Beautiful Bouquets and Wedding Flowers – Expert Advice From Little Book For Brides Florists

vervain wedding flowers 2

Wowee, it’s been quite a week for Love My Dress as we were thrilled to win two awards at this year’s Wedding magazine Blog Awards and achieve a highly commended in another category. I was lucky enough to attend the ceremony at the iconic Tower of London and came away more impressed that ever by the passion of the people that fill the wedding industry here in the UK. And today, I’m able to share more of that brilliance with you as we continue our series of Sunday advice features.

This week, the spotlight is on the talented florists that you’ll find in our Little Book for Brides, many of whom are sharing their floral wisdom with us. For anyone interested in wedding flowers, this is a feature to bookmark and keep safe for future reference.

flowers

Before you get to the wonderfully enjoyable job of working with your florist to design your bouquets and wedding flowers, you have to first select the right florist for you! In an earlier feature we looked at choosing fabulous suppliers but here’s a little extra advice from our florists

“Florists all have different styles and ways of working,” says Lib Adams from Bettie Rose. “I’d advise you to do a little bit of research into who you’re choosing and take the time to talk to the them properly. Have a look at their website or ask to see their previous work so you can get a feel of their style and experience.”

Philippa Craddock Flowers

Philippa Craddock

Claire from Lily & May agrees: “Look closely at the style of designs on their website and in their portfolio. Speaking with a florist that has a distinctive style and asking for something completely the opposite is probably a waste of your time.” 

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Vervain

“If their designs are very structured and modern and you’re hoping for a soft whimsical look then that probably isn’t the florist for you.”

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Floribunda Rose

As with photographers, planners and other key suppliers, consultations and meetings are an absolutely key part of the process – you need to know that your florist completely understands your ideas so get prepared…

“Choosing your flowers can be a rather daunting time, especially as there are so many options available,” says Katie of Love From Katie.  “It can be helpful to gain inspiration from wedding blogs, magazines and Pinterest to fine tune what you’re wanting to create as this is all helpful when you meet with your florist.”

love from katie florist

Love From Katie

“Pinterest is an invaluable source,” says Joanne of Fletcher & Foley. “I often ask brides to share their pages with me as this gives me an insight into colours, styles and flower types that appeal to them. However, it has its pitfalls too and I would advise brides to see it as an inspiration or moodboard only. Don’t set your heart on ‘the one’ because we’re dealing with nature and very rarely will two bouquets be the same.”

Hannah Ricci of Bloom Fleuriste agrees: “Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration but also sets unrealistic expectations of what Mother Nature can achieve. Many bouquets you’ll see on Pinterest are created specifically for photoshoots so they look fabulous for an hour or so but won’t last the duration of a wedding on a warm summer’s day.”

fletcher and foley florists-4

Fletcher & Foley

Whilst we’re on the subject of expectations, let’s talk frankly about floral budgets for a moment:

“Budget is an uncomfortable subject but it really is best if you’re upfront about your expectations and budget limitations,” says Lib from Bettie Rose. “A good florist is able to work within a budget and suggest the best ways to make your money go as far as it can. That said, we’re not magicians and we can’t produce something out of nothing!”

“It’s surprising how many people are caught off guard by the question of budgets,” says Joanne of Fletcher & Foley. “Be realistic – chances are you quite possibly can’t stretch to the Kardashian flower wall but maybe a flower screen with trailing ribbons and garlands could be in your budget and look equally fabulous.”

Bettie Rose Flowers

Bettie Rose

“If you’re obtaining more than one quote, make sure that you’re comparing like with like,” explains Jemma from The Country Flower Company. “One florist may appear less expensive but they may be using more foliage and filler flowers where as another may be more generous in terms of focal blooms meaning the quote is more expensive but the finished work will be more impactful.”

Once you’ve found your florist and secured your date in their diary, it’s time to start thinking flowers and a great place to start looking for inspirations are the seasons themselves. When you’re getting married can have a huge impact on your floral options:

“Seasonality plays an important role when choosing florals,” says The Country Flower Company’s Jemma. “We have brides who choose an early summer date purely so they can have beautifully fluffy peonies. For spring and early summer brides, there’s an inspiring choice of florals such as ranunculus, anemones, dahlias and scented garden roses as well as billowy peonies.”

the country flower garden florist-1

The Country Flower Company

“If you’re a summer bride, you have lots of scope for colour schemes from pastel pinks, blue and lilacs through to all the gorgeous bold colours,” explains Love From Katie’s Katie. “Popular flowers that are available in summer and come in lots of lovely colours are roses, sweet peas and stocks.”

When it comes to autumn, everyone seems to love the delicious dahlia:

“Plump for dahlias,” says Joanne of Fletcher & Foley. “There’s a vast array of beauties out there, they’re in season and they look fabulous.”

Jemma of The Country Flower Company is also a big fan of winter florals:

“For a winter wedding, the cool crisp weather brings stunning roses, winter berries and textural foliage, anemones, hydrangeas and new season ranunculus.”

The Real Cut Flower Garden

The Real Cut Flower Garden

Zita Elze encourages brides to remain flexible on flower types so that you can be sure you get the very best blooms:

“Being more open about varieties will also ensure that you have an original and very personal bouquet which is something we always aim to deliver. If we spot some special flowers or foliage at the market when we’re preparing your bouquet, we’d love to be able to include those elements for you.”

Sarah from Floribunda Rose offers this excellent analogy that is possibly the best reminder of the importance of seasonality I think I’ve ever heard:

“Think of big fat juicy fragrant strawberries that you pick yourself on a farm on a sunny summer’s day compared with air-freighted chilled berries from a supermarket cabinet in February. They’re the same product but are incomparable when it comes to colour, vibrancy, taste and scent and flowers are like that too.”

