Proudly Prancing Peacock Weddings

The peacock is one of nature’s most magnificent creatures. Decked in hues of metallic golds, blues, plums, and beiges with  hints of vibrant yellows and deep greens, the birds mesmerize all who witness the dramatic display of fully exposed and spread  tails. Even the head of the peacock is adorned in its own shimmering veil.

                                                  

It’s no wonder the bird nature adorned so ornately is becoming a hit with brides wanting to drench their special day in the iridescent splendor of the peacock’s natural beauty.

Weddings themed in peacock finery have a multitude of choices for color schemes. The rich feathers lend themselves to every decoration and can even be incorporated into the bridal gown. From flowers to the vows, there is nothing the peacock cannot make shine just a little brighter.

 

Flower arrangements for weddings using this theme can include the feathers of peacocks within their arrangement. Boutonnières lend themselves to simple, yet elegant, designs with the feather acting as a backdrop for a small bud or dramatic leaf. Corsages incorporate the peacock  feather in much the same way, but the flowers mixed with them can be a little bolder and more numerous than the boutonnieres. Bridal bouquets look spectacular when peacock feathers adorn them. The varying placements and lengths of the feathers used can enhance the design and cause a pleasant response from the guests.

Invitations using the bold, bright colors of the peacock or the inclusion of a feather, whether drawn artistically or real, lend a sense of excitement to the traditional cards. The invitations can be coordinated with menus, thank you cards, and more with little difficulty.

Bridal gowns made with a peacock theme shimmer and shine with sparkling beauty with the brides every move. The alluring gem tones definitely draw the eyes of the guests and wedding party to the bride on her special day.

Cakes and refreshments are not lacking when designed with the peacock theme, either. Creations using the peacock are absolutely breathtaking and display the pride the couple has in their union in a unique and personal way.

While a peacock wedding theme may not be on the list as the first choice of the bride and groom, it is a popular and beautiful option for contemporary weddings. There will definitely not be a lack of attention given to the happy couple when surrounded by the beauty of the peacock in all its splendor.

Top ten wedding colors and trends for 2012...and 2013!

Tangerine Tango & Pink

It looks like the kind folks from the Pantone Color Institute are responsible for this one....Tangerine Tango & Pink. Pantone declares tangerine tango as a "bright and encouraging color" and as such, is a perfect combo for your spring or summer wedding. However, tangerine alone can certainly be a bit overwhelming used on its own, so it could use a little sumpin-sumpin' to calm it down a little...enter hot pink. Now I know you're saying, "hot pink?...how can that be calming?" There's something about pink that despite the shade adds a softness to whatever it touches. Can't you just picture your bridesmaid's bouquets in all roses of tangerine and pink with maybe a little yellow thrown in for fun?

                                       

Blush Pink & Pewter Gray 

Now I'll admit to being a pink fan from way back, but this pink is not the pink you would be pairing with the Tangerine Tango hotness mentioned above. This is the softest of pinks, think the faint blush of a baby's cheek. Paired with gray, which is on a high it hasn't seen in years, it's a gorgeous and elegant color combination. Throw in a little bling with some diamond mesh wrapped votives or mercury glass vases and you have a stunning look that will create an audible intake of breath when guests first lay eyes on your reception venue, I promise! Gray IS the new black!              

                       

 

Blue Willow & White

At a loss for what else to call this color and very hesitant to tag it with a handle like Royal Blue which sounds like it belongs in a nautical themed wedding, I'll call it Blue Willow like the famous china of the same name. Of course, Pantone would call it Sodalite Blue, another on their list of hot colors for 2012, but hey, what do they know, right? You'd think they were color experts or something! The great part about this shade of blue is that it's flattering to just about everyone, so your bridesmaids will love you for it! Ditto your groomsmen, since men are famous for their love of blue. Not to mention with the emphasis on vintage still in full swing, despite Huffington Post's misguided assertion that vintage is dead, you can use readily available pieces of blue & white china for centerpieces and decor. Throw in a little red if it's a military wedding or sunny yellow which looks fabulous with blue & white and you have an amazing color palette.

