How to choose your flowers

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The right flowers can transform your day, lifting your mood with their scent and providing splashes of colour that can either be subtly stylish or joyously kitsch and vibrant!

Wild at Heart

Your bouquet is usually the starting point for your flowers, so this is the first thing to decide on. Talk to your florist about the style of wedding you are planning, the colours, what your dress will be like and the season you are marrying in.

After the bouquet, the bridesmaids’ posies, the buttonholes, corsages and reception flowers are most important (because you spend more time at the reception than at the ceremony, these flowers should be given priority).

A good florist will be able to advise you what is possible on your budget, including the flowers themselves, plus the fees for setting up on the day. We’d suggest that you arrange to meet with a couple of florists in your area and get some quotes.

Bouquet
Possibly the most important flowers, these will appear in all the photos and should complement your dress.

Bridesmaids
The bridesmaids bouquets are usually a smaller version of your bouquet, and possibly in a different shade.

Buttonholes/corsages
Use the same flowers as your bouquet and give them to the main members of your wedding party.

Ceremony
If you’re marrying in a church, floral displays look lovely at the altar (flower stands will be provided) and tied to the end of pews, or even in the alcoves of the church windows.

Reception
Tables are usually decorated with floral centerpieces, be it a simple glass vase filled with sweet peas, a vintage-style bird cage filled with roses or a giant martini glass filled with bright pink gerbera heads! Flowers are sometimes used to decorate the cake table or the cake itself, and displays can also be dotted around your reception areas.

Colour and seasonality
Your flowers are one of the key ways to link colour throughout your ceremony and reception, so try to match the colour of your flowers to, say, your bridesmaids dresses and/or stationery to tie everything together. Choosing seasonal flowers will save you money – click here for a guide to what’s available when.

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