Wedding Flowers 101

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From the flower petals scattered by the flower girl to the groomsmen’s buttonholes to the bride’s bouquet and reception arrangements: flowers complete the overall appearance of your wedding day and create a breathtakingly stunning impact.

Starting point

Most brides want to coordinate their flowers with their gown and invitations, so finalise your colour theme before selecting your flowers. Do a bit of research if you don’t already know exactly what you want. We have some ideas for you that will cut your decision time in half.

Working to a budget

Don’t scrimp on your flowers! Aside from your dress, flowers are the focal point of your wedding day. Prices will vary according to:

The workmanship involved
The quality of the flowers
What’s in season
Volume required

Give your bridal floral designer an approximation of how much you wish to spend, and ask for quotes that include a range of different floral styles and options that suit your ideas and your budget.

What you pay for...

Ultimately, you are paying for the workmanship and skill of your floral designer as well as the flowers themselves. Your floral designer will probably wire your bouquet so that it will last through your entire wedding day without falling apart or prematurely drooping: either sealing the heads of the flowers with parafilm and wiring them into position or wiring the stems to ensure they stay upright.

Value for money

There are ways of having a beautiful bouquet that doesn’t cost a fortune.

An arm spray is less expensive than a bouquet.
A natural stem bouquet is a less expensive option also. It is important to note that this type of bouquet will not last as well throughout the day as the ends are exposed and will dry out.

How to choose your florist

You need to find a skilful and creative professional floral designer. Some own or work in florist shops while others specialise in weddings and work from home or a workshop. Here are some questions to ask your florist:

Can we see photographs of your previous work?
Can you make suggestions based on my theme and gown?
Are you available on our wedding day?
How many weddings have you done?
How many weddings do you do in a day?
Do you deliver the flowers to our home, the ceremony and reception
Do you charge a delivery fee?
Will you set them up for us at the venue?
Is there a throw away bouquet included in the package?
Do you need a deposit and if so how much?

Take a swatch of fabric from your wedding dress to your first appointment so they can colour-match your flowers. Ensure you book well in advance of your wedding day, as the good ones are often fully booked, particularly throughout spring and summer. You should receive a written quote for each item and any specific design details should also be put in writing so that everybody is clear.