Creative ideas for wedding flowers

"More people are going with non-traditional themes for their weddings," says Katrina Parris of Katrina Parris Flowers. "A tropical wedding - in January. Or a wedding using fall colors - in the spring. There are no more huge wedding parties with 12 groomsmen, things like that."

Parris says that along with non-traditional themes come non-traditional couples.

"Couples are more concerned with showcasing their individuality and making a wedding floral decision that will make them happy on their big day," she adds. "Traditionalism is out the window.

As that traditionalism goes out the door, consider making some changes to what you do with wedding floral arrangements before, during and after the ceremony.

• Welcome flower gifts placed in hotel rooms for out-of-town guests and members of the bridal parties.
• Rehearsal dinner and wedding brunch décor.
• Floating arrangements for ponds or pools.

At the ceremony

"The locations for traditional ceremonies are evolving," Parris says. "This gives us a challenge: To transform interesting event spaces like old banks and restaurants into English gardens."

Some suggestions for creatively incorporating floral arrangements into the ceremony include:

• Adorn the ceremony entrance with flower-filled urns that can later be moved to the reception.
• Use flowers and candlelight at different levels to give dimension to design.
• Use a single rose to mark the seats of both the groom's and the bride's mothers.

At the reception

"One of my most favorite ways to add to the occasion is to give each attendee a floral gift: A small pressed flower with a poem from the bride and groom or a small hand-tied bouquet for each guest to take away," Katrina says.

There are other great ways to incorporate floral art into your reception:

• Garland the center of the head table with flowers, foliage and votive candles.
• Have your florist create guest table centerpieces with 4-5 separate clusters of flowers so that each couple can take a part of the centerpiece home.
• Float large fragrant flowers, such as open roses or gardenias, in crystal containers with votive candles.
• Sprinkle rose petals on the cake table and walkways.
• Toss rose petals instead of rice as the bride and groom leave.

We hope you found this information to be useful. Contact us to ask wedding flower questions or to schedule an appointment to discuss your wedding plans.

Resources: SAF