Your wedding flowers
Some words of wedding wisedom from "The Concious Bride's Wedding Planner": Depending on your ceremony and reception sites and your personal sentinment toward flowers, your choices will range from the simple to the ornate. It's difficult to improve on nature's majesty: if you're marrying outdoors, surrounded by the natural beauty of nature, you can forgo spending the money to decorate with flowers. If you're marrying in a reception hall or religious site, you may choose to decorate the aisles or have two or three large bouquets near the altar and around the room. You will also need to decide on your bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres, as well as flowers for the tables and cake.
PRACTICAL TIP: You can save money on flowers by using them at both your ceremony and reception locations. Brides and bridesmaids bouquets can be used to decoration the headtable, all you need is some simple cylinder vases. Consider purchasing live plants, such as orchids, which you can take home or give away at the end of day.
Carefully consider the size and shape of each bouquet. An overpowering bouquet can distract from the dress. The height and figure of each person, design of the dress, as well as fabric and color are important factors in selecting the perfect bouquet. Be sure that the bouquets do not hide the beadwork on the dresses.
Bridesmaids' bouquets should be smaller than the bridge's, contrasting in shape and complementary in color. It is wise to bring fabric swatches to the florist with you, so that you are sure to pick the right color. Shades can sometimes be deceiving. Consider using several shades of the color to make coordinating all decorations a little easier.
Your bouquet should be east to carry when you're walking down the aisle. When carrying you bouquet, extend your arms a little, rather than holding it too close. Ask your florist to show you the proper way to hold your bouquet and practice in front of a mirror before hand.
The groom's boutonniere usually matches the bride's bouquet and is worn on his left lapel. Consider a cluster of flowers instead of a single one for the groom's boutonniere. The groomsmen's boutonnieres and bridesmaids' bouquets should compliment each other. Remember, boutonnieres are pinned on the way flowers grow, upward!
Silk flowers allow for more flexibility when coordinating tones and they can be dyed to match almost any shade. Fresh flowers, although not as flexible, can offer a wide variety of colors depending upon the season. Some brides combine silk and fresh, or fresh and dried flowers for even greater versatility.
Freeze-dried flowers are the product of the latest technology that preserves natural flowers. Freeze-dried products retain their vivid colors and are more durable than other dried flowers. The bridge can enjoy the luxury of “real” flowers with the added benefit of enjoying them in the future.