Bloom Fleuriste wedding florist-2

Bloom Fleuriste

So opting for seasonal blooms is definitely the way forward but beware of any special occasions that happen to fall near your wedding as this could well have an impact on your flowers as Lib from Bettie Rose explains:

“All flowers have their moments and are also subject to pretty extreme price fluctuations. It’s worth checking out if there are any large-scale national or international days of events near your wedding, as this will really affect the price of your wedding flowers. Red roses are going to be at least double the price near Valentine’s Day yet in July, the price often comes right down to sometimes even half their normal price.”

Bels Flowers

Bel’s Flowers

So, let’s move onto the bridal bouquet, perhaps the most exquisite finishing touch of a bride’s ensemble…

“The bridal bouquet is an old tradition and we believe, one of the most special elements of the big day,” says Sarah from Floribunda Rose. “The tradition started out as brides holding a bunch of herbs to ward off evil spirits and we will still try to get a few herbs incorporated in their somewhere are they smell so good!”

“I love that we seem to be going back to basics,” says Jennie from JenniBloom Flowers. “We’re going back to a time when flowers were deemed a glorious gift from mother nature and there’s a lot of emphasis on the natural, gathered look which many of us florists have a real affinity with. Traditional bouquet shapes can now be made to look more effortless and romantic.”

jenni bloom flowers

JenniBloom Flowers

“The shape and style of bouquet you decide on really should compliment your wedding dress,” explains Sian from Revival Rooms. “It shouldn’t be the focus, it should be the added extra that completes your whole outfit and it’s always best to decide on your dress before you decide on the bouquet.  We usually find that simple, elegant dresses look great paired with a show stopping bouquet that has lots of texture, different varieties of flowers and foliage. A vintage style jeweled gown with laces and embellishments suits a more understated bouquet.”

“As far as the shape and style of dresses go, we cut our stems very short and recommend that brides hold our bouquets at hip height,” says Floribunda Rose’s Sarah. “That way, you can show off rather than obscure your waistline.”

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Joanne Truby Floral Design

“If possible, try to show your florist an image of your bridal dress,” says Claire from Lily & May. “Taking a sheath dress as an example, there’s a vast array of shapes and textures that suit this style from a small hand tied posey to an oversized wild hand tied bouquet. A more structured bouquet would suit a ball gown or mermaid dress. The material of the dress will also influence the style of the bouquet so where possible, do try to take a fabric sample along with you.”

revival rooms florist

Revival Rooms

And what about bridesmaids, particularly the younger maids and flowergirls? What suits them best?

“We tend to recommend flowers that are child-like and in keeping with their age,” says Zita Elze. “In the past we’ve used craspedia, grasses and chamomile for a sweet bouquet that’s also cost effective when in season. If you have a more extensive budget, little flower baskets brimming with fresh beauty and/or pretty flower crowns are always a delight for girls to carry and wear.”

zita elze

Zita Elze

As with all things, the delight is in the detail and it can often be those extra elements and finishing touches that make your bouquet a thing of glorious beauty:

“Texture is the most exciting thing to happen in recent flower design,” says Sian from Revival Rooms. “There are so many options for foliage – from scented eucalyptus leaves to luscious green palms. Pampas grass is a great option to put in your bouquet if you’re looking for something unique as it gives your bouquet a real whimsical and dreamy effect. Combining textures will give you a truly unique design.”

“We love using hand-crafted dyed silk ribbons, either tied beautifully or left trailing to really complete the look of a beautiful bouquet,” says Jemma of The Country Flower Company. “Brides want their flowers to really play a key role in the overall styling of their wedding and they want to make a fabulous floral statement.”

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Vervain

In every statement however, there’s always room for a little detail that might mean the world as Sarah from Floribunda Rose explains:

“We also ask whether a bride would like to incorporate something meaningful into her wedding bouquet, whether that’s a single stem of a favourite bloom of a loved one, a brooch from your grandmother who can’t be there on the day or a piece of uniform from the father of the bride who has been lost can be incorporated into the ribboning so he still gets down to walk down the aisle with his daughter on the most important day of her life.”

The Deco Disco - a quirky styled shoot by: Hair & Make up - Blush Makeup by Lucy Oldham - http://www.blushmakeup.biz/  Dresses - FrouFrou Bridal Boutique - http://www.froufroubride.co.uk/  Styling - Bellaboo & Beau http://bellabooandbeau.co.uk/  Flowers - Joanne Truby Floral Design - http://www.joannetrubyfloraldesign.com/ Cakes - Vintage Rose Cupcakes - http://vintagerosecupcakes.com/  Photography - Rebecca Douglas Photography - http://www.rebeccadouglas.co.uk/blog/ - assisted by Heather True.

Joanne Truby Floral Design

I do hope that this feature has given you ideas, information and inspiration and that your wedding flowers will be that little bit more fabulous. As a final piece of encouragement to really be creative and enjoy all things floral, I’ll leave you with these words from Joanne of Fletcher & Foley:

“Some things will work, others won’t but it’s your big day and your suppliers will want to make it as wonderful as possible. Have fun. Go for it.”

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Vervain

Thank you so much to all the amazing florists who contributed to this feature – you’re all simply brilliant.

Love Tamryn x

Tamryn Settle

Tamryn Settle View all Tamryn's articles

Self-confessed wedding addict Tamryn spends her days in her Berkshire studio writing about all things beautiful and romantic with her black Labrador for company.

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