Wedding Flower Tips

Read these 7 Wedding Flower Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Flower tips and hundreds of other topics.

Wedding Flower Tips has been rated 3.4 out of 5 based on 451 ratings and 2 user reviews.
Which wedding flowers are available during different seasons?

Seasonal Flower Guide

So, you're trying to plan that big wedding on a budget—you're not alone there! Weddings are expensive and you have a lot of things to pay for so you shouldn't have to worry about paying an arm and a leg for wedding flowers. Want a good wedding flower idea that will help save you some cash? If you choose flowers that are in season they will be guaranteed fresh and they will be readily available (this will make them less expensive). Here is a great guide on the types of flowers available during each season of the year and the colors they come in:

Available All Year:

  • Baby's Breath (white)
  • Bachelor's Button (white, pink, red, or blue)
  • Carnation (available in any color)
  • Gardenia (white)
  • Gladiolus (countless colors)
  • Lily of the Valley (white and pink)
  • Orchid (pink, purple, and white)
  • Rose (available in any color)
  • Stephanotis (white)

Winter Flowers:
  • Calla Lily (white)
  • Camellia (pink and white)
  • Forget-Me-Not (blue)
  • Holly (green with red berries)
  • Ivy (various greens in color)
  • Orchid (pink, white, and purple)
  • Poinsettia (red, white, and pink)
  • Tulip (available in many colors)

Spring Flowers:
  • Anemone (available in many colors)
  • Apple Blossom (white)
  • Calla Lily (usually white but available in a few other colors)
  • Daffodil (yellow)
  • Forsythia (yellow)
  • Geranium (red and pink)
  • Hyacinth (white, purple, or pink)
  • Iris (many colors available)
  • Jonquil (pale yellow)
  • Lilac (violet or white)
  • Larkspur (blue)
  • Magnolia (white)
  • Narcissus (white)
  • Orange Blossom (white)
  • Tulip (available in any color)
  • Violetrichly (purple)

Summer Flowers:
  • Aster (available in white, pink, and rose)
  • Calla Lily (available in several colors)
  • Daisy (white with a tiny bit of yellow)
  • Hydrangea (purple)
  • Forget-Me-Not (blue)
  • Peony (available in pink, magenta, or white)
  • Sweet Pea (available in many colors)
  • Zinnia (red, orange, or pink)

Fall Flowers:
  • Aster (white, pink, or rose)
  • Chrysanthemum (red, gold, or white)
  • Dahlia (available in many colors)
  • Marigold (gold and red)
  • Zinnia (red, orange, or pink)

   
What flowers do I need for my wedding?

Wedding Flower Checklist

Think about every wedding that you've ever been to and you can probably remember seeing hundreds of flowers. Flowers are an essential part of a wedding and it is critical that you plan your floral needs out properly. Be careful that you don't forget to order any of the flowers that you need. Here's a cheat sheet:

  • Bridal Bouquet
  • Throwing Bouquet for the Bride
  • Special Bouquet for the Maid of Honor
  • Bouquets for the Bridesmaids
  • Groom's Boutonniere
  • Boutonnieres for Best Man and Groomsmen
  • Boutonnieres for Fathers of the Bride and Groom (and Perhaps the Grandfathers)
  • Corsages for Mothers/Grandmothers of the Bride and Groom
  • Boutonniere for Ring Bearer (if there is one)
  • Flower Basket full of Petals or Bouquet for Flower Girl
  • Ceremony Arrangements
  • Arrangement for Guest Book Table
  • Centerpieces for Reception Tables
  • More Elaborate Centerpiece for Head Table
  • Flowers or Petals for Cake Table

   
How can I preserve my wedding bouquet?

Flower Preservation

A wedding day is a monumental event in anyone's life and the memories will last a lifetime. What won't last a lifetime, however, are the wedding flowers —if they're not preserved properly. I'm not talking about hanging them upside down to dry either! What a lot of brides don't realize is that there are services available that will help to preserve your bouquet before it turns brown and withers. Instead of waiting until the wedding is over and it is too late, a bride should look into preserving her bouquet before the ceremony.

