Flowers

After what the bride is wearing, flowers are the next thing your guests will notice. From the moment they see buttonholes (buttoneers or corsages to our American cousins) they get a feel for what kind of wedding it will be: classic, avant-garde, frivolous or fun. All that in a few flowers. The Bride's bouquet is also very important. It must be in sympathy with the dress and the colours of the bouquet and any other flowers really have to complement the rest of the wedding scheme for example, the groom's and usher's waistcoats and bridesmaid dresses all have to come together to make the colour and flower scheme harmonious. If it is not the wedding might look disjointed and a bit cheap.

This brings us to cost. You can pay whatever you want for flowers so setting a budget early on is a really good idea. Here are a few tips on making your wedding extra special through the use of flowers:

• Decide on the colours you like. Some popular colours include:

  White and fresh greens

  Pinks, purples and mauves

  Oranges, yellows and tropical foliage

• Decide on what flowers you like and dislike. Popular wedding flowers include: roses, lilies, freesias, orchids, gypsophila, chrysanthemums, lilacs, hydrangeas, asters, lily of the valley, stocks, carnations, amaranthus, tulips, bells of Ireland, calendula, cherry blossom, amaryllis, dahlias, alliums, sweet peas, gladioli and many, many more

• Decide on your look: English country garden (roses and peonies), tropical lushness (hot orange and pink tones, amaryllis and lilies), architectural (e.g. large, fluted vases), informal (small bunches of wild flowers in various jars or vases), clashing (red roses and yellow daffodils), nationalistic (e.g. red and white colour scheme for a Polish/English match or thistles for Scotland with roses representing England)

• Create a mood board - a big piece of card or even a small photo album made up of magazine cuttings of what you like and dislike (flowers, colours, arrangements, vases etc, etc.) to take along to your meeting with your florist

• Also take any fabric e.g. from the Bridesmaids' dresses or the men's waistcoats to show the colour to the florist

• Decide what arrangements of flowers you want. These are usually split into the following categories
  • Bride's bouquet
  • Bridesmaids' bouquets (optional)
  • Buttonhole for the Groom
  • Buttonhole for the Best Man
  • Corsages for the Bridesmaids (optional)
  • Buttonholes/corsages for Bride and Groom's Parents
  • Buttonholes/corsages for rest of wedding party (optional)
  • Wedding arrangements for the church/registry office/venue
  • Arrangements for top table/main table in reception
  • Arrangements for other tables in reception
  • Arrangements for any prominent features in the venue e.g. mantelpieces, doorways or alcoves

 

• Find out what is seasonal to the time of year you are getting married. Whilst your florist will be able to get most flowers year round e.g. roses, others just do not grow out of season or if they do, they can be expensive.

• When choosing roses think about how they look when in different stages of their development. A mix of varieties and then a mix of buds, partially open or fully opened blooms can be quite effective

• Decide what arrangements of flowers you want. These are usually split into the following categories

• Decide in advance whether the table decorations are being given as presents. Your florist should be able to source suitable boxes for these to be packaged at the end of the reception to be given as informal presents

• Take your florists advice they are the experts and know what is seasonal, what is possible and what works well.  A good florist will stay within budget and will save you money