rThe Reception is when it's time to really celebrate your marriage with family and friends and flowers can help make that space more enjoyable.
Centerpieces are probably the first thing Brides think of when they plan their reception flowers. Centerpieces can be as simple as a few stems in bud vases to lush overflowing arrangements. Taller centerpieces create drama and height while arrangements in shorter vases provide a more cozy and intimate space. Some couples decide to sit alone at a sweetheart table while others choose to have the bridal party sit together at one larger table. I usually recommend something extra special for either of these tables to elevate them from the guest tables.
Welcome/Gift/Guest Book Table- Your guests will be looking for the guest book to sign and the gift table when they arrive to the reception area. Why not draw their eye with a nice floral arrangement on this table.
Food/ Buffet Tables - These are other tables that might benefit from a floral boost. I love using greenery on these tables, especially herbs.
Cake / Dessert Table - You can choose to dress up the cake with fresh flowers if you would like or only add flowers to the cake table.
Floral Photo Booth/ Flower Wall - If you have money in the budget, Photo booths and Flower Walls are an over-the-top option for reception flowers. Floral Photo booths can be arches or arbors with floral installations attached , see the one I did below that featured a super cool neon sign. Just think about how many great pictures were taken with such a rocking back drop. A flower wall is just what it sounds like, a wall created with either fresh or dried flowers and greenery. It would provide a dramatic backdrop for all sorts of pictures to remember and share.
Greenery and Garlands- Foliage and greenery is a wonderful option for reception flowers. Garlands work great on long tables (think Bridal Party Table) to act like greenery table runners. If your reception is indoors foliages can be placed around candles on tables for elegant centerpieces. We grow 5 different varieties of eucalyptus here on our farm and it's one of my favorite things.... So don't forget about greenery.
Toss Bouquet- Do you like the tradition of tossing the bridal bouquet to single friends and family but can't stand the idea of throwing your bridal bouquet?! Don't worry it makes me cringe too. That is were the toss bouquet comes in, it's a smaller less elaborate bouquet that you won't feel bad about tossing! Get double duty from the toss bouquet by using in a vase at your reception for decoration until it's tossing time.
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The ceremony is in a way, what it's all about. This is the time where the big moment comes to say "I do". Adding flowers to your ceremony is a great way to make your wedding even more special. Here are some common ceremony florals that can take your wedding to the next level.
Aisle or Pew Flowers - These include placing flowers/greenery down the aisle, either on or close to the chairs or pews. These can be as simple as mason jars with fresh flowers or more elaborate arrangements. Entrance/ Welcome Table Flowers - Give your guest a grand entrance by adding florals to the entrance to your ceremony space. Decorate the church door with garland, use wine barrels topped with flowers at the entrance way, or add a vase arrangement to a welcome table along with family pictures.
Alter Arrangements - Many brides choose to add flowers in some way to the alter. Oversized floral arrangements on either side of the alter is a classic look that never goes out of style.
Arch/ Arbor Installations - These are my absolute favorites of the ceremony florals! They are dramatic pieces that provide an exceptional backdrop for your vows and can really help convey the theme of your wedding. A fancy arch gives your guests something beautiful to look at while they wait for the ceremony to begin and provides a perfect spot for pictures.
Next week we will look closer at Reception Flowers.Getting Married? Reach out to Sarah for more information.![]()
Last week we published our Wedding Flowers Guide, this week we are going to look closer at Personal or Bridal Pary Flowers including styles of Bouquets.
Once you have established the colors that will be used in your wedding and what theme or mood you are looking for you can start getting into the details.
The Bridal Bouquet is the single most important floral element in my opinion. It is the base and starting point of all other floral design elements and is a huge focal point. There are several styles or types of bouquets. A Cascade bouquet is trailing and hangs down in the front creating a cascading or waterfall effect using greenery and flowers. A Round Bouquet or Posy Bouquet is round in shape and more uniform, these bouquets are typical bloom heavy and use less greenery. Sometimes Round Bouquets are made exclusively using one type of flower, like roses or peonies. A Hand-Tied Bouquet is our specialty here at Sarah's Petals and has a looser more garden or boho style to it. These bouquets have an airier feel to them and incorporate more greenery than a Round Bouquet. We also love when Bride's want to incorporate something personal and special to them into the bouquet. One time we incorporated buttons from a grandmother's wedding dress into the ribbon used to tie the bouquet, which is such a lovey touch.
Just like there are different styles and types of bouquets, we have different techniques or mechanics to create bouquets. The spiral hand tied method is where the bouquet is made in your hand and the stems are placed at an angle to create a spiraling of the stems. Another method that we use is the "floral egg" as an armature inside the bouquet. The floral egg is made of plastic and has holes all around it. The flower stems are placed through the egg and are held and supported by the egg. This is a newer technique that was developed to help create the more airy and whimsical garden style that is so popular now.
