Photo: Lehua Noelle
Choosing your wedding flowers, specifically your bouquet, is one of the most important parts of planning your wedding — and for good reason! The blooms you carry down the aisle help set the tone for the rest of your celebration. To help make sure you're hitting all the right notes when it comes to your flowers, read this quick etiquette guide.
Does anyone else, other than members of the bridal party, need flower arrangements?
Yes, you'll need a few extra small floral accessories to distinguish the special guests who play a role in the ceremony or are particularly close to your heart. Ushers, the ring bearer, a male officiant — if he is not wearing traditional religious robes — and any other close male family members (fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, etc.) can wear smaller or modified versions of the groomsmen's boutonnieres. Meanwhile, flower girls, female officiants, and close female family members can wear corsages, feminine boutonnieres, or carry a miniature version of your bridesmaid's bouquets.
How can I differentiate my own wedding bouquet from my bridesmaids' bouquets?
There are several ways you can make your the blooms in your wedding bouquet look slightly different than your bridesmaids' bouquets. You can simply go bigger, play with a different shape, or try a different color. Make your bridesmaids' buds monochrome and yours bursting with color, or vice-versa. You can also change the look (and price!) of a wedding bouquet simply by the flowers you choose. Design your dream wedding bouquet and then ask your florist to recreate it for your girls using less pricey floral counterparts.
I love the idea of carrying just one flower down the aisle. Am I crazy?
It's not ideal for a huge cathedral, but a single bloom is perfect for a garden-y outdoor ceremony. Be sure to choose a large, striking bloom (like a peony, allium, magnolia, a sunflower, or a dahlia) and ask your florist to accent the stem with leaves or ribbon.