Exceptional Reception Flowers

By the time you reach the reception on your wedding day, youll be a freshly minted newlywed. What better way to celebrate than amid gorgeous flowers? To give your flowers the most power, youll want to take several things into consideration:

Your site: This is elementary, my dear couple, since a June garden buffet requires fewer and different arrangements than a December dinner in a sleek urban hotel. Take some photos of the setting to your florist, or better yet visit the place together. Striking colors, special spaces, or potential problems will jump out to a professional. If your site calls for lots of decoration, consider choosing flowers in season or a single flower in bulk to keep costs down.

Your guest list: The number of guests directly relates to the number of tables, which in turn determines the number of centerpieces and accents youll need. This is another area where trimming the guest list can help your pocketbook. By the same token, look at how your seating arrangement breaks up the numbers–long rectangular tables require fewer arrangements than numerous small round ones.

Your possibilities: If you have the leeway and the inclination, think beyond simple centerpieces for reception florals. Wreaths on entry doors, garlands on banisters, and decorative potted trees around the dance floor all add romance and personality to your party. You can also accent flower arrangements with tiny lanterns, clusters of tea lights, helium balloons, or colored glass balls.

Your figures: If the tally is adding up too quickly for comfort, pinpoint the most important elements and brainstorm creative solutions with your florist. Bud vases, miniature plants, or floating blooms in glass bowls, for example, can make less-expensive centerpieces than full arrangements.

– Emily Bedard, Amazon.com Wedding Expert

Tags: Creative Solutions, Florist, Sleek Urban Hotel, Wedding