How to Arrange Flowers for A Wedding Party

Learn some of the best ways how to arrange flowers for a wedding party, ceremony, or reception. Discover which members of your wedding party will need which flowers, plan for table decorations, flower centerpieces, and plan out your wedding flowers well in advance of your wedding date.

Get flower arrangement ideas and consider your personal timeline for getting everything prepared, whether you want to do all the flower arrangement and planning yourself or plan to hire a florist to take care of everything.

Establish a Timeline

If you are just getting started with wedding planning, even if you have decided to have a small or spur of the moment ceremony or party, it can be extremely beneficial to create a timeline for getting things done.

Flowers might seem like an easy part of décor or accessorizing, but selecting, ordering, and arranging the flowers should be planned out in advance to avoid any last-minute issues, especially if you are going to use fresh flowers.

Get started early and establish a timeline for obtaining, shipping, and arranging your wedding party or ceremony flowers. A good rule of thumb is to get some sort of consultation with a florist at least 6 weeks out to order the flowers you want and plan for delivery, that way you know exactly how to arrange flowers for a wedding party. Some florists require even more time and get especially busy during spring and summer months as they plan for wedding season.

Decide on Your Level of DIY (Do it Yourself)

Sometimes doing things yourself can help save money and ensure you achieve the exact look that want; however, it can also be a lot of work on top of everything else needed for a wedding.

Decide whether you want to DIY everything, some things, or nothing when it comes to how to arrange flowers for a wedding party.

Weddings are stressful enough. You might think you’ll have all hands-on deck to help, but eventually someone gets sick or shows up late or doesn’t arrange the flowers the way you want them. Doing things entirely on your own adds so much stress and takes a lot of time, even if it does save some money. DIY is not a good idea for those on a tight schedule and may not be worth it.

Hiring a florist to help can take some of the stress off you and they will often tell you how you can save money or DIY aspects that would strain your flower or decoration budget.

Hiring a florist or flower shop to handle all aspects can be a lifesaver. It might cost a bit more, but you will save time, and stress. There is typically a consult and involved process to decide all aspects well ahead of the wedding so that there are no last-minute surprises before your wedding day or party.

Meet with A Florist

Unless you have decided to DIY every aspect of your wedding flowers, it’s a good idea to meet with a florist in advance and discuss your wedding flowers. A florist has the experience and resources to help you plan every detail of your wedding flower arrangements and can take a lot of stress off your plate.

Even if you decide to take on more flower arranging responsibilities or to designate them to other members of the wedding party, meeting with a florist will help you get a better idea of which flowers you want, what typical wedding flowers consist of, and the price of obtaining the flowers and arrangements that you want for the wedding. A florist can help collaborate based on any design or wedding theme ideas that you already have in mind or attempt to match any décor that you have already bought for the wedding.

One popular way to make flowers last is to reuse or repurpose flowers from the ceremony for the wedding reception or party. It can be a hassle to move the flowers if the events are in two different locations but having a professional florist or team of friends or flower movers can make all the difference and help you save some money.

Choose Wedding Flower Arrangements

Decide on the types of flower arrangements, flower bouquets, and other floral elements that that you will need for the wedding. Some people like to keep it simple and choose to just have bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces, while others prefer to fill the space with flowers and have some sort of floral arrangement present on every table or in every room.

If you aren’t sure where to start, consider how many people will be in the wedding party and plan for everyone in the party to have or wear flowers. As for the décor, you may want to map out each table or display that you have and plan to include a floral element when you are going over the guest seating chart. Decide how to arrange flowers for a wedding party based on the number of guests, people in the wedding party, and your venue space.

Bride’s Bouquet

The bride’s bouquet is featured in photos and involved in the traditional “bouquet toss” to a group of single women with the intention of symbolizing that the catcher will be the next to get married. The bride’s bouquet is also sometimes preserved in part as a keepsake. If you haven’t selected the rest of the wedding party’s flowers, this bouquet is a great place to start with planning.

Bride’s Hair Flowers/ Floral Crown

Especially during Spring, many brides opt to have flowers integrated into their hairstyle. A bride may decide to get these flowers alongside other wedding flowers or select them individually and have them integrated into her hair by a stylist on the day of the wedding. It can be helpful to do a dry run with these flowers at the same time a bride decides on hair and makeup.

