By Willie Jones


A wedding takes an enormous amount of time and money. From the hall to the dress, the flowers, the cake, invitations, food etc., it is wise to save where you can. You may not want to cut corners with your dress but you can save a lot of money doing your own flowers.

A florist needs to make money and in order for them to this they need to spike up cost tremendously. What you are paying for is not only the flowers but you are paying for the cost of the flowers, vases and containers (which they buy wholesale and mark up 50% to 75%), the salaries of the people making the arrangements, paying for the driver and gas and other incidentals. This is their business and they need to do this in order to be successful.

But if you are somewhat artistic and want to save some money, you can do your own flowers. Here are some basic things you need to do:

1) Look through bridal magazines or online to get an idea of what kind of arrangements you are interested in. Having pictures of what you like can help you decide the colors and styles. Investing in a flower arranging book can be of enormous value to you as it gives you the complete how too and what tools you need and lots and lots of pictures.

2) Without having experience in floral design, simple may be a better choice but that does not mean it’s less effective. Something like a tall vase with white gladiolas in them placed on each table looks incredible and is about the easiest arrangement you can put together. This also works very well as altar pieces. If you want a low arrangement you can do something like a low vase with just roses of your color choice and sprinkle rose petals around it on each table. If roses are too expensive you can do the same with cheaper flowers such as carnations, daisies, Gerber daisies or mums. Whatever you like that fits your budget.

3) Do the table arrangements and altar pieces before tackling the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets. These also typically take the most time to do. There are two ways you can go. You can go to a craft store and buy ready made floral foam with a handle and lace skirt that you will soak with water to insert your flowers into or you put freshly cut stems together and bind them with floral tape and then ribbon.

4) A simple but beautiful bouquet can be made by taking roses that have been cleaned of most of their leaves and thorns. In one hand hold the first few roses and keep adding a rose one at a time until you have the desired amount of roses. Make sure they are not all flat at the top. You want your bouquet to be rounded. You do this by carefully taking the outer roses and pulling them down gently all around until you have the desired effect. The center of your roses will be the highest roses while the rest of the roses will gently slope downward.

5) When you have decided what you want then gather up your bridesmaids or whom ever you think could best help you and well before the wedding, do a test run and make one of each arrangement you would like to do. This will give you an idea of how it is going to look and how long it takes to do each one. Take a close up picture of each arrangement once you are satisfied. Doing a run through also lets you determine the cost. Just multiply by the number of arrangements you need to do. If you are happy about your work and you really want to know what your savings will be, then take your pictures to a flower shop and get them to give an estimate for making the same arrangements. You will know what you paid, now compare that to the florists quote.

Doing your own flowers will take more of your time but if you have a good support system helping you, (which can be a really fun time) you can take pride in your accomplishments and save a lot of money.

By Mark Dietzel


Sending flowers to someone you love is probably the most popular and common practice in a relationship. Almost every relationship or anniversary has a memory that involves flowers. This is because flowers are very easy to find and is a gift that brings a natural smile to anyone’s face. Nature’s masterpiece, that’s what flowers are, they paint the fields and the meadows with their color and fill the air with their fragrance. Now when you present flowers to your special someone, it is like you are giving them a piece of that art. When you send flowers to some one you remind them that they are precious to you and that you see them as one of Mother Nature’s miracles and masterpieces.

The great news is, you could be in a long distance relationship, you could be on a business trip or you’re at your office and you decide to send someone special flowers. All you have to do is go online and search for a site that features online flower delivery. These sites contain pictures of the many bouquets and flower arrangements that they have for online flower delivery. If you decide to order online, you will have the benefit of ordering from online florists that have access to thousands of florists all over the world that can have your order arranged in no time. Online flower delivery is fast, efficient and a great way to send someone flowers. If you order at a designated cut-off time, the flower you ordered may be delivered on the same day.

Check out the different sites that offer online flower delivery. Compare the services they offer and the areas where they can deliver. Some good online flower delivery websites can handle special requests. So when you have finally settled on a site where you want to order online flower delivery there are some things that you may need to get ready. Have your major credit card on hand and ready. Prepare to give out your billing address, your credit card number and expiration date.

