The trick with making floral arrangements for your reception and other areas is that you need to have either some advice or some professional help. Looking in bridal magazines and in floral magazines is all well and good, but those are pictures of no-budget arrangements. You, on the other hand, can't necessarily spend your entire budget on the flowers.

On the tables

At your reception is where the majority of the flowers will go. Each of the tables, as well as the head table, will need a variety of arrangements to add color and style. And while there really aren't any rules for what arrangements you can have, you will want to keep a few things in mind.

If you're thinking about what kinds of arrangements to put on the head table, think about what pictures will be taken there. If your arrangements are so complicated that they will be distracting in a photo, then you may want to rethink your plans. Again, a florist can help you out with this kind of logistic problem, especially if they're local. Many will already have experience in any reception hall, so they know what they need to do.

And for your guest, though large floral arrangements can look great in the reception hall, you have to consider that they will be sitting down at one point. Having larger floral arrangements blocking their view of the other side of the table or of the dance floor or head table is not a very good setup.

Think about where your guests will be sitting and what they will be able to see. They may have brought cameras to take pictures themselves, so you don't want to hinder their view.

Ideas you can use

When it comes to creating drama and yet realistic floral arrangements, you will want to think about the height above all (no pun intended). A newer trend in floral arrangements is to have tall, think vases with a few stems of flowers in each, creating a larger bouquet at the top of the vase. This looks like a garden from the overall perspective, while giving your guests the ability to talk to each other.

On the other hand, you may also choose floral arrangements that are lower to the table. Some couples like to choose a combination of floating flowers and candles to add a little warmth to a table. And they also serve as conversation pieces as well.

Floral arrangements don't have to come from bridal magazines or shows in order to be useful at your wedding. Look around and see what kinds of arrangements can be done. Talk to florists about what you need and see what they suggest.