By Lenni Stratton
For many brides, the floral design is what catches them up during the wedding planning. Very few brides really know what their options are, or truly understand how much goes into creating really beautiful wedding day florals. As with any other vendor, it is important to hire a professional to handle your flowers. Even if you think you already know exactly what you want, you probably don’t know all your options, and there may be something better that a floral designer can help you put together.
So what about the groom? Boutonnieres don’t have to be boring. Try thinking outside the box a little bit, and using something besides the classic single flower. Boutonnieres don’t even have to be a flower. Choose another element from the bridal bouquet–perhaps some greenery, a fern curl, hypericum berries, a feather–to create his boutonniere. Incorporating elements from the bride’s bouquet will ensure that the bride’s and groom’s flowers have a cohesive look: they should look like they match.Most bridal bouquets are fairly elaborate. They incorporate elements of the rest of the wedding into one beautiful arrangement for the bride to remember. The bridal bouquet will be in most of the photos, and is a great summary of the rest of the wedding for the bride and groom to cherish. And remember that wedding arrangements don’t have to be made up solely of flowers: think feathers, greenery, twigs, sparkles, fabric, etc. The options truly are endless! Perhaps you are using a particular element–feathers, antique broaches–in the rest of the wedding decor. Consider using a version of that element throughout your florals, to bring the look completely together.
There are so many options when it comes to bridesmaid bouquets. Often, their bouquets are a smaller version of the bride’s flowers, or perhaps made up of only a portion of the flowers from the bride’s bouquet. For example, perhaps the bride has a large bouquet of garden roses, cotton, and rannacules. A beautiful bridesmaid bouquet to match could simply consist of roses, leaving the garden roses to distinguish the bridal bouquet. Similar to the bride’s flowers and the groom’s boutonniere, the groomsmen should have boutonnieres that coincide with the makeup of the bridesmaid bouquets.
One element of the wedding flowers that is easy to forget is the bride’s toss bouquet. Most brides will want to hold onto their bridal bouquet, perhaps to dry and save along with her other wedding keepsakes. If this is the case, be sure to remind the florist that you’ll need a smaller version of the bridal bouquet to use for the bouquet toss. Often, this bouquet is the same as the larger version, just with fewer flowers. It can also be a replica of the bridesmaid bouquets, and can be used for a dual purpose as a sign in arrangement.
Don’t forget, when meeting with your floral designer you’ll want to make sure to chat with them about getting replicas of your bridal bouquet (and possibly the groom’s boutonniere) for your bridal photos. You might not think it important at the time, but wedding flowers can add so much to these images taken before the wedding. Having the same flowers for both sets of photos will ensure that the pre-wedding photos and the wedding day photos have a similar look to them.
The most important thing to remember with your florals–as with any other elements of your wedding–is to trust the professional you’ve hired. They are experienced, and a true professional will be able to see your vision even before you can, and will produce for you more beautiful florals than you could ever have described to them.