Next, pick out the bouquet or flower arrangement that you want to have delivered. Online flower delivery sites have a multitude of pictures that shows the flower arrangements that they do. Browse on through them and see also some accessories such as baskets, figurines, balloons, small stuffed toys that you may want to include in the arrangement. Good online flower delivery sites have descriptions beside the pictures as well as the prices. Once you have decided on which flowers to buy, you can now click the “put in basket” or “buy” button.

You can now put the name of the recipient and the address where you want it to be sent. You can also attach a little message with the flowers you have just purchased. Write down what you want to tell the person to add a little personal touch.

Online flower delivery services are very invaluable and convenient when you want a flower delivered fast to someone. Sites are open 24 hours a day so it does not matter wherever you are in the world, the site will be open regardless of time zones. Reminding someone that you love them, you miss them and you are thinking about them is as easy as 1-2-3 and is just a mouse click away. Check them out now and make someone happy.

By Jeanette Shinn


Choosing a florist begins before you ever enter the florist's shop. Take a moment and consider your first impression. Remember, you are hiring a florist professional for their attention to detail and their ability to create an atmosphere that invites you in. If their shop doesn’t invite you in or seems extreme in relation to your personal style, most probably the wedding flowers they provide you won’t be satisfactory to you either. There are always exceptions, but the chances are that this rule will prove true in your case. Do you really want to gamble on your wedding flowers just because your cousin Freda insisted that you had to use this particular florist?

Show the florist the wedding flower pictures and the swatches of your wedding dress material (and any other prominent materials from your wedding i.e. bridesmaids dresses). Talk. Make sure the florist grasps the concept that you have in mind for your wedding flowers and understand your budget and any other constraints that you are operating under (i.e. facility rules, etc.), and then let them go to work. Resist the urge to micromanage. In most cases at least one of the florists you visit can make your ideas for wedding flower combinations come to life in a manner that you never dreamed of. At the same time, however, go over every detail of the proposal (including set up time and schedule – which will vary greatly depending on how much there is to set up for your wedding flowers and how many other weddings the florist has that same day) carefully before you sign the agreement to provide your wedding flowers. Get several proposals for your wedding flower needs before you decide. It’s your wedding so be sure that you are getting the best wedding flowers for your budget.

Though it can be difficult to do, try not to get your heart too set on a particular type of wedding flowers (the possible exception to this might be your basic red rose). Flowers are beautiful but being living things they can be temperamental. Some flowers, such as gardenias and lilies are famous for triggering allergic reactions. If you have someone in your wedding party with bad allergies it might be wise to steer clear of flowers like these. Likewise, hollow stemmed flowers, such as the daffodils can drip sap on your wedding dress. Yes, this is a problem that can be overcome, but you need to be aware and prepared so your wedding flowers don’t ruin your wedding dress. Other flowers, most notably the lilies will drop a yellow pollen stain on your gown if you don’t have the wedding flower professional remove the stamens before you carry them down the aisle.

Two last notes about your wedding flowers. First, remember that not all flowers fare equally well in all types of weather. Some flowers wilt quickly in warm weather while other flowers actually turn black in colder temperatures. Either way you won’t be happy with the flower’s performance if you take it into a situation for which it is not suited.

Finally, remember that despite the advances in horticulture around the world, flowers (even wedding flowers) are still seasonal. Sure, if your pockets are deep enough, you might be able to have the florist import them from the other side of the globe but that will be expensive and even at that, there are some flowers that just won’t be available to join your wedding flowers in celebrating your marriage unless it’s just the right season somewhere.

By Jeanette Shinn



The wedding flowers that decorate the church will go a long way toward setting the mood for your wedding. Done right, a selection of well placed wedding flowers can give your event the sense of joy, expectation, solemnity, or pageantry you and your intended anticipate for your wedding. Done poorly… well, your wedding flowers will set the wrong mood for your wedding at best. At worst, your wedding flowers will make it appear that your wedding happened in a tacky looking facility or several decades earlier (actually, it can get worse, but we won’t talk about that – The point is to make sure we stay on the top of the scale with our wedding flowers, not the bottom).

