Choosing Wedding Flowers is one of the most important decisions you will make. Considering that it will be the most important day of your life that decision needs to be one you can live with, happily, for the rest of your life. Before you start selecting flowers for your wedding there are lots of things you need to have planned such as your Wedding colors, do you have a theme, how large your wedding will be, will it be formal or more casual and at the beach or a Cathedral.

Whatever the theme, size or venue of your wedding, its best to choose flowers in season as out of season flowers can be very pricy. If your wedding will be outdoors try to choose fresh cut flowers that will hold up to the elements. Hardy varieties will hold up to the strain of the day better as well. You don't want to have your flowers drooping and turning brown at the reception.

Choosing Your Bridal Bouquet.

Your Bridal Bouquet will be the most important accessory you will purchase for your Wedding day. Vibrant colors are becoming more popular in bridal flowers and bouquets. You are not limited to the pastel colors or solid white of days gone by unless that is what you prefer.

Bridal Bouquets come in several basic shapes such as;

Round which does not have to be perfectly round and the flowers can be tightly clustered or loose with a more airy look. Within the Round Shapes there is the Nosegay with is a smaller Victorian style cluster of flowers. The Beidermeier shape which consists of rings of flowers, with each ring representing a different type of flower.

Crescent shape bouquets can be symmetrical or asymmetrical with the sides flowing downward.

The Arm bouquet consists of long stem flowers cradled in your arm.

The Cascade or Teardrop Bouquets are round at the top and come to a point at the bottom usually with streamers of ribbon or flowers.

Single Stem arrangements are becoming more popular. They are typically long stem flowers decorated with streamers, ribbon or lace.

The most important question to ask yourself before you select your bouquet is, what will you do with it after the wedding? Will you put it on display in your home? Will you find a way to preserve it?

Since it is becoming more popular to use vibrant colors in weddings, this includes the flowers. More and more brides are choosing Silk Flowers. In most cases silk flowers are cheaper, they keep longer. A very popular idea is to mix silk flowers with fresh flowers, especially in center piece arrangements.

Popular Wedding Flower Meanings.

I have found some very interesting meanings for flowers most commonly used for Weddings. Flowers take on different meanings when combined with other types of flowers and when combined with other colors of the same type of flower. Here is a list of some of the more popular Wedding flowers for each of the four seasons and some of their meanings. The flower meanings I have listed come from a variety of sources and are by no means exact because nobody really knows.

Spring Wedding Flowers;
Amaryllis means Pride and Radiant Beauty.
Apple Blossom means Good Fortune and Better Things To Come.
Lily means Majesty, Innocence and Honor.
Peony means Bashful, Happy Marriage and Prosperity
Sweet Pea means Lasting Pleasure.
Tulip means Passion and Happy Years.

Summer Wedding Flowers;
Calla Lily means Magnificent Beauty.
Daisy means Innocence and Purity.
Hydrangea means Vanity.
Iris means Wisdom, Faith and Hope.
White Rose means Honor, Reverence, Purity.
Queen Annes Lace means Sanctuary or Haven.

Autumn Wedding Flowers;
Aster means Elegance, Daintiness and Patience.
Chrysanthemum means Cheerfulness, Optimism and Joy.
Gerbera Daisy means Purity and Cheerfulness.
Statice means Remembrance and Success.

Winter Wedding Flowers;
Camellia means Gratitude and Graciousness.
Gardenia means Joy, Sweet Love and Good Luck.
Jasmine means Amiability and Elegance.
Orchid means Rare Beauty, Long Life and Refinement.