Choosing your wedding flowers
Your choice of blooms adds so much romance and spectacle to your wedding day. They express your personality, adding subtle hints or sophisticated swathes of colour and fragrance into the room and will be captured in your wedding photographs forever.
Working with your florist
To inspire your florist and help them give you the best advice, go to your first meeting armed with photographs of your wedding dress and the venue plus any magazine clippings of flowers you like.
You'll also need to give the florist an idea of your budget, and your wedding date so they will know what flowers are in season.
A good florist should be able to take your ideas and your budget and suggest something that will fit with the style of your wedding.
Don’t forget, most florists need to be booked at least six to eight months ahead.
The bride's bouquet
Your bouquet should compliment you and your personality, and the style of your dress. Be sure to choose a size and style of bouquet that won’t overwhelm or be overwhelmed by your dress, for example an elaborate bouquet may be too much for a more simple dress.
Choose the flowers for your bouquet carefully with your florist, as some blooms don’t last all day and may start to wilt, especially if it’s hot.
If you are planning to toss your bouquet, consider having a second, smaller one to throw.
Your ceremony flowers
If you are having a church ceremony, check if they have a preferred florist. If you are free to use your own florist, why not consider arrangements that can also be used at your reception venue? Pew ends could be used to line pathways, larger arrangements used as table decorations and pedestal arrangements could adorn the entrance to your reception venue.
Your reception flowers
Your reception flowers compliment your theme and emphasise your wedding style. They can be chic and glamorous or casual and rustic. Your options are endless so if you’re not sure where to start, talk to your florist who will be able to give you some ideas.
Height always adds drama and works particularly well if your venue has high ceilings. Try to avoid head-height arrangements on tables where
guests are seated, as they can make it awkward for guests to talk to one another.
Consider table centres of different heights and designs to add variety, grouping vases of different heights together in the centre of each table with a mix of flowers or alternating flowers with clusters of large white globe balloons. Topiary or herbs in zinc pots tied with raffia, look and smell lovely and add rustic charm
You could even have individual floral favours or packs of seeds as your table decorations, each with a little note attached asking for your guests to take it home at the end of the evening.
Your choice of flowers
Flowers that are in season and locally grown are generally less expensive, last longer and are more “green”. If you have fallen in love with a particular flower that is expensive, use it sparingly and mix it with a less expensive bloom.
Try to avoid flowers that are short lived, especially for your bouquet or buttonholes. If you choose something delicate, use it in your table arrangements where it can remain in water.
If you're on a limited budget
Don’t forget, you’re also paying for the florist's time, so arrangements that require wiring or foam-based arrangements are more time consuming and therefore more costly.
If you’re working with a limited budget, consider a fruit arrangement or hand-picked seasonal garden blooms, loosely arranged in three different size jars as seasonal blooms are always the best value.
