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Weddings and Flowers - A Guide to Wedding Flowers and Wedding Florists
HISTORICALLY THEMED WEDDINGS
MEDIEVAL/TUDOR
 Popular with brides getting married in castles, moated manor houses and half-timbered buildings. Images to inspire - Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII, jousting tournaments, Robin Hood!
Colours should be rich and strong, draw inspiration from jewels - ruby red, emerald green, amber, topaz. Think of textures - tapestries, velvet, hessian and heavy silks.
Flowers from the period would have been native species used as they grew in season. These would have been supplemented with herbs and foliage from the hedgerows. To achieve the look chose seasonal flowers with lots of herbs and ivy. Brides' bouquets should either be a tightly bound posy (referred to as a 'tussie mussie' in Tudor times) or a wild informal loosely tied bunch. Suggestions of flowers to choose include camomile, open roses, lavender, rosemary, pinks (a variety of carnation), marigolds, blossom, nigella, peonies, ferns. Tie with a tasselled cord.
Decorations to consider using include garlands of ivy and flowers, flower petals to scatter as confetti and also on floors and tables, church candles in simple iron holders. Oranges studded with cloves are another decorative touch to try - either arrange in bowls for table decorations or attach velvet ribbon and hang them around windows or doors.
REGENCY
 This theme could be used where a marriage is being celebrated in an 18th century manor house or the bride has chosen a regency style dress- think Jane Austin, Brighton Pavilion, Bath.
Fashionable colours were cool and clear pastel shades- leaf green, wedgwood blue, strawberry pink. Fabrics used at the time include chintz, muslin, and thin silks.
Native flowers were used alongside new 'exotics' such as dahlias, nerines and fuschia.
Brides' bouquets should be a small, loosely hand-tied bunch in pastel colours. Flower suggestions include roses, peonies, sweet peas, scabious, lilies, and delphinium. Tie with a muslin sash.
Decorations to suggest - baskets, urns and vases of flowers were all used during this time. The flowers would have been arranged informally with lots of different varieties and colours jumbled together in the same container. Flowers worn in the hair and as buttonholes became popular. Elaborate garlands and swags combining fruit, vegetables and grasses into the designs were used. Hang these around fireplaces, on walls and around windows.
VICTORIAN
 Brides marrying in a Victorian town hall or country house might be tempted by this theme. Think of Dickens, the Albert Hall, and the Palm House in Kew Gardens. Colours were strong, bright and bold - reds, greens, golds, burgundy, blues. Favourite textiles included velvets, chenille, cashmere, and lace.
Most modern flowers were available to the Victorians but they particularly liked lily of the valley, roses, violets, forget-me-nots, pansies, ferns, grasses, and orange blossom. The language of flowers became very important - by choosing particular flowers for a bouquet a secret message could be conveyed to the recipient.
Brides bouquets should be small and formal in structure - a favourite Victorian posy was a bouquet made-up of successive rings of different varieties and colours of flowers to build up a 'bulls eye' pattern. Tie with a lace ribbon. White was a popular colour for bridal flowers. Myrtle and orange blossom were included in brides' bouquets for their symbolic meaning of purity, chastity and everlasting love.
Decorations should be full and elaborate - to achieve the look use tall fluted vases of flowers with garlands for tables, pedestal arrangements could be placed beside doorways and in hallways. Flowers could be used to decorate candelabras. Large potted palms could be hired to decorate a function room.
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FIND A WEDDING FLORIST - are you looking to find a Wedding Florist for your Wedding Flowers? Whether you are looking in Cornwall or Scotland we make it fast and easy.
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