Best Flowers for a Wedding
Spring Wedding, Summer Wedding, Winter Wedding, Fall Wedding
Best Flowers for Weddings
Groucho Marx once said, “Hollywood brides keep the bouquets and throw away the grooms.” Those must be some pretty amazing bouquets! Seriously, it goes without saying that the importance of your wedding flowers shouldn’t outshine that of your groom. But when it comes to things that can make or break the presentation of your big day, wedding flowers are at the top of the list. If you’re planning a wedding, you want everything to be perfect, down to each minute detail. And that means the flowers must not only be beautiful, but they must be properly coordinated with your colors, and perhaps most important, they must altogether represent your tastes. That means finding the right wedding florist in New York isn’t just important; it’s a consummate piece of the puzzle that will all coalesce into your ideal nuptials. But how do you go about finding the best wedding florist near you? And after you do, what are some steps you and your groom can take to assure you’ve chosen the ideal flowers for your wedding?
Spring weddings, think orchids, sweet peas, or daffodils
The Wedding Theme
Your wedding is your ‘Love Story.’ It’s the day you begin your new life as husband and wife. The flowers you choose should represent that new beginning ... your new beginning. And that’s why the first thing you must do when choosing your flowers is to choose your wedding’s theme. Remember that this is your wedding, so you must make it represent your personal tastes. Once you’ve chosen a theme for your wedding, the next step is breaking it down by budget.
The Wedding Flower Budget
One of the best wedding gifts you and your intended can give each other is to start off your marriage with as little debt as possible. That’s why the first and most important thing you should do when choosing your flowers is to determine your budget ... and be honest with yourselves and with your florist. Knowing ahead of time how much you have to spend will be the key to nailing down which flowers that are right for you. After you’ve figured the total budget for your wedding, it’s time to break it down, item by item. A good rule of thumb is to allot 10% of your overall wedding budget to the flowers. This will need to include, first and foremost, your bridal bouquet. Beyond that, you’ll likely want bridesmaids’ bouquets, corsages for family members who’ll be in the wedding, groom’s and groomsmen’s’ boutonnieres, various arrangements placed throughout the wedding and reception venues, and any other areas you want flowers, such as draped across outdoor trellises. Remember to also include centerpieces for your reception. Talk to a wedding florist about how to appropriately apportion monies throughout your wedding.
Summer weddings, think carnations, magnolias, roses, and sunflowers
Books and Bridal Shows
Once you know how much you can spend, a helpful next step is to look through bridal and gardening magazines and books in order to locate your favorites. It’s not a great idea for this step to precede setting your budget because all those photos of all those breathtaking weddings can negatively impact your good judgment, and before you know it, your wedding’s cost is twice what you and your groom truly can afford. Magazines that showcase wedding flowers, especially those that are relevant to the season of your wedding, will help you to match up those flowers with your theme and the colors you’ve chosen. You can also visit local greenhouses, botanical gardens, and nurseries, which will allow you to see some of your choices in person. Another very helpful thing to do at this stage of your wedding plans is to learn the ‘language of flowers.’ Look to the internet for flower glossaries, or better yet, turn to your wedding florist to learn about the different flowers available, their meanings, and the roles they can play in your nuptials. For instance, if you want your wedding to express how you felt when your groom proposed in the tropics, you may want to find flowers that match that sentiment. Or, if you’re planning a classically romantic evening wedding with black and white attire, you may want to choose flowers that express passion and glamour.
Wedding Colors and Themes
If you haven’t already chosen the theme and colors of your wedding, this is a good time to do it. Again, choosing anything before setting a budget is the proverbial cart-before-the-horse approach. But after you’ve done that, one of the first steps toward planning your ideal wedding is deciding if you’re going to go with a theme (which most bridges tend to do), as well as the color combination that will work with both your theme and your personal tastes. For instance, if you’ve chosen a spring theme, pinks, yellows, and lavenders will coincide beautifully. Of course, the best wedding florists will be able to create beauty with any hue combo you’ve decided upon.
Autumn weddings, think daisies, hydrangeas, and passion flowers
Seasonal Wedding Flowers
After how much you can spend, perhaps the most important thing you’ll need to consider will be the season in which your wedding is scheduled. Though non-seasonal flowers aren’t out of the question, if you’re especially budget-conscious, it’s important to know that these flower choices will need to be flown in to your venue, adding significant cost to your flower allotment. A few suggestions: for spring weddings, think orchids, sweet peas, or daffodils; for summer nuptials, think carnations, magnolias, roses, and sunflowers; for autumn ceremonies, think daisies, hydrangeas, and passion flowers; and for winter weddings, think pansies, poinsettias, and snowdrops.
Flower Presentation
The flowers may be the unmitigated representation of your wedding. Where the dresses and tuxes will showcase the bridal party, the flowers will showcase everything else. And one of the most vital things you and your wedding florist will need to determine is arrangement and placement of your flowers. Though different wedding venues may have varying rules about where flowers can be placed and where they should be used, it’s important to note the following basic guidelines which tend to apply most often.
