Since designing with your dream wedding flowers is so important for your wedding day, we are sharing some tips to help you plan. Wedding flowers date back to a period of antiquity in Rome and Egypt, and are still taking the lead role in defining the space of our weddings today. Flowers create romantic spaces and beautiful backdrops for almost every wedding photograph. Get inspired and enjoy as we reveal some secrets to planning the wedding flowers.
Find Your Wedding Style
Before you run to the local florist and make any hasty decisions about your wedding flowers, you should take a moment to imagine your wedding day and the aesthetic you want to create. The style and vibe created by your flowers will affect the entire experience of your wedding day, including the wedding photography that will capture it all. Explore magazines, gain inspiration and create a collage of ideas to take with you to your florist.
Theme and Color Palette
Your theme and color palette are fundamental to choosing your wedding flowers. If you desire to create the classic wedding style, you will naturally want the lush white wedding bouquet. If you dream of a tropical romance, you might be imagining a lei of orchids in a lampshade-style arrangement that dangles from every centerpiece. Maybe your dream wedding and every photograph should involve the romance of dripping red roses or rustic twigs and wildflowers. You might dream up a castle wedding with burgundies and reds in oversized candelabras that evoke a sense of the romantic medieval times.
Ways to Save on Your Wedding Flowers
Find a balance between budget and imagination, and think outside the vase for creative solutions. Combining artificial flowers with fresh flowers can stretch the budget when needed. If you are open to adding premium silk flowers to your arrangements, it will help keep the expense down, especially when choosing flowers that might not be in season. They can be used to create bouquets and boutonnieres, just as they can be used to decorate the ceremony aisle and the tables at your reception. Silk flowers provide all the awe and ambiance at a fraction of the cost, and look flawless in wedding photography.
Get Creative
While many couples jump at the opportunity to save on planning their wedding day, not all couples want to sacrifice fresh flowers. Getting creative with your choice of blooms can keep the fresh flowers in your centerpieces and provide savings. Daisies and dahlias are usually less expensive choices. Roses, tulips, lilies and hydrangeas are in the mid-range. Peonies and orchids are usually among the most expensive flowers. It is important to note that a few expensive wedding flowers can produce better results than a dozen cheap ones. You might want peonies, but you might consider more affordable garden roses for a similar effect. Choose blooms in season. It is always more expensive to purchase wedding flowers out of season.
Be Authentic
Be open to a variety of colors and blooms. Do not limit yourself to hydrangeas and roses. Stay open to bringing in rare blooms of various colors that are in season and bring the outdoors into the space. Let your flowers help write your wedding story. Be authentic and create arrangements with flowers that are in the season. If you dream something beyond the season, it can still be accomplished with a little extra expense. Use imagination and stay true to your dream.
The Language of Centerpieces
Knowing some basic terminology for your centerpieces will make it easier to plan the details. Candelabras are tall and decorative holders of tapered candles that provide a space on each arm to design with beautiful floral arrangements. Fishbowl centerpieces are created with clusters of flowers in a glass bowl. Tiered centerpieces create additional layers of flowers. A breakaway involves shorter to medium height arrangements of different blooms in a grouping to create a centerpiece. Trumpet arrangements are cone-shaped with a narrow top in a tall vase. Dais centerpieces overhang the front of the table. This type of centerpiece is usually arranged on the sweetheart table, since it is a lower placement that creates the desired design without blocking the view of the bride and groom. A pedestal is a vase on a decorative platform that holds overflowing wedding flowers that cascade down the sides. There are more terms to learn than those for centerpieces.
The Language of Bouquets
Knowing the different types of bouquets will help you find the perfect one to match your wedding dress. Cascade is a waterfall-shaped bouquet that cascades like the name implies. It has a handheld base and a floral train that falls downward. Hand-tied bouquets are created with a dense arrangement of blooms that are tied with wire and a ribbon. A pageant consists of long-stemmed flowers similar to what you might find in the arms of a pageant winner. Nosegay is a small cluster of tightly bound flowers that are cut in a uniformed length. They are usually created with one type of bloom or a single color. A Biedermeier bouquet is a nosegay that contains a striped effect, which is created by concentric rings of different types of flowers. A round is larger and bolder than a nosegay, and consists of larger blooms in a loose arrangement. Your bouquet should always match the style of your wedding dress.
Size and Placement
The size and placement of your arrangements will affect the wow factor. Centerpieces should fit the space. Whether you are creating a romantic outdoor affair or creating a magical space indoors, think about the size of the tables and the other arrangements. Lower centerpieces work well with outdoor venues. You might create an illusion of a canopy of flowers on high candelabras indoors. You can choose to suspended arrangements from the ceiling or from tree branches. If you want those lush and large blooms, think about the placement for your wedding photography to make sure the arrangements do not obstruct the view of important people and moments. Let your flowers soar or cascade, but place them below or over heads. Placement of your wedding flowers is important for your wedding photography.
Counting Your Wedding Flowers
How many wedding flowers should you order? Evaluate the size of the venue and think about how you want to use your flowers within the space. The answer depends on how you envision your wedding day and the budget you are using to create it. You will probably want a decorated ceremony space and centerpieces with flowers on your tables. You could reuse flowers from the ceremony space in the reception hall, but the cocktail hour might be your only break of time between events. You will need to be realistic about the amount of time available to stage another space. Whether you are creating the garden ceremony indoors or only wanting a few accents, there are other flowers to consider. You will probably want a bridal bouquet and bridesmaids’ bouquets. The groom and groomsmen will probably have boutonnieres. The parents of the bride and groom usually have corsages and boutonnieres. Once you decide how many arrangements you will need, choose the blooms to fill the space.
Choosing Blooms
Once you have an idea about quantity, you will need to think about the type of blooms you want to use within your space. Every flower has a different color and scent that will alter the mood and create a different experience. The season is usually a good way to narrow down your options. It is not impossible to obtain blooms out of season, but they can be more expensive and they do not last as long. A good florist will be able to assist you with obtaining flowers that are forced to bloom out of season, and can give you the best recommendations.
Winter Wedding Flowers
Winter has more variety than most realize. Garden roses, peonies and anemones are romantic blooms that add an abundance of color to winter weddings. The winter also gives us the elegance of orchids, champagne roses, magenta tulips and some hyacinths.
Spring and Summer
Spring and summer come to life with colorful blooms, creating an abundance of lilacs, sweet peas and ranunculus. Hydrangeas are a dramatic and popular choice to decorate the wedding arch. Keep in mind that hydrangeas are sensitive to heat. Freesia, peonies, dahlias, daisies, carnations and roses bloom during warmer months. If you want to create a garden wedding, indoors or out, the summer and spring provide the opportunity.
Fall Wedding Flowers
Fall changes up the color palette with oranges and browns. During the cycle of change, deep burgundy dahlias and sophisticated anemones bloom. Fall is the season for yellow wedding flowers. Marigolds and sunflowers create beautiful and elegant bouquets. Bring in the reds and the browns with berries and acorns. Drape your centerpieces and tables with fall leaves and vines.
Crystal Ballroom Charlotte
Crystal Ballroom Charlotte is an all-inclusive wedding venue that bundles the venue, furnishings, décor, staff services and a professional wedding design team. Step inside of the design studio and choose your linens, chinaware, floral arrangements and elegant décor from exclusive Crystal Ballroom designs. Design your venue with the assistance of the floral design team and professional wedding designers. The vendor policy allows you to book outside vendors or plan with a list of preferred vendors. Bring imagination and plan your magical moments in a wedding venue designed just for you.
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