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Getting ready for your big day is such an exciting time. All the planning is slowly but surely coming together and everyone is looking forward to the festivities. The big ticket planning items like the ceremony and reception have been ticked off, and now the time has come to sort out the all-important flowers.

Flowers will play a central role for the wedding party, ceremony and reception. They will often be the first thing your guests will see, and will set the tone and ambience for the rest of the day. Before meeting with a florist it’s important to get a sense of exactly where and what type of flowers you will need.

Here at Abdo Florist with over 40 years of experience in the field, we’ve seen everything wedding there is, from big to small, to every cultural background you can think of. We know how stressful it can be to plan for your big day, so we put together this handy guide of wedding floral ideas, to make your life that little bit easier and allow you to fully enjoy your big day.

Bride’s Bouquet

We all know when it comes to weddings, it’s all about the bride.  A bride’s bouquet is the most important arrangement to get right. It’s easily the most photographed floral piece in the whole wedding, so you should probably give this your highest priority and attention.

Ideally this bouquet should be a complementary addition to the overall theme of the wedding and the style of the bride’s dress. We recommend selecting a bouquet that is personal, embodies the colour theme of the wedding, and is well balanced in style and content.

Bridesmaids Bouquets

Even though bridesmaid’s bouquets shouldn’t steal the show from the bridal bouquet, they still play an important role and will provide style to the bridal party.

There are various options available, from accenting the bridal bouquet to providing a more contrasting look with different tones and colours. From the delicate and dainty, to the lush and large, you can design a look that compliments the overall theme of your wedding.

Grooms and Groomsmen’s Boutonniere

Boutonnieres are an excellent way to match the groom with his wife on their wedding day.

They are traditionally worn by men on the left lapel of a suit, as it’s above the heart.

There are many options available with the traditional look consisting of two or more flowers with greenery, and a ribbon. We recommended them not being too big, otherwise they will look out of place and be hard to pin on.

Boutonnieres can also be worn by all the important male figures in a wedding, but the groom’s boutonniere should be unique and different from his wedding party.

Aisle Decorations

A bride’s entrance and exit down the aisle is one of the most special and touching moments during the entire wedding ceremony. It’s therefore vital to set the right decor for this focal area. You don’t necessarily have to go all extravagant here, but a more scaled back, simple classical setup that compliments the natural state of the venue or location will do the trick.

For example a light touch of garland with spaced-out white flowers and scattered petals, or alternatively fresh flower arrangements placed along the sides of the aisle, skipping every few rows, will frame the aisles and provide a great backdrop for photographs.

Table Centrepieces

These are the main attraction when it comes to reception flowers. Since guests will be sitting in front of these arrangements throughout the reception, this is an area that requires attention. As well as aesthetics there are a number of other factors to consider such as size and scent.

Centrepieces should match the ambience and theme of your wedding and create an inviting atmosphere for your guests.

Some of the options available include; taller vases full of greenery, compact vases with big blooms, petite bouquets with a vibrant arrangement of flowers, all which can be complemented with additional extras such as table runners and candles.

Head Table Centrepiece

The head table can include only the newlyweds, but it can also extend to include the wedding party and other important members of the family. It’s normally situated at front in everyone’s view so forms a focal point in your reception.

In this case you could opt for a grand vibrant garland covering the front of the table, or smaller vases with varying floral arrangements dotted through the bridal party. This is a great opportunity for you to display your sense of style and choose an arrangement that embodies the festivities of the day.

Flowers for Wedding Cake

Just the right touch of flowers and greenery are the perfect way to accentuate your wedding cake. They can turn the most basic of cakes into a show-stopper dessert.

The beauty with cake flowers is their versatility, colour and design options are endless, and they can be adapted to fit almost any wedding theme. An added benefit is that cake flowers are also more cost effective, allowing couples to save costs on otherwise pricier cake decorations.

Tossing Bouquet

After spending all that time designing the perfect photo-worthy bridal bouquet, the last thing you want to do is throw it away. Rest assured this is where your expert florist saves the day. Your florist can create a smaller scaled-down version of your bridal flowers for you to throw.  In this way, your guests can still participate in the tossing bouquet tradition, and the smaller style bouquet will be much easier to throw, and less dangerous for those trying to catch it.

When planning for your wedding it’s important not to underestimate the central role flowers will play throughout your special day. For the bridal party itself, they form part of the bride’s stunning floral bouquet, and are interwoven in the bridesmaid bouquets and groom’s boutonniere, creating a sense of style and distinction.

For the ceremony, they set the initial tone for your wedding providing an inviting backdrop, and perfectly complimenting the natural state of the venue or location.

Finally at the reception, everything from table centrepieces, cake flowers, and the tossing bouquet, will all contribute to the overall theme of your wedding, and provide your guests with a truly stunning atmosphere to enjoy the special day.

We know that with so many options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, this is exactly why it’s important to engage the services of a trusted florist who’s been there and done it all before. This is where Abdo Florist can help, we have over 40 years’ experience in the flower industry and have successfully catered to a variety of truly magical wedding experiences.

We offer a customised service, where we’ll sit with you and plan every floral aspect of your wedding day, leaving you with the peace of mind to simply enjoy this truly momentous occasion. For any of your wedding flower related needs, why not contact us today.