A gorgeous bridal bouquet complements the beauty of the bride and artfully arranged wedding flowers are an essential feature of the wedding décor.
Choosing your wedding flowers
Often the influence of wedding flowers on the mood and tone of the wedding venue is underestimated. Pale long-stemmed roses or exotic lilies are perfect for an elegant room where the look is all soft lighting, chandeliers, crisp white linen and polished silver.
Bright spring posies or loosely arranged bunches add great splashes of colour to an otherwise drab venue and are the perfect choice of wedding flowers for a less formal reception like a big outdoor lunch or for adding colour to a giant white marquee.
Who gets to wear or carry wedding flowers
The bride's bouquet is first on the list. The flowers you choose must suit the style of your dress and not clash with either your colouring or the colour of your dress. You will be the most photographed person on the day, and the wedding flowers you carry should mirror your radiance and not drain colour from your face.
If you're wearing white, there is a lot of freedom to choose from a huge variety of flowers (as long as they're in season) and you can go for bright colours or pastel shades. Almost all types of flowers will hold up in a bridal bouquet as a creative florist can produce floral masterpieces. (If you want to keep your bridal bouquet, ask the florist to make up a smaller one to throw at the reception.)
Remember to keep the colours of the outfits to be worn by the rest of your entourage in mind. You can use flowers as contrasts to their colours as long as it's a clash that 'works'. The palest pink roses can look stunning against a jewel colour like rich maroon velvet, but not so great on emerald green. If you're all wearing white, then a bit of colour in your wedding flowers will brighten your photographs.
The trend these days is for informal arrangements - often brides carry casual bunches down the aisle (although a lot of work usually goes into getting that loose, thrown-together look). Flowers woven into both the bride's and flower-girls' hair creates a fresh and romantic look as do garlands as head-pieces.
If you plan to have flowers in your hair, discuss the various options in advance with both your hairstylist and your florist. When discussing the style with your hairdresser, consider whether it will accommodate the type of flowers you would like to wear.
The groom and the groomsmen, as well as parents on both sides, drivers, ushers etc. will need a small corsage (for the women) and buttonholes (men). These are usually chosen by the bride to match the rest of the wedding flowers worn in the procession. You can have these made up for any other close friends or family members who would feel flattered to be included in the wedding party. (In Scotland all the male guests wear a sprig of heather in their buttonholes and all the women wear a corsage - either on their dresses or wrists. The profusion of colour in the room is magnificent!)
Hiring a florist vs. doing them yourself
It is important to have a budget for your wedding flowers as you can then discuss with the florist where you would like the most extravagant arrangements to be placed. The price of wedding flowers is often a great shock to those paying for them, but remember the skill employed and time spent in making up all those individual arrangements for tables, the church etc. Be aware that the main table will feature prominently in the photographs so allocate a fair bit of your budget to here.
If the budget is tight, you can save money by having friends or family organize a work party and arranging flowers for tables, foyers or entrance halls, cloakrooms etc. However, it is advisable to have a professional do the bouquets and prominent flowers, as these will be individually wired, treated and kept at the right temperature to ensure that they don't wilt. You don't want drooping wedding flowers in your main photographs.
A florist will also be able to work out how much to order in relation to the size of the venue and the church - you don't want to order too few flowers and ruin the look by creating an effect that is too sparse and dull.
More uses for wedding flowers
Wedding flowers can be used throughout the celebration - wherever you want to add some romance and colour. Fresh flowers on the wedding cake look spectacular and of course, many couples are showered with rose petals instead of confetti after the ceremony. Flowers have always been a symbol of love - surround yourself with loads of both on your wedding day!
Often the influence of wedding flowers on the mood and tone of the wedding venue is underestimated. Pale long-stemmed roses or exotic lilies are perfect for an elegant room where the look is all soft lighting, chandeliers, crisp white linen and polished silver. 
The bride's bouquet is first on the list. The flowers you choose must suit the style of your dress and not clash with either your colouring or the colour of your dress. You will be the most photographed person on the day, and the wedding flowers you carry should mirror your radiance and not drain colour from your face.
The trend these days is for informal arrangements - often brides carry casual bunches down the aisle (although a lot of work usually goes into getting that loose, thrown-together look). Flowers woven into both the bride's and flower-girls' hair creates a fresh and romantic look as do garlands as head-pieces. 
It is important to have a budget for your wedding flowers as you can then discuss with the florist where you would like the most extravagant arrangements to be placed. The price of wedding flowers is often a great shock to those paying for them, but remember the skill employed and time spent in making up all those individual arrangements for tables, the church etc. Be aware that the main table will feature prominently in the photographs so allocate a fair bit of your budget to here.
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