Making Arrangements: The Right Flowers

Brandon Hubbard, Staff Writer

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that the Earth laughs in flowers. Likewise, the flowers at a wedding breathe life into the ceremony. Simple roses are timeless, daisies are darling, but discovering what works for you can be a challenge.

Flower decisions go well beyond the color of your dress. Figuring out the right arrangement is as simple as thinking about your personality.

In Bloom

Good luck trying to pin florist Jackie Burrell at Flowers from Sky’s the Limit in Petoskey to a specific trend when it comes to wedding flowers. She’ll concede that roses are traditional, but her conformity stops there. And that’s a good thing. Heading into her 30th year as a florist, she has learned to look past tradition and focus on the person.

“Flowers have to be about the bride as an individual,” she says. “We had a bride this summer go with all white, another had hot pink and orange flowers. It just comes down to who they are.”

For clues about what to pick (no pun intended) Burrell says a bride has to look for clues in the color of her dress, the couple’s planned honeymoon and their personality.

The primary flower should have a specific meaning to the couple, she said.

Think about what flowers you have given to each other. Were there flowers when you met? What were the first flowers you received? Is there a flower that you identify with?

While traditionally roses mean love and lilies mean beauty, those notions don’t carry much weight with contemporary weddings. Instead, the selection process is about finding a matching color in a flower that you love.

Pairing

While there might have been rules about what to pair in the past, they are gone today. In the past few months at Sky’s the Limit flower shop, the bouquets have run the gamut.

“We might do anything,” said Burrell. “We might put roses, lilies and daisies together.”

Burrell said one recent bride decorated her entire wedding in daisies alone.

There is always room to make individualized changes, Burrell noted. Once you have selected the flower combination, start looking at where they might look best. Popular options include as a centerpiece, on the wedding cake and the traditional hand-held bouquets for the bridesmaids. But, depending on your budget, adding flowers to doorways, aisles or other locations can bring a typical church or outdoor wedding location to life.

The Look

Brides have been stepping up their blooming “bling,” Burrell said. Instead of a standard ribbon around flowers, veiled ladies everywhere have been adding personalized accessories, such as jeweled buckles or studded ribbon, to their flowers.

Keeping up with the bride, the flowers, too, wear a dash of pearls, a rim of crystal, rhinestone studs or other adornment to match her jewelry. Some couples use customizable studs to include their initials or word that represents the couple.
When to Order
While most people order months in advance, most flower shops can accommodate customers within four weeks.

With the global shipping systems and greenhouses for growing flowers, most flowers are available year-round, even during these cooler Northern Michigan fall and winter weddings. But, Burrell cautions, if you want a large wedding with unique requests, it is always better to get started earlier.

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