Bridesmaid's Bouquets are often similar to the bridal bouquet but smaller. This creates a cohesive look that flows together. You could also go all greenery for the bridesmaids or create their bouquets using only one type or color of flowers. I love the idea shown at Brides.com with the bridesmaids wearing floral crowns and carrying only a small bunch of flowers. 18 Unique Bridesmaid Bouquet Alternatives
Flowers are not just for the ladies, we can't leave the guys out! Boutonnieres are typically worn by the Groom and Groomsmen on their suit lapels. Fathers of the bride and groom often get boutonnieres as well, even if they are not in the bridal party.
Corsages are typically worn by the Mothers and Grandmothers of the Bride and Groom. Corsages are worn either on the wrist on a bracelet or cuff or pinned on the shoulder. A pinned corsage is more traditional while the wrist corsage can be seen as more modern.
Last, but not least is the floral crown, a favorite of flower girls and Brides alike. I love making floral crowns, they are just fun! They can be as simple as you like to over the top. We can even make one for your pooch!
Next week we will look closer at Ceremony FloralsGetting Married? Reach out to Sarah for more information![]()
Flowers are an important part of your wedding day, they are as integral as the bride’s dress. This guide will help you understand the basics of wedding flowers and give you a wonderful starting point to start planning.
Why are flowers important at a wedding?
They can first trace flowers being used in weddings all the way back to the Ancient Greeks. Believe it or not the Greeks made the flower crown popular all those years ago. The tradition of using flowers at weddings continues because flowers are so good at convening feelings and expressing emotion and moods. Flowers also bring natural beauty into your wedding space unlike nothing else can. Flowers accent and elevate everything else in the wedding, including your pictures, the venue spaces, and your bridal party.
What flowers do I need for a wedding?
Florist typical break wedding flowers into the following categories- Personal Flowers, Ceremony Flowers, and Reception Flowers. Let’s talk about each of these categories and provide examples of each.
Personal Flowers are the flowers worn and carried by the bridal party. These include the Bridal Bouquet, Bridesmaids Bouquets, Boutonnieres, Corsages, flower crowns, and flowers for the flower girl. Most Bride’s choose to have boutonnieres for the groom, groomsmen, fathers of bride and groom and often times the officiant. Corsages are often provided for the mothers of the bride and groom and sometimes for grandmothers as well.
Ceremony Flowers are the flowers used to decorate your ceremony space. Examples of these would be flowers for the aisle or on the rows of chairs. Flowers are often placed up front where the ceremony is held and often times at the entrance into the ceremony space as well. My favorite type of ceremony flowers is a floral installation on an arch or arbor. This provides dramatic effect and the perfect back drop for the ceremony and pictures.
Reception Flowers are the flowers used in the reception area of the wedding. These include centerpieces for the tables, an arrangement for gift or guest book tables and flowers for the cake and dessert table. Something that I see trending is photo booths for the reception that include flowers and neon signs.
You have a lot more options when it comes to your ceremony and reception flowers. These are areas that you can either choose to cut back and go with less or really amp up the flowers for a statement. Consider your venue and the spaces that will be used for the ceremony and reception, this will play a factor into what arrangements will work best. As a floral design studio this is where Sarah’s Petals can help make suggestions and provide guidance to the Bride.
What flowers should I choose?
Sometimes we have Brides come to us with specific flowers that they want used in their bouquet and we can normally make that happen. Some flowers are only available at certain times, peonies are a good example of this because there are several months out of the year they are just not available. We like using our own flowers the most since we know they are super fresh but sometimes we do have to buy flowers in to meet certain requests. You don’t have to know everything about flowers to have great florals for your wedding day. As a flower professional we know what flowers will be in season at the time of your wedding and what flower choices will be best, so no worries. Most brides come to us with a mood and what colors they are using, and we translate that into beautiful florals that are just right. Getting Married? Want to learn more?![]() Next week we will take a deeper dive into Personal Flowers and the all-important Bridal BouquetI'm so excited about the start of the market season and then Mother's Day right around the corner. The Botetourt Farmer's Market opens Saturday May 6th, I have missed the flowers and the friendship. There was considerable planning and effort to have flowers for the very first market and Mother's day. If you check out the last blog post you can read about our 2nd hoop house that we put up and filled with flowers to be blooming now. We also did our largest planting to date of fall planted flowers outside, like corn cockle, sweet Williams and heirloom carnations. These hardy annual flowers survived all winter outside and have really kicked into gear now that the weather is warming. We also added more Dutch iris bulbs and ornamental onions to the spring line up. All these spring beauties are just begging to be made into bouquets. Fall planted hardy annuals or "cool flowers" |
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