Selecting the perfect Wedding Flowers
The organisation of an important event such as your wedding can be a daunting, exciting and stressful experience. Locating information can be a struggle, especially if the bride is not sure of what she wants. Furthermore, deciding the type of flowers and the design can be difficult if you don’t precisely what you want.
Where should a bride-to-be begin?
Browse through magazines and surf the internet to find out what designs are available (take any bouquet images you collect with you to your florist consultation) , and consult with an experienced wedding flower specialist to get some suggestions which will compliment your wedding theme. If you know someone whom recently got married, ask them about their experience with the florist and the quality of the bouquets.
There are a few key considerations to make when choosing your wedding bouquet. These principles will help you to choose a bouquet that will compliment your gown.
1. Bouquet Style
The style of your wedding bouquet needs to reflect the style of your gown. That is, if your gown is heavily beaded or lined with delicate lace, the bouquet should be as simple as possible and of the appropriate size, so that it does not obscure the main feature of the gown. Conversely, if your gown is fairly simple, you can choose a more dramatic style such as a teardrop of traditional roses and lilies or a modern trail of orchids, berries and dodda vine.
If the bride has a 'teardrop style' bouquet, the bridesmaids can have a 'posy style' bouquet, however the bridesmaids can also have a smaller 'teardrop style' bouquet. The 'posy style' is cheaper to make than the 'teardrop style', whilst the 'teardrop style' bouquet generally requires extensive wiring and labour.
Generally, the following dimensions pertain to the particular bouquet styles:
• Round posy - an average bridal posy bouquet is 25cm in diameter
• Teardrop - wired flowers and greenery, an average size of 25cm X 45cm
• Arm sheaf - generally 50cm in length with foliage as backing support for blooms
2. Bouquet Colour
The colour of the bride's and the bridesmaid's bouquets will be an important factor when you come to choose the flower colours. Some brides prefer the 'strong contrast' look, with bright 'bold colours' incorporating unusual elements, while others prefer a simple and conservative arrangement of pastels, creams and whites.
There is no hard and fast rule regarding which flower colours should compliment which colour dress (it is handy to have samples of the dress material) , it is simply personal preference. However, an experienced florist should provide professional advice and may even suggest an alternate colour theme. Some brides choose flower tones contrasting the dress colour while other brides want to match the flowers to the dress colour.
3. Flower Variety
The type of flowers you choose for your bouquet is an important decision. It is recommended that you select flowers that are in-season, and hence in abundance, since flowers in-season will often be at their optimum climatic condition (reducing the risk of exposure to harsh or unfamiliar conditions). Additionally, you will have both a wide selection of colours with flowers that are in season, whilst being confident that the flowers will last for your entire wedding day.
Flowers that are out of season locally, can be sourced from other states or countries. However, be aware that some flowers are rare, or difficult to obtain due to location or climate. If you are planning on using rare flowers, it is highly recommended that you have a second preference flower or colour. Most flowers are available all year round in Melbourne, however you can use our Seasonal Availability chart to check flower availability.
Arranging your wedding should be enjoyable in all aspects. In particular the wedding flowers, with cautious planning and good advice from an experienced wedding flower specialist, your wedding flowers should give you great joy and make you feel like a princess on your special day.
4. Adding Extras
Create additional interest by adding other elements to your bouquet:
• If your dress has beads or crystals, you can have these incorporated in your bouquet
• Berries, chillies, vanilla sticks, lotus pods and exotic foliage can be utilised to create texture
