How long do hand-tied bouquets last out of water?

I am doing a friend's wedding and she wanted hand tied bouquets of asiatic lillies and white oriental lillies.





I have seen many wedding books and magazines and they're all hand tied and wrapped with ribbon only. (pls correct me if i am wrong.





I would like the comments/experience of florists and brides on hand-tied bouquets, and how long they last once out of water. This is so i can advise the bride if hand-tied is the way to go.. Thanks in advance.





PS. I am in Australia.

How long do hand-tied bouquets last out of water?
You didn't indicate your ability to tie bouquets.





First and foremost, you should be sure that the flowers are well hydrated and have been "cured" before beginning. Lillies are fairly easy to work with but should not be handled excessively or they will bruise.





When using lilles, i always suggest that they not be out of water more than 8 hours. This is the ideal....they generally can go beyond that. I have had bouquets last upwards of 12 hours and some even more than that. All of this depends upon the quality of the flower when it arrives (how open the lily is...if it has been bruised in shipment...if it has been properly cut and placed in proper water and environmental factors)





When I wrap bouquets, I usually put a damp paper towel over the top of the bouquet. The extra moisture helps the bouquet.





Hand tying is very fasionable right now, and if done right will last just as well as conventional methods.





Hope that helps! best wishes!
Reply:It depends on the type of flower. Some flowers are more fragile than others.
Reply:I am not sure on the heartiness of the lillies. I had orchids, etc. and they lasted throughout the next day...out of water. The biggest bummer was the ribbon started to let go by the end of the afternoon. If the hand tie is what she wants, just make sure the ribbon is overly secured. I have seen them hot glued to the stems. There are also plastic cups that have the florist foam *green styrofoam* that can have stems placed in the bottom and flowers in the top (with water added) to help them last longer.
Reply:Mine lasted all day - from about 8 am, and it was still in pretty good shape the next morning. In fact, my mother in law kept the bouquet for a week while we were on our honeymoon and she said it looked good for almost the full week (she just plopped it in some water)





My advice would be to choose the heartiest flowers you can find, but if your friend is set on more delicate flowers, there are two things you can do.





1. Insert the stems of more delicate flowers in water picks. You'll have to wrap the entire stem if you do this, but I think that looks nicer anyway.





2. Substitute high quality florists silks in their place. I desperately wanted peonies and lily of the valley in my bouquet, but my florist said they were expensive and VERY delicate, so she used floral silks mixed in with the fresh flowers. Nobody believed they were silks until they touched them!





Also, If the wedding day is going to be long and hot, consider making two bridal bouquets, so that you'll have a fresh one for photos.





Here are some sites to help:





http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk/...


http://www.favorideas.com/learn-about/we...


http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Hand-Tied-...