Flowers for your Wedding Ceremony

(What it takes to have Fabulous Wedding Flowers!

 - Part Two)

Well, you might have thought that sorting the flowers for your wedding would be one of the easy tasks........it certainly is one of the most pleasurable, as it gives you the chance to show your creative side, but there is quite a bit to think about and to sort out with your wedding florist.

I’m a florist specialising in providing floral designs for weddings and special occasions, and in my last BLOG I explained the approach I take when consulting with clients about the flowers for the wedding party – bouquets, posies, buttonholes etc.  This time I’m going to look at the basics of deciding what floral designs you would like at the place where your actual marriage ceremony takes place.

There is no doubt that flowers can be a great way to create a special atmosphere and show your sense of style, and there are lots of ways in which they can be used in wonderful displays throughout your day.  But where do you start...................

What ‘look’ are you hoping to achieve for your wedding day?

THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY

Before you get too carried away with thoughts of all the gorgeous flower displays that could surround you during the ceremony, do make sure you have some idea in your head of what you can actually afford!  If you have limited resources (and let’s face it, most of us do!) it is best to spend your money wisely – I always advise couples to concentrate on areas where flowers will have the most impact and where they will be on view for a reasonable amount of time.  After all you will have other things on your mind.............

Large flower displays at the entrance to your venue create impact as guests arrive and set the scene for the whole day - this style could easily be used for a civil ceremony too

A Church Wedding

Consider the colour of flowers you use inside a church and remember that older buildings tend to be quite dark inside – whatever the colour scheme you have chosen for the day, try to use light colours for your church flowers as they have greater luminosity

There is a good reason why it is a tradition to have pedestal arrangements in churches and that is because their size and height help to create impact in a large space where low or smaller arrangements tend to be lost.  However, pedestal arrangements do not have to be made in a traditional style and there are lots of other ways you can decorate a church too, as the following photos show................

Create a great first impression by attaching a flower garland around a church archway or lynch gate - make a lovely framework for photos too!

Arrangements placed just inside the entrance can set the scene as guests enter the church, and can then easily be moved to the reception venue!  Just make sure they are placed on something tall.

Pew ends are lovely and can be made to match your colour scheme, but they are best on pews with some height so that they will be seen as guests take their places

Pedestal arrangements placed at the front of the church are on view throughout the service and they can still be given a fresh and pretty feel

An alternative is an arrangement placed centrally in front of the altar, particularly where this is raised as it will give good visibility

Flower garlands around old stone pillars look fantastic and this bride has chosen to have flower trees at the entrance to the aisle, which would then be moved to the reception venues.  Money was not such a problem here as this was my daughter’s wedding!

Another consideration for church flowers is whether some of the designs could be moved to the reception venue after the service to give greater value.  Ask your florist to help you select suitable designs so that this can be done, but do check if the church has any requirement for flowers to be left behind..........some do!

A Civil Ceremony

Many couples arrange their civil ceremony to take place at the same venue as their reception, which gives another opportunity for decorating the room with flowers and creating a special atmosphere.  Colour will be less of an issue than in a church if the venue is well lit, but take care that your flower colours will show up against the internal decoration at the venue and that they will not clash.

Some of the larger designs shown above are equally suitable to create a focal point in the ceremony room, such as the pedestals and flower trees.  However, it is worth considering how easily these can be moved if the ceremony and reception are taking place in different rooms – for example, the flower trees can be moved quite easily, but instead of a traditional pedestal design it would probably be better to make large arrangements in a large vase placed on top of a plinth for ease of lifting.

At this civil wedding the flower tree seen in the top right corner provided a focal point at the front of the room during the ceremony, and was then on show during the wedding breakfast

 At civil ceremonies it can also be a good idea to have small arrangements placed on the registrar’s table, which can then become table centres or other display designs, but check that there will be sufficient space for this.

Two designs in the bride’s aubergine colour scheme were placed on the registrar’s table at this wedding and were later placed at either end of the long top table

This happy couple also moved their floral designs from the marriage table to the dining table, which is pictured above

At either a church or civil ceremony you might also want to consider where your photographs will be taken and whether you want flowers to feature in your pictures.  Decorating entrance ways is a good way to achieve this, as in some of the photographs above, or placing large arrangements to frame an area if pictures are being taken inside your venue.

