Wedding ideas and trends

December 3rd, 2009

Trends and ideas for 2010

A wedding is a once in a lifetime event, celebrating your commitment and love for each other, your chance to shine and show your style - Your one day in the limelight.

Like all major events a wedding takes planning, so hopefully you’ve done the saving and decided upon a budget. You then need to prioritise,
If flowers are important to you, then a rough guide of what you need to spend is between 10 and 15% of your total budget.

Approximately a year before your wedding date you will need to start looking for a florist. A good place to begin is the internet, using one of the search engines to find florists in your particular area. Have a look at their work; remember style varies greatly, as does experience and knowledge.

Do some research before booking a consultation, and make sure the photos you see on their websites are work they have actually done and not just stock photos. Ask how many weddings they did the year before - Normally this is a good indication of experience.

It is always good to get a couple of quotes and speak to a few different florists - When you find one whose work you like and you trust, then you will need to pay a booking fee to secure their services for your date.

If you are on a very restricted budget let your florist know, they should do their best to make suggestions. You could consider doing some of your wedding flowers yourself, but keep it simple. Maybe hire some tall elegant vases and add a few top quality calla lilies or a couple of stems of tall oriental lilies with some grasses and a light scattering of fresh rose petals for your reception tables.

Remember that like all fresh produce, flowers are graded, supermarket flowers are fine for your kitchen table but not for your wedding flowers! Go to a good florist and order best quality flowers- you really do get what you pay for.

Nikki will be holding another ‘Wedding Day Workshop’ early next year; contact us to book a place if you’d like to come along and learn how to plan and create some of your own wedding flowers. We will also give ideas and advice on decorating your ceremony and reception venues. Workshops are for absolute beginners, and classes are small and informal

December 3rd, 2009

Flowers available in spring

Aconitum
Alstroemeria
Amaryllis
Anemone
Calla lily
Waxflower
Forsythia
Freesia
Hyacinth
Iris
Lily of the Valley- late May
Muscari
Narcissus
Prunus (flowering cherry blossom)
Pussy willow
Ranunculas
Syringa (lilac)
Tulips
Viburnum Opulus

December 3rd, 2009

Flowers available in winter

Amaryllis
Anemone
Calla lily
Cattleya orchid
Cornus Alba
Cymbidium orchid
Dendrobium orchid
Gypsophilia
Hellebores
Ilex
Liatris
Moluccella
Nerine
Phalaenopsis orchid
Pussy willow
Strelitzia
Tulips
Vanda orchids

December 3rd, 2009

Flowers available in summer

Agapanthus
Ammi
Amaranthus
Antirrhinum
Aster
Bouvardia
Cornflower
Marigold
Delphinium
Eryngium
Eustoma
Gladiolus
Gloriosa
Lavender
Lilies
Stocks
Nigella
Peony (May and June)
Phlox
Scabious
Sunflowers.

October 13th, 2008

Flowers available in autumn

Amaranthus
Colours:- green and deep pink

Alstromeria
Various colours

Anthirium
Various colours. Available all year. Long lasting.

Mimosa
Yellow

Monkshood
Purple & white, popular in vases and tall arrangements.

Spider orchid
Various colours. Lovely in fish bowls

Calla lily
Various colours, the black being very popular. Expensive

Celosia
Red, green, orange & pink. Looks like coral, very tactile.

Wax flower
White & pink in colour

Cymbidium orchids
Various colours, expensive in Summer. Long lasting.

Dendrobium orchids
Available in pinks, white & Green.

Eryngium
Thistles, available in blues.

Eucharis
White

Freesia
Various colours, available all Year. Scented.

Genista
Various colours, some dyed.

Gloriosa
Cerise pink

Gypsophila
White & pink. All year

Hydrangea
Various colours, best for large arrangements.

Oriental lilies
Various colours. All year. scented

Lisianthus
Various colours. All year

Phalaenopsis orchid
Moth orchid. White, pinks & green. Expensive .

Roses
Various colours. All year. Some scented

Gerberas
Huge range of colours available, they are very popular and an economical choice.

July 31st, 2008

Trends & Tips ‘08

Large gold fish bowls of gloriosa, orchids or gerberas with grasses or willow - very minimal chic and perfect for popular modern venues. From £15

Lots of candles- they can be colour coordinated to your wedding, or scented, and are an inexpensive way to add a magical feel and bring a festive air to any event. From £1.29

Rose petals, fresh or preserved - everywhere:

• down aisles
• scattered around vases
• as a runner along a top table
• for flower girls in lovely silk bags
• in cones for guests
• strings of rose petals threaded on coloured ribbon tied to chair backs or cascading form mantelpieces.

Mocha coloured bridesmaids dresses, a very versatile and easy to wear colour, fits in well with a vintage look ,(£80 from www.bhs.co.uk ); Stunning with deep red (Grand Prix) roses.

Giant martini glass vases of seasonal scented flowers- beautiful for summer weddings and garden parties. From £65

Top tables covered in an over lay of shimmering ivory organza with ivy or jasmine garlands, a very fairytale/ romantic look. From £35

Three foot tall table candelabra decked with vintage roses, like ‘Old Dutch’ and ‘Metallina’ with hydrangeas and lots of trailing jasmine and ivy foliage, gives a very vintage look- £60. Use the same flowers in your bouquets, maybe adding pearls to complete the look.

Where possible try and stay with seasonal flowers- better for the environment, more economical for you. And in the future you will always be reminded of the season and your wedding day when you come across your chosen blooms.

Invite your dog! you can get a full floral collar made for him or just a few flowers on organza ribbon. From £10.

Ask your florist to use light reflecting mirrors under your table flowers, this gives a more dramatic effect.

Add accent colours to your reception tables by tying coloured organza or silk ribbon around your napkins or the tiers of your cake. A 10 metre reel of ribbon will do about 15 to 20 napkins.

Decorate the top of your wedding cake with hand made chocolates.

Use preserved or fresh rose petals as a top table runner.

Mirrored vases- very contemporary, available from us to buy or hire.

When booking a venue ask about ‘mid week packages’ you may get a better deal.

If flowers are included in your hotel package consider upgrading them - speak to the florist, don’t just give your colours to the coordinator.

If you have an allergy or are getting married abroad look into using preserved flowers instead of fresh, they look and feel just like the real thing and last indefinitely .Preserved bouquets from us are from £60.00, button holes from £4.50. Look on www.verdi-uk.co.uk or contact us for more details.