Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Roses anyone??

Ashley tagged me a while back to tell this story. And well, I think enough time has passed that it may be safe for me to disclose just how I got all the beautiful rose petals that were thrown at my wedding reception exit.



I hinted at it in this post. But Ashley felt it deserved a better spotlight, and I'd have to agree. You see, months before my wedding when I began the preparations...you know, the dress, the other dresses, flowers, photographer, cake, etc... All those things you must do in advance. I had decided that instead of rice or bird seed or bubbles, that I wanted rose petals thrown as we left the reception. I had seen this done at someone's wedding and I absolutely loved it. It was a smaller wedding than mine, but I thought it would still work for mine.


So, as I told those around me this idea, EVERYONE told me "oh, that'll be so easy to do." Everyone I knew and some I didn't know proceeded to tell me that Flower shops and florists would just GIVE me their "spent" or "blown" roses. The ones that were opened up too much for them to sell. Everyone kept saying, "like the week before your wedding, call up a bunch of shops and tell them you want their spent roses and they'll just give 'em to you."


So, like an idiot that is what I did. I just took everyone's word for it. I went on the several month journey of planning a wedding and left that detail to the week before my wedding. I had no backup plan, I just rested in that it's what everyone told me!

My best friend Ashley comes up for the whole week before my wedding to help me with those last minute things that can't be done until then. She stayed the entire week with me and was SUCH a huge help! Anyway, we proceeded to do things like, get my bridal portraits taken, buy the food for the reception, freeze punch ingredients, dumpster dive for rose petals, decorate the church, ball melons.


Yes, you heard me correctly. DUMPSTER DIVE FOR ROSE PETALS. Let me explain.


On the Monday before the Saturday of my wedding, I did what everyone told me to do. I called EVERY florist and flower shop in the phone book in a 5 city radius. NO ONE was willing to just GIVE me their spent roses. They wanted me to BUY them. Gosh, that's a marvel idea--a flower shop wanting to SELL flowers?? Who ever heard of such a thing!


Not only did they want me to buy them, but they wanted me to buy them at a very expensive rate. I can't remember the exact dollar, but I know that they would sell only a small portion of them, like a ziplok baggy full, for WAY more than they were worth. Plus at this point, my wedding budget was spent.


ONE florist I called told me that and I asked what they do with the petals if no one buys them. They proceeded to tell me that they decorate their PARKING LOT with them or throw them away. My response? "Wouldn't you rather them be used at my wedding that under the tires of cars?!" They didn't find that amusing or convincing.


But, "throw them away" got us thinking. At dark, we could just go to the dumpsters behind these florist shops and get the roses that they have thrown away. GREAT IDEA!


So that is exactly what we did. For two or three nights in a row. We went to like I don't even know how many florists, I know probably around 5. Each night we went to 1 or 2. Because it took us that long, and because we were TERRIFIED!!!


We were at this one florist, and we were in their back alley--the back alley was VERY scary. I think we were standing on something to try to reach into the dumpster, because, well, we're both short. And into the alley we see headlights. We immediatly duck down and hide. In comes this very scary looking van. You know the kind they have in movies where they are kidnapping someone. We were really freaked. I think they just turned around and left. Of course, we're dying laughing at ourselves, because even we realize how crazy it was.


When we started, we were opening up trash bags and looking for the roses. By the time it was all said and done, we were just taking the trash bags we saw roses in and putting them in the car. We took them back to my apartment and sat on my front porch and pulled rose petals off of every rose in those bags. Now, I know what you're thinking--GROSS right.


Not really, the bags we took really only had flowers in them, there wasn't really any othe trash in there, just whole boquets of roses in the trash---and they wouldn't even give me the petals! I showed them ;-).


We managed to get quite a bit of petals, but not quite enough. I was able to buy the remaining petals at a decent rate from a local shop owner who I think felt sorry for me. lol.


So there is the story of how I got the rose petals for my wedding reception. It was well worth it, they were very pretty and I loved them!!!






And only a best friend would endure something like this with you, remain you friend afterwards, and be willing to laugh about it years later....THANKS FRIEND!!


15 comments:

Jessica said...

I remember that day like it was yesterday! Amanda and I chatted it up while we served your cake! : ) I'm so glad you came to my wedding and I could make it to yours! Let's go dumpster diving behind Kirklands! We could get lucky! : )

Christy said...

That's the coolest wedding story ever!

Mandy said...

It is so funny what we go through for our wedding days! That is such a funny story!!

Kimberly said...

What a hillarious story and great memory! That is a true friend!!
They sure made for gorgeous pictures!!

The Hickmans said...

Oh my word!! That beats any other wedding story I have ever heard! You are one brave chicky-do!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, that is wonderful story. I wonder if you guys were laughing as you were climbing out of those dumpster's? Thats great to figure out a way to have the wedding you want.

Anonymous said...

So so funny and such a great memory maker. I laughed out loud while reading this and Gracie, my daugher, asked what I was laughing at so I read it to her. We both ended up on the floor laughing hard. By the way Gracie said, " I like Brandy and she has a pretty daughter...like me." So now I am laughing even more. Thank you,
karen blackstone

Staci said...

I LOVE this story Brandy!! What a great memory between you and your friend. Those are best kinds :) And it was worth it...it was beautiful!

Leah said...

That is hysterical!!! I was cracking up reading that story!!!

Anonymous said...

this seems like a pretty good idea, i think it's reasonable and wise not to spend that much for flowers just meant to be thrown around.

ashleydiggs said...

I had so much fun doing it then, am laughing about it now, and am ready to find another reason to go dumpster diving soon!

Tasha said...

Thank you for sharing that! Isn't crazy how one big day is full of other memories!

Meredith said...

What a funny and special memory! You were a beautiful bride. :)

Suz said...

That is hilarious! I am helping one of my friends plan her wedding right now! I will definitely suggest she go dumpster diving the week before! Too funny!

Thanks for your comment regarding your bloggy design! You are so creative! I was reading random blogs earlier and could tell where you have left your creative touch! How much do you charge for it?

Anonymous said...

Great idea!...but why didn't you follow thru and get the wedding food the same way?