Wedding Flower Arrangements

Wedding flowers play a significant role in wedding ceremonies. Not only are flowers beautiful, they also evoke emotions and provide style and charisma to a wedding. They can be used in the ceremony, on guests' tables and even on the wedding cake.

Choosing a Florist

The first thing for a bride to consider is whether she wants to work with a florist. Every bride will have a different budget, so this is an important consideration. Making a list of florists in your area can help in choosing a reputable florist. Consider recommendations from friends and family. Schedule a time to meet the florist in person and have some ideas ready. Talented florists will incorporate your ideas into his or her professional opinion. A time - and money - saving tip is to have already selected a gown, bringing in a color sample if possible. This will help the florist arrange your wedding flowers in the best possible way.

Besides the bridal party, decide who else will receive wedding flowers to wear. Many brides give corsages to parents, friends, family and other people who were helpful in planning the wedding. A helpful money-saving tip is to hire a florist to do only part of the overall job, whether he or she makes just the bouquets or just the table arrangements.

Doing it Yourself

If hiring a florist to arrange your wedding flowers is out of your budget, you can try making the arrangements yourself. Take into consideration the need to purchase wedding flowers, containers, tape, wire, ribbon and other incidentals. It also is a fairly large job to undertake right before the wedding. It may be worth it to find an inexpensive florist to arrange your wedding flowers who can work within your budget.

If you do decide to make the arrangements and bouquets yourself, you can follow a few basic guidelines to make the job a little less daunting.

• Try to find a friend or family member with some skill or know-how about floral arranging. This would be a great time to ask for help from your bridesmaids.

• Decide on the wedding flowers you want to use. Although flowers can be shipped from anywhere, seasonal flowers will be the least expensive and will look the most natural. (Sunflowers in a winter wedding just will not work.)

• After arranging the bouquet to your liking, cut the stems across the bottom.

• Wrap wire along the length of the stems in a spiral.

• Wrap floral tape over the wire, being careful not to create gaps or creases. Stretching the tape downward as you wrap helps prevent this.

• Hot glue your ribbon one inch from the bottom of the stems. Wrap the ribbon under the stems like a U-shape, covering the cut ends with the ribbon.

• Wrap the ribbon up the length of the stems in the same manner as the tape, making sure not to create gaps or creases. Cut off any excess ribbon, or tie it into a delicate bow and let the ends hang.

Choosing the Right Flowers

Many wedding flowers used in arrangements have symbolic meanings. Some flowers to consider for your wedding flowers are:
Red Rose~ Passionate love
White Rose~ Pure love
Forget-Me-Not~ True love
Gardenia~ Joy
Orchid~ Beauty
Red Chrysanthemum~ Sharing
Lily of the Valley~ Happiness
White Lilac~ Youthful innocence

When putting the wedding flowers together, make sure to use subtly blending colors. Try using two different flowers of the same color, then accenting them with baby's breath and greenery. Also, use some flowers whose buds have not fully opened; this will give texture and variety to the arrangement of your wedding flowers.

Picking seasonal wedding flowers for your arrangements will save money. This list consists of wedding lowers available during each season.

Spring Wedding Flowers
Bells of Ireland
Casa Blanca Lily
Daffodil
Delphinium
Hyacinth
Lilacs
Peony
Sweet pea
Tulip

Summer Wedding Flowers
Chrysanthemum
English Lavender
Freesia
Gerbera Daisy
Hydrangea
Iris
Lily
Queen Anne's Lace
Sunflower

Fall Wedding Flowers
Aster
Chrysanthemum
Dahlia
Marigold
Statice
Zinnia
Dried Leaves

Winter Wedding Flowers
Amaryllis
Camellias
Cosmos
Holly
Jasmine
Poinsettia
Star Gazer Lily
Star of Bethlehem
Waxflower
Wedding Flowers Available Year-Round
Baby's Breath
Carnations
Gardenia
Heather
Orchid
Protea
Rose