I joined this club with a long, casual lead time but almost no planning. DS2 and his girlfriend of five+ years had been talking marriage for a couple of years now. They had their ceremony at City Hall while visiting here for the holidays. MOB and I wore jeans. My dog made off with one of FOB’s shoes and got chew marks in it before the ceremony. Bride and groom filled out paperwork while city staff helped a man with his voter registration and a woman registering her dogs. DH almost got a parking ticket. Wedding cake was an allergen-free recipe I’d never made before but DIL found on internet and wanted. I hand-drew their card from us while the dog was bumping her nose on my arm for attention. We pulled the details together as we went along and had great fun. DS2 and DIL were happy and surrounded by people who were happy for them. It was absolutely magical.
Congrats, @HouseChatte!
That sounds wonderful, @HouseChatte. Kept the focus on the couple’s joy and still left room for serendipity. Must have been fun. Congratulations.
One florist called us back yesterday. She was terrific. I’m talking to a second one on Friday…hopefully.
I have pictures for DD of what she wants…and we hope to make a decision.
Third florist…never called DD back…and I had contacted her several months ago, and she never called me back. She came highly recommended…but I’m not getting the feeling she doesn’t want my business!
@HouseChatte I just love it! Especially the dog’s participation, LOL.
HouseChatte - love your story. If your H had gotten a ticket, it could have become a memento.
thumper1- we waited months to hear back from one florist. One highly recommended florist! I thought all along that she just wasn’t into it but D wanted to wait. It was way over budget and we had to start over. Happy to say that D settled on another florist and is happy.
Now that it’s 2018 everything suddenly feels WAY more urgent!!! Getting nervous because we still don’t have flowers, invitations, a gown for my mom (and literally no clue what his mom is doing), or any of the male clothes.
Florist question - is it okay to order bridesmaids dresses without talking to a florist yet? I’m nervous about committing to a color before confirming the centerpieces. Also, if anyone has recommendations for bridesmaid dresses that are short sleeved but long length, please recommend! Having such a hard time finding more than a handful of options.
Short sleeves are hard to find. Maybe add a bolero jacket to a sleeveless dress?
Many of the department store websites let you search by dress length and sleeve style.
Congrats @HouseChatte !! Great story and wonderful memories. Best wishes for a happy life to your children.
We’re all 23-24 so I think a bolero looks too matronly, but I have been scouring the department stores! We’re leaning towards this! https://www.azazie.com/products/azazie-beatrice-bridesmaid-dress The only problem is I planned for the bridesmaids to be in light pink or light blue, but I think this dress looks better in the darker, richer colors. Not a huge deal but the whole color situation in general is making me all confused.
@rebeccar I think that dress is very nice in the light blue and pink.
Depending on what flowers may be in season can affect cost if you are very specific in your desires. I think you go with the dresses that look best; what is the wedding date? What do the bridesmaids want - if you present one color, are they going to like it @rebeccar ? Is your MOH in on this decision?
@rebeccar I think that dress is really pretty! I’m not much help on colors because I like most of the options. But I wanted to say that my daughter used that website for her bridesmaids’ dresses and they were great. The dresses all looked fabulous, were good quality, and are very reasonably priced. Good luck!
Not sure if rebeccar noticed, but on top of the dress, it said the dress is in high demand and will take longer to make, so you may need to make a decision soon.
D talked to several florists & found one that was perfect … but the quote was way too high. She went back to one of the other florists who had been very responsive & had given a reasonable quote. This particular florist didn’t quite have the style D wanted. D met in person with her, and they talked about how to achieve the look she wants at a price she is willing to pay. It meant using a particular type of rose rather than the peonies D wanted - but the ideas they came up with look lovely, D is happy, and the price is acceptable. In D’s opinion, responsiveness to emails & willingness to discuss alternatives were the most important factor in choosing her florist (well, along with price!).
My coworker just went with the florist who does our events at work for her D’s wedding. Yup, he is good … but he costs WAY too much!! 
I’m the feet on the ground here…these florists all have my phone and email as well as DD’s. So far, one has called with excellent details…and good responsiveness. One sent me an email saying she could meet later in the week. I responded that Friday would be fine…waiting to hear back.
DD has not heard from either of them!
A third promised to get back to DD last week…and didn’t. Too bad because she came very highly recommended from two friends who used her. This is the one I contacted in the fall who never got back to me…at all.
Anyway…we are having very not fancy flowers…bouquets for Bride and attendants, garlands for the tables (to be used with candles), and a few vases of flowers for the guest book table, memorial table, and bride/groom table.
We are having planters for outdoors, but these are being done by our CSA grower!
@kelsmom Is your daughter using cabbage roses? I love those.
@rebeccar – lovely dress. I like the royal blue color, but am sure whatever color you choose will be lovely as well.
@rebeccar It’s hard to tell about color on a computer screen, isn’t it? I think several of the pinks are nice, but I’m not crazy about the blues, personally.
BHLDN has some pairings of tops with skirts or under dresses that are a bit on the sophisticated side and could be worn again, together or separately:
https://www.bhldn.com/bridal-party-bridesmaid-dresses/kenzie-top-louise-skirt-blush
They also have some sweet, youthful dresses with sleeves, like this:
Are you looking for something with sleeves for the ceremony/modesty requirements, or just because everyone doesn’t want bare arms? The Erica set has a gorgeous strapless tulle dress underneath…top could be removed…just saying’ 
I’d carefully read reviews on mail order dresses. Our D was a bridesmaid and she and another bridesmaid had to order and KEEP two dresses AND have the dress greatly altered to fit. The “custom” dresses that they ordered didn’t fit AT ALL and the dress site was terrible to work with. It was a very bad experience. D doesn’t believe she will ever wear either dress again and doesn’t think anyone will fit either dress either. 