Butterflies As Wedding Releases
Today, people are more conscious of protecting nature and are aware of things that are "environmentally correct". And since many wedding venues no longer permit the throwing of rice, birdseed or confetti, wedding guests are left wondering how they might shower their best wishes on the newly married couple. One of the newer trends in
wedding tossing is the release of beautiful butterflies. From the beginning of time, enchanting small children with
their special personalities, butterflies have the magical power of hearing wishes. What better way to convey one's congratulations and heartfelt wishes for the future, than releasing a mass of butterflies to
twinkle and dart through the air. I first saw these live at a beautiful Aspen Wedding, and I can tell you one thing: they make quite the impression!
Once you have decided to include butterflies as wedding releases, you will need to find a vendor. Legitimate butterfly providers usually follow a strict set of criteria when shipping out the butterflies. Specifically, they will not ship to areas that are too cold. The butterflies are normally sent only to areas in which they can thrive, and in which they are already existent in the natural surroundings. Further, the delicate creatures will be carefully and securely packed in order to ensure their safe arrival. In other words, they must arrive alive and in good condition. To maintain your butterflies, you keep the insulated cooler in a cool, dark area until they are needed.
Generally, once you have chosen a vendor, you will need to know how soon in advance the order must be placed. Butterflies are not something that can be purchased on short notice. Many vendors are the actual farmers, and they raise the butterflies, so they need to know in advance how many are required for their customers. Two months is usually a reasonable lead time.
Like many businesses that provide living beings, there are some vendors that do not follow the law or moral standards. Try to find farmers who are members of associations such as the International Butterfly Breeders Association and the Association for Butterflies.
One of the questions that brides often ask is whether or not they can request customized butterflies to match their theme or colors. This is not possible. Butterflies are the color they are and cannot be made. Usually, there are two different types of butterflies, however, available for releases. Monarchs are the bigger orange and black colored butterflies. Painted Ladies are much smaller, and have small white dots on the outer edge of their wings.
If pictures of the butterfly release are important, the Monarch is better because of its size, and because it does not flit all over like the Painted Lady. Also, Monarchs will fly up in the air and Painted Ladies like to land on the ground.
When choosing butterflies to watch while the guests are dining at the reception, special cages are available which can be dressed up to match the wedding's theme. Whether you use the butterflies as wedding releases after the ceremony or reception, you must release them well before dark so that they have time to find food and shelter.