Who and what should I buy wedding flowers for
It can be a minefield trying to work out what flowers you need for your wedding, especially if you have a big family, don’t know much about flowers or haven’t been to many weddings before! And the last thing you want to do is accidentally leave someone out! At the end of the day, it’s completely up to you what flowers you go for and you know the dynamics of your relationships better than anyone else, but here’s a quick guide on who to consider when ordering your wedding flowers and what florals you might need to decorate your venue(s).
BOUQUETS: Bride, bridesmaids, flower girls. If you have young flower girls you may prefer a different option like a flower wand or basket of petals. And of course, you could decide to steer away from bouquets all together and have something different like a flower hoop. If you do go for bouquets, these can be used popped in vases and used to decorate your venue later on.
BUTTONHOLES: Groom, best man, ushers/ groomsmen, page boys, Father-of-the-bride, Father-of-the-groom, step parents. You may want to go for a mini buttonhole for young page boys and I always provide a safety pin rather than a normal pin for these. Some people also add on grandparents, siblings or particularly close friends e.g. God-parents but these are all optional. It’s more common at Asian weddings to have buttonholes for the extended family or sometimes all the wedding guests.
CORSAGES: Mother-of-the bride, Mother-of-the-groom, step parents. Again, some people also add on grandparents, siblings or particularly close friends if they are not already in the main bridal party. There are a few options when it comes to corsages… a traditional corsage pinned onto the lapel, wrist corsages or handbag corsages.
CEREMONY FLOWERS: Registry signing table arrangement, pedestal arrangements, pew ends/ aisle décor, archway. Often ceremony décor is then moved to the reception to make the most out of your florals, e.g. moving the registry signing table arrangement to the top table.
VENUE DÉCOR: Centrepieces, top table arrangement, candles, flowers to decorate the welcome sign/ table plan, flowers to decorate present/ guest book table. It depends on your budget and how floral you want to go, but you could have flowers to decorate the entrance, hanging from the ceiling, sitting on the bar, twisting around beams, the list goes on. It’s worth visiting your venue a few times and even better if you can go when it’s set up for another wedding so you can get some ideas.
CAKE FLOWERS: You guessed it, for the cake!
THANK YOU FLOWERS: Traditionally bouquets are given to parents, particularly the moms / step-moms.
CONFETTI: You can have fresh, dried or artificial petals, but most venues are asking for a biodegradable option which is of course more environmentally friendly too.
For you fellow list-lovers, I’ve made the above information into an easy-to-use checklist which you can download here.
For more wedding ideas, you can browse my website by colour scheme or arrangement type here.