When you initially speak with your florist about flower selections you should also inquire about services available to preserve the flowers—let them know that this is important to you. The preservation of your bridal bouquet should be handled far in advance. At this time you should also discuss all the nitty-gritty details about the care and transportation of the flowers. If preservation is a big deal to you, select flowers that preserve well, here is a guide on the matter:

  • Roses – excellent for preservation
  • Alstromaria - extremely fragile; becomes transparent
  • Casablanca Lily - excellent for preservation
  • Calla Lilly - excellent for preservation
  • Carnations - excellent for preservation
  • Delphinium - excellent for preservation
  • Dahlia - breaks easily
  • Freesia – preserves poorly, shrinks and becomes transparent
  • Gardenia - excellent for preservation
  • Hydrangea - excellent for preservation
  • Larkspur - excellent for preservation
  • Liatris - excellent for preservation
  • Lilac – preserves poorly and breaks easily
  • Lily of the Valley –preserves fairly well
  • Dendrobium/Catelya Orchids - excellent for preservation
  • Phallanopsis Orchids – preserves poorly, becomes transparent
  • Peonies - excellent for preservation
  • Stargazer Lily - excellent
  • Stephanotis - excellent for preservation
  • Stock – preserves fairly well
  • Sunflowers – preserves poorly, breaks
  • Tulips – preserves poorly

   
Is scent important in a wedding bouquet?

Stop and Smell the Wedding Bouquet

There's no way that any bride wants to walk down the aisle without a wedding flower bouquet! One of the most important days in a woman's life is her wedding day and she deserves to look her best from head to toe—this includes the bouquet in her hand.

Aside from looking beautiful, however, everything should smell great as well. According to historical studies, the origins of the wedding bouquet actually come from ancient beliefs that strong scented spices and herbs (including chives and garlic) would protect the wedding party from evil spirits, bad luck, and illness. Fragrance should definitely be taken into account when choosing flowers.

While a bride today definitely wouldn't want a bouquet reeking of garlic and chives she'll definitely want one that expels a beautifully fragrant aroma. If you are trying to choose flowers based on smell, here are some great choices:

  • Gardenias
  • Peonies
  • Stephanotis
  • Tuberoses

   
What kinds of wedding flowers do I need?

Get Organized With Your Wedding Flower Planning

When you're planning your wedding you will have a hundred things on your plate at once. And, with so many things to worry about, it's important to get organized. You will obviously need a bridal bouquet but there are a lot more wedding flowers to think about than that. Remembering everything can be a bit overwhelming but here's a useful list to help you assess what you will need and to get you better prepared for that meeting with your florist:

  • A list of everyone in the wedding party that will need flowers (bouquets, boutonnières, corsages, or petal baskets).
  • A list of the types of flowers you will want at the ceremony.
  • A list of flowers will be needed for the reception (you will need to know how many tables will need centerpieces and the sizes and shapes of the tables).
  • You will need to know what colors you have in mind (it's useful to bring bridesmaids' fabric samples).

   
How can I pick my wedding flower colors?

Narrow Down the Selection

Choosing the colors for your wedding flower arrangements and wedding flower bouquet can be difficult. There are so many colors out there so where do you begin? You adore that dusty rose but that lavender hue is calling your name…how will you decide?! If you're clueless when it comes to selecting your wedding colors, here's a trick: Get out your favorite bridal magazine and start thumbing through the pages looking for colors that appeal to you.

As you find color schemes that you like, tear out the pages and put them aside. When you are finished take a look at all of the pages that you have chosen; you'll probably notice a common collection of color schemes. Divide the color schemes into piles that consist of closely related colors. At this point you will be able to narrow down the choices a lot more easily.

*Remember to keep your personal skin and hair tones in mind and select colors that are flattering.

   
Why do I need to set a wedding flower budget?

Set a Wedding Flower Budget

When making wedding flower arrangements, it is crucial that you know exactly what kind of budget you're dealing with. If you aren't honest with your florist from the get-go, you're wasting everyone's time. As soon as you give the florist an exact number, she can start giving you viable options. It is essential that you are realistic when you come up with this number.
In other words, don't pick out a $1500 bouquet that won't leave you with enough floral money for centerpieces! When selecting flowers, make sure that all of the flowers in the wedding compliment each other. The more of the same type of flower you use, the better; increasing the types of flowers used increase the price. Once you get a price range to your florist, she can balance things out for you and help to create a complete package that is affordable.

* If you want to save money, don't set your wedding on a date close to a big holiday or flower costs will be heightened.

   
Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Flower Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
PJ Campbell