Wedding Flowers
Ikebana.These floral arrangements are undeniably beautiful, emotive and symbolic, and are a part of our culture. Our Judeo Christian never preclude the study of Lao Tzu, Confucius and the Zen, and Ikebana is indeed the Zen in the art of flower arrangements.
Since early times, flowers have always been an essential part of the traditional wedding as it is today. They bring color and life, and can turn the whole thing into a stunningly beautiful and an elegant affair
Before choosing the wedding flowers you need to know your color scheme and the wedding theme as well as the time of year. There are more spring and summer brides than anyone realizes. For this reason, it’s important to make arrangements with the flower shop way in advance.
The conventional element for the wedding flowers are the bridal bouquet, groom's boutonniere, selections for the bride’s maids and groomsmen, decorations for the ceremony, and centerpieces for the reception.
Popular Wedding Flowers
Flowers are an important aspect. The right wedding flowers compliment not only the bride and the groom, but they also make the ceremony and reception more beautiful.
Following is the list of flowers that are popularly used for weddings:
Roses
- Bridal Pink - Bright pink rose
- Candia - Creamy white
- Champaign - A creamy, antique ivory colored rose
- Darling - creamy peach
- Delores - soft pink
- Jacaranda - hot pink
- Lady Diana - pale peach
- Jacqueline Kennedy - A rather small true red rose
- Madame Delbard - A rich velvety red French rose
- Sterling Silver - lavender
- Sonia - bright peach
Orchids
- Castalia - Usually white with shades of pink or lavender
- Cymbidium - Smaller than Japheth orchids
- Dendrobium - Miniature orchids
- Japheth - Large orchids, often have yellow throats
- Phalaenopsis - white with reddish throats
- Spray Orchids - very expensive and available in winter
Lilies
- Calla - large, long white flowers on thick stalks
- Day Lilies - in shades of cream, orange, red, and yellow
- Lily of the Valley - Small white blooms
- Rubrim - Star flowers that come in a variety of colors
- Zephyr Lily - in white, yellow and shades of pink
Others
- Alstroemeria Lilies - Miniature lilies in a variety of colors
- Amaryllis - deep red and white
- Anemones - in white, blue, red violet, and yellow
- Anthuriums - A true red flower with a heart-shaped bloom and a large stamen
- Asters - in white, pink, rose and purple
- Baby's Breath - tiny flowers that are usually white
- Bachelor Buttons - like tiny carnations in white, pink, red or blue
- Canterbury Bells - usually blue, purple or pink
- Carnations - inexpensive, comes in a variety of colors and is available year round
- Chrysanthemums - in white, yellow, and red
- Daffodils - available in many colors
- Daisy - It is usually white or yellow
- Delphinium - Usually in white, lavender or blue
- Forget-me-not - A dainty blue flower with a yellow or white center
- Freesia - comes in white, yellow, pink, orange, lavender and red
- Gardenia - A pretty white flower with dark green leaves
- Gerbera Daisies - Giant versions of common daisies in a variety of colors
- Gladiolus - Long stalked flowers in white and red
- Iris - in white, blue, violet, yellow and orange
- Lilac - Stalks with many tiny white or lavender flowers
- Ranunculus - A rose look-a-like but less expensive. It comes in reds, pinks and yellows
- Stattice - Bunches of tiny white or purple blossoms
- Stephanotis - Small, white flowers that grow on vines
- Straw Flowers - available in white, yellow, orange or red
- Violets - Tiny flowers in white, blue and purple
- Welcome gifts for out-of-town guests and members of the bridal parties,
- Thank you gifts for those people who make the bride and groom's day special,
- Decorations for the wedding transportation,
- Floating arrangements for ponds or pools, and
- Accessories for the bride's hair, in some cases replacing the more traditional veil.
Flowers for the Bride & the Bridesmaids
Flowers have become a large part of the wedding with the bride and her attendants carrying bouquets of flowers.
For a truly elegant and formal look, the bride's bouquet is done in flowers such as roses and lilies that come in many shades of white, from ivory, cream, or pale beige to a white with just a tint of pink. Orange Blossoms are also a popular choice.
It is common for bridesmaids to have a similar bouquet to the bride but on a smaller scale. Roses and gerberas are the two flowers that are the most popular for bridesmaids’ bouquets. Both of these flowers are available in a wide range of colors.
Flowers for the Groom & the Groomsmen
The groom's boutonniere is either a flower that matches the flowers in the bride's bouquet or is a special flower with meaning such as: a red rose (true love), a red chrysanthemum (I love you), a stephanotis (happiness in marriage), a red camellia (you are a flame in my heart), or an orange blossom (purity, eternal love, marriage). Similar flowers are used for the groomsmen boutonnieres as used for bridesmaids' bouquets.
Flower Decorations
A profusion of flowers are also used for room decorations, including the altar and the guest tables. Traditional floral pedestals contain lilies, gerberas and anthuriums. A classic low table centerpiece usually consists of a posy arrangement of flowers that co-ordinate with the bride's bouquet such as roses and tulips.
Beyond the most established uses for wedding flowers, a large variety of flowers are being used to enhance the special day in many non-traditional ways. For example: