Wedding Flower Guide Why Wedding Flowers Are Important

When you book your wedding venue whether it be a church or registry office, garden flowers are usually purchased to be there at your wedding. These are may be one of the most expensive things for the wedding after the dress and the cake, believe it or not the marriage license isn’t that big a fee. Usually where you are getting married is covered in beautiful flowers to set the mood, although if you have it in a garden than the flowers are already there, so you don’t really need to worry about that, you just have to worry about the rain!Not only does the hall or church have to be decorated in flowers, usually the bride carries a bouquet and so do the bridesmaids and flower girls. The general tip is to get flowers that match the theme and colour of the dresses. If the theme is Christmas than red and green should be the colours that you are interested in, or if it is valentines day than red flowers. If you really want a stunning bouquets for the bride very light colours will accentuate her dress and her beauty taking very little attention of her but still giving her the elegant classy look.Often at the reception parents are given a bunch of flowers in a presentation such as a basket, or large bouquet for a large thank you for all the work that they have done with the wedding and a thank you for just being there for them when they needed them most. Other special players in the wedding usually receive gifts as well and all guests take home wedding favors.

Instead of purchasing floral arrangements, to make things cheaper and more personal you could always make your flower arrangements yourself. Your local library and book shop will have plenty flower arranging books so you are sure to find something somewhere that will help you to choose a good pattern of colours and styles to suit your wedding. Creating your own arrangement adds that unique touch to your wedding and saves you money at the same time.Wedding flowers are at a wedding to help present the venue in a light mood, flowers are there for decoration, but be warned if hay fever bothers you.... stay away!!! By: Melissa Burton

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Wedding Flower Guide - Checklist of Floral Arrangements You Will Need For Your Wedding

When planning your wedding, you will need to select many different floral arrangements for your ceremony, reception and some very important people. Remember that many florists charge a set up feet to deliver and set up your flowers. Make sure when you finalize your order that your florist knows where your locations are and what time the flowers need to be set up by.Here is a list of floral arrangements you will need to purchase for your wedding.Bridal Bouquet: The bridal bouquet is one of the most important elements to the bride's wardrobe, second only to the wedding dress. This should be given special attention because it will make a strong impact as you walk down the aisle and also during your wedding photographs. Traditionally, the bridal bouquet is carried low enough to reveal the details of the bridal gown. Consider bouquets which will compliment your gown and your stature. Carry a smaller bouquet if you are petite or if your gown is ornate. Carry a larger bouquet if your dress is simple, or if you are tall. The most popular styles are cascade, cluster, contemporary and hand tied bouquets. The most popular color for bridal bouquets is white; however, feel free to incorporate any of your favorite colors or your color scheme within your bouquet. If you select a delicate floral arrangement, make sure your florist uses a bouquet holder to keep them fresh - or your flowers may droop and wilt.

Tossing Bouquet: If you want to preserve your bridal bouquet, you may want to consider having your florist make up a smaller, less expensive bouquet just for tossing.Maid of Honor's Bouquet: The Maid of Honor's bouquet should be somewhat larger than the bridesmaid's bouquets. You can also add different flowers or colors to set her apart from the other bridesmaids.Bridesmaids' Bouquets: Generally, the bridesmaids' bouquets compliment their dresses and are smaller in size than the bridal or maid of honor's bouquets. The bridesmaids' bouquets are always identical.Flower Girl: Usually wear a hairpiece of flowers. These flowers can be real or artificial but should compliment the bouquets in the wedding party. A hat, tiara, ribbon or bows are an alternative. Flower girls can toss real or silk petals. Keep in mind fresh petals not only wilt quickly, but also can be slippery and can stain your wedding dress as you walk over them.Corsages: The groom is responsible for purchasing corsages for his mother, the bride's mother and grandmothers. The flowers do not have to be identical - they should coordinate with their dresses. Also check with the women if they want to wear them on their wrist or pinned to their dress or purse.Groom's Boutonniere: Boutonnieres are usually a single blossom. However, if your groomsmen are also wearing a single blossom, you may consider having a double blossom boutonniere for the groom to set him apart from the rest of the wedding party.Groomsmen and Boutonnieres for Other Members: The groom gives each man in his wedding party a boutonniere to wear on his left lapel. The ring bearer may or may not wear a boutonniere. The groom should also consider ordering boutonnieres for the fathers, grandfathers and brothers.Main Altar of Ceremony Location: The flowers at the ceremony site can be as elaborate or as simple as your wish. You may want to check with the ceremony location or with your florist for floral recommendations. Many ceremony locations (depending on the season) may already have altar flowers on the day of your wedding.Unity Candle or Candle lighting: You may choose to decorate your unity candle with a strand of flowers.Aisle Pews: Flowers, candles or ribbons are often used to mark the aisle pews and add color.Reception Site: Flowers add beauty, color and sometimes fragrance to your wedding reception. Again, these can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. Like all the other flowers in your wedding, reception flowers should match your color scheme and overall feeling of your wedding.Reception Head Table: The head table is where the wedding party will sit during the ceremony. The flowers should be in the same style of the guest tables, but should be bigger, and a bit more elaborate.Guest Tables: Floral centerpieces should coordinate with the table linens, wedding colors, size of the table and should be low enough (or tall enough) so that they do not hinder conversation between guests.Buffet Table and Bar Area: Some decorations should be added to these areas, especially if food is being served. If you rather not use flowers in these areas think, fruit displays, pineapples, bunches of berries, vegetables or herbs.Other reception areas you may want to consider having flowers around are: cocktail hour buffet tables, ice sculptures, guest book tables, escort card table, and bathrooms. By Erica Tevis