The success of your wedding flower arrangements and decorations depends on your florist’s attention to detail, sense of style, flair, expertise, and the connection that the two of you achieve. Don’t assume that because a particular florist is highly respected you will get the wedding flower arrangement of your dreams. If there is no meeting of your minds, if you don’t feel like they are grasping what you are trying to communicate about your wedding flowers, theme, or both, keep looking. In most cases your wedding flowers will be more to your liking with your second choice that fully understands the theme and mood you are trying to set than with the reputed best florist in the city who isn’t listening or just isn’t managing to understand what you want from your wedding flowers.

Finding the right wedding flower specialist is easy if you begin your search prepared and know what to look for and what to stay away from: Being prepared means doing some dreaming about your wedding flowers. Doodle. Search bridal magazines. Look at wedding flower schemes in books and dream. Go to bridal shows. Go to weddings, if you can get an invitation, and dream. Collect pictures of wedding flower arrangements that you think will fit into the theme that you want to design your wedding flowers around. In short, have a pretty clear idea of what you want in your wedding flowers before you ever start visiting florists and bring the pictures with you. This will help them understand your vision for your floral arrangement.

The second step is like the first: Don’t even think of going to a florist without swatches of the material from your dress, the bridesmaid’s dresses, and any other fabric that might affect the wedding color scheme (this is true of your cake decorator too). This is most especially true of your dress. White wedding dresses come in a wide variety of shades of white, so to ensure that the wedding flowers will properly accent your dress bring a swatch. A professional florist will know how to set it off so that the wedding flowers draw the attention to you in just the right way.

Once you have done your homework it is time to start actually looking for a florist to provide your wedding flowers. As in every other discipline, your first move should be to talk to people who have recently gotten married and get referrals from them. There is no shame in learning from the success and failures of others and doing so will generally save you a lot of grief. In the process, no doubt, you will discover that while most any florist can provide wedding flowers, some are more skilled, gifted, and experienced than others. Your goal is to identify these people and choose one of them to take the stress of your wedding flower needs off your hands.

Remember, wedding flowers work or don’t work on the florist’s attention to detail, creativity, and their ability to match your style. But part of their ability to perform depends on you communicating what you want and providing pictures and swatches. It’s your wedding; make sure it goes right by taking the time to prepare before you go shopping for those wedding flowers.

By Jennifer Bailey



Wish to brighten up someone’s day with flowers, but having difficulty in doing so? To help add that extra sunshine to someone’s life, virtual flowers exist. Without the hassles of flower selection, payment, and delivery, such flowers can be sent free of charge on the Internet. With one click on the mouse, you can choose from hundreds of different pictures of beautiful, enchanting flowers and send it with your own personal message accompanying it. With a valid email address and Internet access, the recipient is sure to receive the virtual flowers.

Online companies such as Virtual Florist, Virtual Flowers, Phillip’s 1-800-florals, iflowers.com, Flora 2000, Virtual Cyber Electronic Greeting Cards, Virtual Presents, 123 Greetings, Make Me Happy, Accent Search, Flower of the Month Club, and O’Connor Florist send virtual flowers completely free.

The range of available flowers is immense, and suited to events like birthdays, holidays, weddings, anniversaries, and much more. Lavender, chrysanthemums, roses, lilies, carnations, and many, many other flowers are all displayed on the websites of the aforementioned companies.

Companies usually follow a similar pattern of selection and delivery of virtual flowers. With numerous pictures of beautiful flowers, normally grouped according to the flower types or the occasion, we are given the option to choose our desired flowers. The next step is to fill out the details of your email and the recipient’s address, and finally, to add your personal message to the selected virtual flowers card and send it. Your loved one will receive the flowers immediately, or on a date which you would have specified while filling in the necessary details.

By Debbie Jensen

Good timing is one of the most important instincts a photographer should have. A good sense of timing for photographers is as important as saying the right word at the right time. By good timing, I'm not necessarily referring to the time of day; but more importantly, it is when the flower is at its peak and the full-bloom is fresh void of any wilting. Sometimes, buds make good photographs; but usually the full-bloom is considered to be the *peak* time to capture a flower’s beauty and visual essence. In photography, premium quality photography occurs when the *peak* moment is captured and frozen in time.

