Love

Picking flowers for your wedding

Couples spend a significant portion of their wedding budget on floral decorations for the ceremony and reception. Use the following guidelines when selecting flowers for your big day and feel confident that this detail of your wedding will be meaningful and will create the ambience you’ve always dreamed of.

Every Flower Has a Meaning

When the Duchess of Cambridge selected the gum paste flowers to decorate her wedding cake, she researched each bloom’s significance. The orange blossom stood for marriage, eternal love, and fruitfulness; honeysuckle represented the bond of love; roses, thistles, and shamrocks were to symbolise England, Scotland and Ireland, respectively. Choose flowers that symbolise what’s important to you and your partner to add another layer of meaning to your day. Some popular traditional examples include white roses (first love), ivy (fidelity), and gardenias (joy). Even common blooms appear more elegant when you choose them for them for their meanings. Consider the versatile filler baby’s breath. This inexpensive choice appropriately stands for “festivity”, Be mindful of the message you send with your floral choices. Lavender may smell heavenly, but its meaning is “distrust”.

Match Your Stems to the Season

As much as brides-to-be may dream of the perfect June wedding, circumstances may make a summer celebration impractical. Your wedding need not be devoid of green just because the trees are. Each season offers plenty of appropriate choices for festive flora. Summer weddings call for roses, spring for tulips, and autumn nuptials need sunflowers galore. If you’ll walk down the aisle in winter, bunches of holly tied with ribbon make the perfect choice. When guests ask about your unconventional choice, explain that you chose holly because it symbolises domestic happiness.

Trooping the Colour

Wedding celebrations are the perfect time for personal expression including use of favourite colours. Carnations are a budget-friendly choice that provide masses of rich colour if grouped together in bunches or in compact arrangements, such as in a square vase. Trim down carnations’ woody stems and pack them into low bowls, pails or jars for a casual yet sophisticated look.

Beautiful Budget Blooms

Every detail of a dream wedding [deam wedding: can come with a hefty price tag. Today’s trend of DIY and appreciation of frugal style make gorgeous weddings easier to achieve than ever Every bride wants flowers on her wedding day but many forgo the extra centerpieces due to budget constraints. The result can be a reception that feels less festive, creating a feeling of “something missing”. For those couples who choose not to turn every decision over to an event planner or florist, beautiful flowers are still an option. First, consider your wedding and reception location. Find out if the church and after-party venue includes floral arrangements in their dècor and what color and variety they will use. You can then plan bridal party bouquets to complement the existing flowers. Arrange bouquets on the cake table during the reception. If hosting a dinner with many tables, consider alternating floral centerpieces with less expensive candle arrangements to cut costs. Using less costly foliage in large amounts creates visual impact without negatively impacting your wallet. Masses of daisies, cascading ivy and clouds of baby’s breath are all fabulous choices for creating dramatic arrangements with simple flowers.

So there you have it, a few top tips for making the perfect selection of flowers for your wedding day. May it bloom beautifully on your big day.

A wedding on the beach and what I loved about it

Romantic weddings on the beach are simple, beautiful and economical. I will share the details of a lovely beach wedding I attended this summer, and also some ideas for anyone who might be interested in planning a beautiful wedding by the sea.

Who Can Resist the Romance of the Sea?

The gentle splashing of the waves against the warm sand was spellbinding, as we stood there in our bare feet waiting to catch the first glimpse of the bride. As we waited in eager anticipation, I smiled at my husband, and held his hand a little tighter. The bride and her father appeared on the porch of the beach house, locked arms as they descended the weathered steps, and began their walk toward the water.

Beach Music

The traditional wedding usually includes someone’s rendition of the wedding march as the bride walks down the aisle. Our beautiful bride walked toward her groom to the sounds of sea birds swirling above her, and waves spilling onto the shore. 25 friends and family members gathered to celebrate the special day.

I Do

The ceremony was personal and sweet. The couple wrote their own vows, and as they recited them, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one wiping away a tear. The barefooted minister encouraged the post ceremony kiss, and then we all exchanged hugs, kisses and congratulations.

Everyone’s a Photographer

The bride and groom didn’t hire a professional photographer, but instead requested that guests take as many candid shots as they could. Disposable cameras were provided for those who didn’t have a camera. We took advantage of the natural props such as sand dunes sprinkled with sea oats, mounds of driftwood, and the crashing surf. The bride, groom and wedding party cavorted playfully on the beach as we shot photos until the sun went down.

Eat, Drink and be Merry

As the huge orange sun dropped out of sight on the horizon, we all headed to the beach house to enjoy an abundance of seafood that was caught by the groom and his groomsmen the day before the wedding. The grill was fired up, the side dishes were set on the table, the wine flowed freely and we all ate the wonderful fresh catch while we listened to Reggae and Jimmy Buffet.

A Late Night Walk under the Stars

It was almost midnight when my husband and I headed down the beach toward the cottage we rented for the remainder of the week. The cool ocean breeze felt good against our faces as we left our footprints in the sand. We reflected about the day and agreed the wedding was one of the most extraordinary ceremonies we have ever had the pleasure to attend. The bride and groom were not stressed about whether the band would play all the right tunes, or whether the caterer would have enough food. I would highly recommend a carefree wedding to those who just can’t wrap their minds around months of planning and thousands of dollars. The beach is a wonderful venue, and it’s free!