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Wedding Flower Guide

Flowers are an important part of making your wedding ceremony and reception beautiful. Hopefully this guide will make your choices in wedding flowers a little bit easier. The Shop When planning your wedding, you should take time and care in selecting a wedding florist. Choose several florists in the general vicinity of your ceremony and reception site. If the wedding florist is on the other side of town, they may charge more for delivery. Look in the yellow pages, on wedding websites and ask your friends and families for referrals before narrowing down your list to three or four options. Set up appointments to meet with each of the florists. Before the appointment time, you should decide the following about your wedding: Wedding colors (color of bridesmaids dresses, table linens and other decor) Number of attendants Total budget for flowers, including delivery charges When you meet with each florist give them an idea of what you are looking for, but also be open to suggestions. After all, they are the professionals! Bring tear outs from magazines to give the florists an idea of what you types and colors of flowers you are consider. Ask each florist to come up a quote that will meet all your needs. It may also be helpful to ask for a high-end quote if you want to trade out your standard flowers for more exotics, dye flowers to a specific color, or want anything else special. Once you've visited three or four shops and gathered the quotes, ask for a list of references from each.

Call previous brides to make sure there were no problems with customer service, delivery, or quality of the flowers. The Flowers A basic package of wedding flowers should include: Bridal bouquet Bridemaids' bouquets Corsages for mothers, grandmothers and other important women Boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers and other important men Centerpieces for the receptionYou may also need a smaller bouquet for the "toss," flowers for the flower girl, and other floral decorations. Though you can find most flowers all year, it's best to choose seasonal blooms because they are more readily available, more durable and less expensive. Here is a general guideline of wedding flowers by season. Spring Apple blossoms Cherry blossoms Daffodils Hyacinth Iris Lilies Lilacs Pansies Peonies TulipsSummer Cala lilies Dahlia Daisies Geraniums Hydrangeas Iris Larkspur Queen Anne's lace Roses Sunflowers ZinniasFall Asters Chrysanthemums Gerbera daisies Marigolds Roses SunflowersWinter Camelias Forget-me-nots Jasmine Orchids PoinsettiasNow that you are armed with all the information, you can make an informed decision and choose the florist and the flowers that are right for you!By Melissa Ingram

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The Flower Guide For The Weekend Gardener

Everyone needs some form of flower guide to get the most out of their gardens, especially those who may not have time to garden every day. Flower gardening is all about stimulating the senses with a display of colors. So what should we plant, and when?The buzz in gardening seems to be about whether to plant annual or perennial flowers. Some of these flowers give us textures, shapes and heights, while others just go blooming crazy all season long. Here's a basic flower guide for these two kinds of flowers that will help you design a spectacular wash of color for your garden.Annual Flower Guide:Annuals do all of their growing in one season. The seeds germinate in the spring, the plants bloom and grow all season, and then they die. You will have to plant them each season, but the result is instant color. Also, if you make an error in your design about color or height, the wrong effect will only last a year.Annuals produce an endless array of colors and sizes, and most are easy to plant and grow. They can be used for cuttings, in mass plantings, for edging, in rock gardens, in mixed beds, in containers, and in hanging baskets.Indeed, most annuals are fabulous plants for the weekend gardener because they are so versatile and not too finicky. For all their glorious color, annuals are very inexpensive. You can start them indoors as seedlings, or buy bedding plants from your nursery or garden center. The majority of annuals bloom for most of the growing season.Here's a list of some

