Smell the Roses

     Since my sister lives out of state, my mom and I met last week with the florist here in town to discuss flowers for her December wedding. The florist told us that the typical bridal bouquet can run from $50-150 depending on what flowers are used. Here’s what I learned: large roses are elegant, yet delicate spray roses are cost-effective because there are more blooms on each stem. Queen Anne’s lace is the modern way to fill in empty spaces and complete an arrangement. Baby’s breath is so 1985. A strange looking Australian flower called kangaroo paw can be dyed and soaks up color well because it has fuzzy, velvet-like petals which resemble paws. Red berries can speak volumes, and always say “winter wedding.” http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/growingflowers/flowersandseasons/kangaroo-paw

     When it comes to centerpieces at the reception, it would only take two white hydrangeas to complete a display, but the same look could be achieved with several inexpensive white carnations. Wintery, ice-covered branches can be purchased and sold back after the wedding, yet only at half price. There are dozens of different types of vases, and all come in varying heights. These can be placed on mirrors and lit with either vase lights or flora lights, which are expensive, yet make the arrangements seem to glow magically: http://www.save-on-crafts.com/vaselights1.html


     Then, the shopper must choose bridesmaid bouquets, corsages for the mothers and grandmothers, and boutonnieres for the groom, his groomsmen, and the fathers. Next, comes the question of whether the flower girl will throw rose petals or carry a fluffy sphere of flowers which dangles like a handbag from a satin ribbon. Finally, will the wedding arch be covered in white lights, or decorated with red roses?

     I left this meeting with a mock-up of a bridesmaid bouquet, and a spinning head. There’s so much to do. So much work and planning goes into a wedding. Who knew that deciding upon flowers could be so involved? Although my mom and I had our favorites, I took dozens of pictures to email to Gina for her approval. The florist would have me believe that choosing the proper flowers is one of the big decisions in life; right up there with selecting a first house and naming the children. I have never had to select any of those, so who am I to argue?

     Just as the world seemed to revolve around this task, we were jolted back to reality. Our grandmother, who has lived alone since our grandfather’s death two years ago, fell on the cement patio in her backyard. Days later, a heart attack caused the father of the groom to be rushed to the hospital.

     It turns out that our grandma was merely scraped and bruised. Thankfully, she didn’t break any bones or hit her head. The groom’s dad was released from the hospital. His chest pain wasn’t caused by a heart attack, after all. He had a viral infection which caused the sack around his heart to become inflamed.

     These two close calls put life back into perspective. Ten years from now (heck, even ten months from now), no one will recall what the centerpieces had looked like or whether the bride’s bouquet included spray or full- sized roses. What we’ll remember is the look on our grandma’s face when she sees Gina in her wedding dress. We’ll carry with us the memory of the father of the groom dancing with his new daughter-in-law.

     I have been reminded that it’s the relationships we share that offer the truly important moments in life. When obligations and tasks seem overwhelmingly important, I hope that the events of this past week will make me slow down and spend time with those that I love. I’m actually headed to my grandma’s house now. Maybe we can visit her garden, and the two of us could take a moment to stop and smell the roses.

The Bridesmaid Bouquet