Guest Blogger :: Gina

I love flowers, it is what I do. But fresh flowers are so fleeting, so fickle and often so expensive. Is mentioning this career suicide? Maybe, but I am now officially in love with paper flowers. No more worrying about wilting, timing the life-cycle of a bloom just right, or a heat wave ruining my handiwork. Make all the bouquets, boutonnieres and decorations out of paper and it can all be done months ahead of time. Have a flower-making party with friends while watching Mad Men and drinking manhattans. Talk your mother into pitching in and spending her free time folding paper instead of laundry--it is much more fun.

Image courtesy of Craftstylish.com

These little white beauties would look great grouped en masse in a bouquet, or just use a few stems for a boutonniere or corsage. For more impact around a ceremony site, go for larger paper flowers, or giant paper poufs:

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

These poufs are so festive and fun, and can be re-purposed as reception decor. To bring color to the dining tables, make centerpieces out of paper flowers and put them in a vase just as you would fresh. Since the stems of paper flowers are not the most attractive part of the craft, choose a container that is opaque, or cover a clear glass vase with even more paper. A pattern in a complimentary color would be a fantastic choice.

The centerpiece shown below is so colorful and artfully done--damn you, Martha! I may just have to add "paper floral designer" to my resume.

Guest blogger Gina Niemiec is the owner of Fiori Floral Design in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Guest Blogger :: Gina

A CD of your favorite love songs ("Eternal Flame," anyone?), a heart-shaped wine stopper, chocolate bars with the happy couple's names on them...we have all seen these wedding favors show up time and time again. As an event floral designer, I have often dropped in after weddings and witnessed all the left over favors that never made their way home. Hence my large collection of slow dance numbers and a hefty candy stockpile. At a recent event held by Phoenix Bride and Groom, a fantastic company called Flipbook Memories set up shop with their mobile studio. This was my first introduction to the modern-day flipbooks, and it was a huge hit. Not long after, Cicely, the wedding planning diva, pulled together an event for a 50th birthday party (yes, she does those too) and also contracted the services of Flipbook Memories.

Check out the fun! Pictured below are Chris and Tammie Billey of Largo Photography, Cicely Rocha-Miller of Life Design Event Planning and her brother Nico...isn't he cute?

Image courtesy of Kelvin Photographer

Flipbooks have been around since 1882, when each frame had to be taken individually, and the printing process was time-consuming. Now, a video camera and a 10x10 space is all that is needed to create one-of-a-kind favors for your guests. Flipbook Memories sets up the area and backdrop, provides props (hats, boas, goofy glasses and signs such as "I love him THIS much") and lets the partygoers go wild. Grab your friends and relatives and make your own interactive video. The machine that is on site prints, cuts and binds the book, turning the silliness into your own favor within minutes. Flipbook can churn out 40 to 50 books per hour, so all of your guests can participate. Personalize the cover with a message and date of your event, and you can be sure that no favors are left behind.