Wedding Floral Design

"Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers -- and never succeeding."

(Gian Carlo Menotti)

They say April showers bring May flowers. It's Easter weekend and I see buds blooming all around, so I hope next month's flowers are just as pretty!

I had my floral appointment the night before my bachelorette party weekend, and being a lover of flowers -- and knowing how much they cost -- I arrived with ideas and photos, and my florist made good suggestions as well. As I shared in my "Say Yes to the Dress?" post last summer, I wanted rich pinks and purples alongside the fresh lightness of wedding-y whites. Speaking of "the dress": I had my one and only fitting appointment today, standing in place with heels on, in a dress that has about 100 layers... Enough said. (All images below from FiftyFlowers.com; actual flowers may not be the same shades as pictured.)

White, Ivory, and Champagne Flowers

White peony

White anemone

Gardenia

White hydrangea

White calla lily

White snapdragon

White sweetheart rose

Vendela rose

Champagne rose

Pink and Purple Flowers

Sahara rose (very faint peachy-beige pink)

Hot pink rose

Dark pink tulip

Purple rose

Dark purple tulip

Purple hydrangea

Purple iris

Flowers are God's beautiful creation and a gift to us in nature, yet very expensive when used for weddings and other special occasions! Because of my appreciation for flowers and our large bridal party, our floral budget accommodates all of the bouquets and pomanders (10), boutonnieres (11), corsages (4), ceremony arrangements (2), centerpieces (your guess is as good as mine right now), and some roses for the wedding cake. I had thought our tables were 66" rounds but it turns out we are getting 72" rounds so that cuts down on a couple of centerpieces.

Floral design is typically 8-10% of the total wedding cost, but there are practical and creative ways to stretch your budget. For example, our church will be kept very simple: altar sprays only, which will be repurposed at the reception; our cocktail tables will not have any flowers; and our sweetheart table will be decorated with my bouquet flanked by my bridesmaids' bouquets. Although I don't know if it would work logistically, I'm looking into donating the reception centerpieces to a nursing home or assisted living center to give our flowers a higher second calling and bring smiles to others.