Written by Andrea. Published on Nov 2nd 2009.
Wedding flowers are an age old tradition that not only symbolize the new life you are beginning but also represent fertility and good fortune. They can help bring your venue to life, bring colour to your reception and carry a theme for your wedding. The right arrangement can reflect ones personality as there is a flower for everyone; be it a combination, a simple posie or a few stalks to represent purity and minimalism.
Firstly you need to decide what kind of flowers you want, do you have a favourite flower? One that will go well with your venue/theme/bridesmaid colours? Do you want a huge elaborate display or would you prefer a few simple flowers in tall vases? These fundamental choices will define what you need from your wedding flowers. Flowers can create a beautiful environment and give a special feel to your day. However if they are not a priority to you then there are many other ways to decorate your tables/venue without going down the flowers route.
Depending on how much the flowers play a part of your day and depending on the type of flowers you want will obviously determine how costly they are. If you choose flowers that are in season and easy to source then chances are they will be more robust and also less expensive than something that requires to be sourced from abroad which in turn will tend to hold up less well in a different climate. Your florist will best advise you as to whether your dream flower arrangement is attainable.
Now the actual flowers you choose to work with are of course your choice but you should keep in mind the flowers that are in season, the colour scheme you want to stick to and the statement you want your flowers to make. Don't worry if you don't have a colour scheme right away but have a look at some bridal magazines and get a feel for what flowers suit your wedding. No point looking at yellow roses and pink posies if you are having a rock chick wedding in a dungeon.
Whether you are getting married and having your reception in one place or whether you are getting married in a church and then having a party in a castle you will need to check if there are any restrictions regarding the flowers you bring. It's also a good idea to check whether they have any floral arrangements already in place that you might either use to compliment your own or possibly use instead (some venues have fresh flowers/dried flowers on display in larger rooms). If you are getting married in one place and then moving to another it's worth looking into having the flowers transported between them seeing as the ceremony won't normally last more than an hour. This seems like a small point but the flowers for your ceremony will only go to waste and they are too expensive to only be used for an hour or so. Be sure to move them discreetly and maybe not carry them yourself in your bridal car!
If you are getting married somewhere they don't permit flowers, for example places where they perform many weddings per day, then this is your excuse to really go mad with your own bouquet and your bridesmaids. This gives you the opportunity to bring your own colour to your ceremony without pedestals to rely on.
Your reception flowers don't have to be exactly the same as your bouquet however to have them compliment each other or at least have the same theme/colour works really well to tie in your theme. Your reception is where your guests will spend the most time so getting the flowers right for this is key, especially if you are relying on flowers for your centrepieces. Again there is no right and wrong with this and you really need to find what suits your style so do your research, bridal magazines are great for this or even take a trip to some florists to see what stands out to you personally. If you are using flowers as centrepieces for your tables you need to start calculating what you can spend on each table as a large number of guests means lots of table therefore lots of arrangements. There are lots of ways around this so have a budget in mind per table and try to stick to it. You can still have your favourite flowers you just might need to use more foliage to bulk up the display rather than having more stems. You can use your chosen flower but instead of having a large display in vases you could use a Martini vase with a smaller base and have the arrangement cascading down the neck of the vase or you could even use a candelabra as a base and decorate around it using the flowers and foliage. These are a few ideas to maximise the size of your display without increasing the number of of the flowers themselves.
Martini Glass Style Vase
Candelabra Centrepiece
When thinking about floral arrangements as table centrepieces you must consider the guests at that table. You want to either place them high or low and not in between. Your guests will want to converse and see people opposite them therefore be careful when choosing the height of your vases. If you are looking for something a little different then I'm sure your florist will be full of ideas however recently the fish bowl/stocky vase concept has become popular where you use a few stalks of your chosen flower wrapped around with either the bowl/vase filled with water or stones or fruit or whatever you fancy really. It's simple and effective. They can be places on a mirrored plate for example then surrounded with tea light candles or fresh flower petals.
Single Flower Concept
Other areas which are best uses of your flowers include archways, entrances, cills, fireplaces and basically anywhere where people will congregate. If you have any large empty spaces that will remain empty during your reception you could talk to your florist and the venue to see how best to use the space. Most importantly, your wedding flowers should compliment your day not take over.
Speak to your venue prior to the event and ensure your florist will have access to the rooms required with enough time for preparation as typically the florist might want to create the displays on site rather than transport an elaborate arrangement. Perhaps you can visit the venue with your florist (if they have never dressed your venue before), to get a feel for the place, ensure everything will go smoothly on the day and clear up any questions you might have.
If you plan to give your flowers away at the end of the night to special guests then make sure the displays are in disposable dishes before being put into their vases/bowls or whatever they are in. This way you can take the flowers straight out and leave behind the hired accessories.
Images above are from CQuinn Events, Debbies Bouquets & Shaw Lane Flowers
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