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Wedding Flower Tips
Morgans of Chigwell is an
established
floral designer
in South Woodford, East London, providing flower bouquets, floral arrangements,
wedding flowers, funeral tributes, plants,
balloons, chocolates, greetings cards, fruit baskets, vases, soft toys and jewellery gifts for all occasions.
Order
today by calling 020 8989 6179 or 07760 388404
Tips on choosing
your wedding flowers
Flowers can really help to make your perfect wedding day. There are so many lovely flowers
and different designs to choose from that it may be
difficult to know where to start. Below are a few tips:
 | It is important to set a
budget for wedding flowers. The florist can then work within this budget
and suggest the best arrangements for the cost. The cost will depend
on your choice of florist, styles and flowers.
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| If you are having a florist then they should be booked approximately five to six months before
the wedding, if not sooner, and a meeting arranged at approximately two
months before wedding to discuss and finalise ideas. A florist needs
plenty of time to source the stock and accessories for the wedding, especially
if you are having something that is a bit unusual.
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| When deciding on wedding flowers, a good place to start is to think
about using your favourite flowers. If you don't have a favourite flower, then buy a few different ones to
have in your home, so you can see if there are any that you particularly like.
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| Prepare some ideas before you meet the florist. Look in wedding magazines
and the internet for ideas. There are magazines that are
dedicated to wedding flowers. Look at different bouquet designs, colour
schemes and individual flowers to get an idea of what you like. Also,
take along any sketches that you have.
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| Your florist will have pictures of their own wedding designs, but also other
ideas from specialist floristry magazines and floral designers.
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| Most flowers can be obtained all year round, but if they are out of
season, they can be expensive. Try to choose seasonal flowers, as they
are generally less expensive.
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| The florist will be able to advise you on the style of bouquet to suit
the style of your dress and also which flowers will compliment your complexion
and hair colour.
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| Take swatches of your dress and your bridesmaids dresses to the
florist when you go for the meeting. If you can't get the actual fabric
then try to take along something that is the same shade e.g. paint swatches
etc. Also sketch or photograph the dresses, so the florist can design
the bouquets to compliment the dress style - not compete with them.
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| The florist will need to know the approximate sizes and ages of the
bridesmaids, so that the bouquets can be designed with their sizes/ages in
mind.
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| The florist will need to have the full addresses of the venues and
where the wedding party is leaving from on the day. The florist will
need all contact telephone numbers and you need to decide on delivery times.
The florist may need to contact the venues to discuss delivery times and any
special requirements. Therefore, you need to have these contact names
available.
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| Select flowers that you can afford. If you like a flower that is
particularly expensive then look for alternatives or keep the expensive flowers
to a minimum in your bouquets. Your florist can advise you on what to
use.
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| If you want the flowers in the church to be transferred to the
reception venue, then you need to agree whether the florist will do this or a
guest at the wedding. A florist will make a charge to do this.
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| Most florists will give you the option to buy or hire out vases used at
the reception venue. If you hire, then there is usually a hire charge to
cover any breakages. You need to arrange with someone to return these
vases back to the florist.
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Wedding
flower checklist
This is a checklist of the areas where flowers could be used:
| Bride's bouquet
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| Bridesmaids' bouquets and flower girls
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| Headdresses for the bride and bridesmaids
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| Buttonholes
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| Corsages for the mothers
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| Bouquets for the mothers/friends who have
helped out
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| Flower arrangements in the church
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| Flower arrangements in the reception venue |
Flowers have been part of wedding ceremonies since at least Roman
times, when both the bride and groom wore garlands.
In Elizabethan times people
would give the groom sprigs of rosemary that symbolised faithfulness, to
ensure future happiness for the bride. Some brides carried sprigs of rosemary
tied with lace.
During
Victorian times the bride's posy would included myrtle, a token of love.
During the late nineteenth century shower bouquets were popular and they usually
contained orange blossom, a symbol of chastity. Victorian brides would
plant cuttings of myrtle from their bouquets into their gardens, to
use in the bridal bouquets of their own daughters. Princess Anne's bridal bouquet in 1973
used myrtle that was planted from Queen Victoria's
bouquet in 1840.
The Greeks developed 'The Language of Flowers' where individual flowers
had a meaning. The Victorians became very interested in these meanings in
1820, and lovers would communicate by exchanging flowers. It was
popular during the Victorian period for the bride to spell out a words
through her choice of bouquet flowers, for example love (using lilies, orange
blossom, violets and euphorbia). Click below for further
information about 'The Language of Flowers' produced by the Flowers & Plants
Association -
http://www.flowers.org.uk/flowers/trivia/language%20of%20flowers.htm
Another tradition is that of the groom's buttonhole. A single man would
pick the flower early in the morning while the dew was still on the ground, and
then put it in his pocket for twenty-four hours. He would be happy in marriage
if the flower were still 'fresh' the following morning.
The
tradition for the bride to throw her bouquet is also an old one. The
bride throws the bouquet backwards and over her shoulder towards the
guests when she leaves for her honeymoon. The lady who catches it is
supposed to be the next one to be married.
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