What would a wedding be without flowers? Pretty dull, I'd say. I love flowers. I love their beauty and fragrance. My favorite flowers right now are peonies and hydrangeas. Flowers can really add to the decor of your wedding and reception.
Since my mind was on flowers for some reason, I thought I would post some tips for when it's time for you to visit florist shops in preparation for your wedding or other event.
To make your visit to the florist the most productive, do some preparation ahead of time. Here are my suggested tips:
1. Look through books and magazines for flowers, bouquets, table centerpieces and decorations. Bring in pictures of the items that you like. Many times it is easier to show the florist what you like versus trying to explain it.
2. Bring pictures of your gown and your bridesmaid dresses. Then, your florist can better recommend styles of bouquets that will compliment the gowns.
3. If you have fabric swatches for the bridesmaid dresses, bring them, too! There are so many shades of just pink -- so a swatch can really help the florist in selecting the right flowers.
4. If you don't know a lot about flowers... do some research ahead of time. You can surf the web, buy a book or visit a "bucket shop" - they're located in the larger cities or high traffic areas. These flower stands have many buckets of flowers with the name and price labeled on each bucket. This is a great way to become familiar with the different varieties of flowers and how much they cost.
5. If you haven't visited the ceremony or reception site recently, you may want to take another look. It will help you to visualize how large and how many arrangements you'll need.
6. Try to choose flowers that are in season. These will be less expensive than say, tulips in the winter. Listed below are flowers by season:
Year-round
Calla lily
Carnation
Freesia
Gardenia
Lily
Orchid
Ranunculus
Rose
Stephanotis
spring
Cherry blossom
Daffodil
Dogwood
Forsythia
Hellebore
Hyacinth
Lilac
Lily-of-the-valley
Muscari
Peony
Quince
Sweet peas
Tulip
Viburnum
summer
Astilbe
Cosmos
Dahlia
Daisy
Delphinium
Garden rose
Gladiolus
Hollyhock
Lady’s mantle
Larkspur
Marigold
Scabiosa
Snapdragon
Violet
Zinnia
fall
Autumn leaves
Chrysanthemum
Dahlia
Hydrangea
Seasonal berries
Sunflower
winter
Amaryllis
Anemone
Evergreen
Forced bulbs
Paper-whites
Poinsettia
Have fun shopping and smelling the sweet aroma of flowers.
