How to Plan Your Floral Scheme for Any Kind of Wedding

Planning for the right kind of flowers is key to successful wedding planning. You need to be aware of when your arrangements should take precedence and when to play the "drama" down a bit if you want to be a successful wedding strategist. Here are guidelines for planning the floral arrangements and corsages of different types of weddings: informal as well as formal.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good Organizational Skills

How to Plan a Floral Scheme for Your Wedding

1. Let's face it: your wedding is one of the most celebrated events of your life. There are those who will spare no expense and others who are frugal. Whether the frugality is due to limitations on spending or budgetary training, the first scenario to address is the "budget" wedding. We will follow behind with informal and formal affairs.
   
   Just keep in mind that any of the suggestions herein may be used if they fit your temperament regardless of what is in your pocketbook.
   
   If you are placing restrictions on spending then it is suggested you decorate the church entirely with "greens." You may use plants such as rhododendrons and "lovely" laurel. The bride and her accompanying bridesmaids may carry eucalyptus with just a few flowers placed in the bridal bouquet.

2. The second consideration "caters" to the bride who wishes to have an informal wedding. The bride who wears more informal attire should also keep her floral decoration reasonably simple. At such an occasion, colorful flowers are preferred over white. If the bride decides to carry a bouquet, it should be small.

3. If a bouquet is not to your liking at an informal affair, then it is suggested that you, as the bride, select a corsage. The corsage should accentuate your suit or informal wedding attire.

4. Should you insist on a bouquet, you may have the "set up" include a "going away" corsage. For example, let's say the bride carries a delicate spray of eight to ten Camellias. Allow three of the flowers within the spray to be the corsage and allow these three flowers to be "handily" wired into the bouquet. All that is needed, after the wedding is for the bride to pull the corsage out of the bouquet when she is ready to depart. She then may toss the remaining flowers to a "hopeful" bride-to-be. If designed properly, this bouquet-corsage combination should look just as "regal" after its component parts are broken away as it did upon receipt in its box. This idea may also be used for formal weddings.

5. The final consideration is the formal wedding. The following are suggestions and ideas for such an event.
   
   It is not essential, if you do not wish, to adhere to traditional white for the bridal bouquet. Pastel bouquets in pink, yellow and blue are an ideal substitute or alternative.

6. Bouquets of gardenias or white orchids and lily of the valley are also good choices. A variation of this theme is to omit the very "feminine" lily of the valley and use gardenias and grchids tinged with a hint of color. Also, off-white flowers may be another consideration.

7. There is really no need to place an elaborate display of flowers at the wedding reception. A decoration of "greens" will be appropriate. It is suggested you invest your money in decorating the church. Afterall, the reception area is most generally overcrowded and filled with tables of food and drink. It makes little sense to squeeze people out of the room with additional displays of flowers. Additionally, under such crowded conditions, your guests will not be able to appreciate the flowers as they will in the church.

8. Rather than concentrating your attention on the flower decoration within the reception area, focus your attention on the wedding cake and refreshments. How about a cake three to three and one half inches in diameter in the shape of a gigantic wedding ring? And if you must use flowers, set a display of lily of the valley in the center of your cake.

9. The last floral details of your event are the Bride's corsage upon departure and the "tossing" of the bridal bouquet to your "hopeful" bride-to-be guests.

10. The above ideas are just suggestions. Many of the ideas are very romantic and "vintage" in nature. However, it is your "special day" so be just as daring and inventive as your temperament and imagination will allow.
    
    The idea is to set a fun, yet traditional ambiance in order that your guests will greatly enjoy themselves and you will have one of the "best days of your life." Plan your event with this kind of "resolve" and spirit and it is sure to be a most memorable and happy occasion.
    
    After you have conquered managing the floral scheme for your "special day" any other type of flower arranging or decoration will be effortless.

Tips & Warnings

• Seasonal weddings require "seasonal" arrangements. If you are having a springtime wedding then it is suggested you display a church full of blue and white delphinium and yellow and white snaps. The bridesmaids could carry blue delphinium and yellow snaps against gold dresses trimmed in blue. This resentation will have the effect of a very vintage 30's style wedding. The bride, at this affair may carry a white bouquet of white delphiniums and snaps.
• Another terrific spring selection are peonies. The flower comes in white as well as all shades and hues of red. The blossoms are so large that one blossom compares to the dimensions of three average-sized blossoms.
• Fringed parrot tulips make handsome bridal bouquets. The petals should be opened outward and the stems wired in such a way as to form an informal, abundant display or grouping. Nothing is more cheerful or uplifting for the decoration of the church than mixed color tulips. This very unique idea is a perfect way to welcome spring and is appropriate for a May wedding.
• If you are "banking" for an inexpensive summer wedding then why not try beautiful shasta daisies. They make it possible for the bride to have an all white wedding. Decorate the entirety of the inside of the church with the Daisies as well as "greens." The bridesmaids may carry daisy bouquets wrapped in organdy bows. The bride's bouquet is comprised of daisies and beautiful lily of the valley inter-mixed in with her daisies.
• Another suggestion is decorating the church with only chrysanthemums or all dahlias. This idea is perfect for a summer or autumn wedding. The color range in either of these flowers is almost unlimited. The bridesmaids in your party could carry the cactus type dahlia in various hues of yellow.
• Make sure that your corsages and flowers accentuate your wedding attire rather than detract from it. The wedding costume and flowers must be complimentary to one another. Severe contrasts in color are out of the question.
• Winter is an ideal time of year for more sophisticated weddings. If you choose to be a bit more daring, try a red and white wedding with roses and calla Lilies. The bridesmaids may be dressed in white and carry roses. The bride may carry three white callas. The church decoration may consist of Silver eucalyptus, silver birch, and roses.
• If you'd really like to do your wedding up right, try a bouquet of white hybrid cattleya, mixed with white phalaenopsis orchids. The result is absolutely exquisite. The bridesmaids may dress in pastels and carry pale pink and hybrid cattleya and phalaenopsis. Decorate the church with hybrid orchids. This effect will result in a very dramatic tropical presentation.