Of course if you are able to take your photographs outside nature will do the work for you!

Follow my BLOG and next time I will give some tips on fabulous flowers for your reception............

What it takes to have Fabulous Wedding Flowers! - Part One

So, you’re getting married and one of the things on your ‘to do’ list is sorting your wedding flowers.  Do you have any idea of what is involved in turning your ideas into fabulous floral designs for your big day?  Perhaps you are thinking of doing your wedding flowers yourself and so it might be useful to hear how a florist approaches the task; or maybe you would prefer to leave this side of things to the professionals, but are unsure of how the process works and what you should be thinking about.

I’m a florist specialising in providing floral designs for weddings and special occasions.  When working with a new couple I always start by talking about what flowers and designs they would like for the wedding party, as the bride’s preferred style for her bouquet gives a good indication of the look she is hoping to achieve for the whole day. 

The following thoughts are not based on any particular couple, so if you think you recognise yourself in this it is certainly not my intention......

It’s all worth it in the end!

FIRST CONSULTATION

Like many florists I offer a free consultation to prospective clients so that they get a chance to see my work and decide whether I am the right person for the job.  This happens at any time from 18 months, through to 6 weeks before the wedding!  From my point of view, at least 6 to 9 months before the wedding is best as this gives plenty of time to prepare and ideas remain fresh.......however, I never turn anyone away if I think I can help.

Sometimes a bride will come on her own to a consultation, but it is more likely that she will bring her fiancé with her (sometimes under sufferance!) or her mother.  However, I also accommodate future mothers-in-law, bridesmaids, best friends and children – occasionally all at once!  Most of this I can cope with, but it is important that the people whose special day it is (the bride and groom!) get to express their ideas and form a direct relationship with the florist.  Mum doesn’t always know best – although you won’t catch me admitting that to my own daughters!

Most consultations take place at my workroom just north of Peterborough, but I also travel to other places, such as the marriage or reception venues.

Initial Ideas

This first consultation gives the bride a chance to explain her ideas for her wedding flowers – and sometimes the groom might have a few thoughts of his own, and of course his wishes need to be incorporated too!  You might be a bride who loves clouds of creamy, velvety roses, or you might aspire to dramatic statement blooms in bold colours, or perhaps you long for a romantic vintage-themed wedding.  As the florist I need to be able to interpret these ideas and come up with workable designs that meet the couple’s own sense of style (and which they can afford), without upsetting anyone along the way – phew!!  It calls for a lot of tact and diplomacy at times........

Often people bring along magazine pictures of designs they like, which can be very helpful, but there are lots of things to consider that the couple might not have thought about, such as: seasonality of fresh flowers; which flowers are available in a particular colour; suitability of different flowers for particular designs; the cost of different materials; the logistics of delivering particular designs or of moving them between locations on the actual day....... the list goes on and many of these considerations have been the topic of my previous blogs. 

When a bride has a particular colour scheme in mind it can be a challenge to source flowers in just the right shade

Bridal party flowers

I always start by talking about the bride’s bouquet, as that is going to show for years to come in all the wedding photos!  Many brides have a clear idea of what they want, but might not realise all the different styles that are achievable.  And it is also important to consider things such as shape (which can be influenced by the style of gown and the height of the bride etc.), colour (does the bride want a bouquet that will stand out, or that will blend in with the overall colour scheme) and materials (does the bride have any particular loves or loathes when it comes to flowers?).  Brides generally have strong preferences regarding the ‘look’ of a bouquet – whether it is a compact design with massed blooms, or a more natural styles with ‘spriggy’ bits.  However, very many brides will simply not know the vast choice of flowers and other materials that can be successfully used in wedding work.

A delicately-coloured shower bouquet works well with this bride’s full skirted gown and romantic vintage theme.  She is also tall enough to carry this sort of trailing style.

It is also important to consider what the bride’s attendants will be wearing and to link their flowers with the bride’s bouquet if she is hoping to achieve a coordinated look, both in terms of colour and of style. 

This bride has chosen a lilac and dusky pink colour scheme for her vintage-style wedding and appropriate flowers have been chosen to suit this style. 

By way of contrast, the bride photographed above chose to match her flowers to the strong ‘Cadbury’ purple of her bridesmaids’ dresses and they carried posies with a more contemporary feel achieved by selecting statement blooms in a mix of vibrant colours.

