You have some ideas, and have friends and relatives to help you make the flower arrangements. We have a few tried and true tips for you if you would like to arrange your flowers yourself.
1. Use flowers in different stages of development, from bud to full bloom. Place the buds at the top and edges of the arrangement, and the largest fullest flowers in the center, more towards the bottom of the design for a focal area.
2. For a more interesting design, use flowers and foliage with different shapes, colors and textures. There are generally three sorts of shapes:
Lines (straight leaves, such as Iris leaves, ornamental grass, and flowers such as Liatris). Generally used to form the outline shape of your design
Rounded (Carnations, Roses, Gerberas, etc.). Use these as the focal flowers.
Intermediate or filler materials (Waxflower, small, ferny foliage) to act as stepping stones between the other materials and to fill in.
3. Use different textures such as ferny, furry, bold, etc., to reflect the light differently and add interest to the design. Incorporate different colors, according to your color scheme, which again will add interest to the design.
4. When using open flowers such as Roses, Daffodils, Gerbera, etc., try to turn some of them at different angles to show a different shape.
5. Always remove the stamens on lilies. The pollen will stain the flower and any clothing or furnishings it may come into contact with. Also, removing the stamens makes the flowers last a bit longer. Never cut off the stamens with scissors. This is ugly, and unprofessional, and causes discolouration. Use your fingers to pull the stamens off, leaving a nice neat point which will not discolor.
6. Make sure that your colors are evenly balanced. Don't have more strong colours over one side of the arrangement than the other.
7. Always allow some space between the flowers to prevent a crowded effect.
8. Fillers such as sand, small stones or gravel can be used under the foam to raise it up so that you don't have to use so much in a deep container. This will also add weight to the container to make it more stable.
9. When using clear containers, add marbles, layers of interesting pebbles, or shells to hide the foam.
10. Generally, green water-retaining foam is for fresh flowers and foliage; use the brown, stiffer foam for permanent botanicals, including silks.
11. Choose the size of your container and flowers according to the size of the space in which your arrangement will be placed.
12. When making a table arrangement where people will be dining, keep it no more than 9" high at its highest point so that guests can see each other across the table without having to fight their way through the flowers! For a buffet table, put your arrangement on a pedestal or in a tall vase to bring the flowers up and out of the way of the food.
13. Position a container with three legs to show one leg directly in front to help balance the design and prevent it from falling forward with the weight of the flowers.
14. Always check that baskets with waterproof linings do not leak before using them. If in doubt, line the basket again with polythene, clingfilm or tinfoil.
15. Never place containers directly onto polished wood surfaces. Any unexpected water spillage can cause damage which may be difficult and expensive to rectify. Use a waterproof base under the container.
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Wedding Planning Guide