                       

White on White

The beauty of white for a wedding is absolutely unparalleled. When you think of white, most people think of a stark color, but white can be so much more. How about cream, ivory, buff, eggshell, vanilla, magnolia, ecru, beige...the list of beautiful whites goes on and on, including an off-white called Starfish tagged as a hot color for 2012 by Pantone. Mixing different shades of white in your wedding decor can look incredible together if you're careful about the undertones of the whites you are using. Some whites have a bluish undertone, giving them a cool look, others have a brown undertone which tends to warm them up a bit. The fun part about using white on white is you can play with texture to really make the differences in the whites stand out. An example would be using a stark white tablecloth for your reception tables with a beautiful khaki (also a form of white!) damask runner and a cluster of milk glasses vases as the centerpiece filled with peonies, roses, and dahlias all in different shades of white and cream. Even versatile burlap which comes in ivory and natural can add interesting texture to your tables and centerpieces.

                

Red & Pink  

Ok, I'll admit this is a stretch, even for a dyed-in-the wool pink lover like myself, but I have seen some truly amazing combinations of red and pink that were simply stunning. With this combo, you need to be careful about the color red and pink you choose. Hot pink and red...not so much...pale pink and red... ahh, yes, gorgeous! You really need to underplay the use of this palette to avoid it looking a little Valentine-y, but if you don't morph into overkill, it can turn out looking elegant instead of cheesy. For a classic look, pull in some silver touches like mercury glass with your centerpieces. Put your bridesmaids in blush pink short dresses with red rose or peony bouquets and have groomsmen wear pale grey suits with pink ties and hints of red handkerchiefs poking out of their breast pocket. Your friends will call you crazy until they see the effect all together at your wedding, then they'll call you innovative and daring!

               

Sweet Lilac & Margarita

I'll admit these were stripped straight from the Pantone Hot Color Chart, but can you imagine this dynamic color duo? In 2011, pewter and eggplant, gray and plum, purple and silver were done to death. This is such a fresh and light approach to the heavy handed purples we saw last year with the fun zing of a soft lime added to the mix. With the innovative things florists are now doing with shades of green in bouquets including green hydrangeas and Bells Of Ireland, your bridesmaids could wear dresses in lavender tones and look incredible. Lilac, like blue, is a color that looks great on just about everyone, whether of fair or dark complexion and can be paired with either gold or silver.

                         

R a i n b o w 

Before you start saying I've taken leave of my senses on this one, hear me out. Can you remember being stuck in a hideously ugly bridesmaid's gown of some horrendous color, but you did it because you loved your friend? Well, this is not one of those times. Although you could dress each of your bridesmaids in a different color of the rainbow of your/their choosing, why not try dressing them all in black, (groomsmen, too) with fun rainbow splashes of color in parasols, bouquets, shoes, socks, boutonnieres, and ties. Trendy and summery accents like pinwheels would be great with a rainbow-themed decor, but if you really want your wedding to stand out, why not do a complete "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" wedding complete with ruby slippers for you and a yellow brick road rose petal aisle runner? Weddings don't have to be stiff and staid affairs anymore, so a rainbow theme wedding would be great for the young and young at heart.

              

Green & Topaz 

Ahhh, the colors of fall, rich, vibrant, gorgeous....but some of them, including chocolate brown done to death in recent years. Chocolate brown and green, chocolate brown and blue, chocolate brown and pink...enough, enough! Surely, there are other fall wedding colors besides chocolate brown and ________! Enter olive green and topaz. Yellow topaz, being the birthstone for the month of November, and olive green, a warm and inviting color with a masculine feel, make a great color combination for an autumn or woodlands theme wedding. Also absolutely gorgeous with either gold or silver accents, blinged out tree branches would look great with this duo as would moss, gold mercury glass, or tree round cake stands. And imagine some topaz colored heels with sparkly rhinestone accents peeking out from under your gown or an olive green sash with topaz colored beaded accents. Awesome...that's you!

              

Champagne & Black

Champagne, just the name brings to mind elegance, doesn't it? And the color itself...not gold, not silver, not beige or pink, but a shimmery mixture of all of these is just amazingly beautiful. Set off by flickering votive's and paired with dramatic black, it will lend an air of wealth and richness to your wedding even if you and your groom are on the champagne taste/beer budget program! Imagine black satin tablecloths with champagne colored pin-tuck runners and a white on white palette of flowers or ostrich feathers springing from tall Eiffel tower vases...simply breathtaking!

             

Peach & Silver

Amazingly, peach has staged somewhat of a comeback. If you're a young bride, you probably don't remember the peach and sea-foam green of the 80's. Seems everyone and their mother had a bathroom in those colors. Kind of brings back some ugly flashbacks for those who lived it....ugh. Sea-foam is actually staging it's own little mini-comeback, as seen in some recent trunk shows of wedding gowns in unusual colors, as well as mint green. I can buy sea-foam and peach separately, but together again? Absolutely not! In this case, reunited doesn't feel so good, but how about the lovely and very subtle combination of peach and silver? Peach and cream roses perched in silver mint julep cups, bridesmaids in peach gowns with silver sashes and groomsmen in gray tuxes with peach ties...an excellent, cool color combination for spring, summer, even winter.

