I can't give you advice on conditioning the flowers, since I don't grow or use them. But, I use coffee cans in the fruit boxes with handles. I can put three or maybe 4 vases in a box. They're stuffed with newpaper to hold them steady.

Take the bouquets out of the water they're in about 10 minutes prior to needing them and use a small towel to try them off...that should keep the dripping to a minimum!

Good luck on the flowers...let us know how it goes.
Wendy

I would do some bouquets for a dry run and expose them to the conditions that they would get at the wedding and see whether they hold up long enough. I was warned that canna leaves may not hold up well enough so you would want to make sure. Pick your amaranth before it gets to the seed stage, and it will last for days in water. If it gets too mature it will drop seeds all over the table.

Thanks! I especially like to hear advice like "10 minutes prior": I wish the books would be this specific! The amaranth warning is good, too.

I did finally find two books that are pretty helpful about many of my flowers: "Flowers: The Book of Floral Design" by Malcolm Hillier, and "Garden to Vase" by Linda Beutler.

Now I'm trying to figure out which flowers will last for about 7 hours out of water because I want to place a few single blooms at the base of some statues from Thailand that the bride and groom want on each table. You'd think there would just be a list of "Flowers That Last Well Out of Water" in the books that describe making swags and garlands and Christmas tree ornaments (!) out of single blossoms....But, no, not in the books I've read so far. Any thoughts?

I am experimenting with the flowers that I have available right now. A Calendula lasts for days!

You could try putting the stems in water tubes (available at floral supply stores or possibly Michaels, etc.

They come in clear or green and can hold multiple stems. That would hold most flowers I think for the time you need.
Good luck!

I think the water tubes are a great idea. Also, I wonder if you could insert the bouquets, with ends wrapped in wet paper towel, into a small plastic bag. The whole thing could be enclosed by the hands of the carrier. Or you could use an opaque or metallic bag, so that it would all look like part of the bouquet.