How to Plan Your Wedding with Online Resources?

Considering the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin, ‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’, nothing can come close to this reality compared to a wedding. Believe you me, an unplanned wedding is nothing but a terrible memory which will last and haunt you forever. Wedding is a very important event for anyone and it should be treated like one. If you do not plan for it, you will surely exhaust yourself with no progress plus lots of frustration that may result in a bad experience.

There are several online wedding planners which provide you with wonderful tools and resources to plan your upcoming event in a managed fashion. They are actually a blessing for the new couples as it helps them in sorting out the important stuff and create a checklist that will help them during their entire event. From guest invitation lists to flowers ordering, everything can be managed with these tools by using their user-friendly web-based dashboards. All you have to do is take advantage of these wedding planning tools and formulate a great wedding plan which will navigate you through your wedding without any issues while these websites give you  fascinating wedding ideas and tips too.

If you are not into ‘internet’, which is strange by the way, you can always go for a local wedding planner who can manage your wedding. The local can wedding planners help you with contacting the vendors, tracking guest lists, decorating the venue and most importantly they ensure that everything goes as it is supposed to do. If it is going out of your budget to hire a professional planner, try and search for a person in your family or friends who are good at planning parties. Ask them nicely (or you can use force them if you have to) and they will be more than happy to help you with your wedding plan.

There are several websites which are offering you online wedding plan checklist. This is such a great help as it will give you crystal-clear idea about what you have to do and when you need to do it. Normally a wedding checklist is broken into 12 or 13 parts based on the time due in your wedding. It usually starts from 12 months or more and drill down to the 1 day before your wedding, your wedding day and the post-wedding day. Each section has its own specific tasks that you need to do in the respective time. For example, when your wedding is just 2 months away, you start sending out invitation and must finalize the arrangements with the vendors. In the same way, you should start making wedding favors and finalize other details like ceremony music, legal documents, etc. You can print that checklist and paste it on your fridge or any other place where you can see it once a day at least. By following the checklist, you will make your wedding a pleasant and a memorable experience for not only yourself but for others too.

Unique Wedding Favors

While browsing online recently I came across Chic Wedding Favors and was really impressed with their wide variety of  wedding favor ideas.   There were items I would have never thought of to use as wedding favors like mint tins, coffee, kitchen, personalized, wine wedding favors, and wedding favors with a bath or candle theme.

My favorite wedding favors are the ones with a garden theme like the Gerbera Daisy and the Painted Wedding Daisy mint tins or the pink and white lanterns. The mint mint julep cups are also nice for arrangements and so are the mini favor vases and sandalwood fans.

If your wedding has a theme like a beach themed wedding or an asian wedding then you can be sure to find wedding favors to match your theme at Chic Wedding Favors.   Wedding favors are also available for Indian,European, rustic, nautical, fall, and winter themed weddings.

What is your favorite unique wedding favor idea?  Please leave me a comment below to let me know.

Peonies Mothers Day Gifts

We receive many requests for peonies for Mothers Day each year.   Unfortunately our peony season starts usually in very late May or early June so we never have peonies for Mothers Day.  We have some customers who have us send peonies for overnight delivery to their Moms in June. Their Moms love peonies and totally understand the reason for the lateness of the Mothers Day gift.

I was shopping online today and came across this fabulous Peony Pleasures gift basket, now that would make a nice gift for Mothers Day in absence of real peony flowers.


Art of Appreciation Gift Baskets Peony Pleasures Spa Bath and Body Care Package Set

Peonies Grown In Michigan

Bridgewater Gardens is a Michigan peony farm located in Southeast Michigan not too far from Ann Arbor, MI. The inspiration for our farm comes from the 5 acre peony garden at the U of M Nichols Arboretum. We modeled  our first peony garden after a visit there in 1995.   After that we kept expanding the garden and adding more varieties of peonies. 

In 2002 we had peonies coming out our ears and did not know what to do with them all.  We decided to call some local florists and restaurants to see if they wanted to buy some.  Almost everyone we called wanted to buy some or our beautiful peony flowers.  The next winter we set up a website and figured out how to ship the peonies overnight.