great annual flowers that are easy to grow, show off spectacular colors, and are worth every dig of a trowel to plant:Begonia - Grows 6 to 12 inches tall. Flowers are white, pink, red, rose and scarlet.Tricolor Chrysanthemum – Grows 2 to 3 feet. Flowers are white, yellow, gold, red, or maroon, with contrasting color bands on the base of the petals. (This chrysanthemum is different from the perennial chrysanthemum called the "garden mum".)Dahlia – Grows 1 to 6 feet. Flowers are every color except blue and green.Geranium – Grows up to 2 feet. Flowers are white, pink, scarlet, orangish-red, red, and salmon.Impatiens – Grows to 1? feet. Flowers are white, pink, rose, scarlet, violet, salmon, and orange.Marigold - Grows 6 inches to 4 feet. Flowers are yellow, gold, orange white, near red, and mahogany.Zinnia - Grows 6 to 36 inches. Flowers are all colors except blue.Perennial Flower Guide:Basically speaking, perennial flowers live more than one growing season, returning year after year. When perennials finish blooming, their foliage provides wonderful background texture, form, and color for your garden.Perennial flowers may only bloom for a short spell and at certain times of the growing season. This makes it more difficult to plant a garden limited only to perennials and still achieve the desired effect of constant color. For this reason, mixing perennials with annual flowers is the key to a fabulous garden of continual color.Let's look at some favorite perennial flowers that offer magnificent color and depth to any garden, and will grow just about anywhere:Butterfly Weed – Grows 1? to 3 feet. Flowers are bright orange (great for attracting butterflies!) with pretty pods covering the plant once the flowering ends. Blooms all summer.Chrysanthemum or "Garden Mum" - Grows 1 to 4 feet. Flowers are all colors but blue. Blooms in the fall.Daylily – Grows 1? to 3? feet. Flowers are all colors except blue and white. Blooms from late spring to fall.Felicia – Grows 1 to 2 feet; Flowers are blue-petalled with yellow centers. Blooms from early summer to fall.Hosta – Grows up to 3 feet. Flowers are white, lavender or pale violet, often with colorful foliage. Blooms from summer to early fall.Peony – Grows 2 to 4 feet; Flowers are white, pink, maroon or red. Blooms from late spring to early summer.Shasta Daisy - Grows 1 to 4 feet. Flowers have white petals usually with a yellow center. Blooms all summer.With a little experience and planning, you can create a flower garden that blooms from one end to the other, from spring through fall. Bring together a few of these annual and perennial flowers for a wonderful mixed garden.Learn as you go, make your own improvements… but most of all enjoy whatever time By: Robert Mosse

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A Guide to Flower Shops

Flowers have continued to be the best gift since ages. They have always been popular gifts for special and joyous occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and Christmas. People love to decorate their houses with beautifully arranged and freshly cut flowers. Flowers have this amazing quality of cheering up people and bringing a smile to their face. Generally, flowers are liked equally by people of all ages. Flowers are generally very expensive and rates vary according to a particular season. Though roses are the most favorite flowers, other flowers such as tulips and orchids are also very popular. There are several exclusive shops that sell only different types of flowers and flower arrangements. Flowers stands or kiosks are also frequently found at various places such as drug stores, airports, shopping malls, and large grocery shops.There are conventional flower shops that operate during regular business hours and provide all sorts of floral services to cater to all types of customers. Smaller flower shops are often referred to as studio flower shops that have a huge variety of flowers but provide limited services. Flower shops are practically found everywhere. They provide unique flower arrangements and a wide range of consulting services for occasions such as weddings and birthday parties. They decorate venues with exquisite flowers and may also pursue a particular color theme.

People can find out about the flower shops in their neighborhood through the Internet. Many flower shops place regular advertisements in magazines and newspapers. There are a number of online flower shops that offer all kinds of flowers and prompt delivery service. Customers can select a particular flower arrangement from online catalogs and place orders online. A lot of established flower shops also offer overseas flower delivery through their network and tie-ups.Generally, flower shops sell flowers at much higher rates on special occasions such as Christmas, New Year's day, Valentine's day and Mother's day.By Jimmy Sturo

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