It’s no secret that over the years, I’ve become a little flower obsessed. Maybe it’s my increased appreciation and love for all things natural and beautiful. Or the way flowers add life to a room. Or simply put, flowers make everything better!
Florals: Toast Events
For weddings, I’ve become more attuned to how flowers set the stage for the overall vibe of the wedding day. Whether it’s a classic all white affair, or a bohemian backyard bonanza, flowers can bring your wedding to life!
Florals: Wedecor Planning & Styling: Toast Events
Understanding that full floral service can get expensive, I’m focusing on why I think you should invest in your wedding bouquet. Special thanks to my friend Katherine from Pollen Nation Floral Studios, one of the premier florists in the Ottawa area specializing in organic, garden-inspired florals, who is lending her expertise on this topic too. So lets dive right in!
No stress the morning of your wedding day
“There will be a lot of things to think about the night before your wedding and creating the floral for it shouldn’t be you or your bridesmaids job unless you really get a kick out of DIY. There are so many factors that come into play when looking after these super delicate items that its really not worth the stress aka let a florist handle it!” Katherine McCloskey, Pollen Nation Floral Studios
Unless you are one with nature and know the crap out of flowers, making your bouquet (or having your bridesmaids make it and their own too!) the night before, or worse, the morning of the wedding, can add an extra layer of stress that you really don’t need! The last thing you want on your mind that morning is racing against time to prepare all the bouquets. There’s a whole process to this beyond simply cutting the stems and tying them up. Like keeping them alive and fresh, the appropriate stem length, arranging them for a perfect mix, tying them up with special floral tape and making sure the size including the width and height are just right, tying ribbons, cutting ribbons, pinning ribbons, ensuring flowers don’t fall out or wilt, etc. And that’s only on the day of the wedding. Think about all the arrangements you’ll need to make ahead of time too!
Florals: Bloomfields
You should instead be in full relaxation mode: hanging out with your girlfriends that morning, reminiscing and laughing about all the good times you’ve had together, getting your hair and makeup done with plenty of time to spare, and enjoying a delicious lunch to get you energized for the day.
TIP: Make sure the florist delivers the flowers earlier enough in the morning so that your photographer can use them for all the getting ready detail photos.
Florals: Pollen Nation Floral Studio
Quality over Quantity, on a Budget
Of course, using real flowers for your wedding can get expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re on a tight budget, but would still love to include garden-inspired florals, then I have the solution for you. Focus your floral efforts on your and the bridesmaids bouquets and not the entire wedding itself. Oh, and do this through a florist, not a grocery store. A good florist will be able to create a design for you using high-quality flowers that doesn’t have to break the bank, but can still look full, organic, and beautiful, the way you see in a bridal magazine.
"A florist often has organic, seasonal florals on hand, can order in specific flowers if given time and actually cares for the flowers” Katherine McCloskey, Pollen Nation Floral Studios.
Florals: Pollen Nation Floral Studio
Grocery store bouquets, while great on a budget, may result in wilted and oddly coloured flowers and on your wedding day you don’t want to be carrying a bouquet around that you don’t absolutely love.
TIP: You’ll not likely be carrying your bouquet around during the reception, so you can strategically place the bouquets either at the head table, cake table or tables closer to the front of the space to carry through the seamless look and feel of your wedding.
Setting the Stage for your Wedding Photos and Heirloom Album
It’s not just about beautiful, heart-felt photos. I mean, beautiful photos are a must! But it’s also about capturing your unique day in a way that expresses who you are, your style and all the small things that you care about. I’ve always thought that a good florist + a good photographer = a match made in heaven. A good photographer will know how to use these flowers to help set the tone and overall vibe of your wedding photos.
After gleefully geeking out over your wedding details (shoes, dress, invitation, all the pretty things!) that you so lovingly selected for your day, I will use your bouquet as an accent to tie together these special items.
Florals: Brockville Colonial Flowers
This will ensure that the wedding theme is carried through from the beginning of the day during the getting ready moments all the way to the reception once you lay down your bouquet at the head table to boogy on the dance floor. Let us not forget the bride and groom photos that will most likely be the ones you print out and hang in your home. The bouquet plays a pivotal role in many of these portraits, so you'll want to be sure that you are 100% happy with it. Katherine says that doing the centrepieces or church arrangements yourself could be manageable, but the bouquet is another story, "The bouquet is going to be with you all day, it is going to be pictured with you all day so you had better be in love with it or make sure it is put together properly as you will see it in your albums for the rest of your life."
When it comes time to create your heirloom album, these photos will create a seamless, artistic and beautiful story of the wedding that will remind you of the precious moments you shared with your loved ones.
TIP: Ask the florist to include a few extra loose stems that the photographer can use to style your wedding details in a variety of ways.
If you'd like to receive more advice on the wedding planning process, then feel free to check out our other posts specifically for brides (and grooms)!
- Planning Your Wedding Day Timeline