                          

Silk Flowers vs. Fresh Flowers

We have come into a new era of Do-It-Yourself-ers, bulk-buyers, and budget brides. Everyone wants the best deal and we're all willing to go the extra mile or think outside the box to get it. One thing that seems to be on a lot of brides' minds these days is silk flowers. But it seems most people don't know much about them. And the reasons for considering silk flowers are quite varied.  Just some of the reasons are, allergies, wanting a permanent keepsake, cost, wanting difficult to find/unnatural colors, etc.

Some of these reasons are quite valid, but many are simply misguided. So, let's examine these motives one at a time.

Allergies:

This is a perfectly valid reason for wanting silk flowers. One thing you don't want at your wedding is a puffy-faced, runny-nosed Maid of Honor, or even worse, Bride. In this case, silk flowers may be a good option. But consider first that many flowers do not produce a lot of pollen and may not aggravate  your allergies. Simply avoiding some of the well-known culprits, like lilies, and opting for more "hypoallergenic" flowers, like the many types of orchids, could be an easier solution.

Preservation:

If you are looking for more than photos to hold on to, a silk bouquet could be a good option for you. Preserving fresh arrangements can be costly and, depending on the method, may or may not leave your bouquet looking the way it did on your wedding day. The issue here is whether to design just the bride's bouquet in silk, or all the bouquets to keep a unified look. 

Cost:

It's a common misconception that silk flowers are less expensive than fresh. For realistic silk flowers, you may end up paying more than you would for the same flowers in fresh. There are a lot of costs involved in manufacturing high-quality silk flowers and it shows up on the price tags. So if you're looking for the most cost-effective route, go with fresh.

Color:

A good florist will suggest colors and types of fresh flowers that will coordinate with your color scheme and create a beautiful bouquet with depth and texture. Even if it doesn't have the exact shade of the napkins in it, the colors will work together well and create a harmonious palette.

But, some brides are dead-set on that mauve, teal or periwinkle flower that may or may not exist in nature.  If you're ultra-picky, and you simply need that specific shade, you may have to go with silk flowers. Nature creates flowers in all shapes and sizes and colors, but they may not always match your Pantone# perfectly. For simple arrangements such as hair flowers or corsages, silk flowers can work fine.

Some other questions we get about silk flowers are:

Can I combine silk and fresh flowers in the same bouquet?
-The answer is usually "Yes, but..." It may not result in a balanced design and sticking with one or the other most often looks best.

I bought silk flowers elsewhere, can you arrange them for me?
-Maybe. But it's difficult to determine how many stems will be required for the arrangement you want and you could end up spending more than you would have just purchasing fresh flowers, or allowing the florist to purchase the silk flowers for you.

If you're thinking of silk, talk to a professional florist about the pros and cons for your situation. Most of the time, fresh flowers win out. But for special cases, silk flowers could be a good option if you are careful in selecting the right florist and the right supplier. And keep in mind, prices on silk flowers are extremely varied and good quality stems may cost quite a bit more than fresh flowers. So expect to pay more for a nice-looking silk bouquet.

What you should bring to a consultation

For a newly engaged bride-to-be, it can be confusing and even a bit overwhelming to prepare for all the meetings and decisions you have to make before your wedding day. We get a lot of questions from brides about what they should bring to a consultation and how to prepare for selecting their flowers.

So here are a few tips for preparing for a floral consultation:

1. Try to have these numbers on hand:
# of guests
# of tables (# of centerpieces)
# of attendants (bridesmaids/groomsmen/speakers, etc) who will need flowers

2. Your florist will ask you questions about your venue, including where the ceremony and reception will be held, whether it's indoors or outdoors, any unique features of the venue, etc. So try to have as much info as possible. Most of them will already be familiar with more popular venues, but any information helps.

3. Try to have some colors or flowers picked out that you like. This will give the florist some direction when selecting the designs. Just a general idea is fine because the consultant will help you narrow down the details.

4. Bring any photos or magazine clippings that you like, even if they are all different. This will give the florist a better idea of the styles you like and will allow them to pull ideas from those images that inspire you.

5. Bring back-up! One or two extra people can help make decisions and offer support during the consultation. Make it someone you trust and who knows what you like. Don't bring more than two people or you'll have a hard time accomplishing anything.

6. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We know our stuff, but we're not mind-readers! Voice any concerns you  might have and get answers right away so you can focus on the fun stuff.

7. Visit more than one florist. It can't hurt to get a quote from several different shops. Then just pick the one that suits you best. Or you can bring new ideas back to the florist you really like to perfect your designs.

Each florist and each wedding is different so we can't predict exactly what will go down at your consultation, but being prepared will help things go more smoothly and ensure that you have a productive meeting.

Recipe for a hot corsage!

Prom season is nearing and we are stocking up on corsage flowers and supplies. Every year, new trends come into play and we are always on the look-out for cool ideas. We're still checking it out and placing orders, but we'd like to give you an idea of what makes up a typical Flower Cart wrist corsage.

First off is FLOWERS!

Obviously, flowers are a huge factor. We carry all kind of single and multi-bloom flowers for wrist corsages.

Roses and spray roses are the most popular choice and they come in a wide variety of colors, ranging from deep reds, hot pink, lite pink & peach, to oranges and yellows, and of course, ivory.

For a more elegant and classy look, we carry mini calla lilies and a few types of orchids.

Mini carnations come in even more colors than the roses and are a great-looking, long-lasting flower for corsages.

 Other flowers such as, alstromeria, delphinium, and daisies can be used in combination with some of the aforementioned focal flowers for a lush corsage with a lot of depth.

Second ingredient: RIBBON.

The Flower Cart carries hundreds of colors and styles of ribbon for corsage and choosing the right one is important!

Your ribbon doesn't have to match your dress color exactly. In fact, it's usually better to choose a color that simply complements the dress or your accessories. Metallics work great as a neutral color that still has a lot of OOMPH.

Ingredient #3: ACCENTS / BLING

We are always thinking of new bits and baubles we can add to corsages to make them extra special. Adding just the right accent can turn an "okay" corsage into an amazing work of art.

Some of the accents we carry are iridescent and colored faux leaves, clear and colored rhinestones, pearl strands and colored bead strands. We can also add feathers, colored floral wire, and fancy beaded wristlets like these:

Your Flower Cart salesperson can help you pick the best combination of flowers, ribbon and accents to complement you and your style. The level of customization we offer simply can't be beaten. We recommend visiting us at one of our stores to hand-select your ribbon and flowers with guidance from our knowledgeable salespeople. You can even bring in your dress or a fabric swatch to help us color-match your accents!

So call or come into one of our stores when you're ready to place your order for a one-of-a-kind prom corsage, made just for you.

Where flowers should fit into your wedding plans

A lot of people make the mistake of putting the cart before the horse in their wedding plans. Then they usually have to go back and make a ton of changes to work everything out. The best thing you can do is prioritize the items and services you'll need for your reception.

Try knocking out these things in order:

#1 Determine your overall budget! Just a ballpark is fine to start with, but try to estimate what you'll need for each service.

#2 Come up with a rough guest list. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you'll need some kind of figure to work with. One of the biggest mistakes couples make with their wedding budget is starting off with a guest list that is much too large. Having to accommodate that many people really drains your resources. Start off small, and add to it near the end if you can.

#3 Pick a venue. It will need to be able to fit enough tables for all of your guests and will either be the basis of your theme, or will have to suit your existing theme.

#4 Pick your caterer and menu. The food and table settings you choose will help determine the types of centerpieces and accent arrangements you'll need.

#5 Choose your linens and Bridesmaids' dresses. Pick styles and colors that will complement the venue, the season, and the time of day.

#6 Start looking for a florist. If you have followed these few steps in order, you should know how many centerpieces you'll need, as well as what other types of decorative arrangements you may want for the reception. Your florist will help you pick flowers, containers, and colors that will fit your theme, venue and budget.

Don't think you have to settle on the first florist you meet with. Many florists offer free consultations, so look around for someone you think "gets you" and that you're confident can provide the flowers and style you're looking for while staying under budget.

 So yes, flowers are usually the last thing on the list, but that's because they set the mood for the entire event. They tie all the elements together in perfect harmony and help create a unified landscape and the setting for your wedding photos, which you'll cherish forever. Plan carefully, making sure everything is in place so that the arrangements you and your florist choose will be a perfect fit.

Top 5 Coolest Accent Flowers

When you think of flowers at a wedding, you may imagine beautiful white roses, elegant calla lilies, and tropical orchids. And while those flowers do have a place in many arrangements, there are other things you may not have thought of which could add that cool, unique touch you're looking for in your bridal bouquet.