We have planted more and more peony plants each fall since then and today we have somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 plants.  We have literally lost count at this point.

Our customers include wedding florists and brides and their wedding parties.  
We have also shipped peonies for funerals and we have some regular customers who purchase peonies for their own enjoyment each year.

Each year we have many brides who are having DIY wedding flowers come to pick up their peonies wedding flowers. Sometime if the bride is too busy she will send her family or friends to pick up the peony flowers and that is fine too.

Our peony season in Michigan is the month of June although some years we have flowers in late May and sometimes the peonies season will go into the first week of July.

We are a very easy driving distance of about one hour from Detroit, Southfield, Farmington Hills, Livonia, Dearborn, Jackson, and even Toledo, Ohio.

Peonies Wedding Flowers

Fresh peonies wedding flowers are available from Bridgewater Gardens in Saline, Michigan for June 2014 weddings.   Please visit our website or contact us.

Trends in weddings come and go. Wedding flowers, dresses, accessories and cake flavors all take turns at the top of the list as changes in tastes and styles wander from year to year. This year, one of the most classic, traditional flowers is back in vogue, the Peony flower. This wonderful bloom has been spotted all over the country in weddings as diverse as they come, from traditional to unconventional, romantic to quirky. They have also been used widely in celebrity weddings, solidifying their trending popularity. But what makes a Peonies wedding so popular and outstanding?  

People throughout the last 2000 years have been drawn to this magical flower for it's gorgeous looks and medicinal properties. Peonies have been painted, weaved into tapestries and sculpted for centuries as their beauty is inspirational and undeniable. Peonies are a gorgeous flower with feminine, fluffy blooms that are extremely full and fragrant. The ruffled petals are jam packed in each head, making a wide, stunning bloom. Colors are romantic, ranging from fresh white to deep crimson and everywhere in between.  A single peony can fill out an entire arrangement, and the buds can be used for whimsical decorations in bouquets, centerpieces and even boutonnieres for the men.  These flowers are perfect to add romance to any wedding, and especially fit in well with vintage inspired weddings, another huge trend in the bridal world.  Vintage touches and Peonies go hand in hand as the blooms inspire classic, traditional images of femininity and primness.  

Another reason Peonies weddings have surged in popularity is due to the flower's ease of use in decoration.  They mix well with other traditional wedding flowers, and their large faces help to add dimension and richness to mixed bridal bouquets, making them look fuller even with less flowers. This can help you save money as arrangements can look lavish and full with less flowers overall.  Also, the wide array of romantic colors available mix well with any color theme. These flowers are easily handled and stored, and their long stems make them ideal even for DIY brides that plan on creating their own bouquets. Unblossomed buds can also be used to add a unique decorative touch to arrangements.  

For the DIY bride, peonies as a wedding flower is ideal.  They can be ordered and delivered directly from Bridgewater Gardens to your personal wedding florist that will add them to your floral arrangements, or to your own work area for you to arrange before your big day. 

Bridgewater Gardens offers the freshest, most outstanding Peony blooms, and they are expecting a magnificent crop this year as they flourish when the Michigan winter is frigid, as this winter has been.  Orders are shipped directly from the peony grower, and they are cut and shipped the same day to ensure the highest quality, freshest peonies possible.  If you're looking for a way to add class, femininity and romance to your wedding, especially if you'd like to arrange your own bouquets, peonies wedding arrangements are in a class all their own.  Consider using these fragrant, lavish flowers for stunning bouquets and arrangements.  

2014 Peonies Season

The 2014 Peonies Season is almost here! Bridgewater Gardens is officially taking orders for peonies wedding flowers for June 2014 weddings. Since the peony flower bloom is very dependent on the weather we are taking orders for weddings or other special events that take place starting on June 7 and going through June 28.

