Attendant & Family Flowers
July 5th, 2007 - Flowers and Décor.Pretty Maids All in a Row When you hit your wedding-planning stride, you may be tempted to start strewing blooms all over your wedding party–after all, flowers are so romantic. Before you order a single bud, though, there are a few crucial decisions to be made. The source of the look. The bouquet carried by the bride is generally the most important floral arrangement in the wedding. All the other flowers–boutonnieres, nosegays, corsages–can be designed to echo and play off of it. Have a clear vision of the bouquet, and other decisions will fall in line. The cast of characters. Who should have flowers besides the bride and groom? Bridesmaids? Groomsmen? Mothers? Fathers? Flower girls? Ring-bearers? Ushers? The length of this list will determine your budget and your options. Wearing or bearing. Will your party wear their blooms as boutonnieres or corsages, or do you prefer hand-carried nosegays? Should the flower girl wear a wreath or carry a pomander? If you go with corsages, are wrists where its at or is pin-on preferred? Having these preferences in mind can make a visit with a florist much more efficient. The same but different. Will your attendants all have the same floral arrangement? Or will you designate a different color of bloom or ribbon for each? Many brides have the maid of honors bouquet made a little larger to emphasize her special role. Others give her a stand-out color of flower. The base layer. As a rule of thumb, pick out attendant outfits first, then accessorize with flowers. Florists will help you plan based on color, fabric, and fashion. If you can’t make the decisions in this order, at least focus in on a palette and general style for the dresses. Once these initial decisions are settled, you can set about brainstorming with your florist and fine-tuning your selection. – Emily Bedard, Amazon.com Wedding Expert 
