Wedding Flowers

Aberdeen's Flowers is the oldest and largest florist in Chicagoland, with eight locations and a staff of 125.

In 1957, Jim Harney took a part-time job with a florist, 43 years later and 150,000 bridal bouquets later, his business continues to bloom as one of the largest suppliers of wedding flowers.

Harney has provided flowers for roughly 150,000 weddings, including those of Mayor Daley's son and Malcolm X's daughter. In fact, Harney provided 10,000 out-of-season tulips to the Johnny Carson Show for Tiny Tim's 1969 on-air wedding. He also masterminded "The Tricia Rose" for Tricia Nixon's White House wedding.

Harney has seen a number of wedding trends come and go over the years. And he says brides have gotten more particular. What's the "in" wedding look today? He says the black-and-white wedding craze is fading. Instead, dresses in pastels and natural tones are back, with names like maize, mint, cocoa, and malt.

As far as flowers go, roses and Princess orchids are in; carnations are very very out. The "garden look" - long-stemmed roses tied with a ribbon, is back in fashion.

Over the years, they have collected hundreds of stories. Such as: Aberdeen provided the flowers for Chicago's largest-known wedding, consisting of 76 bridesmaids and groomsmen. The walk down the aisle took a full 40 minutes!