Picking
Your Wedding Flowers
Picking the flowers for your wedding is a significant
part of your wedding plans. They subtly bring
beauty and elegance to your wedding day and can
tie your colour scheme together. They also bring a soft romantic
ambiance to the overall surroundings at your wedding.
Choosing Your Flowers
When choosing your wedding flowers,
choose different flower shapes and colours that compliment each
other. There is quite a diversity of flower and
bouquet variations available to you. Ask your
florist if you can see some actual examples or
pictures of the flowers available and of bouquets
they have made in the past. Don't forget there are many ways of
using flowers, everything from bouquets,
baskets, even using them in your hair. Be creative, look through
bridal magazines, surf the internet and talk
to your florist to get ideas. If you choose flowers that are in
season at the time of your wedding it will bring
down the cost of your flowers considerably. Ask
your florist about what flowers are most available
at the time of your wedding. When you have your
consultation with your florist bring with you
all your clothing fabric swatches and any samples of things you
will be decorating with. This will help your florist
match and coordinate with your wedding colours.
You may wish to choose your wedding
flowers 
by
colour, size, 
shape,
or maybe you just have an absolute favourite that you want to
use for your wedding. Many years ago people would
use the meaning of flowers to help them communicate
their feelings for one another. Some couples decide to use the
meaning of flowers to add sentimental significance
to the flowers around them on their wedding
day. Most people are not aware of the meaning, but what truly
matters is the implication to you. Just like meaningful songs
played on your wedding day that will help you remember your wedding.
The flowers you wear, carry and decorated with
to bring romance into your wedding day, will
always be something you remember. If you wish to use the meaning
of flowers, link to our Meaningful
Flower List to help you choose the
right flowers for you. We have included some
of the more popular flowers that have wedding
related meanings.
Remember
to keep the flowers to scale when choosing the flowers
for small children in your wedding party.
Choose smaller delicate flowers so they don't
look awkward up against their small bodies. For the women you
want the bouquets to frame their hips. Keep in mind their body
shapes and sizes when discussing flower options with your florists.
For example taller Brides suit long cascading
bouquets more than Brides that
are shorter.
Fresh flowers take a
little care. It's best if you can have the florist
take care of your flowers until your wedding
day. The florist can deliver the wedding
flowers to the different places you will be needing them.
Or you can have them delivered to one place and then have a responsible
person deliver them to any other places they need to go. Just
make sure your delivery person is clear on the facts of when you
will need them and where each destination is. If you have to keep
your flowers in water, be sure any ribbons do
not get wet because the colour could possibly run. If they need
to be refrigerated, ask your florist what temperature will keep
them their best. Too warm and they will wilt, too cold and they
will get chilled and die.
The Wedding Flower
Shop
I
suggest that you visit at least a couple wedding floral shops
to look at styles and other important elements when choosing a
vendor. When you visit a florist business, look around at the
flower arrangements in the store. Are the styles similar to your
taste and do all the flowers appear fresh. Ask if the person you
are speaking with if they will be the one who will be doing all
your wedding flowers or will they have help from someone else.
Another great source for getting to know your florists is their
website. Many florists have pictures of wedding
arrangements and wedding bouquets
on their website for you to look over from the comfort of your
home. Viewing their website should never replace you taking the
time to visit the florists in person.
Flower Centerpieces
Most centerpieces have at least some flowers in them. Nothing
makes a formal table more elegant than flowers. You can use them
to enhance the decor of the tables and really make your place
of reception come together and look beautiful. The options for
flower centre pieces are endless. The centerpieces should be either
low enough that people can see across the table or high enough
that only the stand is at eye level. The trend today is to have
tall cascading floral arrangements in elegant stands. These grand
displays are truly magnificent.
Scatter Bouquet
An alternative to doing the traditional wedding bouquet
toss is to have a Scatter Bouquet (also called
a Star Burst Bouquet) which is actually several small wedding
bouquets tied together. The Bride removes
the ribbon or wire holding the wedding bouquets
together and tosses them into the crowd of Bachelorettes or all
the women wedding guests. Some Brides
choose to present their bouquet to a special
friend, relative or an engaged wedding guest
who is the next person scheduled to be married.
Most people prefer the traditional flower bouquet
toss where the recipient is said to be the next to get married.
You can have some fun with the bouquet toss and
have the recipient sit on the lap of the person that catches the
garter or let them put the garter on the man that catches the
garter. Decorating your wedding guest book table
with your throwaway bouquet is an easy way to
decorate with something you already have. Also, see the alternatives
to the traditional bridal bouquet.
The Bridal Bouquet of Love and the Mothers' Bouquet
are on our Planning
Your Wedding Ceremony page of this wedding
planner.
Boutonnieres
When it comes to the men's wedding boutonnieres,
usually less is more. Typically the men's boutonnieres
are made of one main flower, usually the same
flower that is used in the wedding bouquets with
a little of the same embellishment
Fall Wedding Option
If your wedding is taking place in the Fall season,
pressed leaves make an interesting alternative to flower petals.
The Flower Girl can drop them in the isle at
the wedding ceremony or you can decorate with
them including placing 
them
on the wedding guests' tables.
Thank You Baskets and Arrangements
You may wish to arrange for a thank you gift basket or flower
arrangement to be delivered after the wedding
to those special people that have helped put your wedding
day together. They will be thrilled that their help meant so much
to you.
Wedding
Budget Tips
The women's boutiques
can often do double duty by helping to decorate the head table
at
the wedding reception. They
shouldn't replace decorating totally, just add to it. Remember
to have vases of water on the head table ready if the flowers
require it. If your flower budget is depleted
and you want to increase the overall usage of your flowers, use
greenery and branches as a foundation for the flowers
so they can be used more sparingly. Branches can be painted or
left natural. You can even integrate candles into the arrangements
but make sure the candles are very secure and set low enough into
the holders that nothing will catch fire. Be sure to ask about
open flame restrictions at both the place of wedding reception
and of ceremony when planning your decorating
options. You can also opt to use some silk flower in your arrangements
and decorations to save money, using fresh flowers in the bouquets,
corsages, and boutonnieres.
