How to guides Choosing Wedding Flowers

Wedding flowers

Flowers are an intrinsic part of a wedding involved in most aspects of the day. Because fresh flowers may suffer from the movement involved in a typical wedding and may impose seasonal constraints as to availability, it may be worth considering silk flowers as an alternative. These offer greater choice of colour and style and can be kept as a lasting memento.

Bridal Bouquets

The bouquet carried by the bride is likely to be the first floral decision, with the other flower arrangements being designed around it. The bouquet is personal to the bride, it needs to express the way she feels and must compliment her dress. The role of the bouquet in modern weddings is to be carried during the ceremony and posed with for photographs; being finally thrown to one of the female guests at the reception.

Bridal Posies

As an alternative to the bridal bouquet a bride may choose a handheld bridal posy. This is smaller than a bouquet and can either be a highly structured arrangement of flowers or a looser design with ribbons and other adornments. The latter is popular as it allows for personal touches to be added for a unique design. The bride may choose to have two posies, one for the ceremony and a simpler version to throw at the reception. As the posy is smaller than a traditional bouquet it may suit more petite brides or those who wish to keep their look simple. If the bride chooses to carry a posy it will need to compliment her dress and fit in with the overall wedding theme. Smaller versions of the bridal posy may also be carried by the bridesmaids.

Corsages

Those most likely to wear a corsage are the mother and grandmother of the bride and groom. Smaller versions may be worn by other women who are considered to be close family members. The corsage is a simple arrangement usually pinned to the lapel. A number of variants on the basic corsage are available, however, such as a wrist corsage and a handbag corsage. It is often the case that corsages are chosen in neutral colours to compliment any outfit. If more colourful corsages are desired then the Bride may need to match the colour to the individual outfits. The Bride may also wish to have a corsage for her going-away outfit. This could be built into her bouquet and simply removed to be pinned on to her outfit.

Buttonholes

It is traditional for the male members of the wedding party to wear a buttonhole in their left lapel. Historically they have been worn as a compliment to the bride's bouquet. In medieval times the buttonhole was worn in the bride's colours to symbolise the groom's never-ending love. The button hole is usually a simple arrangement often only incorporating one flower. The buttonhole worn by the groom is usually more substantial than the rest of the wedding party, possibly incorporating an extra flower or more foliage to make it stand out. The flower used for the button hole should be picked to match the Bride's bouquet but also needs to be matched with the clothing worn by the groom and his party.

Cake Toppers

The wedding cake is the centrepiece at the wedding reception and therefore needs to stand out. It is best to keep the cake itself simple, in order to make it easier to cut and store. One way in which to increase its prominence at the reception is to have a cake topper designed out of silk flowers. Silk is better than a fresh arrangement here, not only for durability and choice but also for hygiene reasons. A simple topper can be placed on the top of the cake or a more substantial design can be chosen, which wraps around the cake or cascades down the sides. The topper can be in a structured shape, such as a heart or a more unstructured arrangement of flowers. The colour and design of the cake topper should be chosen to match the design of the flowers used in the ceremony and those used to decorate the reception.

Table decorations

Table decorations are the centrepiece of each individual table at the reception and are thus on full display to all the guests. For this reason, a great deal of care and attention should be taken when choosing the table decorations. The decorations chosen should again compliment the theme for the wedding. they may be as extravagant or as simple as the bride desires and budget or space dictate. The table decoration is an opportunity to add extra detailing, such as vases, or adornments, for example feathers and ribbons. When choosing the table decoration a bride may also wish to consider using a heavy design to help to hold down the tablecloth, particularly if the reception is to be partially or wholly outdoors in a marquee with open sides where wind may be a factor.

Other wedding decorations

As well as the above flower arrangements which can be used during the wedding, there are also a number of decorations that the bride may wish to choose. Flowers can be used to decorate the venue for the reception including the back of guests' chairs and pedestal arrangements. Pedestal arrangements can also be used to decorate the church and the alter can also be dressed with flowers. There are also alternative designs for the bridesmaids or younger members of the congregation to carry, such as a pomander or a cone of flowers. These are lightweight options that are easy to carry. Beautiful hair slides can also be designed with a delicate flower arrangement. Confetti for the congregation should also be remembered when arranging wedding flowers.

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