5 Tips for Picking the Perfect Florals for Your Dream Wedding

Symbols of life and joy, flowers are an integral part of a western wedding. However, not every type of flower or floral arrangement is good for every wedding. Here are five tips to pick the perfect floral arrangement for your wedding.

1- Have Contrast Against the Dress

Since many brides wear white, they might choose colorful flowers. They may have soft pastel shades that give the ceremony a romantic atmosphere. These colors are shades of pink, including salmon, mauve, pale yellow, peach or light blue offset by sprays of tiny ivy. Other brides want a more bold statement and use jewel-like reds, blues, violets and magentas. These colorful flowers can not only be part of the decor but part of the bridal bouquet or the smaller bouquets held by the maids of honor. They can be worn at the waist or in the hair of the bridesmaids or the flower girl.

2- Find a Great Florist

Finding a great florist is similar to finding a great plumber. The bride and groom should get recommendations from friends and relatives until they have a list of about ten or so, then whittle the list down to three. After that, the job should be put out for bid, and the florists give the couple, or the bride’s parents if it’s more traditional, estimates. The florist should be of good reputation and should not have any outstanding complaints against them on such sites as the Better Business Bureau. They should be pleased to show the couple pictures of the weddings they have worked for and be willing to listen to the couple’s ideas for floral arrangements as well as give advice. This includes the flowers carried or worn by the bride, the groom’s boutonnière and the floral arrangement at the place of worship or wedding site and the reception hall. Some florists give potential customers sample arrangements to let them see their work.

During a consultation with the florist, the bride should bring a photo or a sketch of her wedding dress and fabric swatches of the bridesmaid’s dresses. This helps the florist match the flowers with the costumes.

Ideally, the florist should be hired six months to a year before the wedding.

3- Keep the Flowers Fresh

Flowers are not meant to last; they are meant to be pollinated and turn into fruit. This means they need very careful handling. One way to keep them fresh for the wedding is to have them delivered to the wedding site two hours before the ceremony. They should be misted beforehand then placed in boxes wrapped in cellophane. Flowers should be protected from extremes of temperature, and no matter how beautiful they are, the petals should not be touched. They will bruise. All loose flowers and bouquets should be kept in water until it’s time to use them. The bride and groom shouldn’t hesitate to urge their guests to take the table arrangements home when the reception is over.

4- Choose Seasonal Flowers

Seasonal flowers are much easier to obtain and cost much less than flowers the florist has to have specially flown in from the other side of the planet. Flowers that are abundant in spring include dogwood, carnations, violets and primrose; those blossoming in spring through summer include peonies, chrysanthemums, poppies and irises. Summer to autumn flowers include roses, rose mallow, blanket flower and daylilies. To keep costs even lower, hold the wedding off-season. Weddings held around holidays are at a premium.

5- Have the Flowers Multitask

“Use the flowers that decorated the church or wedding site at the reception,” said Confête Events.  It would be wasteful to spend a high amount of money on flowers and only use them for the ceremony.  Allow your guests to view your floral arrangements again at the reception by having your floral arrangements serve as centerpieces and additional décor roles.

Choosing the right flowers go far in letting you have the wedding of your dreams.