Weddings 101

Planning a wedding is a huge task. Anyone who has done it knows that already. Unfortunately, one thing that often doesn't get enough attention is the subject of wedding flowers. With all the tasks to complete to arrange the venue, clothing, music, catering and dozens more, sometimes the flowers just take a back seat. Late in the process, the bride and her helpers will sometimes just declare in frustration: "Oh, just get those!"

But it doesn't have to be that way.
Including the task of choosing wedding flowers early in the process helps. This is where Heather de Kok Floral Design comes in to help. Follows are some thoughts:

Consider the season. Just as not all food is available easily all year round, neither are all flower species. Besides, you want your flowers to fit in with your overall theme. If you're planning a winter wedding - and especially if you plan to have a theme that reflects that - you don't want summer roses, for example.

Consider your theme again. Beyond the season, you'll want a certain look for the tables, for the ceremony, for the reception and all other aspects of the wedding. The flowers you choose play a large role there.

For an outdoor ceremony, you might want something a little more 'wildflower' looking. A mixture of everything from Gerbera Daisies, Yarrow and Lavender to Roses or Irises can give the outdoor area a look that the flowers all just 'happened' to be present. But for an indoor ceremony, you might want to go with something more formal looking, like Orchids or Mini Calla Lilies
You should consider whether you want to go with a fairly uniform species or family for all the elements - tables, pews, chair backs and more. A single family - say Lilies or Orchids - can be used in multiple settings.

On the other hand, you can select a very different flower for each venue. Bird of Paradise make great reception table centerpieces. But that doesn't restrict you from using, say, Roses for the bouquet and Asters for the backs of chairs and Narcissus for the flower girl.

What ever you decide to do, talk to a professional Florist. They will be able to guide you best on what will suit your needs.

This Bouquet is a classic. It is elegant for any time of year. I used Escimo Roses framed with Italian Ruscus. To make it exciting for winter, you could add a few white feathers in it to give it a bit more motion.