A Wedding Flower Guide | Back to Top

When it comes to choosing wedding flowers, many brides may know the wedding flower they want in their own bouquet, but are a little mystified about the rest of the wedding flowers needed to fill out the ceremony and reception.

While you can leave all your wedding flower selections in the hands of a capable professional florist and get great results, you may want to take a more hands on approach. We hope this wedding flower guide will help making planning your most special day just a little easier.

Your first decision should be whether you plan to use a professional florist to create a wedding flower arrangement and bouquets, or if you'd rather visit a wholesale wedding flower retailer and order flowers to make your own bridal bouquets, boutonnieres and so forth.

If you are the creative type, a simple floral craft book will give you all the tips and tool lists necessary to create your own custom wedding flowers that reflect your personal style. It's a good idea to purchase some flowers to practice with ahead of time to make sure you'll be happy with your results. Whatever you decide, there are some standard traditions and suggestions to help make sure you've covered all your wedding flower needs.

Wedding flowers for the reception would include:

*Wedding flower arrangement for the bridal table.

*Table centerpieces

*Buffet table decorations


Wedding flowers for the bridal party would include:


*Bridal bouquet

*Small Bridal bouquet to toss

*Groom's boutonniere

*Maid/Matron of Honor bouquet

*Bridesmaid bouquets

*Best Man boutonniere

*Groomsman boutonnieres

*Flower Girl bouquet or petal basket

*Mother of the Bride/Groom corsages

*Father of the Bride/Groom boutonnieres

*Step-parent corsages/boutonnieres

*Grandparent corsages/boutonnieres


A Few Extra Wedding Flower Tips

* Maid/Matron of Honor wedding bouquets should be slightly more elaborate or in a different color shade than the rest of the bridesmaid wedding bouquets.
* The Best Man boutonniere should be slightly more elaborate than the rest of the groomsmen boutonnieres.
* The corsages/boutonnieres for the parents should differ slightly from the step-parents, and all grandparent corsages/boutonnieres should be different as well. It makes it easier for guests to keep track of who's who.
* Wedding flower arrangements from the church can be transferred to the reception hall for double duty.
* Bridesmaid wedding bouquets could be set in waiting vases and used as decoration for the bridal table.

Remember, these are just wedding flower guidelines. When it comes to your special day, your wedding flower selections and arrangements should reflect your personal taste and style. You can keep things simple or get as elaborate as you like, as long as your wedding flowers help you create the perfectly romantic wedding day you've always dreamed of.

This article was contributed by Lakes Area Celebrations | Back to Top

For thousands of years meanings have been attached to flowers by many different cultures, with some of those meanings still being considered relevant today. Though the most important meaning is the thought behind each floral gift, flowers selected for their traditional symbolism and historical significance can speak to the recipient in a special way. In anniversary flowers, this tradition is taken even further by assigning particular flowers to each year of marriage. Though flower meanings vary from culture to culture and source to source, here are a few favorite flower choices for anniversaries to help you express your love throughout the years.

1st anniversary
Pansies - Thought, remembrance
Carnation - Joy, commitment, admiration (red), purity (white), never forget (pink)

2nd anniversary
Cosmos - Modesty
Lily of the Valley - Happiness, purity of heart, humility, devotion

3rd anniversary
Fuschia - Taste
Sunflower - Strength, warmth, nourishment. Signifies a 'Devout admirer'

4th anniversary
Geranium - Comfort, gentility
Hydrangea - Gratefulness, pride, appreciation

5th anniversary
Daisy - Innocence, loyal love, 'I'll never tell', purity. 'You have as many virtues as this flower has petals'

6th anniversary
Calla/Calla Lilies - Magnificent beauty, transition, growth

7th anniversary
Freesia - Trust, fidelity, honorable love. The antidote to the proverbial thought that the seventh year brings restlessness

8th anniversary
Clematis - Clever, intellectual
Lilac - 'The emotions of young love'

9th anniversary
Poppy - Imagination
Bird of Paradise - Magnificence, splendor. 'Celebrating the unexpected side of romance'

10th anniversary
Daffodil - Regard, rebirth, unrequited love, chivalry. 'You're the only one'

