A Do-It-Yourself Tulip Wedding

Tulips have been prized since the 1600s, according to the National Gardening Association. While these flowers were originally available only to the rich, today tulips are affordable enough to include in any wedding. Tulips are available in a variety of rich colors and are most appropriate for a spring or summer wedding, though you may be able to find them in fall and winter as well.

Attire

When tulips are your theme, they should feature heavily in your wedding ensemble. For a simple spring or summer wedding, carry a bouquet of long-stem tulips tied with a satin ribbon. Using all one color will look a bit too plain; opt for a variety of shades in the same color family such as pinks and reds or blues and purples. For a more formal or winter wedding, mix calla lilies or peonies into your bouquet for a fuller, more luxurious look. Tuck tulips into the bridesmaids hair and pin a single tulip to each groomsmans lapel.

Food

While the petals of some tulips are edible, your guests may not want to snack on them. Sugar tulips, however, are both decorative and tasty. Buy premade from a bakery or ask your cake baker to make some for you. You can also make these flowers yourself if you take a cake-decorating course or find instructions online. Cover your wedding cake with these confections; arrange them between the cake layers or in a cascading style down one side of the cake. Sugar tulips also make sweet toppers for cupcakes, brownies or sugar cookies.

Favors

Trinkets like key chains and picture frames may end up in your guests junk drawers, but giving them tulips will give them something beautiful to appreciate once they get home. Tulip favors can also be affordable if you buy them in bulk at a garden store. Buy large pots of blooming tulips and replant each bulb in its own small pot. Decorate the pots with ribbon or paint and cluster them together at the center of each table so theyll serve as both favors and decoration. Since these favors require sunlight and water, put them together no earlier than the day before the wedding.

Petals

Separating your tulips into petals makes your flower budget stretch further, and scattered petals will make all aspects of your wedding look romantic and lush. Keep whole tulips in water until the day before the wedding, then gently pull the petals off each flower. Scatter petals down the ceremony aisle and in the centers of your reception tables and around the borders of your cake and guestbook tables. Float a handle of petals and some floating votive candles in large glass bowls of water for a striking and simple centerpiece.