Brides started carrying flowers centuries ago. The bride's bouquet originally was made of herbs because the scent was thought to ward off evil spirits. Today flowers are a very important part of the ceremony and the reception. They are used to decorate the cake and buffet tables, the entrance way, aisles, and pews. Ivy can be wound around railings, potted plants can be placed in front of windows and hanging plants can decorate the entrance ways. If your wedding is taking place during the Christmas season, try incorporating holly and other seasonal flowers and plants.

? Ask friends, family and the ceremony and reception site for references. Florists that have worked with your wedding ceremony and reception site will be accustomed to working with the facility and know the rules of the space.

? Have the florist go to the reception and ceremony site so they know how to decorate the space with the flowers. Larger spaces usually need a greater amount of flowers for decoration. The alter, pews, entrance way and windows should all be decorated with flowers or other things.

? Check references from customers.

? Make sure the florist is aware of your budget so you don't go over.

? Ask for photos of previous flower arrangements and bouquets that the florist has made

? Write a contract with costs, date and time, and services. Make sure the florist delivers the flowers before the photographer arrives.

? Decide on a color scheme for the wedding.

? Let the florist know the color of the bridesmaid's dresses so they can make an appropriate bouquet.

? Christmas and Valentines Day are busy times for florists, so flowers may be more expensive.

? Yellow flowers are rarely seen in weddings because yellow is the color of jealousy. One way to save on expenses is to reuse the flowers and take the flowers from the ceremony to the reception. If you decide to do this, make sure you can decorate the reception hall before the guests arrive. You could serve appetizers and drinks at the reception site's bar to allow time to decorate. Make sure the reception site knows your plan.

The most important flower arrangement in a wedding is the bride's bouquet. The bouquet should be in proportion to the bride's statue. If the bride is petite, the bouquet should be on the smaller size. There are many different variations of bouquets to choose from and the bride should choose one that is most suited to her taste and the formality of the wedding. The rest of the wedding attendants also need flowers. The mothers of the bride and groom should be given corsages to match their dresses. All the bridesmaids should receive small bouquets. Sometimes the Maid of Honor has a slightly different bouquet to make her stand out from the other bridesmaids. Give the florist a sample of the bridesmaids' dresses so they can coordinate the colors with the flowers. The flower girl should get a small bouquet of flowers and/or a basket of flowers or petals to distribute down the aisle. Very often the flower girl (and maybe the bride and bridesmaids) has flowers in her hair. All bouquets should be wired and wrapped to avoid leaks. The groom, ushers, Best man, and fathers of the bride and groom are given boutonni?res, which usually consist of a carnation or a rose. The boutonni?res are bound by ribbon so they don't leak and are pinned to the label of the suit.