Also known as Moth Orchids for their wide side petals, Pha­laenop­sis orchids are sur­pris­ing­ly easy to care for and grow indoors. Blooms will last up to 2 months on the stalks and should re-spike every 8–10 months. These are good choic­es because they tol­er­ate low­er light than most oth­er types of orchids. These plants do like a con­stant tem­per­a­ture and don’t like to be moved too often, so pick a place in the home out of direct sun­light where it will also be out of the way of a heat vent or air con­di­tion­ing vent.
Expect to pay under $20 for small plant that has one or two spikes grow­ing. Keep the spikes attached to the stakes that came with the orchid plant. The stalks need that sup­port as the blooms open and become heav­ier. In you live in a dry cli­mate or your win­ter home is dry inside, mist your orchid dai­ly and plan on water­ing about once a week if you live in a dry cli­mate. Oth­er­wise, it’s best to make sure the roots are com­plete­ly dry between water­ing. Fer­til­ize about once a month and use orchid fer­til­iz­er at about a quar­ter strength the pack­age says to use (dilute it). Re-pot your orchid every oth­er year. Use com­mer­cial medi­um-sized orchid bark because it helps the roots dry out.  Every type of orchid requires slight­ly dif­fer­ent care, so if you plan on pur­chas­ing a dif­fer­ent orchid from Pha­laenop­sis, please con­sult the grow­er for care details.
If you want to use Pha­laenop­sis in your wed­ding bou­quet, it’s often cheap­er to buy entire plants to make up the bou­quet instead of cut stems. That way you can keep the plants after the wed­ding and have a your wed­ding bou­quet “bloom” every year!