Best Wedding Flowers and Bridal Bouquets

October 11, 2018 Carolyn

Wedding flowers and bridal bouquets are an important part of wedding decorations. Not only are they used as a fundamental bridal accessory but also to add a joyful look to the ceremony.

Moreover, flower arrangements provide the church, the outdoor ceremony or a private house wedding celebration with a romantic and cheery atmosphere.

Wedding’s typical colors are light and subtle like pastel, white, taupe, light gold, and silver. This is why flowers are often used to add vibrant or accent colors.

They bring a touch of elegance and refinement to any occasions and therefore, it’s natural to include them in the wedding celebration party as well as in the ceremony.

The following pictures are inspirational and will help you determine the colors and flower shapes you like best.

Minimalist “Great White Orchid”

Classical but very sophisticated, this bouquet is made of great white orchids with contrasting dark green foliage. A delicate and easy “do it yourself” cascade style bouquet.

Intense Purple Orchids

This bouquet arrangement is made with orchids and Calla lilies. Luxuriant and joyful, it gives a nice touch of vibrant color to the bridal outfit.

Romantic “La Vie En Rose”

Roses are the most popular bridal bouquet flower. It’s no big surprise as they express timeless passion and romance.

Vintage pink and cream white roses, assorted decorative pearl and tulle along with bear-grass filler foliage are making this easy to make bouquet an elegant and remarkable ensemble.

Fall Wedding Bouquets Ideas

The difference between a fall wedding bouquet and a summer or spring bouquet is the shades of colors tend to be more pronounced.

You will see lots of golden yellows, vivid orange, and deep purple and also bronze shades.

However, I think the wedding bouquet colors should match your wedding color theme. That’s why I’ve added pastel or neutral tone fall wedding bouquet pictures to help you make an advised choice.

The price of an artificial flower bouquet ranges between $12 and $60 depending on the quality of the materials used and other ornaments you may want to add like brooches or pins.

Romantic Rustic Peonies

A simple and rustic bouquet to which you can add thematic adornments.

Tip: For a rustic wedding add natural elements like burlap bows, greenery like cedar and pine branches and purple or golden grasses.

The Elegance of Silk Flowers

A timeless and classic wedding bouquet. This type of bouquet is in my opinion, the best investment if you want to keep it as a keepsake.

Flowers are made of silk and ornaments are non-perishable.

Dark Red & White Flamboyant Roses

This dramatic rose assortment is adorned with lace and pearl wire. The handle is covered with red and gold ribbons and the flowers are made with foam for a more realistic look.

The floating ribbons adds a noble charm to this impressive rose bouquet.

Cascading Flowers

Roses, Calla, and Tiger lilies are contributing to the impressive look of this bouquet.

Fresh or Artificial Flowers?

Are you unsure whether you want artificial or fresh flowers?

Ask yourself if you’d like to keep it as a souvenir.

There are different preservation methods for real flower bouquets. However, if you want to keep it as is (three-dimensional look) it may cost a few hundred dollars.

First, let’s see why flowers can be a pretty expensive part of the wedding:

⇒ We tend to choose only fresh rather than artificial flowers for aesthetic reasons.

Though there has been a serious improvement over the years fake flowers are not always meeting our expectations.

The way of reproducing the color gradient and richness of a hibiscus flower or making a false rose petal real to the touch is still mother nature’s well-kept secret.

⇒ We usually match the bride’s bouquet and the flowers used to decorate the event

Since we want the bride’s bouquet to look extraordinary, we choose the nicest flowers which also are the most expensive.

The florist will encourage you to add the same flowers to the decoration arrangements to create a whole… Not good for the budget!

⇒ We want to decorate both the ceremony and celebration venues

Of course, we do! Don’t worry, there’s a way to embellish both places without ruining your budget.

I’ll describe some of these options further in this article.

⇒ We prefer exotic flowers rather than locally grown flowers

If you live in the state of California this should not influence the price so much as the weather makes it possible to grow many types of flowers almost all year long.

If like me you live in Canada or in the northern part of the continent, it’s another story. Plants that grow in a warmer hardiness zone have to be imported or grown in greenhouses and therefore, cost more money.

Alright, I have explained why we pay so much for a commodity which, unfortunately, cannot be kept to its original state more than a few days.

Now comes the good part. Let’s look at how you can save on wedding flower bouquets and decoration flowers.

Mix Cut Flowers with Artificial Ones

OK, this one really needs an explanation.

Artificial flowers suffer from a bad reputation for a long time. You probably remember back in the 80’s (or was it the 90’s?) the not so good looking plastic flower arrangements.

They were everywhere, in restaurants catching grease and dust, in office space with no windows and even in flower beds in front of the house! Believe it or not, despite such pathetic beginnings, the artificial flower still exists and are now very realistic looking.

In fact, most realistic versions of great dimension flowers as Calla and other lilies species to name only those can be pretty expensive as well. The trick here is to have a floral arrangement where the mass or featured flowers are fresh. The secondary flowers, those that fill the empty spaces between the featured ones, are artificial.

In a bouquet, you can have 50% natural leaves and greenery and the other half replaced by artificial foliage. This way you ensure that it blends perfectly and that no one can tell the difference. I suggest that you pay a visit to your local craft store and see for yourself.

There are convincing artificial foliage, flowers and bouquet decorations (ribbon, pearl wires, small twisted branches, wheat stems, dried flowers…), available on the market that looks pretty amazing alongside with fresh cut flowers.

The Cheapest Way to Match Decor Flowers with the Bridal Bouquet

Instead of buying the same expensive roses, hydrangea, etc. that are used in the bride’s bouquet, choose a flower type that has the same shape or at least the same color for the decoration flower arrangement.

If you can find anything close to the color you want, it will be easier to find decoration elements with the same color (ribbons, tulle, decorative berries, etc.). These will embellish and add sophistication to the arrangement.

Again, you may want to have a balanced blend of fresh and artificial so that people who just can’t help themselves touching “just to see if they’re real” are mystified!

Move the Flowers to Keep the Cost Low

Basically put, the flowers are taken from the ceremony place to decorate the celebration venue. After all, flowers left behind are a complete waste of money once the ceremony is over and everyone is heading for the celebration location.

This is something that your wedding planner is responsible for.

They make sure you don’t spend money unnecessarily and ensure that everything is done at the right place and the right time.

You may hire one or have someone that you trust enough to act as such. By the way, a wedding planner is a must as she or he knows how to make everything look perfect in a situation that can easily become chaotic.

Carrying flowers around, directing people to the cocktail area, finding the “food allergy free” dishes that were not delivered, etc.

These are only a few examples of what they are dealing with so you can enjoy this special day as you should.

Good Alternatives to Exotic Flowers

Northern countries pay more to have fruits and vegetables all year long. That’s a fact that also applies to the cut flower industry.

That’s one of the reasons why flowers are more expensive on St-Valentine’s day due to supply being smaller than demand. Where I live nothing grows outside from November to late April. It goes without saying that flowers are a luxury good during this time of year.

Fortunately, people tend to get married in the spring and summer time. Choosing seasonal flowers can make you save lots of money. There are many varieties that can be locally grown outdoors depending on the hardiness zone where you live.

You can visit your local florist or garden center and ask what are the seasonal flowers that bloom on your wedding day.

Find out the exact cost of wedding flowers here