Bridesmaids’ Bouquets

These bouquets all typically match each other and have some element of the bridesmaids’ dress colors and incorporate some colors from other flowers and décor in the wedding, including any flowers that the groomsmen wear for the ceremony.

Flower Girl’s Flowers

The flower petals used by the flower girl are probably the most iconic flowers in a wedding. Choose flower petals that match the general color theme or palette of the rest of your wedding décor and get fresh flower petals that won’t cause problems if left behind–unlike plastic petals that will not decompose and could become litter.

Groom’s Boutonniere

A boutonniere is a floral decoration, typically a single flower or bud, worn on the lapel of a tuxedo or suit jacket. A groom may have a different colored flower or different flower than the rest of his groomsmen, but often matches with the rest of the men in the wedding party.

Groomsmen’s Boutonnieres

These flowers usually consist of a single flower with some small buds or leaves surrounding them. Most of the time groomsmen have the same boutonnieres as each other and the groom, and the flower matches some of the flowers used in the bridesmaids’ bouquets.

Centerpieces

Centerpiece flower arrangements are what most people think of when they imagine wedding flowers. Typically, a centerpiece consists of different types of complimentary flowers that match the general wedding décor. Some weddings have two different alternating centerpieces for tables, while others have the same centerpiece in the same vase or holder for each guest table.

Table Arrangements

Apart from the tables that guests will be sitting at for their meals and the duration of the wedding party or reception, there are usually other tables for food, party favors, drinks, gifts, and other aspects of the wedding. Decorating these tables with flowers adds to the general ambiance of the wedding and is an easy way to decorate and tie in each table or part of the wedding together.

Petals to Toss

Like petals for the flower girls, sometimes weddings will have petals for guests to toss after the newly married couple when they leave the wedding venue. Other times people might toss rice or confetti after the happy couple as a symbol of good luck.

Pew or Chair Arrangements

For the actual wedding ceremony, especially if taking place outdoors or with singled out chairs, many people decide to add small flowers or springs of flowers to the chair decorations where guests will be sitting for the duration of the ceremony. Otherwise, you may opt to add flowers to the ends of pews or rows if the wedding will take place inside.

Wedding Cake Flowers

Believe it or not, many couples choose to add flowers to their wedding cake or at the very least on the table where their cake is located. Wedding cake flowers tend to bring other elements of the wedding décor and the cake decoration together in some way. Even if your cake is a bit different from the rest of your decorations, a few flowers can easily tie everything in together.

Wedding Table/Chair Decorations

Since the married couple will be photographed often throughout the evening and a large amount of that time will be spent at their designated table, it’s important to have appropriate wedding table décor, including a flower arrangement. Many couples choose to have a larger or more elaborate centerpiece for their table compared to the other centerpieces used for the wedding party or decorate the chairs that they will sit in during the reception.

Cocktail Table/Bar Arrangements

Although the bar is not what most people think of when they imagine wedding flowers, there is plenty of opportunity to decorate and create an attractive and inviting space for guests with flowers along the bar or an arrangement or two on the sides of the bar or cocktail table.

Entryway/Aisle Arrangements

As the first thing that guests see once inside the venue, these flowers set the stage for the rest of the events, and often sit beside a keepsake wedding book for guests to sign, or alongside cards for the guests to take to find their seats. Likewise, aisle arrangements and ceremony flowers are frequently visible in wedding photos and are one of the first things that guests see when they sit for the ceremony.

Get Help with Wedding Flowers

If you’re unsure of how to arrange flowers for a wedding party, consult with an experienced wedding florist to learn what options and flowers are available near you.

Everyday Flowers & Balloons in Redwood City, CA offers our wedding floral experience to couples in need of help planning their flowers for the big day.

Shop our selection of wedding bouquets, wedding arrangements, and wedding centerpieces. Everyday Flowers & Balloons offers a variety of gorgeous flowers to ensure the perfect wedding celebration. From your favorite flower to seasonal options and colors, we have something for every type of wedding ceremony or party, and we can deliver to your event. Call Everyday Flowers & Balloons at 650-366-1757 or reach out to us online now.