Imagine your wedding is a blank canvas, with you and your fiancé in the centre of the frame. Your colour scheme will be the background and, to complete the design, are your wedding flowers making your vision real. So where to begin? In this blog, I’ll take you through the steps, some top tips, and the meaning of flowers to help make your day as beautiful as you could wish for.
Step 1: Your budget.
You will be looking at between £700 and £1500 for your flowers as a minimum. This includes those for the ceremony or church, bridesmaids and flower girls, buttonholes/boutonnieres and reception. According to The Knot, ‘the bride and family pay for floral arrangements for the ceremony (including a chuppah if it’s a Jewish wedding ceremony) and reception, plus bouquets and corsages for bridesmaids and flower girls. The groom and family pay for the bride’s bouquet, boutonnieres for men and corsages for mothers and grandmothers.’
Frankly, this all sounds a bit cumbersome. Couples live together and often plan everything themselves. But if parents are happy to cover or share the cost, this is a bonus and can give you a bit of flexibility as to how much you can afford to order. Or you could add those little extras you might not have been able to afford otherwise.
Step 2: Your colour scheme and style
What do you have in mind? A relaxed boho style? Country chic? Classic formal? Think of your story … when did you get your first bouquet? what’s your favourite perfume? are some flowers part of your family’s story? Granny’s favourite, maybe? Pressed flowers found in an old book of poems that tell a story? when you go to the supermarket and reach a bunch of flowers… what do you go for? Scent? certain flowers? Colour? and, most of all, why?
Before you speak to your florist, do your research – Pinterest is a fantastic resource for ideas about colour schemes, table décor, bouquet styles, pomanders and so on.
Step 3: Choosing your florist
Word of mouth is always a good way of finding a florist who will give you excellent service and stunning results, so ask your friends. Is there a florist who is local to your venue? Does your venue recommend a florist? Create a shortlist of florists and, if time allows, make appointments to see them all. Look through their portfolios, and get a sense of their expertise.
TOP TIP – do you like the florist as a person? Working closely with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable will only add to your stress! Sometimes, small is better – your local florist will give a really personal service and allocate the time needed exclusively to you.
Once you’ve decided on your florist, tell her your story and your vision. You can show her your Pinterest boards, maybe swatches or sketches of your dress and the dresses of your bridesmaids. Talk about your table plans, whether they will be round or long, as this will impact on the sort of table décor you have.
Book her at least six months in advance, with her assurance that you will be her priority on the day.
TOP TIP – Preparing flowers for a wedding and reception is detailed and time consuming work. If a florist has several weddings booked around the same time as your date, choose someone else. A friend’s arrangements for her daughter’s wedding went badly wrong on the morning of the day when the flowers didn’t arrive. The florist confessed she had over booked and had actually forgotten. (I kid you not!) The bride was distraught. Happily, a local florist in the next village stepped in and saved the day!
TOP TIP: Flowers with a strong perfume may make you sneeze!
Step 4: Making it personal
I am an incurable romantic and I love the idea of constructing a bouquet that tells a story through the flowers. Interestingly, meanings differ from country to country, and within cultures too. Some flowers have mixed meanings, both positive and negative. I prefer to focus on the positive; that’s what starting a new life together is all about, after all!
Spring:
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- Daisies including gerberas: Innocence, loyal love, purity, faith, cheer, simplicity
- Baby’s breath: Innocence, purity of heart
- Jasmine: Unconditional and eternal love
- White lily: Purity
- White roses: Virtue and purity
- Yellow roses: Friendship and joy
- Peonies: Prosperity, honour
- Pale pink roses: Desire, passion, joy of life, youth, energy
- Carnations: Sweet and lovely, innocence, pure love, faithfulness
- Pink hydrangeas: love, sincere emotions
- Tulips: perfect love
- Summer
- Red roses: True love
- Scarlet lily: High souled aspirations
- Lily of the Valley: Sweetness, humility, returning happiness, trust
- Plum blossom: Beauty and longevity
- Peach blossom: Long-life, generosity, and bridal hope
- Thistle: Nobility
- Protea: Courage
- Pink roses: Grace
- Lavender: Devotion
- Lilies: Humility and devotion
- Red carnations: Deep romantic love, passion
Autumn and Winter
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- Burgundy roses: Unconscious beauty
- Orange roses: Desire, passion
- Red and yellow roses: United together
- Orchids: Refined beauty
- Purple hydrangeas: Abundance, wealth and royalty
- Moonflower: Dreaming of love
- Blue rose: Love at first sight
- White hydrangeas: Purity, grace, abundance
- Blue hydrangeas: Forgiveness,
- Agapanthus – blue or white: Love
- Succulents: Enduring and timeless love
- Ranunculus: Radiant with charm
The colour green supports balance, harmony, love, communication, nature and acceptance. A must-have somewhere in your wedding decor!Finally, fresh flowers will not last much beyond the day, and lots of brides are opting for artificial bouquets and arrangements.
- They can be ordered well in advance – tick!
- They can be treasured for many years and won’t lose their colour or freshness – tick!
- Keepsakes for the bridal party – tick! (make sure you keep what you want – one bride who ordered rosebud pomanders from me for her outside wedding reception décor found they were all taken and she didn’t have one for herself!)
Check out these websites for more fab tips!
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