All things Floral at Your Wedding

The centerpieces and bouquet alone can reflect a tone and atmosphere you desire.  It is also the easiest way to break the budget if you first don’t look at where you need flowers versus where you want flowers and how to go about fitting them into your budget.  We have divided the flowers into two categories so that you know where flowers are necessary and where you can maybe go more simple, yet still make an impact. 

We will look at bridal party flowers which include the bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and any accessory flowers.  We will also look at venue flowers which include anything in your ceremony to anything in your reception.

Floral Checklist

Bridal Party

• Bride’s bouquet
• Bridesmaid bouquets
• Toss bouquet
• Groom Boutonnier
• Groomsmen boutonnieres
• Ringbearer and other boutonnieres
• Corsages
• Flower crowns or hairpieces
• Flower girl petals

Venue Flowers

• Ceremony
  • Entryway arrangements
  • Assigned seating decor
  • Altar decor
  • Aisle decor
  • Chair or pew decor
  • Unity candle, sand decor
• Reception
  • Sweetheart table decorations
  • Table centerpieces or runners
  • Centerpieces for food tables
  • Ceiling or hanging arrangements
  • Cocktail hour table arrangements
  • Escort card table arrangements
  • Bar arrangements
  • Flowers for wedding cake
  • Cake table arrangements
  • Tossing bouquet (which was already mentioned under Bridal Party flowers)

Bridal Bouquet and Bridesmaid Bouquets

The bouquets can set the color pallet and are usually paired with the season of the year.  Beautiful pastels or whites are typical of spring, warmer colors are more common during fall, and reds are popular during December through February.  However, there are no rules and you can choose your favorite colors instead of colors that pair with the season. 

The bridesmaids bouquets are typically just smaller versions of the bride’s bouquet, but you could go totally unique as well.  If you want the maid of honor’s bouquet to stand out since she has more of an elevated role, you could make it more unique than the other bridesmaids.

Boutonnieres and Corsages and Accessories

Boutonnieres will go to the groom, groomsmen, ushers, ringbearers, fathers of the bride and groom and grandfathers of the bride and groom.  Corsages will go to the mothers and the grandmothers.  If you wish to honor any other member of the family for any reason, you could give them flowers as well. 

Do not forget the flower girl petals or any flower crowns that the flower girl or any other member of the party desires.  A flower crown for junior bridesmaids is always a nice touch to separate the bridal party by age.

Venue Flowers

Here is where we could start getting pricey.  You could literally put flowers in every nook in your venue to make it look like a paradise garden, but it is not necessary if your budget is limited.  We included a complete list above, but most areas will be pretty without floral or just a simple arrangement.  For instance, a single flower on top of the cake will look beautiful, but if your budget allows it, you could add a garland of greenery around the cake table for a more full look.

My recommendation would be to ask your venue what they have first before trying to doll up anything.  And my biggest recommendation is reuse decor.  If you have flowers on shepherds hooks down the aisle, transfer them into the reception hall to use as centerpieces or to put on the cake table or cocktail tables.  Even using single flowers in vases for a minimalist look goes a long way and does not need to be pricey.

Artificial vs. Real

When I got married a decade ago, artificial flowers were not as real looking as today’s fake flowers.  It wasn’t really an option to go faux back then, but today’s faux floral is beautiful and even smells real.  To be quite honest, no one can see the difference between the real and faux. 

There are silk faux flowers as well that are absolutely gorgeous.  If you are trying to save some money, artificial floral is the way to go, plus, the added bonus of getting to use the floral after your wedding day is huge.  You can also save with artificial flowers as you do the arrangements yourself or with family members because a huge expense of floral is labor costs.

Leftover Wedding Flowers

Most people do not think of what to do with flowers after their wedding.  Here are some ideas to make use of the money you will spend on flowers.

• Favors – Let family members take some home after the reception. If you have nice centerpieces, family and friends will be excited to display on their own kitchen table.
• Home decor – If you use faux floral, you can use them in your home for decor or even repurpose to make different types of home decor such as holiday decorations in wreaths. Many people take the bouquet and hang it upside down to dry the flowers.  By doing this, you can keep for years to come and they will keep their color. 
• Shadow box – Add some of your floral to a shadow box that also displays some pictures from the wedding or your wedding invitations.
• Donate – If you get married at a church, you can donate the flowers to be a part of the altar decorations or you can donate to another organization or place such as a senior living center.

Thinking about floral for your wedding can be overwhelming at first, but just set a budget and then look at this checklist.  You can always save by what type of flowers you choose or how many flowers you get. Enjoy adding flowers as accessories to decor such as signs or adding pops of color in bouquets.  This can be a fun, creative process that can make a big impact on the look of your wedding.