If you have the software, Photoshop or other equivalent software, don't be overly concerned about flawed petals or tiny bugs or specks on the flower especially if you know how to clone them out. If you are not sure about taking this approach, then inspect the flower for imperfections and remove the damaged petals and small insects just prior to taking your picture. If you have a bottle to mist the flower, use it! Water droplets look awesome on flowers! Drops of dew and water drops are delightful and visually refreshing.

From experience, I have learned to take not-so-tight pictures of flowers, because the closer I get to them (with my camera anyway), the odds of experiencing distortions and blurred pictures increases. My best advice is to take six or more images of each flower (from different angles). Try some with the flash on and others with it off. Make sure to watch your background.

As far as getting close-up to the flower, if you have software to crop the image at home—so much better! If not, try to get as close as you can to the flower head. One more suggestion: try to leave a natural green frame around the flower. The greenery sets off the color just perfectly! Next time you see a beautiful flower, don’t procrastinate! Lost moments, photographically speaking, are a dime a dozen!

By Tenley McDonald

The selection process of your wedding flowers will usually begin with a discussion of the Bride’s bouquet. You will have a choice of several basic styles. These are cascade, crescent, contemporary, nosegay, hand tied bouquet and arm or presentation style. You can better prepare for your first meeting with your florist if you bring the following;

• A list of those in your wedding party that will need flowers.
• A list of what flowers you will want at the ceremony.
• A list of what flowers will be needed at the reception, including table count, size and shape.
• Color/fabric swatches and pictures of your dress and bridesmaids dresses, if you have them.
• Feel free to also bring pictures of flowers that you like.

Your florist will also have pictures of flowers, bouquets and arrangements to help determine exactly what will create the wedding of your dreams. If your wedding has a "theme", let your florist know before the consultation, as they can prepare suggestions to fit the style of your wedding. After style, the next thing to consider is if there are any specific flowers you want.

Keep in mind that some flowers are not in season year round. The flowers that will give the best presentation are those in their season prime. Make sure you let your florist know if your ceremony and/or reception will be held outdoors. Certain flowers do not hold up in hot/humid conditions. Consider color, shape, and fragrance when selecting your bouquet flowers. A note of advice on color choice, avoid all white flowers, they do not photograph well.

It is important that you are upfront with your florist about your budget. Not just for your bouquet but for all of your flowers. Be realistic. You may want a $200 bridal bouquet, but if you only have $400 for a flower budget, you will not have enough left for 3 bridesmaids bouquets, 2 corsages, 3 boutonnieres and 15 centerpieces for your reception. Choose similar flowers to be used throughout your wedding. Using 20 different kinds of flowers will quickly increase the cost. Your florist can balance your needs with your budget. They can offer alternatives. Exotic flowers such as Orchids are very pretty, but they are more expensive. Consider more affordable flowers if you are on a budget. Don’t plan your wedding near big flower holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day. If you do, expect to pay more for your flowers. Not because the florist's want to charge you more, but due to the fact that the wholesalers charge more during these busy holidays based on growing and demand.

Once you have chosen your Bouquet you have selected the “center” of your wedding flowers. The other pieces can be used to incorporate your bouquet flowers throughout your entire wedding. The following is an example list of the flowers you may need for your “Special Day”...

• Bride’s Bouquet
• Toss Bouquet for Bride to Throw
• Maid of Honor Bouquet
• Bridesmaids Bouquets
• Grooms Boutonniere
• Boutonnieres for Best Man and other male attendants in the wedding
• Boutonnieres for Father of Bride and Groom
• Corsages for Mothers/Grandmothers and/or Guests of Honor
• Boutonniere for Ring Bearer
• Flower Basket (with petals?) or small bouquet for flower girl*
• Ceremony Arrangements (can serve double duty at your reception perhaps at your buffet)
• Vase at Guest Book Table
• Centerpieces for Reception Tables (make sure you get an accurate count)
• Centerpiece for Head Table (usually larger than other centerpieces)
• Flowers or Petals for Cake Table (Flowers for Cake if necessary)

*If you are considering petals for the aisle at your ceremony, make sure your accomodations allow them. Also remember that roses with color petals will stain the carpet if stepped on. White petals are recommended for carpeted areas.

