From how to make the most of your flower budget, to keeping those blooms happy on the big day, to unique florals that will really make your arrangements pop, our wedding flower roundup answers every bride's burning questions!
Budget-friendly blooms: have your florals do double duty
Ashley Plainos of Ashton Creative weighs in:
I’m a huge fan of using the florals you have in both your ceremony and reception setup. With most ceremonies lasting only 30 to 60 minutes, couples will often forgo florals at the ceremony in an effort to save money. But there are a few ways you can ensure your florals are used twice so you really get your money’s worth.
Altarpieces—those freestanding arrangements that flank your altar space —offer a beautiful focal point and can easily be moved behind your head table at your reception. You can also use your centrepieces as aisle décor, by placing them on pedestals for display, for a marginal rental fee.
For couples that love the look of an arch, ask your florist if they have a frame available that is lightweight in material (copper pipe is a good choice!) so it is easy to move for use as a head table backdrop.
Photo by Jacalyn Beales on Unsplash
Budget-friendly blooms: emphasize a colour scheme instead of a flower type
Of course, everyone has their favourite flower. For example, you may love peonies, but including them in your entire floral scheme is not as budget-friendly as you might hope. While you may prefer certain blooms over others, remember that the purpose of wedding florals is to convey a certain colour scheme and arrangement style.
Floral designers have to balance the size and scale of the arrangements with the preferred blooms while trying to make it all fit within the target budget. Ask your florist to make suggestions as to how to best represent your colour scheme and style preferences using flowers that help fill space and, more importantly, are seasonally available (more on this below).
Save the specialty premium blooms for your bouquet and personal flowers since those will be what you spend your day looking at, while your centrepieces can be enjoyed by guests as part of the overall atmosphere of your wedding.
Photo by Miguel Teirlinck on Unsplash
Budget-friendly blooms: stick with seasonal
Like fruits and veggies, flowers have growing seasons, so using flowers that are in good season at the time of your wedding means you will get a higher quality bloom for a better price. This will reflect in the arrangement as the flowers will be fuller in size and petal count which will show in the best way possible. No one wants to pay a premium price for a flower that will underwhelm because it’s out of season.
Photo by Nick Karvounis on Unsplash
Taking care: hydration is absolutely essential
Like us, flowers need water, lots of it. Most florists will deliver your bouquets in a vase of water. Do your best to allow the bouquets to remain in their vase until you absolutely need them. And if there is a chance to give them a break and place them in water throughout the day, do it.
Photo by James Bold on Unsplash
Taking care: avoid touching any blooms directly
Oils from our fingers can transfer on to delicate petals and may damage the flowers lessening their longevity.
Photo by Taylor Harding on Unsplash
Taking care: try to keep them cool
Store your bouquets in a cool dark area if possible, at the very least in the hours leading up to your event. Boutonnières, flower crowns and corsages should be kept in a fridge. Be mindful of keeping all personal flowers away from hot light fixtures, fireplaces, blow dryers and sunshine before the ceremony.
Photo by Marisa Morton on Unsplash
Other considerations: Most important floral pieces?
Tellie Hunt, a Toronto wedding and event florist and owner of Hunt & Gather, gave us the scoop on how to work with your wedding florist to ensure you get the exact floral look you'll want for your big day, as well as some tips to ensure the whole process goes smoothly.
"I would say bouquets, centrepieces and something for the ceremony space. Without bouquets, it can be hard to know what to do with your hands in photos and when walking down the aisle. Although it isn’t necessary to do florals for the ceremony, I always find that it is a great way to tie separate spaces together and give the event an overall cohesive look. It is always a great idea to create something for the ceremony that you can re-purpose from the ceremony to the reception."
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
Other considerations: Often overlooked flowers
"We source a lot of our product from local farmers who grow really unique smaller blooms such as Cherry Caramel Phlox and Tobacco Flower," Hunt says. "Sometimes, I find that floral arrangements are focused on larger blooms that give you “more bang for your buck”. I think that the smaller “airy" blooms are integral to giving pieces dimension and shape."
Photo by Gayani Anuththara on Unsplash
Other considerations: After the wedding
"Because clients have shifted to using more unique containers for their centrepieces, the vessels are usually rentals. This being said, taking home florals can come down to guests pulling out a few blooms from the centrepieces that they would want to take home. We leave some of our flowers (i.e.: roses and spring flowers) out of the fridge so that they open to their largest and most beautiful stage. Because of this, they look perfect for the wedding but would not last much longer afterwards."
Hunt says, "If you would like guests to take home the centrepieces, you can always ask your florist about purchasing the containers which may add $10-20 to each piece."
Photo by Jesse Gardner on Unsplash
Superior scents: Lavender
Calming and charming to look at, lavenders are quite the fragrant bunch.
Photo by Photos by Lanty on Unsplash
Superior scents: Gardenia
One of the most popular florals used in the perfume world, Gardenias would be a lovely addition to any bouquet. They're chic, classic and smell quite light.
Photo by Alvin Mahmudov on Unsplash
Superior scents: Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle vines are not only a gorgeous accent but smell wonderful. If you love the sweet-loving scent of nectar, you'll love these petals.
bridal bouquet of white roses, calla lilies, honeysuckle flowers, stachys and white ribbons on the olive tree
Red for romance: Tulips
A red tulip bouquet looks especially fresh for a springtime wedding. The beauty of tulips is how unfussy they are—we suggest keeping your arrangements sweet and simple by using just tulips and greens.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Red for romance: Calla lilies
These blooms are already exotic, but in a deep crimson shade, they look even more precious. For a bouquet, we love the idea of a loose bundle of these lovelies bundled together with a simple strand of grosgrain.
Red for romance: Amaryllis
We love, love, love how velvety perfect amaryllis blooms are and when gathered together in a bouquet or centrepiece, the look is simply magnificent!
This article is a curated collection from
- Add These 5 Best Smelling Flowers to Your Bouquet by Roseanne Dela Rosa
- 6 Romantic Red Wedding Flowers by Alison McGill
- How To Maximize Your Floral Budget by Ashley Plainos
- How To Care For Your Bouquet & Other Personal Wedding Day Flowers by Krystal Young
- Everything You Need To Know About Wedding Flowers by Kimberly Aglipay
by Staff Writer
By: Staff Writer
Title: A Wedding Flowers Guide: Types, Budgets, & More
Sourced From: weddingbells.ca/planning/a-wedding-flowers-guide-types-budgets-more/
Published Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:38:50 +0000
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