Wedding Flowers

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rose-and-calla-shower-bouquet

When you arrange to speak to a florist about your wedding flowers, one of the first questions they will ask is ‘what is your wedding flower budget?’ I always supply brides with a price guide and advise them to think about their budget before a flower consultation.  But often brides still say they don’t know what their budget is.  There is no ulterior motive from florists when they ask how much you are thinking of spending, it’s the easiest way to gauge which types of designs and flowers to show you.

As you’ll find with all your wedding supplies, prices vary greatly from hundreds to thousands of pounds.  Flowers are the same, some cost as little as a pound and some cost over ten pounds a stem.  If I have an idea of budget I can suggest suitable flowers and styles to stay within your figure.  The brides that don’t give any idea for their budget are usually the ones who are disappointed when they receive the quote.  As the lovely items they choose at the consultation, are out of their price range.

spring-flower-jug

Don’t worry if you are on a tight budget, it’s far better for a florist to know that at the start.  There are hundreds of flowers to choose from with varying prices.  If you have your heart set on classy elegant designs but have a modest budget, a florist will be able to suggest ingenious ways to achieve your perfect flowers.  In some designs premium flowers can be substituted for cheaper alternatives to achieve a similar effect.  I am honest with brides and always tell them what their budget will realistically allow for.

To work out your budget ask your florist for their price list, and add up the items you think you’d like.  This will be a good guide for you to see roughly how much wedding flowers cost.  If you want only premium flowers, your flowers will probably cost more than the price list suggests, the opposite applies if you are happy to have more inexpensive flowers.  Wedding flowers do cost more than normal flowers, they take much longer to make, they are made by the most experienced florists and have more premium flowers than usual arrangements contain.

rose-buttonholes

You can also find lots of helpful information about wedding flowers on the Flowers & Plant Association website.  They have a price guide for the average costs of wedding bouquets and arrangements, or look on at the flower price list page, which tells you which flowers are reasonable, expensive and premium.

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Jade-Jagger-wedding

image: graziadaily.co.uk

Last weekend DJ Adrian Fillary and Jade Jagger tied the knot at a luxury hotel in the Cotswolds, surrounded by celebrity friends and family.  Jade designed her own wedding dress, an elegant white gown with a scoop neck and narrow straps, finished with diamond clasps.  She carried a gorgeous bouquet of gardenias with glossy gardenia leaves.  Jade also wore a couple of gardenia flowers in her hair.  The groom wore a cream suit with a navy tie. The ceremony took place at the Aynhoe Hotel near Banbury, which the couple booked for the weekend.

Jade’s mother, Bianca Jagger wore a black Dolce & Gabbanna suit with a white hat and gloves.  Mick Jagger wore a flamboyant lilac and purple striped suit.  Kate Moss also attended the day, her daughter Lila Grace was a flower girl.  Jade’s daughters Assisi and Amba were bridesmaids.  Mick Jagger performed at the evening reception which was continued in a marquee in the hotel grounds.

gardenia

Jade’s bridal bouquet must have smelt delicious as gardenias have an exquisite fragrance. Gardenia plants have beautiful creamy-white flowers that look like garden roses when they are fully open.  The flowers are very delicate and must be handled with care to avoid bruising the petals.  Gardenia blooms are taken from plants and wired for bridal work.  Several plants are usually required to make one bridal bouquet as each plant often has just two or three flowers open at a time.

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white-phalaenopsis-orchid

Flower of the week – Phalaenopsis orchid

Common name: Moth orchid

Botanical Names: Phalaenopsis

Origin: Indonesia and Java

Colours: White, yellow, pink and purple

Their name is pronounced fal-a-nop-sis, which comes from the Greek phalaina meaning moth and opsis meaning resemblance. They were brought to the UK in the 1800s, and were one of the first tropical orchids grown in Victorian collections.  They are now a very popular potted plant. There is more than 50 species in the phalaenopsis family, many with fancy colours.

green-phalaenopsis-orchid

Orchids grow naturally in many climates, although they prefer warm temperatures between 19-30 degrees Celsius.  This makes them tolerable to centrally heated houses.  Humidity is important for these orchids, they prefer to be placed in bathrooms or kitchens but spraying the leaves will also help.

The arching stem that provides flowers will bear up to 15 large flat flowers with a waxy texture. They are easy to keep at home and will often flower for several months if they like the conditions.  They should be kept away from fruit, vegetables and old flowers as they are sensitive to ethylene gas given off by them.  The plants are good at removing xylene released from computer screen, paints and varnishes.

phalaenopsis-wedding-bouquet

Orchids have always been a premium flower prized for their rare beauty and elegance.  They are available all year round and are one of the few flowers which wholesalers sell per head, compared to per stem for other flowers.  Although the flowers heads are often have much larger than those of potted orchids.  As phalaenopsis orchids are one of the dearer cut flowers they tend to be used mainly in wedding work.  They are exquisite in bridal bouquets and gently flutter like a butterfly when carried.