A very important detail is to make sure your florist knows exactly when and where your flowers will need to be delivered. They will also need to know ahead of time if you will need them to set up the flowers. If you have someone else handling set up, make sure your florist knows who they are and how to reach them. You will probably want your flowers to arrive at least an hour before you need them. Make sure you have somewhere safe and cool to keep them until you use them. Always leave your florist a phone number of someone you trust (preferrably with a cel phone) that can handle any last minute decisions regarding your flowers.

Finally, when it comes to your wedding flowers, don't skimp! I have heard many sad stories about bride's trying "do-it-yourself" flowers or having a friend design them, only to end up with bouquets falling apart minutes before the wedding! Don't risk it! Experienced florists process and design your wedding flowers for optimum presentation and performance. Your flowers are one of the most important elements of your wedding! You want them to be beautiful. They compliment you, your wedding party, your wedding photos and provide an elegant atmosphere for you and your guests on your special day!

If you're planning a wedding, you may be tempted to just buy a cute white dress for your flower girl, and have her carry a bouquet that matches yours. Let's first take a quick look at the flower girl tradition.

Starting with the middle ages, flower girls were assigned a special job; to walk down the wedding aisle ahead of the bride and groom and spread grain (not flowers) in order to pave the way for a new beginnings, fertility and happiness in the marriage.

Today's flowers girls usually carry rose petals, and while they aren't believed to have special powers that will grant the new couple a harmonious relationship, they do tend to set the tone for a wedding.

Think about the last wedding you attended. If the flower girls came out in formal dark colored dresses, you quickly understood that the wedding would have a formal tone. On the other hand, if they came out in wispy flower girl dresses with roses laced into their hair, you knew that you would experience a more whimsical wedding.

How will you dress your flower girls?
Here are some flower girl dress ideas for the most popular wedding themes around:
Cinderella Wedding Theme
If you are planning a Cinderella wedding theme, then extravagance and beauty should be a part of everything. Choose frilly white dresses with huge skirts and satin bows. You can tie in some of your wedding colors by adding fresh pale pink, yellow or blue flowers to their hair. Have them carry baskets decorated to match their dresses and throw tons of soft rose petals along the isle.

Beach Wedding Theme
Depending on the type of beach wedding that you want, you will have various choices with your flower girl dresses. If you want a romantic beach wedding, then put your flower girls in soft pastel tones or white, and use lots of fresh flowers-both in their hair and for them to throw. The flower girl wedding dresses can be shorter than in a formal wedding, and appropriate sandals would set the tone nicely. If you have a stronger, more colorful beach wedding planned, why not have some fun with the flower girl dresses? Putting them in typical beach dresses to match your wedding décor would immediately let the wedding guests know that your wedding will be fun and adventurous.

Roaring 20's Wedding
Imagine a black and white wedding, wing tips shoes and ostrich feathers. That's the idea behind a roaring 20 wedding theme, and as you can imagine, a precious frilly flower girl dress simply won't fit the bill. Why not dress your flower girls in white satin flapper girl dresses, with bands around their hair and beads around the hemline?

Garden Party Wedding
If you dream of an outdoor wedding surrounded by blooming flowers and ivy-laced arches, then your flower girl dresses should take on an entirely different style. White, off-white or pale pastel linen would be an ideal choice. In addition, a beautiful soft cotton dress with a muted flower pattern would be lovely, tied with a large solid satin bow in the back. Add lace up satin sandals and an armful of colorful tulips, and your guests won't be likely to forget your flower girls for some time to come.

As you can see, your flower girl dresses will set the mood of your entire event. Don't just automatically dress your flower girls in the typical dress, but instead get creative.

