Wedding Flower Basics

A great place to begin planning your wedding flowers is by looking through magazines and wedding websites. Bring the pictures to prospective florists so they know what you are interested in for bouquets and centerpieces. The more information you can bring to meetings, the better each florist will be able to understand your vision and provide good advice and an accurate quote. Useful details include swatches of bridesmaid dresses, pictures of the wedding venue, and a head count of the bridal party and number of reception tables. Also let the florist know about your wedding theme or any special accents which appeal to you, such as crystals in the bouquets to match your crystal earrings.

When interviewing florists, take a look at their albums of previous weddings. Use key words to indicate your style like modern, eclectic, classic, or bohemian. Be upfront about your budget, and ask what the florist can do within that price range – you may well find significant variations from one florist to the next. The best florists will offer suggestions on how to get the look you want for your flowers within your budget by giving you similar alternatives to pricey blossoms. They should also be able to advise you about what flowers will be in season during your wedding and be comfortable warning you against your first choice if it is not the best option for the time of year when you will hold your wedding.

The exact number of wedding floral arrangements you will need will depend on the size of your wedding party and the layout of your ceremony and reception sites. In general, plan on a bouquet for the bride, each bridesmaid, the junior bridesmaid, and either a basket of petals or bouquet for the flower girl. You will also need boutonierres for the groom, groomsmen, and fathers and grandfathers of the bride and groom. For the mothers and grandmothers, corsages are the traditional option and small posies are the contemporary choice. Then there are ceremony flowers for the altar, aisle decorations, and possibly a wreath for the church door. If you wish to have an aisle runner, that is usually arranged by the florist as well, as are candles for the church.

Flowers needed for the wedding reception will of course include a centerpiece for each dinner table, but that is only the beginning. You may wish to have arrangements for the bar, cocktail hour tables, food displays, the cake table, guest book table, gift table, and even the ladies room. Speak to your florist about how some of the ceremony flowers can be re-purposed to decorate the reception space. Bridesmaid bouquets, for instance, can easily be dropped into vases to serve as decorations for the guest book or gift tables, which is a great way to make the most of your wedding flower budget.

Cheerful Yellow Wedding Flowers

For a charming homespun wedding style, try combining yellow flowers with red and white accents. This is not the red of seduction, but rather the classic red of mittens, Radio Flyer wagons, and folk art. A bouquet of round yellow button shaped blossoms tied together with a red yarn bouquet wrap would be absolutely adorable. Decorate the handle of the bouquet with an eclectic assortment of colorful buttons to play up the handcrafted charm of the arrangement. For the reception, red and white patterned tins can be used as centerpiece vessels filled with informal yellow blossoms.

A sweet old-fashioned yellow wedding flower is the sweet pea. The ruffly blooms simply exude the feeling of a simpler time gone by. Combine yellow sweet peas with blossoms like white garden roses, trailing ivy, and white lisianthus in loose arrangements for the wedding bouquets. They look marvelous with a soft organza bridal gown and delicate drop pearl earrings. For bridesmaids, pair these charming yellow and white bouquets with dresses in a contrasting color like spring green or lilac.

What could be more cheerful than a daisy? A bouquet of bright yellow gerbera daisies would be a fantastic addition to any informal wedding celebration. There are so many other wonderful things which can be done with yellow daisies. Suspend the round blossoms on ribbons to create vertical hangings behind an outdoor altar or the head table at the wedding reception. “Plant” the daisies in containers of wheat grass for fresh summer centerpieces or use them in a more minimalist fashion by lining the center of a long reception table with clear glass bud vases, each with one perfect yellow daisy in it. They are sure to bring a smile to the face of every guest.

After the grayness of winter, bright yellow flowers are one of the favorite signs of spring. If your wedding is to take place during the spring months, fill it will sunny daffodils and tulips. They combine beautifully with fresh white blossoms to tone down the yellowness of the floral arrangements, or stick with all yellow for a super happy look. A great thing about both tulips and daffodils is that they come in a nice range of varieties, including ruffly parrot tulips, two tone tulips and daffodils, and delightful mini-daffodils. A mini-daffodil bouquet carried by a petite bride in a lace gown with pearl earrings would be a delightful sight indeed on a beautiful spring day.

Centerpieces for Family Style Wedding Receptions

Long tables with family style service have become very popular for wedding receptions. The idea behind this style of dinner is to create a relaxed convivial atmosphere that encourages conversation and good times. It is not enough to swap out long tables for round ones, though; you also need to set the table to encourage this friendly flow of conversation. These are some suggestions on centerpieces for family style wedding receptions.