So, here is a list of the top 5 coolest accent flowers you may not have considered for your wedding, courtesy of The Flower Cart.

#5 : Brunia

Green Brunia and Silver Dutch Brunia are two varieties of this accent. They appear as a cluster of spheres, Silver being a larger size. Brunia can add a new shape and texture to an otherwise plain bouquet and looks great paired with ivory and white flowers. And its silvery hue makes it a great choice for winter weddings.

Price: $$-$$$

# 4: Alstromeria

This is a flower that is often overlooked when brides select their favorite bouquet flowers. Alstromeria, also called the Peruvian Lily, is a gorgeous, hardy and affordable flower that comes in a huge variety of colors.

Price: $$ 

# 3: Craspedia

Craspedia is a yellow spherical flower that creates a great texture in any spring, summer, or fall color scheme. Its fun and funky look is growing in popularity and expected to be a favorite for 2011.

Price: $$$ 

#2: Fiddlehead Fern

 
This spiral-y fern tip is a unique and natural accent which can instantly transform your wedding flowers into a chic, modern design. A cool look for a black and white color scheme.

Price: $$$

#1: Celosia 

"That Brain thing" as you may know it. Celosia is a velvet-like flower most readily available in late spring and summer. It comes in a range of colors from pale green to dark burgundy. It is coveted for  its interesting texture.

Price: $$$$

So hopefully this gave you some inspiration or at least made you feel a little smarter. If not, and you just happened to already be familiar with these flowers, then you passed our test.

Congratulations. You're awesome.

$37 you may be wasting if you aren't using a local florist...

In this digital age, most consumers are doing their shopping online and can send items all over the country without ever having to set foot in a retail store. Pretty convenient! But with certain items, such as fresh floral arrangements, how do you really know you can trust the vendor you're giving your credit card number to?

There has been a growing number of complaints from customers who are using big flower sites that boast low price tags and delivery to anywhere, any time. You just pick an arrangement, enter the delivery address, and they take care of the rest. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, unfortunately, it is.

The problem with these services is, although you do get the convenience of not having to worry about finding a local florist, you get charged fees left and right, which are pocketed by the company, leaving little for the actual florist filling the order. So what you're left with is a BIG price tag, and a relatively "petite" arrangement.

In a real-life example (we won't name names), a customer using one of these sites to send Valentine's Day flowers spent almost $70 when ordering online. But the total retail cost of the floral arrangement given to the filling florist was only $33.00 (a couple dollars below most florists' minimum value). Needless to say, the arrangement turned out to be a bit smaller than expected, because although every florist would like to send big gorgeous bouquets to all of our customers, we simply can't give flowers away for free.

Many florists continue to be members of these services and appreciate the opportunity to fill the  incoming orders. However, both customer and florist would benefit greatly if they were to form a direct relationship and cut out the middle-man. Yes, it may take a bit more effort on the customer's part to find a florist in the area to which they're sending, but you can probably still order online, and in the end, you get MORE for your MONEY. And isn't that worth a few extra minutes on Google?

How to get The Deal of the Day

We have a lot of beautiful arrangements on our website. A lot of them have become favorites of our returning customers and all-around best sellers! We keep most of these flowers in stock all the time because we can anticipate the amount of orders we'll be getting for those items. But along with those specific flowers, we always have a wide variety of other types and colors of flowers that you may not see online.

So you might ask yourself, "well, how do I tap into this alleged cornucopia of amazing premium fresh flowers?" (or something to that effect) Well, the answer is simple: The Deal of the Day!

We have a special product on our site that allows you to place an order for a custom flower arrangement that is 100% unique, using our prettiest freshest flowers in stock that day. You can even request certain things like, color scheme, a specific type of flower, size, style, container. Just leave us a little note when you place your order to let us know!

Here's what the item looks like on our site: 

The icon is a close-up of a generic bouquet and doesn't necessarily reflect the types or colors of flowers that would appear in your unique arrangement.

The product appears in several occasion categories because it is always designed to suit your gifting needs. Even if you don't make any specific requests, our designers will always take the occasion into consideration. So it's important to select the proper occasion from the list when checking out. (If you don't we usually check the card message, but it's not always clear....or in English.)

Once you click on it you can select your price point.  We have our options set to our standard "Small", "Medium" and "Large" prices. You can also add some balloons here if you want. Again, they will be chosen based on the selected occasion.

Once you begin your check-out procedures, you will be able to add Special Instructions.

