Hmmm, that could be hard depending on how many you need. I've heard of people actually renting flowers from a florist, but I'm not sure how that would work. Whole foods has orchid stems for sale and if you tell them the date of your wedding they will special order for you. Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion!

I actually found that aloha orchids sells orchids in bloom in bulk, around 20-25 for $200-$300, depending on the flower. If we had 25 tables, with 3 orchids on each table that would be about $600... is that crazy for centerpieces?

That seems really great. Though, our wedding will not be for another 2 years or so -- possibly July 2010... which brings me to another question: Is it impossible for orchids to be in bloom in summer?

If you can find a supplier, Alieliza, there is nothing standing in your way beyond getting the orchids safely to the tables on time.

About 6 years ago, in July, I attended a Hawaiian theme birthday/anniversary celebration for which one lovely pink Phalaenopsis plant graced each of about thirty tables. Each tastefully decorated plant had a couple of open 2 1/2" flowers and more buds to come. One orchid per table was sufficient on that occasion. They were beautiful.

You might consider giving the responsibility for supplying the orchids to your florist. You would pay for the service, but supply and quality control would be two more things you wouldn't have to do yourself.

Sweetcicely

I kind of agree with sweecicely. Importing blooming plants is risky. inevitably, even with the best packing, fully bloomed orchids don't travel well. there always seem to be some bruising.

at the costco's here, one can ask them to order a certain quantity of roses, and they sell orchids too, so perhaps they would do that for orchids too.
sue

Carmela Orchids also sells spiking and budded orchids in quantity ~

http://superpageshosting.com/carmelaorchidsnet/spikingandbudded/

~ no promises at what stage the spikes happen to be, but I was always pleased with their plants and shipping.

Jeanne

any decent wedding planner/florist will get you a large number of blooming orchids (or any type of flower) at any time of the year for a wedding. The only issue is cost.

Spend the extra money and hand all the responsibility to the florist. As Toyo2960 said you can't rely on mailorder nurseries to send you unblemished stock. Weddings are problematic enough without actively looking for something to awaken bridezilla.

Alieliza,

Go to Orchids.com, or Norman's Orchid.com. I've ordered orchids in bloom that were shipped in January to W.PA & they arrived with heat & moisture packs & were in good shape.

They sell all types of orchids that bloom in all seasons. They also have some great links. And contact the AOS (American Orchid Society) in FL.

Since you have about 1 1/2 years to work with, I would purchase plants that are 1 - 1 1/2 years away from blooming. Their website tells you the time needed to bloom.

This will be the least expesive way to do it, BUT...can you grow them? Do you live in a temperate zone, or have a greenhouse? Do you have gardening friends that would look after some of them? I bet that if you contacted the AOS, http://aos.org/aos/
they might be able to arrange some sort of gift package from their numerous members.

Smart of you to ask now,

Kevlar

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchids.com

zuma canyon orchids will be your best bet for a large quantity of blooming plants. how ever since they only do bulk and commercial orders i have no clue as to their prices. plus they mainly specialize in phals

Gaston

My vote hands down in Carmela Orchids. Even if they don't have a special listed on their web site they can provide what you need. I think I'd call ahead and talk to them. I also think I'd order a few extras just in case a few don't meet your standards. I would also probable ask to have them delivered a short time before the event. That way they could open in your home. Just remember that some orchids bloom for only a couple of weeks (some of the catts.) while others (phals. and SOME of the dendrobiums) bloom for a couple of months.

Hi. In previous lives, I've had a large wedding, been the bride's right hand for a couple more, and been an event planner. My suggestion would be to keep you and all friends and family members away from the Phals, except to pay for them later. :)

To accomplish that, you could

1. see what options the wedding planner has, if you're working with one
2. rent them through the florist, as Texasopt mentioned, letting the florist receive and store them and cart them to and from the reception. Because the wedding planner and florist do this all the time, they have relationships with suppliers whom they trust.
3. check out some of the growers mentioned here. If you decide to go with one of them, have the plants delivered to the florist
4. have a back-up plan w/ the florist, in case something messes up w/ the grower

If the Phals are sent to you or a buddy/relative, someone will need to wait around to accept delivery so they're not sitting out in the weather, unpack them carefully and make sure they're all okay, deal w/ the grower or the florist close to the last minute if they're not, put them somewhere safe from kids and pets w/ enough room and adequate conditions (mainly temps in the summer) and care (maybe watering, maybe not, but your buddy/relative might not know) for x number of days, then pack them up so the flowers are safe, transport to the place, unpack with care, put on the tables, or leave them for those who will do that.

This last step can get time-consuming and harrowing, if say, you want to drop them off early in the day, and no catering staff is around yet. What do you or your buddy do with them, and how do you make sure they get put on the tables? They can't stay in the car, unless the weather's cool, but someone has to come back either way, and everyone's on the countdown.

And then there needs to be a plan for the Phals after the reception.

If you were having a garden party rather than a wedding, this would be a bit of a logistical consideration for you. With a wedding, numerous other things will need attention at the last minute. In my opinion, with the possibility of emotions running high, you'd be doing yourself a big favor by passing this one off to people who can do it in their sleep.

Oh, and congratulations. :) Whitecat8