Flowers

It is a great honour to be asked to make a bride's bouquet and the result will live on for years to come in treasured photographs of the day. So it is very important to pick your florist with great care, making time for you both to sit down and discuss all the details however small. They may sound trivial months before the wedding, but paying due attention to detail could make or break the big day.

The right flowers will add a delicate beauty to any wedding, bringing colour to the bridal party and their surroundings. Just as every wedding is different, so it follows that every floristry order will be different too.

It is much easier if the bride to be has a picture or drawing of a bouquet she has in mind. Even if she hasn't, help is on hand. Not only should a good florist have a well-illustrated wedding selection guide, but she may have photos of previous bouquets to help the bride choose. The bride's height, colouring and style of dress are very important and sample of fabric can be most helpful if flowers are to be matched perfectly.

Traditional church weddings are often quite floral affairs, but the rule for church flowers is "less is more". Churches often have their own flower arrangers, so it’s a good idea to discuss the church flowers with the vicar before going to see your florist. Perhaps all you will need is a large floral display in the form of a pedestal of flowers at the church door. Pedestals can make a bold statement and add a fantastic splash of colour.

As civil ceremonies are often less formal than traditional religious weddings, so it follows that the floral displays should be less formal in appearance. A single pedestal is a must for photo opportunities though.

The shape of your bouquet should depend on the style of your dress and overall theme of your wedding. If you are marrying in the country, in a full-skirted dress, a loosely tied posy of flowers will look amazing. For a formal, more traditional church wedding, in which the bride will be wearing a long, slim dress, a longer shower bouquet will be more complimentary. A simple lily or orchid arrangement draped loosely over the arm of the bride wearing a slim line dress can look extremely elegant.

Buttonholes are worn by the male members of the bridal party, i.e. The Groom, Best Man, Father of the Bride, and sometimes the Father of the Groom and Ushers. They are usually a single rose or carnation, worn in the top buttonhole of the suit jacket.

Corsages are slightly larger than buttonholes and may consist of more than one flower. They are pinned to the jacket of the female members of the bridal party, i.e. The Bride’s Mother and sometimes Grandmother and the Groom’s Mother.

Sparkly tiara’s have their place at formal weddings but it’s lovely to wear flowers in your hair at informal weddings and especially country weddings. If you intend to wear a tiara then you could always consider having flowers wired into your bridesmaid’s hair.

The fashion in flowers at the moment for brides to be, whether it’s a grand church wedding or registry office, is the more natural look, flowing foliage like bear grass and more unusual flowers. Many young fashionable brides ask to have hand tied bouquets designed. Any style from a Victorian-style posy to a longer flowing design that was traditionally constructed beforehand with wires and tapes, but which now can be put together by a floral designer just bound retaining the natural stems that, of course, can be left in water right up till the last moment.

It all looks very simple after it has been constructed, but it is quite an art and not for the inexperienced florist to try, as balance is so important. A unique handle system had to be designed for the bride to feel comfortable with, as she has to hold the finished design for quite a long time.

The over arm tied bouquet is also very popular and can look truly stunning when large modern flowers are used, like Gerberas with flowing foliage for contrast, wonderful for velvet or the tapestry look and the more simple empire line.

This more natural form of construction enables the bride to get value for money as it takes up less of the florist's time than wiring and taping.

So for value for money and a modern approach try a designer florist who has style, which will follow through with all your flowers for the big day, be it corsages for the mums or garlands for your top table.

Tips for your florists appointment

Book an early appointment.
Bring along a picture of your dress and your bridesmaid’s dresses.
Ask for a trial run or find out when your florist’s next wedding is, so you can drop by to see how particular flowers or a style of bouquet will look.
If your planning to wear flowers in your hair, it’s best to consult your hairdresser to decide on how you will be wearing your hair before meeting your florist.
Decide what colour your table cloth will be before choosing centrepieces as bold colours are likely only to work against a white backdrop.