11th anniversary
Tulip - Elegance, grace. 'The most romantic of flowers'
Morning Glory - Loves you

12th anniversary
Peony - Good life, happy marriage, prosperity

13th anniversary
Hollyhock - Ambition, fruitfulness
Chrysanthemum -Abundance, loveliness, fidelity

14th anniversary
Orchid - Love, beauty, wisdom, thoughtfulness

15th anniversary
Rose - Love, passion, perfection. Roses have been a symbol of love since ancient times

20th anniversary
Aster - Patience, elegance. Known as the 'Talisman of Love'
Day Lily - Coquetry

25th anniversary
Iris - Promise, faith, hope, wisdom, valor. Also, 'My compliments' and, 'Your friendship means so much to me'

30th anniversary
Lily - Devotion, pride, beauty
Sweet Pea - Lasting pleasure, blissful pleasure. Also, 'Thank you for a lovely time' and, 'I think of you'

40th anniversary
Nasturtium - Conquest, victory in battle
Gladiolus - Sword. Also, 'You pierce my heart'

50th anniversary
Yellow Roses - Inner light. 'The beauty of a long, prosperous marriage'
Violets - Modesty, faithfulness, virtue, understated beauty

All flowers express love and caring, and some have special meanings to help you convey just the right message. So, whether you choose a particular flower based on its traditional symbolism, a special memory, or just your own personal style, you're always sure to find a beautiful way to express your love with flowers.

This article was contributed by Lakes Area Celebrations | Back to Top

Wedding flowers define the tune of a wedding. They reflect the preference of the wedding couple, highlight wedding dress, bridesmaids' dresses and bridal’s beauty, and create a loving atmosphere. When planning your wedding flowers you must consider them to be the bride’s arrangements, reflecting the spirit of her life's happiest day. From bouquets to decorations and wedding reception flowers. Many flowers are available anytime when brides seek fresh flowers, including a variety of carnations and roses, besides of gardenias, baby’s breath, snapdragons, stephanotis and ivy mainly used in wedding bouquets. The idea of choosing wedding flowers by season will make a hug difference. Most floral varieties are easily found year-round, but seasonal flowers are cheaper and easier to find, and give a seasonal and personal touch. Having a whole view of the flowers accessible throughout all seasons of the whole year may assist you to spend less money on wedding flowers and still permit you to choose the almost proper flowers for the special day.

Wedding Flowers in spring to select from are tulips, violets, greenery, daffodils, lilacs, lilies and lily of the valley, fern, pansies, peonies, ivy, dogwoods, larkspur, tasty peas, irises, forsythia branches, hyacinth,, apple or cherry blossoms.

Daisies, roses, and dahlias are perfect for wedding flowers in summertime. Calla lilies, delphinium, geraniums, hydrangeas, sunflower are few others to consider. Summer is the season of flowers, and you may choose tasty William, greenery, beech leaves, ferns, meadowsweet, Zinnias, asters, iris, larkspur, Shasta, fund,, fund and goldenrod.

Wedding arrangements are splendid in fall. They may include the mixture of both flowers and foliage. The combination of these elements is a preference of the bride who can choose from a single flower theme to combined floral arrangements with or without specific foliage any time of the year. In Autumn, Wedding flowers include asters, dried hydrangeas, roses, zinnias, statice, marigolds, chrysanthemums and gerbera daisies while the most commonly used foliage are autumn leaves, yarrow, rosemary and rosehip.

Wedding Flowers for winter include the classic poinsettias, as well as orchids, amaryllis, camellias, jasmine and forget-me-nots in addition to accents of pine, ivy, fem, spruce and rhododendron leaves, so there is no need for dried or artificial flowers as many brides still believe. Some couple prefer a warm theme of wedding flowers in winter season.

Wedding flowers not only take a large portion of the wedding budget, but also take a long time to plan ahead. This is extremely challenging for the groom-to-be, or the bride-to-be who are busy professionals. Fortunately, the Internet opened a new and convenient way for people to plan and order flowers. They planned their wedding flowers perfectly online.

This article was contributed by Lakes Area Celebrations | Back to Top