In this box, you may specify anything you want. Some things we've seen before are "No Carnations, please" or "include red roses" and even "No fragrant flowers due to allergies".

If you don't have any specific requests, you can leave this area blank, or include special delivery information like these real-life examples: "leave with neighbor, if not home" or " doorbell broken, please knock loudly".

Then, in the next section you will select your Gift Card Type (the occasion) from a drop-down menu. There's everything from "birthday" , "anniversary" and "new baby", to "business gift" and "sympathy". And for you mysterious types, "OTHER".

And that's all it really takes to get the Deal of the Day. Every one of these bouquets is  hand-arranged by one of our designers, using our freshest, prettiest flowers. And we can't guarantee you'll be able to guess what it looks like, but we CAN guarantee that the arrangement sent will be fresh, gorgeous, unique, and a great value.

On the other hand, if you're a fussy type (and we don't mind!) you can call us up instead. Find out exactly what's in stock and place your order over the phone. Our sales reps will give a detailed description to the designers so that we can fill your order just the way you want it.

Either way, you'll know you're getting a beautiful custom arrangement, made just for you. So check out the Deal of the Day online at flowercart.com/dealoftheday Or feel free to give us a call at 410-426-3545 or stop in to any one of our three Baltimore locations. We'd love to see you.

Our $100 Bouquet Giveaway Contest

For the past six or seven years, we have held an ongoing Bouquet Giveaway contest, where entrants are required only to fill out and submit a brief form on our website to win $100 worth of fresh flowers. It's extremely simple, and only takes about two minutes to enter.

On average we get about 24 entries per month. At the end of the month, one entry is randomly selected to receive the prize. After that, the entrant's name and the month for which they have been chosen Winner, is displayed on our contest page. Then it's up to you to claim the prize! If your name is selected, all you have to do is call or email us with your name saying "I am the monthly bouquet giveaway winner!" and then you'll receive the prize bouquet.

Each month, the bouquet features different flowers, and they are always stunning. Here's a photo of one of our past winners, enjoying her lovely prize.

and here's another, more recent bouquet on it's way to the winner's home:

If you'd like to enter, just visit our contest page here: Flower Cart $100 Bouquet Giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

Choosing the right wedding bouquet

Engagement season in upon us, so you ladies out there who are thinking about wedding flowers, we have some lovely tips for you to help you look like the rock star-super model you want to be on your wedding day. Let's begin:

Complementing your body type!

There is nothing worse than seeing a gorgeous bride with a gorgeous bouquet that is totally wrong for her shape. So we suggest following these three simple sizing tips:

1: your bouquet should never be larger than your head! Don't be fooled by "bigger is better". With super large bouquets, you might think it looks luxurious, but in reality it will look more like an over-sized novelty foam finger. (#1 Bride!)
2: a larger frame needs larger flowers - use big flowers like roses, peonies, lilies, cymbidium orchids, gerbera daisies, or hydrangea.
3: a smaller frame needs smaller flowers - get a more petite bouquet with smaller bloomed flowers like spray roses, mini carnations, dendrobium orchids, ranunculous, or freesia.

Of course, you can (and should) still mix and match, just be aware of how large or small the focal flowers in your bouquet will be.

Embracing your color family!

Too many brides seem to think they need their flowers to match the exact shade of purple,  pink or "eggshell", or what have you. But limiting your color choices will leave you with a boring, flat bouquet. Instead, using variations in tone and hue creates depth and will give you a more lush bouquet. And even if your "#17 blissful sunshine sakura pink" is not present, the combination of the darker and lighter colors will fool the eye into seeing all the shades in between. 

Balancing your bling!

When choosing your bouquet, always keep in mind the style of your gown. If your dress has a lot of embellishments (even if it's just lace), it's best to keep the bouquet simple. While on the other hand, if the dress is very simple, you might want to include some additional accents into the bouquet. You might consider adding beading, rhinestones or wire, or maybe just a couple more varieties of flowers to give it a little something extra.

and finally,

Trusting your florist!

You can do all the online research and read all the blogs you want, but the most important tip to know is that you need to find a florist that you can rely on. An experienced florist is going to ask you questions about your dress and your height, and will be honest with you when they think something may not work, and will steer you in the right direction by suggesting an alternative.

Designing beautiful wedding flowers requires a partnership and trust between you and your florist. Find someone you think understands your vision and will answer all your questions and listen to your concerns. The right team of professionals is out there for you. If you've met with a couple florists, and they didn't seem to "get" what you were saying, just keep looking!