I use all of the grass clippings, leaves, etc. that I can get my hands on. I've been known to steal the neighbors' bagged grass clippings out from under the nose of the lawn waste pickup truck driver more than once, believe me. There are few "disadvantages" to doing this, but a couple of things to think about: 1) if the lawn was freshly treated with herbicides, don't use these on herbaceous plants -- there could be some residual contamination. Allow a couple of weeks after a lawn treatment for this to diminish. When I treat my lawn, I use the first few cuttings to mulch around large trees or paths, places where I know this won't be a problem. 2) Athough they're pretty high in nitrogen, like any organic matter, the microbes in there can temporarily suck nitrogen and some other nutrients from the soil during the decomposition process. So, be sure to add a little extra fertilizer to the garden to compensate for this. 3) As they decompose, grass clippings can develop mold which can be a problem for people with mold allergies. So, if this is you, be sure to wear a face mask (the cheap paper disposable type) if you must dig through or disrupt the mulch after its down. 4) IF the lawn is full of weeds, uncomposted clippings may contain weed seeds. You'll have to judge that one for yourself -- if you lawn was white with dandelion seed heads when you mowed, you might want to compost this batch of clippings before using. Green clippings or dried, doesn't really matter a whole lot, either way is fine. Don't let the factors above scare you away from using a fine, free source of mulch and compost, just be aware of them.

If you cannot be sure your compost will get hot enough to kill the seeds throw the flowers out. I have seen dandelion flowers finish to seed even though the flower was picked off before that flower opened. I have not seen dandelions grow from my compost however and the flowers get tossed in frequently at this time of year.

Oh, what a geat idea, bedtime! The only way I have used (and very much enjoyed) dandelion flowers is by dipping them in an onion ring type batter & deep-frying them. Your use is ever so much more healthy!! LOL It is past their main flowering time now but all summer it seems I still see an occasional one popping up around the yard so now I will save and dry each flower in my dehydrator along with my herbs. Thanks so much for the tip!

Dandelions often rebloom in the fall, so there will be seed heads sometime before the wedding, but I am not sure if they will be ready in October. I suspect there will be, but I have never paid close attention to exactly when they bloom here in PA in the fall. If they are in season there will be enough of them that almost anywhere you are you could find wild ones and pick them. However, I agree with maifleur that they would be very hard to handle. Perhaps you could manage to get a small number into the reception area intact, but I doubt they would last long. Good Luck!