Weddings

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:

• You will need to know what colors you have in mind (it’s useful to bring bridesmaids’ fabric samples). 
• A list of the types of flowers you will want at the ceremony.
• A list of everyone in the wedding party that will need flowers (bouquets, boutonnières, corsages, or petal baskets).
• 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).

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.

• 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 

Flowers on a Budget
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)

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