Bride-to-be Blogger Jennifer: Finding the Perfect Floral Accents

Up until we arrived at our first appointment with a florist, flowers seemed like a small detail; a decision easily made on the fly. We arrived a few minutes early. The woman with whom we were meeting, Denise, asked us to bring anything we’ve seen in magazines or online that we liked and might want to mimic for the wedding. “This is going to be the easy part,” I thought. So we went armed with only the swatch of the wine-hued bridesmaids dresses as a jumping off point.

Denise met us and subsequently presented to us a library of floral arrangements. I am usually bad when it comes to making estimates of any kind, but I venture to guess that we looked at more than 600 variations of centerpieces and bouquets and boutonnieres, oh my. Easy decision? I think not.

Thankfully, Denise was able to consolidate all of our feedback to make some suggestions that sound awesome. I struggled to accept that what I had originally envisioned for our wedding-day flowers was slowly warping as we thumbed through the volumes available for our perusal. Because basically, I went in expecting to have hydrangeas as a large part of the day. This was a win-win situation. They are large blooms that are not only widely available in a lot of different colors, but are also fairly inexpensive. And they’ll still be incorporated into the day, but the main hit of the ceremony looks like it will be calla lilies — white with plum centers. I think these will look great and work nicely in combination with the bridesmaids’ wine dresses.

Hydrangeas will play a larger role in the reception where, at least for us, we are trying to get the biggest bang for our buck. Each centerpiece seems inexpensive, but when you start multiplying that by the number of tables at the wedding … well, the numbers quickly climb the charts.

We still have another florist to meet with, but we feel a little more prepared now. So far, flowers have been the most overwhelming part of all the planning. I think it is because it required a lot of imagination. So far, our decisions have been based on concrete, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, kind of things. This time, we were creating something new that we won’t get to see until we sign a contract and request a sample.

My advice to other brides: take the advice of the florist and look through magazines and have some ideas of what you like. Also, Don’t be afraid to tell them what you don’t like. I’m finding that can be just as helpful in creating the floral landscape for the day.

If you’ve already gone through floral selection, did you think that it was difficult? If you haven’t gone through the process, what are you expecting? Maybe we can help calm your fears or get you ready.

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