Wedding Flowers

It doesn’t matter if she’s in her teens, 20s, 30s, or older, we bet if you ask any girl what she looks forward to the most or what her greatest memory is, somehow her wedding will come up. Every girl dreams about the day that she gets to walk down the aisle looking like a total princess, but saying yes to the dress isn’t the only thing she has to do to prepare for her big day.

A major part of wedding decor is the flowers, so all brides-to-be have to make some big decisions about the arrangements they’ll be surrounded by. For those of you who would think about ordering your wedding flowers online, here are a few things to consider: Continue Reading…

Some may say that weddings are better in spring – the weather’s getting warmer and the flowers are beginning to bloom, both which make for stunning pictures and a beautiful ceremony. However, that certainly doesn’t mean that those who opt for a winter wonderland setting can’t have it all too. In fact, some of the most beautiful wedding floral arrangements can be found during the winter season!

Have you said yes to the dress and booked a venue for a winter wedding? When it’s time to start thinking about which blooms will be featured in your ceremony, here are a few things to consider: Continue Reading…

On August 23rd, 2014, Jenna and Gil got married at their ultimate dream destination: Block Island.
For Jenna, Block Island, Rhode Island has been a beloved family vacation spot her whole life. Block Island has also become a special destination for Gil since he has been traveling there for the past four years with Jenna’s family. He also grew up on a beach and loves sailing.

Between Jenna’s history with the island coupled with Gil being a nautical enthusiast, they knew this was the place for them to tie the knot. In fact, they were so sure about getting married here that Gil actually booked the date and venue with her parents before he proposed!

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On September 15, 2012, two lives joined together to become one perfect pair when Cristal from our Human Resources team walked down the aisle with her other half. For their special day, they chose to celebrate with a theme that’s just as sweet as they are: love birds! The lovely couple chose to match their love bird theme, along with their favorite season (fall), to make their autumn wedding flowers and décor a magical day inspired colors and fall foliage inspired by their favorite season.

“Early Fall is our favorite time of the year,” Cristal shared. “Our wedding day turned out to be a beautiful sunny day with a hint of Fall in the air. It was the perfect weather to enjoy the outdoors and feel comfortable.”

From the love bird inspired centerpieces to earthy detailing, guests were transported to a room full of beautiful fall foliage and décor inspired by nature’s brightest colors.

“Lovebirds were the theme of our wedding. At the time, the trends were pointing to more natural and earthy themes. Our wedding card box was a wooden chest with two lovebirds carved in the center. Brown kraft envelopes were used for our save the dates and invitations. We used moss and nest-like baskets for the floral centerpieces,” Cristal described. “Our guests wrote messages on wooden hearts that they then hooked to our wishing tree. Our plan is to use these heart messages as Christmas ornaments in the future.”

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Get Inspired by These Wine-Themed Wedding Ideas From a Real 1-800-Flowers Bride!

When Marianna, our Senior Email Marketing Manager, exchanged vows with her hubby, Chris (who also works at 1-800-Flowers as Director of Merchandising!), on November 19, 2011, it was an occasion to celebrate. So to raise a toast in honor of their love, Marianna chose an intoxicating theme for their wedding: fall vineyard! From the deep merlots to the champagne whites that abound during the season, their wedding perfectly captured the rich and fragrant essence of autumn. The fall time has always had special meaning to this couple, so it was only natural that they plan an autumn wedding and infuse it with everything they love about the season—especially those naturally luxurious fall colors.

“Chris and I love wine and enjoy going to the vineyards during this time of year,” says Marianna. “Drinking wine together at the vineyards is one of our favorite pastimes. Incorporating these memories and colors into the wedding had a personal meaning for us on our special day.”

Learn all about how Marianna and her 1-800-Flowers floral designers—Julie McCann-Mulligan and Cynthia Thompson—used those rolling green fields of grapes as inspiration to create simple yet decadent wedding décor. Then, use her fall wedding inspiration tips to express your punch-drunk love on your own wedding day!