If you opt for tall elements like candelabras, choose ones with narrow bases and open designs that will not create a wall between the two sides of the table, and set them in the spaces between place settings to keep the line of vision clear. You can then fill in the spaces between the candelabras with low floral arrangements. Rustic iron candelabras would be wonderful for a vineyard wedding with rectangular tables. For a more airy look, create groups of clear glass candle holders with very tall stems in several heights.

Flowers are very popular for centerpieces. A great effect for long family style tables is to use a series of small low centerpieces down the length of the table, rather than a few larger arrangements set far apart.  A mixture of flower colors and textures suits the relaxed character of family style service. Choose flowers based on the season, the location of your wedding, and of course your personal taste. If you are a bride who loves the timeless look of pearl earrings and lace, clusters of white garden roses, pink peonies, and yellow sweet peas tumbling over the sides of vintage white hobnail vases and bowls would be lovely. Loose arrangements will lend a “fresh from the garden” feeling to the centerpieces.

When decorating your family style reception tables, do not overlook the design possibilities of fruit and vegetables. For a classic autumnal celebration, set hollowed out gourds, mini pumpkins, and eggplants down the middle of rectangular tables. Fill them with seasonal flowers in shades of red, purple, orange, and cream. A fun idea for a summer reception would be to set low footed bowls filled with lemons and limes down the length of the tables. Between the bowls of fruit, layer in very low arrangements of hot pink gerbera daisies, lime green kermit mums, and a scattering of small white blossoms (to break up the intense color palette just a bit). The final effect of your centerpieces will be inviting, festive, and absolutely perfect for a fun family style wedding reception.

All About The Wedding Reception

Food, cake, and we’re off! That’s the mentality of most new husbands towards their wedding reception. For brides however, the wedding reception is totally different, and it starts with the wedding reception planning. Would you have ever imagined how much planning you would have to do for your wedding? Your wedding reception takes up quite a bit of that planning. Read more for a few wedding reception planning tips.

Tables! Tables for your reception have to be the right ones, or nothing will look right. Tables have different features and are ideal for different reason and will have to be considered for what you want out of your reception. Popular among the shapes of tables are round ones maybe three feet in diameter or even a very long banquet style table where all the wedding guests sit close together.

Some of your wedding guests may have some kind of food allergies. This most definitely should be taken into consideration. Also are the guests who will not eaten certain food because of other reasons.

For more readings on wedding receptions please visit:

• The Right Tables For Your Reception
• Wedding Reception Centerpiece Ideas
• Dealing With Food Allergies at Your Reception
• Choosing A Wedding Cake

Simple Ways to Make Your Wedding Unique

Every bride wants her wedding to be beautiful and memorable. Most brides also want their wedding to stand apart from the crowd, even if their taste is fairly traditional. This is a look at some simple ways to make your wedding unique.

An Oval Wedding Cake. The round tiered cake is definitely expected. Square cakes are interesting, but may be a bit too contemporary for some weddings. A wonderful way to make your wedding cake distinctive is to use oval tiers rather than round. It is very elegant, appropriate for a traditional or formal reception, and yet is just unexpected enough to have a great wow factor. Be sure to play up the non-traditional oval shape by having a decorative border emphasizing the outline of each tier.

Mis-matched Bridesmaid Dresses. The perfectly matched set of bridesmaids no longer feels so fresh. A very easy way to make your wedding a little different is to let each attendant choose her own attire. Some brides will make it wide open and say, “Pick any pink dress with pearl bridesmaid jewelry”, while others might narrow it down to a specific color and fabric and request that each woman pick her favorite dress within one designer’s collection. When your bridesmaids feel their best, they will look their most beautiful.

High and Low Centerpieces. Who says that the centerpieces for each table at the reception must be uniform? A great trend is to create several different centerpiece designs in heights which range from high to low. As long as they are in similar colors and use at least some of the same flowers and elements, the varied centerpieces will maintain a cohesive style across the reception space. You can’t beat the visual interest created by mixing and matching your table arrangements. Like the oval wedding cake, this is an idea which works as well for formal weddings as it does for less traditional receptions.