Frugal Flower Girl Accessories
I did, however, come up with some inexpensive, creative ideas to make sure our flower girls were dressed in style.
We had an outdoor wedding in August, so it was easier to dress our young flower girls for the nice weather. We had two flower girls in our wedding, ages 7 and 9. Because we have two mothers who love to sew, the flower girls' dresses were very inexpensive. I picked out a simple, yet elegant sundress pattern, and paid about $3 a yard for a pretty summer print. The dresses were calf length and sleeveless, with a big bow in the back.

My husband had a hand in decorating the flower girls' baskets. It was perfect--we already had the baskets and the white spray paint.

The baskets were simple and elegant.
Finally we gathered together the rose petals we'd gathered from our garden just for the occasion, and filled the baskets with petals we'd laid out in the sun to dry.
For a finishing touch, I took some of the leftover silk flowers and ribbons and decorated hair clips for the girls.
The grand total for the two matching flower girl dresses, with matching baskets and hair clips, was under $30.

A wedding takes an enormous amount of time and money. From the hall to the dress, the flowers, the cake, invitations, food etc., it is wise to save where you can. You may not want to cut corners with your dress but you can save a lot of money doing your own flowers.

A florist needs to make money and in order for them to this they need to spike up cost tremendously. What you are paying for is not only the flowers but you are paying for the cost of the flowers, vases and containers (which they buy wholesale and mark up 50% to 75%), the salaries of the people making the arrangements, paying for the driver and gas and other incidentals.
1) Look through bridal magazines or online to get an idea of what kind of arrangements you are interested in. Having pictures of what you like can help you decide the colors and styles. Investing in a flower arranging book can be of enormous value to you as it gives you the complete how too and what tools you need and lots and lots of pictures.
2) Something like a tall vase with white gladiolas in them placed on each table looks incredible and is about the easiest arrangement you can put together. This also works very well as altar pieces. If you want a low arrangement you can do something like a low vase with just roses of your color choice and sprinkle rose petals around it on each table. If roses are too expensive you can do the same with cheaper flowers such as carnations, daisies, Gerber daisies or mums. Whatever you like that fits your budget.
3) Do the table arrangements and altar pieces before tackling the bridal and bridesmaid bouquets. You can go to a craft store and buy ready made floral foam with a handle and lace skirt that you will soak with water to insert your flowers into or you put freshly cut stems together and bind them with floral tape and then ribbon.
4) A simple but beautiful bouquet can be made by taking roses that have been cleaned of most of their leaves and thorns. In one hand hold the first few roses and keep adding a rose one at a time until you have the desired amount of roses. You want your bouquet to be rounded. The center of your roses will be the highest roses while the rest of the roses will gently slope downward.
5) Take a close up picture of each arrangement once you are satisfied. Doing a run through also lets you determine the cost. Just multiply by the number of arrangements you need to do. If you are happy about your work and you really want to know what your savings will be, then take your pictures to a flower shop and get them to give an estimate for making the same arrangements. You will know what you paid, now compare that to the florists quote.

Doing your own flowers will take more of your time but if you have a good support system helping you, (which can be a really fun time) you can take pride in your accomplishments and save a lot of money.

Choosing Wedding Flowers
Choosing wedding flowers is such an important part of the wedding. There are some things to be aware of when you are ready to decide on your wedding flowers.
Since your flowers are an essential part of the wedding you should begin by preparing a budget. When you have a budget in place you will have a very good idea what the flowers are going to cost. If you don’t have a budget you could easily end up spending far more money than you had planned.

If you haven’t already decided on a florist you may want to ask the advice of family and friends. Pay close attention to the recommendations of those who have recently been married. The newly married will be able to offer you good advice. You can also talk to the people who are in charge of the ceremony and reception sites. Take a good look at the flower bouquets and arrangements and notice the design and freshness of the flowers.

Figure out how many arrangements, bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages that you will need. Take this information with you any time you talk to a florist about the wedding flowers.
Before you decide on your wedding flowers, talk to more than one florist. Also bring pictures of your dress and the bridesmaid’s dresses. All these things will be instrumental in assuring the most beautiful wedding flowers possible.

