Wedding flowers carry a wonderful energy with them and the choice of flowers for bouquets and buttonholes can be fun to linger over at length. Before making any final decisions, talk it over with your chosen wedding florist and bear in mind the following essential tips.
Choose flowers in season
Choose your flowers according to what is in season if you want to keep costs down. In spring for example there are lots of gorgeous blooms available other than roses. You get more flowers for your money when they come from local flower farms rather than being flown in from warmer climes or hot-housed out of season.
Choose your flowers according to what is in season if you want to keep costs down. In spring for example there are lots of gorgeous blooms available other than roses. You get more flowers for your money when they come from local flower farms rather than being flown in from warmer climes or hot-housed out of season.
Let your florist guide you
Keep an open mind on the types of flowers you want until you've talked to a professional florist. If your wedding is in winter and you've set your heart on a flower that is only available in full summer, then it will be harder to pick another flower without it feeling like a compromise. Either that or you might feel tempted to shell out a fortune to have out of season flowers flown in from the other side of the world, blowing your budget before you've even got started.
Keep an open mind on the types of flowers you want until you've talked to a professional florist. If your wedding is in winter and you've set your heart on a flower that is only available in full summer, then it will be harder to pick another flower without it feeling like a compromise. Either that or you might feel tempted to shell out a fortune to have out of season flowers flown in from the other side of the world, blowing your budget before you've even got started.
Check for allergies
Remember the possibility of allergies before you pick your bouquet and buttonholes. Check if any of the bridal retinue is allergic to strongly scented flowers, this is commoner than you might think, and if so avoid flowers like freesias, lilies, lilac and lily of the valley in your buttonholes and bouquets. Having the chief bridesmaid or best man sneezing throughout the ceremony is going to be distracting at the very least!
Remember the possibility of allergies before you pick your bouquet and buttonholes. Check if any of the bridal retinue is allergic to strongly scented flowers, this is commoner than you might think, and if so avoid flowers like freesias, lilies, lilac and lily of the valley in your buttonholes and bouquets. Having the chief bridesmaid or best man sneezing throughout the ceremony is going to be distracting at the very least!
Personalise your bouquet
Add something personal to your wedding bouquet, to make it really special. This could mean adding a few flowers that have a special significance to you - perhaps the first bunch of flowers he ever bought you were tulips; or it could mean tying the bouquet with a special ribbon or lace from your mother's wedding dress.
Add something personal to your wedding bouquet, to make it really special. This could mean adding a few flowers that have a special significance to you - perhaps the first bunch of flowers he ever bought you were tulips; or it could mean tying the bouquet with a special ribbon or lace from your mother's wedding dress.
Bring fabric swatches
You will probably have already chosen your dress and bridesmaid dress by the time you are discussing wedding flowers with the florist. Bring along swatches of the fabrics, so that flowers can be chosen to tone with the dresses. You may be going for subtle pastels in your flowers or strong contrasting shades, but having the swatches there will make sure that you get the final effect just right.
You will probably have already chosen your dress and bridesmaid dress by the time you are discussing wedding flowers with the florist. Bring along swatches of the fabrics, so that flowers can be chosen to tone with the dresses. You may be going for subtle pastels in your flowers or strong contrasting shades, but having the swatches there will make sure that you get the final effect just right.
Check for weight
If you are tempted to order a gorgeous cascading floral extravaganza to carry down the aisle, bear in mind how much it is likely to weigh. Ask your florist to give you an idea of weight by trying a similar sized bouquet. You might find that it will be too much of a burden to carry for any period of time however spectacular it looks.
If you are tempted to order a gorgeous cascading floral extravaganza to carry down the aisle, bear in mind how much it is likely to weigh. Ask your florist to give you an idea of weight by trying a similar sized bouquet. You might find that it will be too much of a burden to carry for any period of time however spectacular it looks.
With all these things considered enjoy browsing through all the gorgeous flower options for your bouquet, whether you are going for traditional ethereal white blooms, or a hot and passionate mix of colours in your wedding flowers.
SAWeddings is a dedicated wedding directory with all the information you need to plan your wedding in South Africa. Search listings of wedding flowers in South Africa, for creative and beautiful flower decorations and professional florists. Jessica_Carillon