However, choice is not limited to a typical posy shape and a good florist should be able to suggest different designs as well as different flowers for the bride to choose from.

 Don’t be afraid to ask your florist to show you examples of different styles so that you know what can be achieved.

As an experienced professional it is my job to advise the bride and groom on what styles and materials will work in order to achieve the overall look they are aiming for; however at the end of the day the final choice is down to them!

Buttonholes

In my experience many grooms just want a buttonhole that is simple and unfussy and have probably not given much thought to particular flowers and different styles.  But discerning brides shouldn’t worry as a single white rose with contrasting foliage looks great against most outfits! 

It’s hard to beat a simple white rose, particularly if this flower is also being used in the bride’s bouquet.

However, there is a growing trend for ‘designer’ buttonholes, or buttonholes using statement flowers such as orchids or calla lilies particularly if these are being used in other wedding designs.  And some groom’s do have very strong views about what they should be wearing!  Another trend is to differentiate the groom’s buttonhole from those of his groomsmen by adding in some decorative elements, such as berries or flower sprigs, to link it to the bride’s bouquet – or simply to use different foliage, such as a variegated rather than a plain leaf.

......but at the end of the day it’s a matter of whatever takes your fancy!

Corsages

Quite often brides will want a floral design for ‘the Mums’ to wear at their wedding, and possibly also for other important female guests.  This could certainly be a buttonhole using flowers from the other designs, but sometimes something a little bit more special is called for.  In this case a corsage can be the answer and these can be made in a huge range of different designs, from traditional wired corsages (in a typically triangular shape) to designer styles made to match the wearer’s outfit and with decorative elements added in.

 Corsages can be made to match the wearer’s outfit and provide a lovely gift for a special person!

So having considered personal flower requirements for the main wedding party members it is time to think about floral designs for the marriage and reception venues.  But that will have to wait for another day........

To be continued!

Favourite Flower for January: Gypsophila

As we leave Christmas behind and start the New Year, this can often signal a colder spell of weather with hard frosts and even flurries of snow.  There are not usually many flowers to be seen in the garden at this time of year (although this year is a bit of an exception!), but the flower that sums up January for me is Gypsophila, with its frothy mass of tiny white flowers which look almost like frozen dewdrops or miniature  snowflakes.  So, if you are set to marry in January, or are looking for some floral decorations to set the scene for a winter party, take a look at how Gypsophila can be used to create a very special ‘winter white’ theme.

January’s flower – Gypsophila (Baby’s breath)

Not wanting to throw any confusion into the air here, because I should make it clear that Gypsophila does not naturally flower in UK gardens during January.  It is generally grown as an herbaceous perennial flowering in mid-summer.  However, Gypsophila can be obtained all year round and is sometimes sold with a bit of added sparkle around Christmas time for a festive look.

 Gypsophila comes into its own when it is massed together to create a cloud of tiny white stars or snowflakes.  And it works equally well with other white flowers, such as ‘Akito’ roses, to create a stunningly simple bridal bouquet.

 A simple bouquet of white Gypsophila and white roses lends itself to some additional decorative detail, such as this diamante brooch placed on the bouquet handle which matches the bride’s jewellery and other accessories.  Whatever you fancy.........

 And Gypsophila can also be used to turn a simple white rose buttonhole into something a little bit special!

 These wicker hearts have been trimmed with Gypsophila to create some special decorative features, which could be hung at strategic points in the venue or even used as pew ends. 

 Or the smaller heart would make an unusual novelty item for a flower girl to carry.

 And to continue the winter white theme throughout the day, clouds of white Gypsophila can make simple but effective table arrangements either on its own or teamed with other white flowers.  Brides on a budget will be pleased to know that this would not break the bank!

 This pretty compact arrangement has been made in florists foam and so will last very well.  The white of the ‘Akito’ roses and Gypsophila are set off by the silvery-grey foliage of senecio to maintain the limited colour palette appropriate to the wintery theme.

..........but a dusting of silver sparkle has been added to give the illusion of frost glinting in the winter sunshine.

 Using touches of Gypsophila throughout the designs helps to create a coordinated look, while adding soft candlelight brings them to life and enhances the winter white theme.