Creative Escort Cards. Rather than using the standard white tent cards to let guests know their table number, try something a bit different. For a garden wedding, use die-cut bird cards and hang them from a tree with pretty ribbons. For a beach wedding, use lay out starfish in a tray of sand, and tie a tag with the name and table number of each guest to a starfish. Having a formal wedding? Paint pears gold and attach name tags to their stems. Arrange the gold pears in elegant lacquered boxes on tables for an eye-catching and stylish alternative to the basic white escort cards.

Let your creativity be your guide, and you are sure to find even more ways to add unique character to your wedding, whether it is traditional or informal.

Purple Wedding Flowers for Bouquets and Centerpieces

If you are having a traditional wedding, purple roses are gorgeous. One of the most beautiful ways to use them for bouquets is in a range of shades from lilac to medium purple. Silvery accents like Lamb’s ear add interest to rose bouquets with a cool lavender tone for a looser arrangement or opt for the classic tight nosegay in multiple shades of purple. You can carry this into your bridesmaid attire by choosing light purple dresses and giving them bridesmaid jewelry gifts in deep amethyst colored crystals.

There are some gorgeous options for romantic purple wedding flowers. Tall footed urns overflowing with lilacs, sweetpeas, and French tulips would be breathtaking for a garden wedding. For coordinating bouquets, omit the lilacs which will wilt out of water. Use a mix of white and lilac sweetpeas with deeper purple French tulips for the bride’s bouquet, and the same floral varieties done entirely in shades of purples for the bridesmaids. These bouquets would make a wonderful complement to flowing soft chiffon dresses – white for the bride and lilac for the bridesmaid dresses.

Purple flowers are wonderful for creating a sophisticated or exotic style as well. A deep eggplant arm bouquet of calla lilies would be perfect with a slender elegant silk sheath gown. Another favorite wedding flower which comes in shades of purple is the orchid. Always dramatic, orchids can be found in every conceivable purple hue, from pale lilac to plum with spots to bright fuchsia. When you are looking for a sophisticated yet vibrant flower for bridal bouquets, the orchid is ideal. Purple orchids also look fantastic for submerged flower centerpieces for the reception.

The simplicity of lavender asters with purple mums and bachelor’s buttons makes a great casual bouquet. These flowers work very well as a fall wedding decoration for couples who prefer to avoid the standard autumnal oranges and reds. A terrific way to display these informal purple flowers is to create small arrangements using eggplants as the vessels instead of regular vases. Very simple and yet memorable. With so many ways to use them, it is no wonder that brides love purple wedding flowers.

Lush Peonies for Weddings

One of the most gorgeous wedding flowers is the peony. Feminine, gracious, and charming, peonies are one of the favorite flowers for spring brides. These are some ideas on how to incorporate lush peonies into your wedding bouquets and centerpieces.

Peonies work beautifully for round bridal bouquets. Their full and ruffly blooms are ideal when a lush bouquet is the goal. A mass of peonies makes a fabulous wedding bouquet all on its own, or it can be combined with other flowers with a similar shape for a bouquet which looks like it was handpicked from an English garden. Some of the prettiest blooms to combine with peonies are garden roses, sweetpeas, and French tulips.

Peonies are usually seen in pale pink, hot pink, a pinky-red, and white. Pale yellow peonies are also available, as are double peonies, which are two toned. The pinks tend to be the most popular for weddings. They are great for both the bride and her bridesmaids. A pink peony bridesmaid bouquet is perfect for a preppy style bridesmaid dress with the attendants in simple strapless dresses and pearl bridesmaid jewelry. Hot pink peonies are a great contrast to more richly colored bridesmaid dresses such as charcoal, navy, or brown.

There are many fantastic centerpiece designs which are based on peonies. The flowers themselves are so beautiful that they look incredible in even the simplest arrangements. For DIY wedding centerpieces, a lush bunch of peonies in shades of pink can be stuffed into short tin pails or white pitchers. If you prefer a more formal effect, the same flowers would be stunning in a tall footed urn. Just remember that peonies look best when they are packed together to be very full and rich looking.

From garden to ballroom, preppy to romantic, the peony is the perfect flower for so many styles of weddings. Always gorgeous, this luscious spring flower is sure to become one of the favorite things about your wedding decorations.

Centerpieces for Valentine’s Day Weddings

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and its arrival signals one of the most popular days of the year to get married. After all, it is the holiday of love and romance, so what could be a more apropos wedding date than February 14^th? Celebrate the spirit of the holiday with one of these romantic centerpieces for Valentine’s Day weddings.

