I know very little about flowers. I’ve seen tons that I like but I couldn’t name. However, I also don’t like the idea of letting the florist decide fully on my flowers for me. Of course they know what they’re doing and I’m sure they would come up with something beautiful but I’d like an input in every aspect of my day (well most of it, the groom can pick his clothes, I guess…) Luckily for me and others that are flummoxed by flowers, Chris from Desmond Talbot has written a post on a way to find flowers that are right for you. It’s a little different from heading straight to the florist and letting them do all the work. And I like that…
Finding your flowers
Autumn weddings can provide some of the most difficult decisions when looking at your choice of flowers. Sorry to start on a downer for all you brides-to-be, but it’s the truth.
The truth is that there are such things as ‘safe’ trends with your wedding flower choices. Summer often means colour so sunflowers and bright flowers are often popular. Winter equals elegance with white lilies or deep red roses (although they are out of season), whilst spring means a lighter, greener selection with daffodils proving to be a more contemporary favourite. Then we have autumn… and the trouble begins. Autumn is where nature decides to not have one common denominator between its creations, it’s where foliage comes into its own and that means a nasty headache for most brides!
I’m (hopefully) going to talk you through 3 steps to make sure you get the right flowers for you no matter when your wedding is and give you some sneaky cheats to make sure you get a great look without just doing the ‘norm’.
Step 1 – Get Overwhelmed!
I am a firm believer that you have to be completely overwhelmed by choice in order to get the flowers that are right for you. Head to a flower market, the stalls, the florists and anywhere else you see flowers and please, please, please make sure your eyes are open! To make this count, it is essential that you forget that you are looking for your bouquet and instead pick up one individual example of every flower you like. If you judge each one separately and forget that it’s your wedding, you will start to notice flowers and colours you have never noticed before that could really work for you.
Step 2 – Clear Out The Spare Room
Having taken at least one of each of the flowers you like home, let them move in! They don’t have to work together or look pretty, but it is essential that you get used to holding, touching and smelling each of the flowers you like. This will start to eliminate individual flowers that you like less for various reasons and slowly refine your search. Put them against your dress that’s hanging secretly in the spare room, take them shopping and put them on your desk at work because they are your best friends on the biggest day of your life so the fit has to be right.
Tip 3 – Don’t Settle For Second
This is your day but unless you can arrange flowers yourself, you will need a florist. Using the much smaller bunch of flowers you now have left, head to as many florists as your little legs will stand to take you to! Any florist worth their salt should be able to think of something creative off the back of the small example you are giving them. It is quite common for clients to have no idea what they want or what will work so giving them such a clear starting point means they should be able to produce a top notch design for you and if you are less than perfectly happy, come to see me at Desmond Talbot instead!
All awesome images courtesy of Desmond Talbot
I do like the idea of going out and getting one of all the flowers you like that are in season and then eventually heading to numerous florists, not just one, lots. This way you’ll hopefully have a whole bunch of ideas to choose from. Although you could go into a florist that would come up with a fantastic idea it may not be the best for you. We shop around for the dress so it only makes sense to shop around for flowers too.
Thanks to Chris for the fantastic post. I hope it helps you pick your perfect posy!
Debs
Vendor Details:
Desmond Talbot website
Desmond Talbot blog
Contact Desmond Talbot
Phone: 02070 600038
Debs
