TIPS FOR HIGHLAND MANOR BRIDES & BUTTERFLY BOUQUETS

Tips for Highland Manor Brides

Some Orlando brides are wondering what to do now that popular wedding-venue Highland Manor in Apopka has been shut down. Brides with bookings at the historical landmark are being urged to call the City of Apopka (407-703-1712; apopka.net) for further information. It is unknown if the City will be returning any deposits, but it’s worth the effort. It’s also time to focus on getting your new wedding location set up. If you are a Highland Manor bride or a bride who has also lost their reception venue for one reason or another, here are some tips for getting back on track to having the wedding of your dreams:

 
1 – Don’t Panic. Easy for me to say, I know, but now is the time to focus on getting your details reorganized.

2 – Contact your other vendors right away to let them know what is happening and that you are working to find a new venue. They’re in the industry and might have some good advice to offer as well as other venues to recommend. Tell them you’ll be back in touch once you have everything set.

3 – Make a list of venues and start placing phone calls (recruit family and friends to help). Be sure to visit Highland Manor’s facebook page, lots of venues have already been making posts that they will help accommodate brides in need (some even offering credits for “money lost”).

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Highland-Manor-Apopka/372003843645

You can also search our wedding resource guide at www.OrlWedding.com for venue options/ideas.

4 – Once you have your new venue locked in place, call all your other vendors back and let them know the new details.

5 – If your invitations have already been sent out you’ll need to spread the word to your guests about the new details (and any other specifics that might have changed: time, directions, parking, etc.). Start reaching out them in as many ways possible to ensure they get the new information: Post on your wedding website (if you have one, or set one up and send out the link), Facebook (and other social media outlets), email, via mail with a save the date kind of “invitation,” phone, etc.

6 – Remember, you’re marrying the man of your dreams, and this will be one of the most wonderful days of your life, no matter where it is!

Butterfly Bridal Bouquets

Here’s a unique take on the traditional bridal bouquet. It’s a stunning and an eco-friendly alternative to using real flowers  Fortunately floral butterflies come ready made on wire, so assembly of the bouquet is fairly easy to do yourself. And what fun to have bouquet making party with your bridesmaids! Here are a few easy steps to DIY butterfly bouquets.

1 – When selecting your butterflies, get varying shapes and sizes (like the sample in the picture), but make sure all the colors blend together and match your theme. See below for places to purchase floral butterflies.

2 – Get enough butterflies to replicate the approximate size you want your bouquet to be. Also get some wire scissors, white floral tape, glue gun, glue sticks and a matching ribbon – you’ll need these to complete the assembly.

3 – For assembly, start by grouping a few butterfly stems together at a time. Put them at varying lengths so the butterflies don’t crowd each other (see sample picture). Then tape each small group of butterflies close to the top where the butterfly bodies are.

4 – Once you have all your butterflies tied in several small groups, you can put them all together to make one large bouquet. Play around with the arrangement until it looks similar to the sample in the picture.

5 – Once you are pleased with how the bouquet looks, then you can tape all the small bundles together to create one “master bouquet stem.”

6 – Finally, wrap a matching ribbon around the stem for a nice finishing touch. Use a glue gun and/or pin to secure the ribbon in place once you’ve wrapped it completely around the stem. Be sure the ribbon covers all of your floral tape, you don’t want any showing through.

 
The best part about this project is that if you’re not pleased with the arrangement you can easily take it apart, fix and reassemble. This also makes a wonderful keepsake for after the wedding.
You can find some options for floral butterflies at Michaels (online and local stores), as well as floraltrims.com and jenlyfavors.com.