Wedding Planning - Flowers and Decorations

By Tina Teesdale
When it comes to the decorations and florals for your wedding, the essential ingredient to a great look is good planning. Anything goes with wedding flowers and decorations, so decisions should be made based on personal preferences and budget. Be willing to stretch your imagination!

Don't be afraid to have a little fun as your options range from making your own arrangements to renting silk florals for the occasion,. Don't be afraid to ask members of your family and wedding party for useful suggestions.. Most likely, the groom will probably prefer to defer the decision making on this subject to the bride. Just be sure the final choices are within the budgeted amount agreed upon.

Starting early is the key to flower planning. The flowers need to be chosen along with the wedding attire since the flowers are generally chosen to complement the over-all color scheme and theme of the wedding. A good place to look for bouquet ideas are wedding periodicals. Seasonal flowers might be a good option to incorporate into a theme and they have the added benefit of often being a less expensive choice if your budget is tight.

The most important florals are the bouquets and boutonnieres used by the wedding party, but flowers and decorations can also be used at the ceremony and reception sites. The ceremony can be decorated with pew bows, altar arrangements, and Unity Candle display, while the reception can include decorations for the head table, gift table, cake table, and the guest tables.The more you decide to use, the greater the expense, but creativity with materials can keep the costs within reason.

If cost-control is an issue, why not have the bridal bouquets do double-duty as head table decorations or perhaps the gift or cake table? Once the formal photographs are over, no one will be carrying their bouquets around anyway. Or why not use less expensive balloons or candles as centerpieces? Pew bows are very easy to make, even for 'craft-challenged' brides. Another idea is to add more 'filler' to your floral arrangements by using more greenery, baby's breath and tulle.

Planning is the key. Once all the decorations and flowers are decided upon, finding the right florist is the next step. It is important to find your florist well in advance as all the pieces will require hand crafting so a florist can take on only so much work at a time. Go over your contract carefully and make sure it spells out the exact specifications and number of items being ordered. Make sure to go over delivery details. Make a down payment and if necessary, agree on a payment schedule.