June 18, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



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THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



VEDDING BOUQUETS. 



It is ill the month' of June that the 

 average retail florist finds the widest 

 scope for the exercise of his artistic 

 talents, for wedding work is then most 

 plentiful. No matter how unpretentious 

 or how elaborate the wedding decora- 

 tion may be, the flowers are sure to 

 come in for critical inspecjtion. "Where 

 the individuality of funeral flowers fre- 

 quently is lost, not so with the stock 

 used for weddings, and only the best 

 of material can be used, affording op- 

 portunity for the display of each bloom 

 so that its perfection will be apparent. 

 In wedding work, too, there must be 

 variety to give the bouquets and decora- 

 tions distinctiveness — it will not do to 

 have the flowers the same for wedding 

 after wedding where many of the guests 

 are likely to be present at each event. 



It is for these reasons, as well as 

 some others, that a particular interest 

 attaches to illustrations of wedding 

 decorations and bouquets; they afford 

 an opportunity to study the work of 

 others and to think out variations which 

 may be employed on some similar or- 

 ders. The accompanying illustrations 

 are from photographs of some of the 

 recent wedding bouquets of W. J. Pal- 

 mer & Son, Buffalo, and are pleasing 

 examples of their kind. 



HOUSE DECORATING. 



The Flowers for a Wedding. 

 After arranging the plants in the 

 morning, make a note of what we will 

 need to finish up our decoration. Of course, 

 it is not always necessary to make a 

 note on paper; a mental note will do, 

 providing you have a memory you can 

 trust. It puts one in a mean position 

 when the time for the ceremony is near 

 • at hand and you must admit that you 

 forgot this or that. I have always found 



- it a good plan to inform the people 

 of the house that I would not return 

 with the flowers until a certain time. 

 This win eliminate all cause for worry 

 on the part of the bride-to-be and her 

 people. Then see that you are on the 

 job at the time set. Now, I know from 

 experience that some of the above will 

 sound like a waste of time, but I also 

 know from experience that it is the 

 little things that count. 



Although there i^ no set rule, it is 

 a good plan to finish the table first, 

 so the caterer can go ahead with his 

 work. Hardly two tables are ever deco- 

 rated just alike, so each florist must 

 ■ use his own judgment to a large extent. 

 Still, often your customer will have 

 some scheme to be carried out, or she 

 may have some good ideas which you 

 may not have thought of. Our table, 

 in this instance, we will say, is oblong, 



. while the wallpaper is green, which will 

 harmonize with almost any color. But our 

 order calls for a pretty, loose basket 

 of La Detroit roses, having a low handle, 

 as the chandelier in the room hangs quite 

 low over the table. The guests are not 



to be seated, a buffet lunch being served. 

 Avoid too large a basket; it looks 

 better to have some space for the eat- 

 ables, despite the fact that often there 

 are not many. See that the basket is 

 exactly in the center of the table, and 

 not a few inches off to one side. A 

 few long, delicate sprays of asparagus, 



We are also to furnish some flowers 

 for the piano and on a mantel. On the 

 piano a bowl or 1q,w vase with a large 

 mouth can be used to good Advantage. 

 For instance, if you are using peonies, 

 which are so popular at present, have 

 some of the stems shorter than the others 

 and arrange the flowers in such a way 

 that they produce a pretty effect from 

 below. 



On one side of the mantel we have 

 already arranged a group of ferns, so 

 we will place the vase of flowers to one 

 side. Two dozen long-stemmed Kaiserin 

 roses is what we have to work with this 

 time. Arrange them in a suitable tall 

 vase. A few nice sprays of Asparagus 

 plumosus between the roses look well. 



At this time of year you may often 

 be called on to arrange some garden 

 flowers you did not furnish. If this 



"Wedding Bouquet of White Roses and Farleyense. 



or some maidenhair fern laid with ap- 

 parent carelessness around the basket 

 will add much to the finished effect. 

 The prettiest effect is produced by hav- 

 ing the fronds of the greens protrude 

 from under the centerpiece. 



is the case you must do so cheerfully, 

 even though you do not receive pay 

 for it. A little favor at a time like 

 this may mean a lot at some future 

 time. 



I presume you now think you are 