Make sure you have samples of the colors you plan to use in the wedding. This will be very helpful in choosing the colors of the flowers.
You might want to ask the florist for some photos of wedding flowers they have designed. Many florists keep a book of wedding flower photos exactly for this purpose.
Talk to your florist about using flowers that match the style of your wedding. If you are having a casual wedding you may want to use different flowers than if you are planning a traditional wedding.

Choose your wedding flowers carefully and they will be a wonderful part of your wedding.

As you plan for your wedding, you’re faced with the question of which type of bridal bouquet is right for you?
• What kind of atmosphere do you want for your wedding? Will it be formal, casual, elegant or something in between?
Full-figured?
• What season are you getting married in?
• Are there certain flowers that you simply “must have” in your wedding bouquet?

Another important thing to consider is the style of wedding gown you will be wearing.

• Romantic or fairytale gowns
With lots of lace, tulle and layers of luxurious fabric, this type of gown lends itself to the traditional cascading bridal bouquet. Keep in mind, however, that the cascading wedding bouquet does not necessary flatter a petite bride. If you’re petite, you don’t want to get lost behind a large wedding bouquet. If your gown has a lot of detail to it, be careful not to order a bridal bouquet that actually competes with the gown, rather than complementing it.

• Simple and elegant gown
Think Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn and you’ll have visions of a less fussy gown, designed to show off the beauty of the bride. These gowns are often strapless and have structured lines. Your flowers should be simple and elegant as well, as in a hand-tied bouquet of white calla lilies, a symbol of magnificence. A showy bouquet wouldn’t be your best choice with this type of gown, but a classic clutch bridal bouquet might be the answer. Pastel pink roses would be ideal in a clutch wedding bouquet, the perfect symbol of happiness, gentility and grace.

• Vintage gowns
This is a huge category that includes Bohemian gypsy-style dresses, medieval princess frocks, and Charleston swing era gowns. Match wedding bouquets with the style of dress that you choose. Some bridal bouquets simply would not work with some of the vintage dresses. Make sure that you let your florist or online wedding consultant know exactly what type of gown you have chosen. Silk wedding flower packages are available at great prices from many online merchants. They can help you decide if the cascading bridal bouquet, the hand-tied wedding bouquet, or another style is best for you considering the location, the season, the atmosphere, your figure, etc. Silk wedding flowers are a wise choice for budget-minded brides, as well as for extravagant brides who only want the best!

Bridal Bouquets - Here's 5 Alternatives
Bridal bouquets are the most popular accessories for brides to walk down the aisle. Here are 5 alternative ideas that will work for both brides and bridesmaids:
1) Wrist Corsage
This is a small arrangement of flowers that is secured to the wrist. Roses, orchids and other small-headed flowers work best.
Bianca Jagger looked very chic having chosen a wrist corsage instead of a bouquet when she married Mick Jagger.
2) Pomander
A pomander (also called a kissing ball) is a round ball shape of flowers that has a delicate ribbon handle. This is easy to carry as the ribbon just slips over the wrist. Roses are the most popular choice for pomanders but you could also use gerberas or carnations.
Pomanders are often carried by bridesmaids and flowergirls, but can look spectacular for the bride herself.
3) Hair Decoration
Hair decorations can be both elegant and stylish. You can choose one large flower such as a lily to form the focal point of your arrangement. This type of arrangement is worn on the side of the head.
Alternatively you could go for a circular 'halo' arrangement, such as Audrey Hepburn wore at her wedding. She had a halo arrangement of white roses that was worn on top of the head.
In addition to flowers, you can incorporate beads, jewels and feathers into your hair decoration.
4) Prayer Book
Another choice instead of holding a bridal bouquet is to hold a prayer book or bible. Some brides like to decorate the prayer book with a small arrangement of flowers and/or ribbons.
5) Lantern or Candle Holder
These are great for church weddings, especially if it is an evening ceremony. Use non-drip candles and a lantern design that fully encloses the naked flame to reduce the risk of an accident.

The base of the lantern or candleholder can be decorated with a small arrangement of flowers to match the colors of your wedding theme.