Wooden flowers. Yes, that’s right. I’m talking about flowers made out of wood. A few weeks ago, if someone had asked me what I’d imagine a wooden bouquet to look like, I would have answered with a description of a “grandma tchotchke.” You know, like a bowl of clunky wooden tulips in an off-color garage sale vase. But I’d be wrong, because the wooden flowers I have in mind are delicate and pretty and look fabulous in photos.

The problem with these lovely bouquets, as I see it, is getting the bouquet made. For about $20, you can procure a hundred or so of these lovely faux flowers. So a wooden bouquet represents a fab DIY project. I’ve only come across a few shops selling wood bridal bouquets and wedding florals. These include Flowers of Wood, which has a small selection of bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres, and Bergo Designs, which seems to operate on a custom basis where wedding florals are concerned. Definitely worth a look, IMHO.

Photo by Joseph Harlan

The fabulous Sara shared a most ingenious littel tip regarding vendors with me recently. I can’t remember now whether she used this tip while planning her own wedding or only thought about it after the fact. Either way, it’s a real gem.

She recommends that brides-to-be program their vendor telephone numbers into their cell phones by category rather than vendor name or company name. That way, when the pressure is on and they need to consult their florist, DJ, caterer, or cake artisan, all they have to do is scroll through their contacts until they hit upon the appropriate keyword. Want even easier access? Program your vendor numbers into your cell phone’s voice dialing system! That way, you can just shout “TENT!” when you realize that your contract says you’ve reserved at 40-person tent for a 200-person wedding.

But why not take it one step further? Make sure you can reach your vendors with nary more than a mouse click by adding their info to your e-mail address book by category. Because, hey, what’s easier to remember? The simple keyword ‘florist’? Or MaryJsBloom.O.Rama@yahoo.com?

There are those of us out there who have a love-hate relationship with flowers. On one hand, fresh flowers are lovely, wonderfully scented, and add a touch of class to almost any occasion. On the other hand, they wilt, brown, and die. Quite quickly in locales with toasty weather year round.

In terms of your alternatives, you’ve got your silk flowers….but unless you buy the really fancy sort, you may find yourself feeling like you’re carrying a handful of plastic. Then there are paper and plastic blooms, which can either look stunning and original or like something produced in a kindergarten class. For the brave (and coordinated) there are glass flowers. I’d be far too afraid to carry those around, as I do not fall into that latter category.

According to Wikipedia,

A large variety of materials have been used in their manufacture by different peoples at different times, [including] painted linen and shavings of stained horn by the Egyptians, gold and silver by the Romans, rice-paper by the Chinese, silkworm cocoons in Italy, the plumage of highly colored birds in South America, wax, small tinted shells. More recent production methods use carved or formed soap, nylon netting stretched over wire frames, ground clay and mass produced injection plastic mouldings.

At the beginning of the 18th century the French, who originally learned the art from the Italians, made great advances in the accuracy of their reproductions, and towards the end of that century the Paris manufacturers enjoyed a world-wide reputation. About the same time the art was introduced into England by French refugees, and soon afterwards it spread also to America.

Fascinating things, faux flowers. But perhaps you are one of those unique individuals who both fears fresh flowers and has a master plant that doesn’t include faking it. In such a case, I would be quick to recommend freeze dried flowers.

FOR THE FLOWER GIRL: Freeze dried petals can be tossed and simply left on the ground if you’re outdoors. They are biodegradable, colorful, and won’t leave stains on fabric like some fresh rose petals.

FOR THE BRIDAL PARTY: Freeze dried blossoms are beautiful, come with the same benefits as the loose petals, and hold their shape (i.e. won’t start to sag) as the day wears on. If you’re worried about what random bumps will do to brittle blossoms, the flowers can be softened by allowing them to briefly bask in the steam in a bathroom with a hot running shower.

Calla lilies are kind of overdone where weddings are concerned, in my humble opinion, but I love them anyway. In art and some religious traditions, they symbolize purity of heart and of you-know-what, as well as virtue. Of course, if you go back a few thousand years, you find that calla lilies were also associated with lustfulness. Legend has it that when the goddess Venus saw the beauty of the lily, she caused the thick yellow stamen (wink) to grow up from its center (wink, wink), marring its perfection.

In the present, calla lilies represent a popular nuptial “theme” flower. Personally, I believe that themes are best applied to wedding decor in moderation, i.e. sparingly. There is only so far a theme will take you before your reception hall will start to look like a grade school classroom.

But, if you do for some odd reason, feel compelled to max out on a theme and your theme just happens to be calla lilies, you will find no shortage of wedding schwag to see you through.

Give your guests a botanical heads up with DIY white calla lilies invitation and note cards.

Then tell ‘em where to sit with calla lily place cards!

If you’re planning to hand out a wedding program–how else are guests supposed to know who the major players in your wedding are?–why not print it on creamy calla lily paper?

Don’t forget the calla lily unity candle! Wouldn’t want anyone to miss your theme, here!

And then finish off your floral look with a calla lily cake topper, like this porcelain design featuring a keepsake bottom.

These days, faux flowers need not look like something you picked up at the local dollar store. Even if sometimes they still do. A quick look around the ‘net tells me that there are plenty of stores selling beautiful silk blooms and stems at relatively low prices. If you’re good with crafts or know someone who is, why not try your hand at making your bouquet, your attendants’ bouquets, and your centerpieces.

The trick is to start with really beautiful silk florals and greenery. If you go for the cheaper stuff, your floral arrangements, handheld or otherwise, will almost always end up looking cheap. The good news is that even really nice silk blossoms are economical, at least when compared to the price of fresh flowers. Check out the stems at both Afloral.com and Pick Your Own Bouquet for prices. And they won’t wilt, which is good news for those brides-to-be planning summer weddings in tropical climes.

Before you buy any blooms, though, collect ideas. Books like Wedding Bouquets: Over 300 Designs for Every Bride and To Have & To Hold: Magical Wedding Bouquets can help you decide on a color scheme and style.

Once you know what you want, you can either get yourself a how-to book like Creative Wedding Florals You Can Make or consult one of the many fabulous sites offering step-by-step directions that will help you create beautiful bouquets (and more). I recommend:

The magnetic flower toy applet at Links 2 Love, which lets you create a virtual bouquet. Maybe not so useful, but fun nonetheless.

Corrina M.P.’s easy-to-follow guide to making your own bouquets at the Associated Content web site.

The more technical list of floral arranging directions at eHow.

And the Do it Yourself Directory at Anvente. Though, to view the directory, brides-to-be need to pay a fee, the price includes the guidance of a real florist who will answer any questions novice floral artists put forth.

Vegan to the core? Express your beliefs through your choice of bridal gear by walking down the aisle with a veggie bouquet. They’re attractive AND edible. Companies like Incredible Edible Bouquets and Veggie Bouquet can help you incorporate your love of vegetables into your wedding theme.

Remember designer Austin Scarlett? If you have no clue who I’m talking about, he was the fabulous prettyboy blonde from the first season of BRAVO’s Project Runway. Well Nina Callaway of About Weddings was lucky enough to meet Scarlett, and chat him up about his luxurious wedding gown designs and his experiences on Project Runway. Check out the interview here.

Don’t know your tanzanite from your topaz? Educate yourself at Jewely.com by browsing their collection of comprehensive articles and you, too, can learn to build a jewelry wardrobe from the ground up, judge diamond clarity, or buy the perfect baubles for your bridal party.