The Wedding Color Scheme

To give her wedding the vintage vineyard look she loves, Marianna opted to pass on the typical fall colors, like oranges and yellows, and instead went with the lusher, more opulent colors of autumn. The romantic mood that could only be set by a good bottle of vintage wine was recreated with the deep, rich red color of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

“The color of the bridesmaids’ dresses was actually called ‘Merlot.’ When I realized that, I knew we had picked the right color for the dresses!” says Marianna.

With this sumptuous shade of Merlot at the center of her color scheme, Marianna completed the look with hues of old-world ivory, mossy greens, and velvety purples.

The Wedding Centerpieces

To keep the vineyard theme going, Marianna and her floral designers selected a mixture of unique flowers that matched the look they were aiming for. For the place card table, they even arranged flowers in a vintage wine press, and guest cards were displayed on repurposed wine corks! But because fall is most famous for its bountiful harvest, Marianna chose to add some natural, unexpected elements to her flowers: food!

“A floral trend I’ve noticed a lot lately is incorporating fresh produce with flowers,” says Marianna. “For our fall vineyard theme, we chose to use fresh grapes, kale and artichokes in our wedding flower arrangements. It was so unique, and our guests were very impressed!”

Tying everything together and paying tribute to her Italian heritage, Marianna also chose to decorate her bistro tables with lanterns, sunflowers and cascading grapes. Set against the backdrop of a piazza-style ballroom, this wedding was the next best thing to strolling through the sun-drenched chateaus of Tuscany.

The Bridal Bouquet

Roses are Marianna’s favorite flowers, so they were a must for her bridal bouquet. But rather than going with a traditionally colored rose, she and her designers preferred an ivory rose that had an almost antique look. The edges of the flowers were tinged with a soft pink color that complemented the bridesmaids’ dresses and bouquets. In addition to being bejeweled with brilliant little crystals, Marianna’s bouquet was also given another unique touch that was evocative of the twisting and curling of grape vines: Woven between the vintage-inspired roses were verdant green strands of ivy.

But the truly personal and meaningful element of Marianna’s bridal bouquet was her grandmother’s gold pin from Italy, which she added herself.

“I’m very close with my grandmother, and I wanted to use something of hers as my ‘something old.’ She gave me a beautiful pin, which actually had an ivy vine design for me to pin to my bouquet. It went perfectly with the flowers,” says Marianna.

The Bridesmaid Bouquets

The bouquets held by Marianna’s bridal party incorporated all of the most beautiful and important aspects of her winery-inspired wedding décor: Merlot-colored roses to match the bridesmaids’ dresses, vintage-y pink roses to harmonize with the bridal bouquet, and bright greenery to complement the fresh produce in her unique centerpieces.

The groom picked his boutonniere himself and gave it his own unexpected twist:

“One of Chris’ favorite flowers is the orchid,” says Marianna. “When he expressed he wanted to use this for his boutonniere, I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t match our fall theme since it’s a tropical flower. However, our designers made it work! We used a white cymbidium that had just a touch of red, which tied in nicely with our other flowers. They also added a spray rose in the same color that I had in my bouquet so that we had the same flowers—something a bride and groom traditionally do.”

What do you love most about Marianna’s vineyard wedding? Tell us which of her décor tricks you’d want to incorporate in your own wine-themed celebration!

You’re up-to-date with all the latest wedding flower trends in the U.S., but do you know how international brides are incorporating flowers into their big day? Find out with these fun facts about wedding flower traditions around the world!

Greece

The first recorded use of wedding flowers was in Ancient Greece.  Flowers and plants were gathered together in the form of a garland wreath and placed upon the bride and groom’s heads during the ceremony.

India

In India, the groom’s brother throws flower petals on the couple to protect them from evil.

England

In England, some guests give the bride and groom a rose bush to plant. It is thought that the growth symbolizes the growth of a marriage, the blossoms symbolize happiness, and the thorns symbolize the trials of married life.

Sweden

It is an old tradition in Sweden for young girls to carry small bouquets of scented herbs down the aisle, and for the groom to carry thyme in his pockets. It was once thought to ward off any trolls during the special day.

Italy

In Italy, the grill of the bride and groom’s car is often decorated with flowers, symbolizing the road to a happy marriage.

