Little known fact, I worked retail in floral shops in high school!  I had an internship at a flower shop that turned into a part-time job.  It has been almost 10 years since then, but I can still make a simple boutonniere or bouquet.  (In fact, I DIY’d the floral for my wedding.)  I am by no means and floral expert, but I do know a thing or two about wedding flowers!  Here is some information to get you started thinking about what you want for your wedding day.

Bouquets

The first floral arrangement most people think about for weddings is the bridal bouquet!  It really can be  a statement piece for your wedding ensemble if you want it to be.  It is also a great way to tie the colors of the wedding into your outfit as your dress is most likely going to be a shade of white, champagne, blush, or grey.  I encourage you to make your bridal bouquet the star of the wedding attire floral.  Your photographer can incorporate an amazing wedding bouquet into so many different images for your wedding day.

For the bridesmaid’s bouquets you have a few options.  You can do replica’s of the bridal bouquet, smaller versions of the bridal bouquet, or different bouquets all together!  If you go for the later, I would suggest choosing an amazing florist who will be able to make the bouquets all coordinate even though they are different.

Pro Tip: Be sure to have a toss bouquet if you are doing a bouquet toss, so that you don’t ruin your bouquet!

Boutonnieres

Now lets talk about the fellas!  Boutonnieres are usually worn by the groom, groomsmen, and the fathers.  For a special touch, you can also give one to the officiant and the grandfathers that attend.  The same guidelines apply for the boutonnieres as do the bridal bouquets.  They are a great way to bring the colors of the wedding through the attire and to coordinate the groomsmen with the bridesmaids.

As with the bouquets, you can also do a special boutonniere for the groom that stands out from the others.  I would especially suggest this if you are planning on doing something to make the bridal bouquet stand out.  As a rule of thumb, the groom’s boutonniere should coordinate with the bridal bouquet.

Another fun idea is to include a fun element into the boutonniere.  Something special to the groom or his groomsmen, or maybe something fun to tie in the wedding theme.  This could be anything from including a bottle cap that is a reference to the groom’s favorite game, or a lego guy, or a star trek emblem, or something as simple as a a peacock feather for your peacock wedding!  The possibilities are really endless.

 

Other Bridal Party Flowers

Another common person to give flowers to is the mothers.  This is usually done as either a wrist or pin on corsage.  But you can also give them a single flower to hold or a small bouquet as a fun alternative!

Another fun wedding flower trend is flower crowns!  This can be worn by the bride, bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids, or even the flower girls!  It is seriously my favorite wedding trend right now.

Ceremony Flowers

Now we start to get into the flowers that people don’t think about traditionally when they think of the wedding flowers.  Decorating the ceremony space with flowers can be absolutely gorgeous!  Two of the most common places to decorate with flowers is the aisle and the altar.  There are so many different option you have in this space.  A quick pinterest search will yield you so much inspiration.  Some of my personal favorites are a backdrop of flowers to define a non-traditional altar space and floral arrangements to adorn arches at the altar.

And don’t forget about the petals for your flower girls to drop!  An alternate to this tradition is to have the aisle already decorated with petals and to have the aisle roped off until the bridal party is ready to walk.

 

Reception Flowers

The most common reception flower is in the centerpieces.  You can have all flower centerpieces or to incorporate them into a larger centerpiece decoration.  You can put them in mason jars, vintage vases, pumpkins, the list goes on!  Another popular place for flowers at the wedding is on the wedding cake.  Your cake baker and florist will need to coordinate a bit on this, but it is definitely worth it!

But those are not the only places you may want flowers at your reception.  You may also want pieces to decorate the gift table, bar, signs, cocktail hour, cake table, coffee bar, etc.  Having a few pieces to include on these tables really help to tie these spaces into your entire reception space.

 

Well, there you have it.  My beginners guide to wedding flowers!  I hope I got your creative juices flowing so you have a better idea of the flowers you want for your wedding and are feeling more confident is setting up that meeting with the florist of your dreams!  Want more tips for creating an amazing wedding day?  Click here for more Wedding Tips!