One of the favorite parts of wedding planning is deciding on the wedding flowers. Excellent floral arrangements make such an impact on your big day, but what you need and where you need them, as well as how much you’re going to pay for them can be a bit overwhelming! We’ve got a few tips on making sure your wedding floral guide keeps you organized and smelling the roses the whole process through!
Before you meet with your wedding florist to discuss what you want for the big day, you want to go into the meeting with a clear vision of what you want to have and how you want it to look. Of course, you want to draw on their expertise and experience. But you also want to make sure that you keep discussions focused on options that are within your budget. Your florists will be able to educate you on costs and alternative options that can give you the look you want within your budget.
So keep the following in mind when planning your wedding floral guide checklist to discuss.
What Does The Wedding Party Need?
Your bouquet, of course, is the feature floral arrangement! That’s a given. But don’t forget the following:
- Maid/Matron of Honor Bouquet
- Bridesmaid Bouquets
- Flower Girl (if you have one) Petals/Flowers (also consider floral headpieces)
- Groom’s Boutonnieres
- Boutonniere for Best Man
- Boutonniere for Groomsmen
- Boutonniere for Ringbearer
- Corsages for the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom
- Boutonnieres for the fathers and grandfathers of the bride and groom
- Boutonnieres/Corsages for the ushers and the officiant
Common and beautiful choices for the bridal/bridal party bouquets include roses, lilies and tulips. The bride’s bouquet is obviously going to be a bit different to set you apart, but you want it to complement your bridal party. Consider colors that complement each other—maybe have the bridesmaids’ bouquets a bit lighter than the bride’s.
The groom’s, best man’s and groomsmen boutonnieres are created in coordinating colors. Corsages for the bride’s and groom’s mothers/fathers and grandmothers/grandfathers can be in a similar vein, or whatever their favorite flowers are, as a tribute to them.
What Should You Consider For The Ceremony?
Be sure that the entrance arrangements are inviting and beautiful People note those right off. Additionally, consider floral options for the following:
- Rose petals (or something similar) for the aisle runner
- Altar/chuppah/stage arrangements
- Aisle pew decorations
- Communion/Unity Candle/Other Special Features tables
Ceremonial arrangements often match in color scheme and include roses, gardenia, lilies, daisies and just about anything you and your groom find gorgeous. Remember, you’ll want to have an idea of what’s in-season too, as that affects cost significantly. Your florist will help you with those decisions. We love repurposing floral arrangements, so chat with your florist about how to use your ceremony florals in your reception design.
What Do You Need At The Reception?
Depending on your reception venue and style, the flowers you’ll need may vary. If you choose to utilize ceremony florals at the reception then you will want the reception floral arrangements to be similar in color and design.
Consider having flowers for the following:
- Bride and Groom Head Table
- Family Tables
- Centerpieces for guest tables
- Buffet Tables
- Cake flowers
- Gift / Guest Book Table
- Decorating the bar area
- Decorating the reception entryway
- Restrooms
Creating your wedding floral guide may seem a bit overwhelming at first but having a great outline like this will make sure you keep on track, on budget, and most importantly meets your expectations. Get in touch to learn how fir Island FloralSmith can help with your wedding floral design.