It is very possible that we will have some peonies flowers available earlier and later than these dates but it is impossible to predict. To see our previous years peony bloom dates please see our peony page If you scroll down a few screens you will see the peony bloom dates for about the past ten years.   Please note that we still need to add the peony bloom dates for 2013 and will do this soon.

Peonies flowers need at least 600 hours of below freezing temperatures each winter in order to make nice peony flowers. We have had a brutally freezing cold winter this year with tons of snow so we are expecting some fantastic peonies this year. In fact this is our worst Michigan winter in probably at least 25 or 30 years. Living through the Michigan winters is worth it when you can see the peonies bloom in June each year.


If you need flowers for your Michigan wedding and are in driving distance of the Ann Arbor area then you are welcome to pick up your peonies and there are no shipping costs.  We are located:

• 15 minutes southwest of Ann Arbor
• 1 hour west of Detroit
• 1 hour north of Toledo
• 1 hour east of Jackson

Each year many of our brides do pick up their wedding peonies.  We can have them ready in 5 gallon buckets when you arrive.   For Michigan cities that are not within driving distance we can also ship Fedex overnight to Michigan locations.  Fedex charges within Michigan start at about $35 for delivery or 3 or 4 dozen flowers by 10:30am the next day to most cities within Michigan.  For quantities larger than 3 or 4 dozen the cost goes up a few dollars per dozen.

For the 2014 peony season we will begin shipping peonies for weddings starting on Wed. June 4 for arrival on Thursday June 5. Our last peony deliveries will go out on Wed. June 25 for June 28 weddings. Our peony delivery dates are subject to change based on weather conditions so just check with us as your wedding date approaches.

The best ways to get in touch with us to get a quote for your peonies wedding flowers is to use the contact form on our website.  Or send us e-mail at info at bridgewatergardens dot com

Design Your Wedding

Weddings are once in a lifetime experiences and an event that is well imagined and dreamt about by one and all. Nobody wants to mess up this much-awaited day and couples planning it together get a good opportunity to spend time together and better understand each other. Going into every detail of the event together can turn the event into a grand success and this is possible at any budget. A detailed plan and accurate execution is easily achievable if a proper design board is in place. Right from customizing invitations to décor, menu, cake and theme that is close to their hearts can all be arranged without having to cough out a lot of money to wedding designers. A little bit of effort and personal touch to the entire plan can do wonders. 

Design Your Wedding - Planning your wedding day is not necessarily only to cut costs. It being the most special day in any adult’s life, personalizing it will definitely make it a more memorable one. In the process, a hands-on plan also helps save a few bucks on unwanted expenditures. While almost everything can be personally arranged if you can plan it out and have good friends and family to help execute it, try your hand at only those things that you are confident of managing. While too many cooks spoil the broth, too many suggestions can make a flop show of your special day. Sit down with your partner and get a rough idea about what you both expect. While there are enough resources available on different websites and service providers in each category are listed on search engines, some asking around can help shortlist the best in each category. Friends who have recently married can give the best feedback about caterers and decorators. 

The best way to go about planning your wedding is to collect enough information about each category, discuss with your partner and then finalize the plan. Its best to trust the experts with catering, your wedding cake, and photography while you can personally decide on the menu, color preferences for the decorations, seating arrangements and invitation designs. For the enthusiastic, they can even get their invitation card custom made with simple kits available in stores. A lot of time goes into deciding on the décor, and this is an important aspect of wedding planning. It is one of the main aspects that make the day special. Thematic settings are very popular and coordinating wedding dresses with it only adds glamour to the event. Getting a dress code for the guests is another aspect to make it extra special. But for people to enjoy the concept keep the theme rather easy and simple. Nobody wants to spend a lot of money buy clothes just for one single event. Keep the décor as natural as possible to add some sophistication. Natural flowers make the setting more elegant. While the choices in location are plenty from ballrooms to gardens, beaches to castles, even the backyard of your home can be transformed into a beautiful setting for you to take your vows.  It is one special occasion that nobody wants to get it wrong, and to achieve best results prioritize things that need expert help and those that can be managed by self. The right balance of this will give best results and help save a few bucks as well.