We often see pictures of weddings with flowers galore, however what should you expect from your florist and what flowers best complement your big day? We talk to florist Alex from The Flower Shop, Ambleside, who answers all of our questions so you know where to get started!
Weddings on Female First
Why are flowers such an important part of a wedding day?
Flowers evoke many emotions in people, from smells, colours, memories and hopes. All flowers have a meaning, such as a white rose for peace and innocence, rosemary for remembrance and fertility etc. They also give a theme, jam jar of hand-picked flowers give a feeling of English lazy days. Large floral candelabra's give a more opulent statement.
When should you start looking for your florist?
Florists all have different styles. You can tell as you walk in to a flower shop as to the quality and style of the florist. I’d get an early feel in the local area, but you are best having a consultation once you have your dresses as they tend to give the colour theme, ( 6 months before as a guide.)
Why is it important to pay a visit to your florist to discuss what you will have on the day?
It is very important as the bouquets you carry will be on your photos forever; we stock flowers for brides so you know what's coming on the day. They should always be better than you can imagine, no bride should be disappointed. The consultation should fill each bride with confidence and the knowledge of what they have picked, as it is the bride’s choice.
What can people expect from a meeting with their florist?
They should be shown pictures of the work the florist has done, images from flower magazines and a selection of fresh flowers in the bridal colour palette. We tend to show a selection of styles to see what the bride likes and dislikes. The florist should have a good understanding of the venue, show different vases and props etc. that give a selection of styles. They should also give you ideas and money saving tips.
How can flowers tie in with your dress and other elements of the wedding day?
The flowers are the element of the wedding that does just that; tie the wedding together. They should never be so big the bride is not seen behind them. They should complement the dresses and tie in the bridal party to the service and on in to the wedding breakfast. This can be done by a single flower, or the many varieties on a colour palate. A bold clash for example gives a bohemian twist; daisy and Gypsophila give a relaxed hippy chic feel. All pink roses and peonies provide more of a princess like elegance.
What is the biggest craze in flowers at the moment at weddings?
Gypsophila has been very popular over the last year; jam jars for the vintage feel. It does seem to be hair flowers and circlets that are coming in. We still do more hand ties to cascading showers, but they have more use (they can double up as table decorations) and the dress is more visible with a hand tie. I do have a lot of brides going for wrist corsages rather than any flowers to carry.
Does the florist need to see the venue beforehand?
I’d say so, as you need to know dimensions, heights, and how it flows. A lot of weddings now are not church based so it’s good to know how the venue works. If the service room is turned in to the wedding breakfast. Will the hotel staff do this? Can the service flowers be moved into the wedding breakfast room? Are the flowers to be different if it is an outside service to inside, weather depending? It will always work well if the florist and the venue work well together. A good florist can work anywhere but they would always visit a venue just for simple things like where can they get water from.
To help brides to be, what are the basic flower arrangements that should be at a wedding?
Generally I’d say, something for the bride, bridesmaids, groom, parents’ buttonholes, table decorations and flowers for the service, and the cake.
It is good to utilize a flower spend as the service flowers can double up as table flowers, could the bridal flowers be used on the top table? etc.
How can people economise on their wedding day with flowers?
Spend it once and use it as many times as you can, flowers aren’t cheap anymore. They are grown to last better, so they should be ok for brunch the next day and have a general vase life. They may not look as happy if they are thrown!
What can be expected from the florist on your wedding day?
A florist should be there a good few hours before the wedding, most will turn up in the morning, we would set up for the service, the wedding breakfast room if different or church etc. We tend to go to the bridal room last with bridal flowers buttonholes and go through all aspects of how to get them out of the box etc. Hair flowers; we talk with the hairdressers. Cake flowers; we talk with the cake lady. On the day it should be smooth running and happy days!
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