Hands down, one of our favourite parts of a wedding is the flowers… but we understand that getting them just right can be a bit overwhelming. If you’re like many newly engaged couples, your experience with florals might be limited to those anniversaries that your sweetheart picked up a bouquet for you… and suddenly you have to decide on centerpieces and tablescapes and what to tie on the arbour? Yikes!
We reached out to three of our favourite local flower experts to share some of their knowledge with us. Read their helpful insights below!
Flowers on 9th: Flowers make such an impact on a wedding – but when couples choose their flowers, they should consider what their photos look like. Not only in the here-and-now, but 10, 20, 30 years down the road. How do they want to see their wedding? Do they want a timeless image? Do they want colour? Do they want trendy? Classic? Sedated? Bold? Everything from the tuxes to the decor should reflect a unified theme… and the personality of bride & groom themselves.
The Blooming Willow: Corsages and bouttenieres are lovely, of course – there’s a reason that they’re a wedding classic! But if you’re looking for a big “wow” factor, remember to leave some funds in your budget for decor flowers. If you can make an amazing first impression for your guests when they walk into the church or reception… that’s what they’re going to remember, far above and beyond even the most fantastic of corsages or bridesmaids’ bouquets! Another quick thing to keep in mind is that certain flowers don’t do well in extreme temperatures like heat or cold. Remember to take note of the season and your location when you sit down for the consultation with your florist!
Funky Petals: Flowers are an art… and should be! Your florist will invest a huge amount of time, care, and planning into your wedding flowers. Pinterest is an amazing resource for inspiration – but you have to keep in mind that many of the bouquets that catch your eye are from high-budget weddings, or even staged for photo opportunities. They’re gorgeous, unique, and absolutely desirable… and they come at a price! That being said, we’re happy to do our utmost in turning each couple’s vision into a reality. The photos of your wedding are going to be cherished for years, and most of them will feature your florals. It is our goal to ensure that when you look back on them, your flowers are elegant, timeless, and completely unique to you!
Flowers on 9th: Pinterest is a blessing and a curse. It allows brides to see so much vision, so many styles, and so many flowers. But, we need to consider that nature doesn’t always equal what we see on Pinterest. Of course we’re happy to go all out on wedding florals, but alternatively we can incorporate blooms that have more impact for less cost. Five roses take the same amount of space in a bouquet as a hydrangea, but the hydrangea is less than a third of the cost! Varieties of roses can be similar to the look of a garden rose, but you can get twice as many for the same price. Vases for centerpieces can be rented from an event planner instead of purchased through a florist. These are just a handful of the many ways we work with brides to accommodate the budget without sacrificing vision!
The Blooming Willow: Yes! The most important thing to focus on if you’ve got a tight budget, is the bridal bouquet. The bride is in 90% of the photos and the florals play a huge role in the vibe of her overall ensemble, so it’s important that she gets the bouquet of her dreams. If you have attendants, downsize for them. (Oh, and while we’re talking about attendants… get them involved! We’re happy to supply the stems and they can lend a hand with setting up the decor flowers, which is big savings for you.)
Funky Petals: Absolutely! First of all, be open with your florist. We know what we’re talking about, and we’re happy to help. Another quick tip for the budget-conscious couple – we recommend that you decrease the variety of flowers throughout your wedding. You can still have LOTS of flowers… just pick fewer kinds! Focus on 1-3 flower varieties at the absolute maximum. When we order flowers in for a wedding, we order in bundle amounts for every chosen flower (ranging from 5-30+ stems) and we have to find a spot for each of these blooms. That can increase the price exponentially.
Flowers on 9th: Wedding floral trends have changed so much in a short time! The Internet allows brides-to-be to see so many wedding bouquets, bouts, and centerpieces that it brings with it more vision – and sometimes, higher expectations! No longer do we see bouquets with just one or two flowers, but there are LOTS, and we love that. Today’s trends reflect the true variety and depth in nature, with asymmetrical designs, lots of depth & texture, and less structure. Another trend we’re loving right now is floral crowns – it’s such a beautiful vision and creates such a whimsical mood for your big day!
The Blooming Willow: I’m LOVING the organic bohemian look. Trailing vines, nothing tailored, and free flowing… the natural vibe echoes everything that we stand for here. We’re also pretty excited about the floral crowns and hairpieces that are starting to pop up in southern Alberta. They’ve been on Pinterest for ages, but we’re catching up and they’re absolutely stunning!
Funky Petals: I’m such a sucker for that oversized garden bouquet! Scented garden roses, lush hydrangeas, lisianthus, cascading jasmine vine… that’s a bouquet with florist envy written all over it! But we’re also seeing a rise in the more colourful options with rich hot pinks, burgandies, deep blues, and lime greens – and those are swoon-worthy too! (This month we have the pleasure of designing a wedding with bright oranges, blues, and purples, in all tropical flowers… and it’s going to be a show-stopper.)
If there’s one trend that we’d still like to try, it would be the all-foliage bouquet with accents of pods and large air plants. They have a gorgeous organic quality, they’re incredibly unique, and they hold up to the elements really well! (Not to mention you could keep the air plant after your big day as a memento!)
Flowers on 9th: It’s important for couples to be comfortable with their florist, and comfortable that they’ll meet their vision and style. We spend 1-2 hours with couples, hearing or seeing their vision, and creating a makeshift bouquet with flowers on hand so that they can see our vision will match (or even enhance!) their own. We meet you where you’re at and use our expertise to bring your vision to life! Flowers create a huge impact on the mood of your event, so you need to be able to trust your florist.
The Blooming Willow: Let your flowers reflect your personality. Don’t do things a certain way just because it’s the way it’s always been done.
Funky Petals: We LOVE it when you tell us your colours, style, and budget, and then leave it in our hands. We’re very capable and flowers are our passion – so when we’re given a little bit of creative freedom, we can do so much more for our couples! (Maybe the perfect flower comes onto the market a week before your wedding… we wouldn’t be able to include it if everything was set in stone beforehand! We have ongoing access to flowers that aren’t often seen, so it’s nice to have the freedom to play and create bouquets that are truly magical.) Flowers truly help set the mood for your big day. And even though florals might not be at the top of your priority list… they’re at the top of ours the second you walk through the door!
Flowers on 9th: We showcase lots of our own designs & photos on our own website right here. We’re also on Facebook and tinker a bit on Instagram. Looking forward to seeing you there!
The Blooming Willow: We’re on Facebook and Instagram, but we’d love to chat in person too! Pop into our shop in Coaldale anytime!
Funky Petals: If you’re looking for professional, portfolio-style photos, we’re right here on Wedding Wire. If you’re looking to message us directly, here’s our Facebook page! (Oh, and we’re pretty active on Instagram too.) And of course, we’re always happy to see a new face in our shop!
Thank you, Sharon (Flowers on 9th), Jayme (The Blooming Willow), and Chelsa (Funky Petals) for sharing these tips! We hope that you find them helpful as you’re planning your wedding flowers!
© 2023 StandOut Photography
All rights reserved
324 7th Street South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
403-330-2544
info@standoutphotography.ca
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© 2023 StandOut Photography | All rights reserved
324 7th Street South, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | 587-425-2544 | info@standoutphotography.ca
Site crafted with love by Knap Creative