Wedding Flowers

Wedding flowers are a brilliant way to add colour and life to the entire ceremony and reception, from the bridal bouquet to the centrepieces, flowers are able to enhance the overall beauty of the venue and ceremony.

When it comes to choosing the flowers for a wedding, there are a number of factors to consider that should assist in the decision making process such as the season, type of wedding and colour themes.
 

Seasonal Factors

Some flowers are readily available because they can be imported from other places, or they can be commercially cultivated in all seasons. However, flowers that are in season are at their most beautiful and are usually cheaper.  Wedding flowers that are easily purchased regardless of the season are gerberas, lilies, roses, orchids, anthuriums, and heliconia.

For winter, the Cymbidium orchids, although available all throughout the year, come in more colours--pale green, yellow, and white. The tall amaryllis, which comes in pink, red, and white, can be used as table centerpieces, while holly and ivy can provide the greens for a winter wedding.

Spring offers more choices with tulips, roses, hyacinths, lily of the valley, and peonies. Calla lilies and roses are in abundance during summer. Delphiniums, stock, snapdragons, columbine, and irises are also summer flowers. Delphiniums and gladioli can be used for table centerpieces, while snapdragons, irises and columbine can be incorporated in other floral arrangements.

Summer is also great for the range of ‘in-season’ flowers, with strong mixed colours usually popular at this time of year such as coloured roses, tall blue delphiniums, lilies and calla lilies.

Autumn brings hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and dahlias, and the fruits crab apples and physalis can add colour to autumn wedding decors.

Silk or Real Flowers

The faux-flower industry has made some incredible developments in the range of fake flowers available, with silk flowers now used almost as frequently as real flowers due to their durability and suitability for allergy sufferers.  The use of silk flowers is recommended if the bride wants to keep the bridal bouquet as a wedding reminder, or if wilting of flowers due to the climate or long travel will be a concern. Silk flowers can be bought ready-made or a florist can have them prepared.

Flower Colours

If using the seasonal availability of flowers is not helpful, colour choice is always a solid indicator of what will suit the wedding style and theme. Choosing flower arrangements to co-ordinate with the wedding theme can depend highly on the wedding dress and which colours you have chosen.

If you are the bride and having a white or ivory dress, then commonly your bouquet would contain flowers in a colour that matches the bridesmaid’s dresses. However, for brides that are having a coloured gown, it then comes down to a choice of coordinating or contrasting with the three colour options being: flowers within the same shades of colour as the dress, flowers in a complementary colour or using white flowers which always work with a coloured dresses.  

The Bridal Bouquet

A bridal ensemble is never complete without a bouquet. It adds a stylish accent to the bride's gown and softens her overall look. To assure a perfect bouquet, there are several important details that are taken into account like the style of the wedding gown, the colour and the theme of the wedding.
Several arrangements have been particularly used for wedding bouquets.

• The posy or round bouquets create a classic look, and tulips, roses, and peonies are usually used for this arrangement.
• The sheath or arm bouquet is a line arrangement of lilies or long-stemmed flowers that create an elegant appearance. 
• The cascade bouquet, also known as shower or waterfall, creates a romantic look with its big and trailing floral arrangement. 
• The modern-style bouquet uses exotic flowers and foliage to create a unique trendy arrangement to suit a more contemporary wedding theme.

The style and shape of the bridal bouquet are also dictated by the style of the gown. If the dress of the bride has detailed design and beading then the arrangement of the bouquet should be kept simple and with complementing details to avoid covering the gowns. A full-skirt gown might need an equally lavish bouquet to prevent the flowers from being overwhelmed by the layers of cloth, while an over-the-arm sheath bouquet with a modern twist will go well with a long slim gown.

Bridesmaids and Flower Girls

The bridesmaids' bouquets are usually patterned after the bride's bouquet, but kept on a more minimal arrangement. The colour of the bouquets usually depends on the colour of the dresses and the overall colour theme as outlined above.

Roses and gerberas have been the popular flowers for bridesmaids' bouquets. Posy bouquets are also usually created for them, while baskets containing the same kinds of flowers are prepared for the flower girls.

Boutonnieres and Corsages

The flower for the groom's boutonniere should either create a contrasting or enhancing effect on the colour of the groom's suit. Typically, the boutonniere flower is the same flower used in the bride's bouquet, but for grooms who dislike flowers, smaller blooms or foliage can be used instead.

Wedding corsages are worn by the mothers of the bride and groom and other close female relatives so as to tie them in with the bridal party and ceremony. They can be pinned on the dress or hat, or placed around the wrist. Gardenias, roses, and orchids are typically used. It is advised to inquire about the colour of these women's clothes, so the suitable flowers can be chosen.

Wedding Ceremony Flowers

The wedding ceremony flowers should be a balance of joy and formality but at the same time, parallel to the colour and theme created by the wedding bouquets and dresses.

For church weddings, floral arrangements that are lengthy and low can be placed at the altar. Flowers placed at ledges of windows and ends of pews will create additional drama when the bride walks down the aisle, and garlands on church doors will be a pleasing welcome to guests. For wedding ceremonies held in simple rooms such as hotels, pedestal arrangements in the room and a small colourful arrangement on the ceremony table along with a few well placed pedestal arrangements, flower arches or flower trees will suit perfectly.

Flowers at the Reception

Wedding centerpieces are a big factor in creating the wedding theme. When planning wedding reception flowers it is important to consider the following types of arrangement:

• Bridal table arrangements
• Wedding table centerpieces
• Wedding Cake Flowers
• Room decoration and pedestal arrangements

For the bridal party’s table arrangement, generally speaking a low but lengthy floral arrangement is preferred or a garland that can run the entire length of the table if it is particularly long.

For the guest tables, centerpiece arrangements are usually arranged low or extremely tall so guests can interact freely. Centrepiece wedding flowers commonly used for tall and low floral arrangements are roses and tulips. For tropical themes, exotic flowers like heliconia and anthuriums are typically used. Calla lilies are usually used to create an understated elegant air.

Wedding cake flowers should usually make the same flowers used in the bridal bouquet yet it is important to note that flowers that shed any pollen or leaves should be avoided. Finally room and pedestal arrangements add a lovely atmosphere to the reception venue and a scattering of pedestal flower arrangements is a fairly cost effective way to decorate a large space.

The Florist

The choice of flowers and the suitable wedding flower arrangement is best discussed with a florist. A florist will need to know the wedding theme and style, colour scheme, venue, and budget to help him present wedding flower ideas and materials.

It is best to show to the florist the venue of the wedding, the sketches or photos of the wedding clothes, fabric swatches, and pictures of preferred flowers and floral arrangements from magazines and books. Some of the well-loved wedding flowers are calla lilies, tulips, roses, gerberas, orchids, and roses. The use of silk wedding flower can also be discussed with the florist