Choosing Your Wedding Flowers

Your wedding flowers should match three things: your personality, your dress and your budget. If you prefer natural and unfussy, then simple arrangements of one or two types of garden flowers are ideal for classic, understated beauty. If you're more of a romantic, then incorporating smaller flowers such as lily-of-the-valley or gypsophila -- baby's breath -- adds a softer touch to a full trailing bouquet. For drama, a few more expensive blooms in modern designs, dressed with glittering pins or other accessories, might be the way to go.

As far as the dress is concerned, if it's slim line, keep the bouquet small. If you're wearing a full-skirted gown, however, a larger and more flowing bouquet will keep you visually in proportion. A popular trick is for a bride to carry flowers of a similar color to that of the attendants' dresses and for the flowers in the bridesmaids' bouquets to be of a paler color. Consider wrist corsages for adult bridesmaids who will have the care of children on the day, and if those children are to carry flowers, avoid giving them anything that incorporates wires or poisonous blooms.

A good rule of thumb is to earmark five to 10 percent of the overall budget for flowers and decorations and stick to it. Try to remember that overspending a little here and there quickly adds up. Decide whether you will be decorating the church and the reception facility as well, and don't forget to allow for these in your budget. Having a theme and using the same flowers for each location not only gives a feeling of flow to the day but also helps keep the costs down, as a few varieties can be purchased in bulk.

The best time to choose wedding flowers is at the time of year when you plan to marry. One year before the date of the wedding is the ideal time to have a consultation with a florist. Never go with a florist who gives you a price for wedding flowers off the top of the head without a consultation. You might have to pay for this appointment, but most florists will deduct the cost from the overall bill if you select them to do the flowers. Planning a year in advance will let you see which flowers are in season and typical prices for them. A good florist should also allow you to pay in installments over the year. However, if you do this, make sure you have insurance that will recover your costs should the florist go out of business in the meantime.

Remember that wedding flowers have to be booked by the florist in advance to avoid disappointment, so they will cost more than the same flowers bought at market the same day. The more specific you are about the flowers you require, the more the wholesaler will have to pay at auction to make sure the order is met. Those increased costs will pass down the supply chain to you. So if you're able, rather than ordering a specific variety, such as Attache, make a more general request for pink roses and allow your florist and wholesaler to make the best choice.