Wedding Floral Planner

All through history flowers have played a colorful role in celebrations. In ancient times floral garlands were worn for religious ceremonies and it was the Greeks and Romans who began the custom of strewing flowers before the bridal couple, symbolizing the essence of love. Since then brides and blossoms have been intertwined.

Can you imagine your wedding without the pageantry of flowers? What a dull old affair it would be without the color, perfume and visual impact of beautiful blooms.

Choosing wedding flowers is a special joy. You can express yourself with any floral combination you like ... to create your unique garden of beauty.

Selecting Your Florist
Start looking for a good florist about six months before your wedding. When deciding which florist to use, firstly, make sure they specialize in weddings.

Secondly, have a look through the albums of weddings they've done. This will give you a good idea of their style and what they can create for you. You'll need to discuss the theme of your wedding - colors, formality, mood, style - so that you can enhance the overall effect with flowers. It's a good idea to take magazine pictures of flower arrangements you fancy along with pictures of your gown, the church, reception venue and swatches of fabric from your gown and the bridesmaid's gown. Then you can be absolutely sure you accurately describe what you have in mind ... right down to the smallest detail, such as whether you want fresh new rosebuds or roses in full bloom. It's the details that can make the difference.

The florist's job is to offer design expertise that helps translate your ideas into beautiful and fragrant arrangements. So discuss your ideas with your florist and keep an open mind.

Checklist of Floral Requirements
The following are possible floral arrangements to consider.

Bridal Party
* bridal bouquet
* bride's headdress
* bridesmaids' bouquets
* bridesmaids' head dresses
* flowergirl's bouquet or basket
* flowergirl's headdress
* mothers' & grandmothers' corsages
* groom's buttonhole
* groomsmen's buttonholes
* pageboy's buttonhole
* fathers' & grandfathers' buttonholes Church
* entrance
* pew ends
* altar
* pulpit or lectern
* columns
* register signing table
* window sills Reception
* entrance (or near receiving line)
* dining tables
* buffet table
* cake table

The Bridal Bouquet
A beautiful bouquet is one of the most important bridal accessories. Chosen with care, so that it complements your gown and the wedding theme, it will provide the starting point for all your wedding flowers.

If your dress is elaborate, a lavish bouquet would be suitable, while a 'country look' dress would be highlighted better by a loosely wired sheaf of garden flowers. And a very simple gown would be beautifully complemented by a single bloom, for instance a lily or long stemmed rose.

It's important to accurately describe your gown to your florist so that he/she can design your bouquet to suit. As discussed, if you can supply a photo, sketch or sample of the fabric this will help.

Choosing the Color
Traditionally, all white flowers with touches of green foliage have been the most popular bridal bouquets. These can look very effective but make sure the white of the flowers matches perfectly.

If your dress is stark white, the flowers may look creamy against it. Pastel shades of pink, peach, yellow and mauve can also look very delicate and are usually mixed with white flowers.

Bold colored flowers such as Singapore orchids or bright red roses can also look stunning.

When deciding on your color take into account the color of your bridesmaids' outfits. You might like to pick out a color from their dresses or a trim from your own dress to echo in the flowers.

In addition to color, fragrance is of course another consideration. Eucalyptus, rosemary, lilac or jasmine will add a heady scent to your bouquet. Ask your florist about the fragrance of other flowers.

Choosing the size and shape of your bouquet
There are so many styles of bridal bouquets, it's hard to know where to start! Basically, there are five main types...

1. The Formal Posy
This traditional style is most aptly described as 'tidy' or 'tight'. It is a precise posy which can either be wired, with the wires forming a handle covered with ribbon, or the natural stems are exposed, simply tied with a ribbon. Natural stem bouquets are currently more popular and are considered to be more modern.

The type of flowers chosen also lends a degree of formality to the bouquet. For example, an all-rose posy will look far more formal than an assortment of Spring bulbs.

2. The Informal Posy
This posy has a 'country' or 'garden' style. The edges are softer or less distinct than the formal posy. Rather than a precise, round shape, the informal posy can have an unstructured appearance, although it can still be a roundish shape.

A mixture of different flowers is usually chosen for this style.

3. The Trailing Bouquet
The trailing bouquet can either look like a 'waterfall', falling straight down, or it can resemble a 'teardrop', which is wide at the top coming to a point at the bottom. Both the waterfall (also described as a shower bouquet) and teardrop bouquet can be long and narrow or they can be wide and short, depending on what suits you and your gown best.

This bouquet can be formal or informal - the more foliages are used and the more unstructured and flowing it becomes, the more informal it will appear. Again, the bouquet can be either wired or natural stem. The more wired it is, generally the less natural it will appear. However, it is important to remember that wiring makes the bouquet lighter to carry.

The choice of flowers will also greatly determine the degree of formality. A fabulous idea is to string flowers together to form the bottom of the trail this threaded style has magnificent, eye-catching movement and is also fairly lightweight.

4. The Arm Bouquet
As the name suggests, this bouquet is laid in the bride's arm, which can be a stunning alternative. The arm bouquet can be single-ended, with stems showing at one end, or double-ended with no stems showing.

The style can be formal and precise or as 'messy' and casual as you desire. A striking ribbon or rope provides the finishing touch, if you wish.

5. Freeform Design Basically, anything goes with this floral arrangement. A lot of foliage is usually used along with brightly colored flowers.

What Will Suit You?
The size and shape of the bouquet which suits you most will depend on how tall you are, your body shape and the style of gown you'll be wearing. If you have broad hips, long slender bouquets are more flattering. They also show off a tiny waist. If you are petite, a large bouquet might overwhelm you - better to choose a smaller size.

A full skirted dress looks great with a large, rounded bouquet, while a slim-line dress looks better with a streamlined bouquet. You should also consider what style of bouquet best suits your personality.

Bouquet Preservation
Preserving the bouquet has been happening for centuries. In the 1600's flowers were preserved between layers of sand while the Victorians pressed the flowers between the pages of heavy books. Today there are all sorts of methods of preservation including microwaving, air-drying, freeze-drying and many more.

In all cases, the idea is to allow you to preserve your bouquet forever as a beautiful reminder of your wedding day. Qualified florists gently separate each flower and leaf before drying. They then recreate the beauty of your bouquet in a portrait inside a frame. The bouquet can either be pressed or shaped into a stunning three-dimensional portrait.

Some flowers are easier to preserve than others, such as roses, orchids, lilies and irises. However, if you advise your florist that you want to preserve your bouquet, this can be taken into account from the start. Be sure to choose an expert in preservation as it would be disastrous if your bouquet was not properly preserved and started to go brown soon after you put it on your wall!

Why not have your marriage certificate or vows or a beautiful picture of the two of you combined with your bouquet to make a stunning work of art.