Choosing Your Flowers and a Florist.

Probably the best way is by recommendation from a friend who has recently been married, you could ask at your reception venue they will have first hand experience of many florists and will be able to recommend several to you. Or you could go to our florists page and visit some of the web sites listed there. You will find that some of these sites are packed with images of work which has been produced for customers in the past. This is a good way to get ideas as to the style of the floral arrangements you would like for your wedding, make a short list of two or three in your area or the area you intend to marry in.

If you intend to wear flowers in your hair, you should visit you hairdresser first to decide on how you will wear your hair on the day.

You will have to decide on the extent of the floral arrangement's. Do you want the florist to decorate the church and the reception venue, as well as supplying bouquets for the bride and bridesmaid's and buttonholes for the men. Before you meet the florist give this some thought and make a provisional list of what you would like, so when you get an itemized quotation you can then decide exactly what you want.
It would be nice to have acres of flowers everywhere, be realistic and only order what you can comfortably afford. Remember the florist will expect at least 25% deposit with the order. And the balance probably just prior to the wedding.

If you are having your florist decorate the reception venue, find out if they are familiar with the suite where you reception is to take place, if they are not it might be wise to meet them there to decide on the extent, style and colour scheme of your floral arrangement's. This is naturally an ideal opportunity to liaise with the venue manager as to the arrangements on the day. Decide on such things as the colour your table cloth will be before making a decision on a centerpiece.

Your Attendant's Flowers.

If you intend to have very young flower girls , it may be wise to arrange their bouquets in little baskets, these are much easier for them to manage, as the day wears on and they become weary you may find that they may become reluctant to carry a conventional bouquet.

Your bridesmaid's bouquets will be chosen to complement yours but will naturally be less ornate and perhaps less colourful than yours. Don't forget to take a sample of the bridesmaids dresses to the florist.

If you intend to wear a tiara it is nice if the bridesmaids have flowers in their hair.

Decide On A Style.

If you plan a wedding with a theme or are aiming at a certain period in time. Your choice of flowers will be influenced to some extent by these factors. You will need to reflect the theme throughout from your and your bridesmaids dresses to the church decorations as well as the table decorations at the reception.

The time of year will have a bearing on the choices available, although almost all flowers are to be had at any time of the year, at a cost, if you are budget conscious stick to flowers that are in season at home. In the autumn and winter when berries are available, they can be used to great effect in bouquet's, particularly so if you plan a country style wedding.

Questions to ask your florist.

Coordinate Your Colours.

As we have already said you will need to coordinate the colours of your flowers with your dress and those of your bridesmaids. Take a picture of the dress and a swatch of the fabric with you to the florist's.
Don't forget the reception venue the colour and style of the flowers will have to be chosen so as not to clash with the decor of the banqueting hall.

White the traditional bridal colour as it contains all the colours of the spectrum and therefore all their qualities.
Green being in the Centre's of the spectrum is a very balancing colour.
Orange is a colour that is often associated with lust.
Yellow is a bright, sunny and optimistic colour.
Blue is calming and serene, but bear in mind that blue flowers are hard to come by, and also in the evening light they can appear grey.
Red is the symbol of family ties.
Violet is traditionally associated with spirituality.

The famous portrait of Lilly Langtry was painted by Sir Edward Pointer in 1877, the year in which she became the Prince of Wale's mistress. She is holding a yellow rose meaning adultery to her heart, while the white rose of purity symbolizing her discarded marriage is held away.

• The white hellebore, known as the Christmas rose since medieval times , was said to break curses and was regarded as a cure for insanity.
• Cleopatra had the floors of her palaces covered every day with a layer of rose petals.
• Every monastery garden in the middle ages kept a peony bush it was believed the bush could cure over twenty ailments.
• The peony plant was favoured by geisha girls.
• In Victorian times a flower offered in an upright position represented a positive thought, one offered in the right hand meant 'yes' while one in the left hand 'no'.
• In Holland in the middle ages tulip-mania took hold merchants made vast amounts of money with a prize bulb changing hand for the equivalent of £4 million.

Buttonholes and Corsages.

Buttonholes which are single flowers usually a rose or carnation, and are worn in the top button hole of the jacket. All male members of the bridal party wear them (the groom, best man, father of the bride and sometimes father of the groom and the ushers.)

Corsages are larger than buttonholes and usually consist of an arrangement of more than one flower. The female members of the wedding party wear them pinned to their jacket.