Ireland

In Ireland, the bride’s bouquet includes English lavender, a symbol of love, luck and devotion.

Czech Republic

Many Czech brides will find a newly planted tree in their yards the day before their wedding. The tree will be decorated with different colored ribbons and painted eggshells.

If you’re a bride on the hunt for the perfect floral theme for your wedding, we have three words of advice for you: Stir things up! This year, mixed-and-matched bridal flowers are all the rage. Bringing together different yet complementary colors, shapes and motifs in your arrangements creates a breathtakingly eclectic look that’ll surprise all of your guests. Check out the hottest and most inspiring 2013 wedding flower trends, and find out how you can incorporate them into your own chic wedding-day décor!

Glamorous Rustic Wedding Flowers

These days, barn-inspired receptions are by far one of the most talked-about themes amongst brides. The beauty of countryside nuptials lies in their simplicity: Natural elements like wood branches, lush greenery and delicate flowers bring a touch of storybook romance and enchantment to the air, without straining your budget. But this year, designers are using crystal, sequins and glitter to add a dash of drama to the traditional rustic wedding. The stark contrast of sparkly accents against a quiet, woodsy backdrop makes a stylish and unexpected statement that’ll mesmerize your guests … and make your wedding feel like a fairy tale come to life!

Get the Look: Bling out your rustic wedding with this stunning Vineyard Wedding Luxury Centerpiece, which features a charming mix of fresh roses, hydrangeas, calla lilies, succulents and more set atop a fabulously frosted vase.

Ombre Wedding Flowers

The ombre craze has taken over everything from hair color cake decorating, and now it’s taking weddings by storm too! “Ombre” refers to a coloring technique in which different shades of a single color are arranged in order from darkest to lightest, gradually fading into each other. Wedding bouquets and centerpieces have now caught on to the trend, and it’s not hard to see why. Aside from the spellbinding way the flower colors bleed into one another, ombre floral arrangements are also an easy choice for brides and florists. Just pick one main color for your wedding flower theme, and your florist can put together a beautiful mix of different flowers that have varying shades of that color. So as soon as you pick your favorite hue, all the work is already cut out for you.

Get the Look: The rich tones and undeniable appeal of this Orange Mixed Bridal Bouquet and its matching centerpiece will bring a whole new spectrum of color to your wedding celebration.

Geometric Wedding Flowers

For ages, artists and designers have been using clean lines and geometric shapes to bring a sleek, sophisticated look to their work—and in 2013, brides are doing the same for their weddings. What’s in vogue for centerpieces this year is to group together round or square vases of varying heights, each filled with one specific kind of flower. Separating the flowers by type into single vases (called monobotanical arrangements) gives you the freedom to create your own trendy color scheme: You can choose to have the same flower color in every vase, or you can color block by choosing a different hue for each container. With each arrangement sitting in a classy, simplistic vase with defined edges, you’ll have a rich, eye-catching centerpiece for your elegant reception.

Get the Look: The individual arrangements of orchids, roses, hydrangeas and lisanthus—all beautifully presented in posh round vases—in this Beach Wedding Centerpiece Package will give your reception table depth, shape and definition.

Modern Vintage Wedding Flowers

“Modern vintage” may be an oxymoron, but it sure does make for a stunning and whimsical wedding flower theme. 2013 brides are taking the dainty, feminine floral designs of bygone eras and launching them into the modern-day world. Picture a sweet, old-fashioned garden party with a fresh new twist: delicate flowers in blush pastel colors, subtle white and gray neutrals, and a mix of aged metallics like gold, silver and pewter. Baby’s breath, peonies, calla lilies, daisies and hydrangeas are the perfect blooms for creating the soft, romantic setup—just like the one you dreamed of as a little girl, wearing Mom’s oversized hat and pearl strands at your imaginary tea party.

Get the Look: The gentle pinks, purples, blues and greens of this Pastel Bridal Party Personal Package—accented with a graceful, flowing white ribbon—are the perfect tones for achieving that something-old, something-new look.

Which 2013 wedding flower trends are your favorites?