Wedding Flowers

by Uppereast.com Staff

Flowers make a statement, whether it is a bouquet of roses from your secret admirer or even those which spring from the window boxes that line the brownstones on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Flowers are a symbol of life and beauty. And at weddings as the guests scamper to carry out the remaining centerpieces, pulling from the bathroom the one overlooked arrangement, flowers are an essential part of your big day.

“I started with my color palette and worked my way from there,” said bride-to-be Shayna. Brides-to-be have a difficult task at hand; since weddings like most things in life, require some element of design that is completely subjective; brides find themselves stuck in an arbitrary conundrum.

“It’s like when people ask you what your favorite color is. Well, I have a lot of colors which I like. I love wearing black, but that doesn’t mean that I would want to have black as a primary color in my wedding,” Shayna added.

Experts suggest taking a step back. “Look at the room or the venue where you are getting married and work with those colors not against them. If you are getting married in Central Park in the fall then use a jewel tone palette – let nature lend you a hand. Or, if you are getting married in the ballroom at the Pierre incorporate gold and opulent colors into your plan,” said Miriam a wedding planner. Season, place and symbolism can be your guiding light when you are trying to decide on your schematic. White has always been a wedding favorite. Many brides opt to forgo choosing a variety of colors and stick to white which can be very ethereal and grand.

Seasonal Guide to Wedding Colors:
- Spring: pink, purple, blue, light yellow
- Summer: white, canary yellow, magenta, baby blue
- Fall: burgundy, burnt orange, red, gold, brown
- Winter: white, green, red, chocolate brown, deep wine

Don’t get your heart set on a specific type of flower before you know the season of your wedding. Unfortunately nature does not always cater to Bridezillas, even though the rest of the wedding industry does. Some brides will select flowers for their centerpieces or their bouquets without taking into consideration whether they are in season. That can be a costly mistake since if you are dead-set on a certain bloom they would need to be imported from another area of the world where they are in bloom.

“Consult a florist before you start to go down that primrose path,” suggests Miriam, “You can discuss your likes and dislikes with a florist or a designer and rely on their expertise for guidance. Most likely they can suggest another similar flower.”

The first thing a bride-to-be needs to do is know her budget. If you can spend $40,000 on flowers then the sky is the limit, but if your budget is more down-to-earth than you will need to decide where you want to spend your money and where you can conserve. Most brides will need to consider the following floral aspects: bouquets (you and your bridesmaids), boutonnieres, centerpieces and alter/chuppah décor. Very quickly costs will start to add up. If you are hosting a formal affair for 200 people you will need to have floral arrangements on every table which will probably be close to 20. “This is where brides need to get creative,” Miriam explains. “Using items such as river rocks, candles and picture frames are a less expensive route than big lush ornate centerpieces. You can also do some low centerpieces and some fuller ones.”

Getting Creative

As I plan my wedding I became much more of a realist. I had always dreamed of an outdoor fall wedding; amber leaves gently dancing in the wind as a golden sunset dripped behind a large oak tree I would say my vows. But, as I began planning, I found it difficult to locate a venue that would accommodate our large families and worried that October weather may be too temperamental. “The last thing you want is a fall hurricane and an outdoor ceremony,” my wedding planner warned. Adjusting my dream of a fall orchard wedding, I met with Donna at Beautiful Blooms, a Philadelphia based wedding designer, who helped me get creative. Together we hammered out a plan to bring the outside indoors. Using fall foliage, trees, curly willow branches and a variety of flowers in the rich hues that mimic fall colors, we created a palette and a plan.

“Decide on your style,” just married Alissa suggested. “I didn’t know anything about flowers before I started planning my wedding. I just knew what colors I liked, but I never gave any thought to what my own style was.” Turns out, Alissa was a traditional bride. “I wanted something timeless.” Sticking with tradition, Alissa worked with her designer to develop tall centerpieces in candelabras.”

Go online and check out celebrity wedding planners such as Preston Baily whose work has been touted as some of the best in the industry. While Baily may be out of your price range, gathering ideas from his books or his website can help you and your florist come up with some grand ideas on a smaller budget. “We wanted modern,” explained Shayna, “Both my fiancé and I are not traditionalists. I work in fashion and he is an artist so we wanted the wedding to reflect our personalities.” Shayna used long tables to seat all of the guests and opted to have a dessert bar rather than a cake. Working with her designer they created an architectural design for the centerpieces which seamless flowed down the table. “My florist rented a lot of props for the wedding. We even had the ghost chairs. She did a beautiful silver overlay on the table clothes and used gorgeous pink napkins which were folded so that they were an element of the design.”

Florists also have the ability to rent tableware and props. You are not bound to anything which your venue provides. If you do not like their beat up banquet chairs, you can bring in Chavari chairs. Some brides are trying to create a club-like feel at their reception. Designers are bringing in sofas and low tables to create the aura of being a in a posh nightclub.

Whether you are getting married on a beach or even if you want to bring the beach into the ballroom, a good florist has great ideas. Scour the internet; learn about what types of flowers you like, cut out pictures from bridal magazines: come to the florist with an idea. Make sure your ideas are in full bloom so that your wedding is budding with inspiration.

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