- Religious ceremonies are still among the most popular around the globe. Most churches, chapels, temples, and synagogues have definitive rules about where flowers can be placed. Most often, flowers can be placed on the altar, at the ends of pews, on chancel steps, around candelabras, around windows and window sills, and in some other areas designated by your particular venue. Always speak with authorities within the venue before deciding upon which flowers to buy for a religious ceremony.
- Separate bouquets for the brides, bridal party, mothers of the bride, etc.
- Centerpieces for reception venues, especially if your wedding reception includes a sit-down dinner.
- Decoration on bridal arbor or arch.
- Flowers to be placed in and around the reception area where attractive and appropriate.
Naturally, this is not an all-encompassing list. Speak with your wedding florist, as well as with all the leads at all venues, in order to determine any other areas where flowers can be used.
Winter weddings, think pansies, poinsettias, and snowdrops
Bridal Bouquet, Bridesmaids, and Flower Girls
Whatever your budget, a beautiful, centrally focused bridal bouquet is a must. Even the simplest of weddings always include a bouquet for the bride as she accepts her partner for life. The bridal bouquet should be the center of all other bouquets. It needs to be the largest and most impressive representation of your wedding it can be, for it will set the tone as well as the standard for all other bouquets in your nuptials. Work with one of the best wedding florists near you to choose flowers that both express your tastes, as well as coalesce with your colors and bridal gown. Once you’ve nailed down your choice of bridal gown, that’s when you can make your decision on your bridal bouquet... but not a moment before. Typically, the larger and more impressive the dress, so must also be your bouquet. For evening and especially romantic weddings, think cascading bouquets that match your bridal gown’s style. For weddings with a more contemporary theme, think tied bouquets or simpler arrangements that won’t overpower an elegant dress.
Next, you’ll need to decide upon bouquets for your bridesmaids and maid/matron of honor. Some brides like to have their maids or matrons of honor stand out a bit with a bouquet that’s just a little different from the rest of their bridal party. Whatever your choice, remember that these should be a smaller version of that which you’ll be carrying, but it doesn’t have to have the same look. What’s most important is that the colors coincide with the theme of your wedding, your bridal bouquet, and the bridesmaids’ dresses.
Finally in this category, it’s important to choose something appropriate for the flower girl. A spray of flowers can be exquisite for a little girl, especially if she’ll be carrying them in a basket. Another popular choice for flower girls, whatever their age, is to cascade a spray of flowers to ribbon, tying it around her wrists. One other alternative is to have her carry petals in a basket and have her lightly shower the aisle as she walks down it. Naturally, it’s always important to take into consideration her age when choosing her flowers and her role and activity within your ceremony.
Flowers for Grooms and Groomsmen
Hollywood brides may keep the bouquets and throw away the grooms, but you’ve found the love of your life, his place being front and center at your wedding. Some grooms will joke that they are all but forgotten when planning their own weddings, but it doesn’t have to be that way. And, though preparing the flowers for the groom and groomsmen may not be his favorite role in the wedding, it’s vital to include him in these choices. That being said, preparations for bridegroom and groomsmen flowers don’t have to be showy. In fact, choosing the flowers they’ll wear often is one of the simplest choices for your wedding. Typically, bridegrooms and groomsmen will wear a boutonniere, which fits into a tuxedo’s buttonhole. It’s good to choose a slight variation for the groom than for his groomsmen. A single flower that matches the bridal bouquet is an ideal choice for him. Flowers that work well as boutonnieres include carnations, orchids, lilies of the valley and, naturally, roses. You may also want to consider including the father of the bride as well as the father of the groom in the groomsmen’s flowers.
Finishing Touches
The mothers of the bride and bridegroom also typically wear corsages. Be sure to find out ahead of time what these lovely ladies will be wearing to your nuptials, as you will want their corsages to suitably complement their ensembles. Grandmothers of the bride and groom can also be included in this corsage allotment, unless your budget is just too tight for such. Flowers that work well as corsages in this case include orchids, roses, and gardenias, to name just a few. If you don’t know what these ladies will be wearing, a good rule of thumb is to choose something neutral, such as a cream or white.
Your wedding ... it’s your day to ‘tell the story of how great a love can be.’ And as the bride, you want the story of your love to be told in its most meaningful representation possible. No other part of your wedding will be able to express your love for each other quite as exquisitely as the flowers. Whether you’ve planned an elaborate destination ceremony in a far-off land, or a simple, elegant backyard wedding that unceremoniously floats you into your new life together, be sure to spend enough time with a wedding florist in New York to determine the ideal floral expression. From the color combination, to the theme, and down to each and every separate flower in every bouquet, corsage, or boutonniere, your flowers have the power to articulate your love as sure as if they’re able to shout it from the rooftops. So be sure to choose the right wedding florist in New York who can help you achieve the ideal embodiment of this, your most important day.