Floral Advice for your Wedding Day
We are here to listen to your ideas and spend time with you to understand exactly how you want your special day to be. We do have lots of magazines and albums to help you compare different flowers and styles. The more information you can give us ie; pictures and swatches of material, the easier it will be for us to interpret your vision.
Please reserve your date as early as possible because we do become quite heavily booked. If you haven't chosen your general theme or colour scheme, for a small deposit, we will happily keep the date for you and finalise all the details later.
We need to discuss the style and mood of your Wedding, the season and the environment, your budget and most importantly your own personal taste. We completely understand how important every detail of your wedding is to you and will share your excitement - we promise all the attention you deserve when planning your special day.
We are more than happy to provide suggestions within a set budget. The price of wedding flowers depends upon the type and availability and the size of bouquets and decorations. Individually wired bouquets take hours of construction and are, therefore, more expensive than those tied by their natural stems. You may wish to select certain flowers for personal reasons, others may be chosen because they have traditional meanings. Some herbs too are important in bridal folklore. For example; Myrtle signifies love and Rosemary is often used in Wedding bouquets because if symbolises remembrance, though in medieval Germany, brides carried it to guard against pregnancy!
Bridal Bouquet: Most importantly, decide on your colour scheme and whether you want a natural hand-tied design with open stems or a more traditional, structured bouquet, which may be contained in a holder. The holder can be covered in fabric so ensure that you make clear the colours you have chosen ie; white, ivory, cream etc.
Head-dresses: Tiaras are currently beautifully delicate and very popular, however, their suitability is very much dependent on the overall style of the wedding and circlets or single flowers for the hair can look fantastic.
Bridesmaid's Bouquets: The Bridesmaid's Bouquets, whilst complimenting, should be either smaller, a different shape, or contain alternative flowers ie; less roses than the Bridal Bouquet. Tiny Bridesmaids like to carry flowers and a small hand-tied posy is often best. We can, of course, offer baskets or novelties such as hoops and pomanders.
Buttonholes: These days Roses or Gerbera are preferred to standard Carnations and most people provide buttonholes for the main wedding party. This usually includes the Groom, Best Man, Ushers, Page Boys, Dads and sometimes Grandfathers. You should ensure that the Groom's buttonhole has something a little special. A double Rose, a sprig of Lavender or a Thistle and twist of Bear Grass can make all the difference.
Corsages: All the ladies involved usually have a different idea of what they require. Large elaborate corsages are often replaced by enhanced buttonholes which may include a hint of colour to co-ordinate with their outfit. Try and keep the general colour and style within the overall floral theme.
Flowers for the Church: Obviously this is very much dependent on your budget. If there is anything your mother or great auntie should be allowed to prepare for you this is probably it. Many Churches will offer the services of their flower ladies and we can, of course, provide cut flowers, advice and any accessories you require for a DIY job. If you are considering Pedestals and Pew Ends find out if it would be possible to share the cost of flowers with other couples getting married on the same day. If the flowers are just for you, check out the possibility of your ushers moving them from the Church to the Reception venue after the ceremony.
Reception Venue: Many hotels provide an in-house floral service which is included in the price of the reception. Make sure you know exactly what you are being charged for flowers. The hotel will not turn your business away if you wish to use your own florist to ensure that your theme is followed throughout the day. Choose something a little different - trained Ivy candle pots, lace-capped Hydrangeas, planted Marguerites or Lavender. The pots used can be painted to match your colour scheme. Plain terracotta candle pots, with lots of variegated ivy and foliage can look fantastic and do not have to be expensive. Choose skeleton leaves, handwritten as place cards or scatter petals for a pretty romantic look. There are so many beautiful and simple ideas for containers and the table. Avoid little plastic oasis dishes with a few carnations! Consider giving the table arrangements at your reception as gifts when you day is over, its a lovely thought for Grandma or your best friends.
Top Table Arrangement: This sits in front of the Bride and Groom and is vitally important. It will be photographed by guests throughout the reception and speeches. In addition, consider natural Ivy swagging extending to the ends of the table which is very effective and does not have to be expensive.
The Cake and Table: If you require a cake top decoration it is important that we know the size required. If possible find a picture. Ask the person who is making the cake if they have a photograph you can borrow. Ivy swagging around the edge of the table works well as do scattered Rose petals.
Flowers as a "Thank You": For Mums or other helpers: a bouquet is always a beautiful and special gift to give at a presentation. Our hand-tied bouquets are always aqua-wrapped so that the stems are in water and you do not have to worry about the flowers staying fresh throughout the day. If you have chosen an alternative present then we would be happy to prepare a smaller aqua-wrapped posy to accompany it.
Items to Hire: We would be pleased to provide a pair of bay or box trees dressed with ribbon which can look wonderful outside the church or venue.
We also have a selection of glass vases available to hire. These include tall Lily vases, tank vases and spherical fishbowls which are great for table arrangements.
We will always be available to discuss any thoughts or concerns you may have. Once we have met for a consultation we will provide a detailed quotation which will show the exact number of flowers we will use for your day and the number of hours it will take us to prepare all the arrangements. Payment is required ten days in advance of your wedding day.