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fairytale-bouquet

Every little girl dreams of her own fairy tale wedding, wearing the perfect dress and having a magical day with her prince charming.  I’ve got plenty of ideas and inspiration to help you feel like a princess for the day.  Think luxurious fabrics, flowers in soft pastel shades, twinkly fairy lights and diamantes.

Choose an elegant font and timeless style for your invitations, maybe you could theme them around a fairy tale phrase such as  ’happily ever after’ or ‘once upon a time’.  Follow the style of your invites through for your table plan and place names.

There are plenty of princess style wedding dresses to choose from, a princess line or A-line dress is an obvious choice.  It is fitted at the top and hips and flares out towards the hem creating the classic princess look.  Don’t forget a crystal tiara to complete your look.  Your brides maids can wear any colour from the palette you are using for your flowers, blush pink dresses are a pretty colour for this theme.

image:oncewed.com by Jose Villa

image:oncewed.com by Jose Villa

Castles are the ideal venue for a fairy tale theme, if you are lucky enough to live near one.  Any venue with a grand ballroom would also suit this theme; town halls often have large ballrooms with ornate decorations. If you have found your perfect venue but it needs some help with decorating you can set the scene with some clever props.  Event companies can set up wall drapes or star cloth to add a luxurious feel.  Use star cloth behind the top table to make it the focal area of the room; they look magical in the evening.

To arrive in style for your fairy tale day, organise a horse and carriage or Cinderella style carriage. Dress the outside of your venue with a beautiful floral arch in soft romantic or topiary trees with dressed with roses and big organza bows.

Pastel shades are lovely for a fairy tale theme, very pretty and romantic shades like blush pink, soft peach and cream.  Lavish floral arrangements will really complete your fairy tale theme.  As roses are the classic flower of love, they are a must, mixed with other pretty flowers like peonies, bouvardia, cherry blossom and lisianthus.

Bridal bouquets should be large and romantic for this theme, with flowing ivy or fern.  Roses in mixed pastel shades or several shades of pink will give a very pretty effect.  You could give any young brides maids flower wands dressed with satin ribbons.

princess-bouquets

Garlands are a traditional decoration that will help create a fairy tale look.  Drape them over staircases or along your top table.  For an extra special effect, ask your florist to add battery powered fairy lights to them; they can be switched on in the evening.

For your reception room use large floral arrangements surrounded by candle votives to continue the romantic look.  Candelabras would also fit this theme well with fresh flowers and ivy wound round the arms. To make your top table even more special have it dressed with fabric drapes and ruched along the top edge with muslin or coloured organza.

I hope I’ve given you some ideas to turn your wedding day into a magical fairy tale.

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Green-Cymbidium-Orchid

Following on from yesterdays post, here are the final 5 of my top ten green flowers.

Green-Viburnum

5 – Viburnum Opulus
Each viburnum flower head is a cluster of lots of tiny pale green flowers. There are several heads on a stem and each heads delicately bobs about.  Their soft green colour looks very natural mixed in any type of arrangement from bouquets to table centres and larger arrangements.

Green-Gladioli4 – Gladioli
Gladioli has made a come back in recent years with lots of gorgeous new colours. The acid green gladioli look anything but traditional.  The flower stems are very long and suit large designs like pedestal arrangements or tall vase designs.
Green-Lady-Slipper-Orchid3 – Lady Slipper Orchid
If you want an exotic feel to your wedding flowers you can’t go wrong with orchids.  These slipper orchids are exotic and beautiful, mixed in a bouquet with other flowers or peeking above a table design.  Cymbidium orchids and dendrobium orchids are also available in green.  Orchids are one of the dearer flowers but they are striking and very long lasting.  Cymbidium orchids are perfect for submerging in tall cylinder vases.
Green-Goddess-Arum-Lily2 – Green Goddess Arum lily
These impressive flowers also known as callas lilies, have huge heads that unravel as they open.  They are very tall so are perfect for big vase arrangements or pedestal arrangements.  They are a premium flower but they offer a big impact for their price tag and will last several weeks in a vase.
Super-Green-Rose1 – Super Green Rose
Roses had to be number one in the top ten, they are still one of the most popular wedding flowers. This rose is exactly what it’s name suggests, a huge green rose. Super Green is a type of rose known as a garden rose or cabbage rose as it has lots of petals and opens up very big.  Roses work well in any wedding flowers from bouquets to arrangements.

Images:
Super green rose –foxpointfarms.com
lady slipper orchid – hiloorchidfarm.com
Green Goddess Arum -  plantsgaloreonline.co.uk
Gladioli – gee-tee.co.uk

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