Wedding Flower Ideas

In addition to the flowers you carry on your wedding day, you’ll want to decorate the ceremony site and the tables at the reception with flowers. An inexpensive method is to tie big bows for the ends of the pews and thread them with baby’s breath or greenery. Save the big flower arrangements for the altar, and be sure to assign someone to carry them to the reception so they can double as background beauty there as well.

Set an arrangement on the buffet table, the cake table, and the head table where the wedding party sits. Let the bride’s and bridesmaids’ bouquets double as centerpieces for the main table or decorate the cake table at the reception.

All mothers and stepmothers should receive a corsage. It is a nice touch to also provide them for grandmothers, special aunts, godmothers, or any woman who is special in either of your lives. Or you might just present these special women with a single long stemmed rose. If you have musicians, singers, or readers who take part in the ceremony in any way, a floral tribute of some kind might also be in order: corsages or long stemmed roses for the women and boutonnieres for the men. You may want your floral tributes to do double duty.

For instance, a floral arrangement placed on the piano or beside the harp during the ceremony can easily be reused as a gift table decoration at the reception. The groom, groomsmen, and ushers should all wear boutonnieres. The groom’s boutonniere should be slightly different than the groomsmen’s.

Fathers of the bride and groom and stepfathers should be presented with boutonnieres. Flowers should not be worn with any military uniform.

Keep in mind that during prime wedding season, flowers may be in great demand and, therefore, more expensive. You may wish to consider selecting just one color and one type of flower to create a sense of profuse abundance and to provide high visual impact. Check to see what other types of props your décor company or florist (or check local nurseries) may have available for rent, such as ficus trees with twinkle lights or tropical plants such as bougainvillea, hibiscus, magnolia, jasmine, gardenia, and orange trees, that may add something special to your setting.

What Your Floral Company or Floral Designer Will Need to Know

In addition to the Supplier Information Worksheet, your florist will need to
know:

• The delivery locations
• The time of delivery
• What look you are envisioning
• The colors in the room and in your wedding décor (bring a sketch of the room layout and photos of your place setting, areas where you will be looking to create focal points, etc.)
• Table sizes and for buffet tables what will be on it (colors and serving layout) so they can recommend an appropriate design
• The color and style of your table covering, the china, silverware, and glassware
• Which floral arrangements they will handle—only room floral arrangements at the ceremony, the reception, or both, your bridal bouquet, flowers for your wedding party, etc.
• Your budget

What to Ask Your Floral Company or Floral Designer

• Do they have photographs of arrangements they have actually done not stock photos of possible displays?
• Can they prepare a sample arrangement for you to see (that you will be required to pay for)?
• Will their staff be merely delivering the items to the venues or assisting with display setup?
• What is their policy on substitution?
• When will the flowers be at their peak opened for maximum effect and how does that fit with the timing of your event?
• How hardy are the flowers they are suggesting? Will they bruise easily? Are they long-lasting?
• How strong is their scent?
• Will you own the floral display and containers or do the containers need to be returned?
• Do they know of or foresee any décor or service limitations in your selected venues such as prep areas and tables, storage, refrigeration, etc.?
• Do their drivers have cell phones and do they provide emergency numbers?