When you want to use classic red roses in a very opulent way, choose ones with dramatically long stems and display them in tall crystal or silver vases. This is a great choice for brides who like very elegant wedding details, such as Swarovski bridal earrings. You can bring a bit of the sparkle from your bridal earrings into your centerpieces with Swarovski crystal accents. Crystals can stud the center of each rose, or they can be draped around the edges of the vases for an impressive detail. It is a far cry from baby’s breath and fern accents, that is for sure.

Although Valentine’s Day weddings are often more dressy, it could also be a lot of fun to go with more of a sweet handcrafted design concept. Think of things like handcrafted paper hearts in cozy patterns like pink and red plaid. One really cute and unique centerpiece idea is to wrap plain vessels with red yarn, fill with informal pink and red flowers like carnations, and have the paper hearts on tall wires springing jauntily from the flowers. Add one large heart to the display and stencil the table number on it. This would be so cute and different than the typical wedding table arrangements.

Vintage nostalgia is another approach you can take for your Valentine’s wedding centerpieces. Floral arrangements can be adorned with a white lacy doily ruff around the edge (this would also look great for bouquets). If you were interested in using white flowers, a mountain of fluffy white baby’s breath would work well with this design. While individual stems of baby’s breath as a filler can look anemic, when used as a single flower display in masses, it is ethereal and cloudlike – absolutely romantic, and just right for a Valentine’s Day wedding.

Pretty Centerpieces for Casual Weddings

Everything about your wedding should flow in harmony. If you are the kind of bride who is most comfortable wearing a simple wedding gown with handmade jewelry, then you will want a very different type of wedding decorations than the bride who is wearing an opulent gown with very elaborately handmade wedding jewelry in a hotel ballroom. Your centerpieces should match your general style, and when your wedding reception is more relaxed, you can have fun with more creative table arrangements.

Gerbera daisies are one of the most popular flowers for casual receptions. Their bright colors and cheerful nature are both celebratory and informal. There are several styles of centerpieces which will work wonderfully with gerbera daisies as the main flower. For long tables, plant a “garden” of the daisies in long containers filled with wheatgrass. Choose either a single color, or a mixture of pink, orange, and yellow flowers.  So fun!

Hydrangeas are a perennial wedding flower favorite, and they have the possibility of being made to look very elegant or quite informal. A simple centerpiece idea for an outdoor wedding is to take bunches of hydrangeas and arrange them in pitchers. Find a variety of different pitchers at flea markets to give the table decorations that welcoming homey feeling. These centerpieces are so easy to make that you can pick the flowers from your own yard and quickly drop them into the pitchers.

Potted plants and herbs make wonderful casual centerpieces. Try a mixture of various fresh herbs and flowering plants in a clay pot for a garden wedding. Or choose container plants which are in season for your wedding. Red geraniums or begonias would be very appealing for a summer wedding, or use orange and deep red mums for a rustic fall reception. Put the flowering plants into pretty but informal vessels, such as wicker baskets or painted tin pails. Simply perfect for an informal wedding!

Fabulous Non-Floral Centerpieces

Flowers are a beautiful part of any wedding. But when it comes to creative divine centerpieces for your reception, they are by no means the only option. These are some ideas on how to design fabulous non-floral centerpieces.

Natural materials work beautifully to create centerpieces for many different styles of weddings. You would be amazed what can be done with branches, twigs, rocks, and moss. For an evening reception, tall centerpieces created from white birch branches look dramatic with tiny candlelit lanterns suspended from them. This is a gorgeous effect for a Winter Wonderland theme wedding with the addition of hanging teardrop crystals to capture the light just like crystal bridal jewelry. A more casual effect can be created by using tiny lanterns in a variety of colors.

Candles also work wonderfully as centerpieces for beach weddings. A hurricane lantern with one large candle in it is the perfect base. Add your own personal touches to give the centerpieces style and interest. You can create a tablescape by pouring sand around the lantern and scattering seashells in it for a natural look. Driftwood place cards would be a great tie in to this type of centerpiece. A more upscale beach design would feature the hurricane lantern with faux red coral accents. Silver starfish ornaments could be tied to the napkins and double as the wedding favors.

For brides who love the latest in hip modern design, you can go even farther with your non-floral centerpieces. Imagine the spectacular effects that could be created using interesting elements like colorful l.e.d. lights and plexiglass boxes. The lights can be placed in the base of the clear boxes to cast a glow onto another material in the box, or they can be used on their own in the plexiglass for the ultimate in minimalist chic. Experiment with varying heights, colors, and materials to get the perfect one-of-a-kind centerpieces.