Wedding flower chatter - Part 1, What's my style?

With all the decisions that need to be made when it comes to planning your wedding it can feel as though you've stepped into a strange world where everyone speaks a different language.  Especially when it comes to wedding flowers!

Words such as candelabra, pedestal, hand tied, vintage, sheath, rustic, exotic and so on, are bandied about by those of us in the know, which regularly leaves brides and grooms thinking....  "What are they on about?!"

So to help all the couples out there that are trying to decide on what sort of wedding flowers they want, here's part 1 of my guide on choosing your wedding flowers....

Autumnal hand tied wedding bouquets

First of all you need to decide on what your wedding flower style is.   Think about the overall style and theme that you want to achieve and go from there.  Are you having a country garden style wedding or exotic and elegant?  Your choice of flowers will vary depending the theme you've chosen and what flowers are in season:

Compliment and match your theme

Country garden or exotic and elegant?  Your choice of flowers will vary depending on the theme you've chosen and will generally fall into one of these categories:

• Classic Romantic - pretty in pink, pastel shades and softer colours and candle light will help create a celebration of romance.
• Glamour all the way - flowers of just one colour will bring a sophisticated touch to your wedding day flowers.  Choose your colour and then compliment with a touch of sparkle or a contrasting ribbon or container.
• Bold and bright - the bolder and brighter the flowers the better.  Go for vibrant and exotic colours such as cerise pink, orange and lime greens to achieve a wedding that will stand out from the crowd
• English country garden - a mix of colours and flower types will create a natural country garden 'just picked' wild flower feel.  Add some chintzy china, bunting and floral fabric to your venue decorations for that laid back mid summer country fete effect.
• Vintage nostalgia - combine your flowers with antique jewellery and retro touches from the era you've chosen.  1950s tea party?  1920s art deco sophistication?  Consider the era and match your flowers to keep the look.

Consider the venue and the time of year

When thinking of how to decorate the venue think about the venue's own style.  Is it a marquee on the lawn of a country house?  A chic and modern hotel?  A barn?  Or an historic tudor building?  Go with the venue's style rather than against it.  Orange barn walls, as an example, will clash with bright pink or deep red flowers.

Think about what the weather could be like on your wedding.  In the UK it could be anything from cold and snowy to hot and humid so bear this in mind too.  For example, Sweet peas on a boiling hot summer day wont last long once cut so try and be flexible on your flower choices when choosing British grown, seasonal flowers for your wedding.

Most importantly of all

And don't forget this bit.... think about your own style and personality.  If you love skydiving then try and incorporate this into your flower style by, for example, wrapping a piece of parachute cord or parachute silk around the bouquets or flower containers.  If you're into gardening then you could use some old wellies as containers.  Like stamp collecting?  Then glue stamps onto the vases or containers.  Use your imagination and inject your personality and character into the day.  A good florist will come up with ideas and help you to add your personaility to your flowers. 

The possibilities are endless and after all it's your wedding!


Part 2 on 'How to chose a wedding florist' will follow shortly. 

TTFN

Cathy
Brecon Blooms