• A circlet or half circlet of flowers
• An alice band decorated with flowers. This is a suitable choice for bridesmaids, especially young ones if their favourite alice band is decorated
• Place individual flowers in your hair
• Weave flowers into the hairstyle, such as a french plait
• Attach flowers to a large hair comb or hair slides

• Will the flowers last all day without wilting?
• Will they last all day without slipping out of place?
• Will they be comfortable to wear all day?
• Do the flowers need the pollen or any sharp parts removed?

Asking your florist for a selection of loose flowers to wear in your hair, will work out cheaper and be much more versatile than a floral circlet or Alice band. An extremely complicated hairstyle with pleats and curls will not need an intricate floral headdress; a few loose flowers will complement the style much better. A popular choice at the moment is for a cluster of flowers to be placed on top of the head, or for single flowers to be placed in the hair.

Headdresses that are made up of spiky flowers and foliage may catch on the delicate fabric of a veil. Suitable flowers for headdresses include: daisy, frangipani, freesia, gardenia, gypsophilia, mimosa, rosebuds, tuberose and wax flower. Once you have decided on a few types of flowers that you would like to consider, arrange a consultation with your hairdresser to discuss your ideas and how they may be implemented.

Flower Arrangements For The Wedding Ceremony
A wedding is a very joyous occasion to celebrate, and the appearance of the church should reflect this, with the help of carefully chosen flower arrangements.

Visit the church or venue where you would like to get married, to decide on which areas are best to decorate, and how to best achieve the desired effect. Think about the backdrop to the flower arrangements - pretty and colourful stained glass windows, a brightly coloured carpet, stonework and woodwork. You should consider placing flower arrangements in dark areas to brighten them up, perhaps by arranging for lights to be placed around an arrangement.

The flower arrangements for the church should be discussed with the minister at your first meeting with him. You should check with the minister whether an outside flower arranger is allowed to take care of the flowers, and when the best time for the florist to set up before the ceremony is. Make sure you check with the minister if there are any places that cannot be decorated; some do not allow the altar to be decorated, to make sure that the cross is visible. Many churches do not permit flowers to decorate the church during certain festivals such as Lent (between Shrove Tuesday and Easter) and Advent (about one month before Christmas).

You should be able to place flower arrangements at some or all of the following positions:

• Altar (the Communion table) Place an arrangement on the altar, a pedestal either side of the steps leading up to the altar, or drape garlands on the choir stalls
• Pulpit (raised enclosed platform for preaching from) - Place a flower arrangement along the front of the platform, or drape garlands along the front
• Lectern (stand for holding bible) - Place a small arrangement along the front of the stand
• Windowsills - Allow the arrangements to drape over the edge, and perhaps pick out colours from the stained-glass windows
• Font (contains baptismal water) - Place an arrangement in front of, or on top of it
• Columns - Hang garlands or swags vertically, or wind foliage and flowers around the columns
• Church entrance - You may like to arrange for an archway of flowers and foliage or garlands to be placed around the door, or topiary trees placed on either side of the door. You could also place an arrangement in the porch
• Chancel steps (near the altar) - Place a pedestal either side of the steps
• Pew ends - either tie swags or garlands to the ends or hang small hand-tied bunches of flowers from them
• Lych gate (the roofed gateway of the churchyard) - Hanging arrangements such as flower balls, baskets, garlands or swags of blossom are suitable

You may choose to decorate every pew end, but if your budget is limited then you may like to decorate every second or third pew with a bow. Alternatively, you could choose to just decorate the first six to ten pew ends. Some brides choose to have flower trees on either side of the aisle, and coloured ribbon wound around the stems will complement the colour scheme of the other flowers.

If several weddings take place on the same day, it will not be practical for four or five sets of floral displays to be installed and dismantled. Instead, the cost of the flowers is divided between all of the couples that are getting married on the same day. You will have to liase with the other couples, and you will all have to meet the church flower arrangers to agree on which flowers you will all be satisfied with.

You may be satisfied with whatever flowers happen to be in the church at the time of your wedding. Certain times of the year such as harvest festival and Christmas, means that the church will be more greatly decorated. This may mean that you will not have to make a contribution to the weekly flower arrangers, with the benefit of having more elaborate flower arrangements.

In a register office, flower arrangements brighten up the marriage room and make it more attractive. The marriage room is usually decorated with silk or fresh flowers, although you can organise extra arrangements. There is usually an arrangement of flowers on the registrar's table, and the bride may choose to carry a bouquet. The men will also wear buttonholes like at a church wedding.

If you decide to have a marriage ceremony at a register office or a licensed venue, then your first meeting with the Superintendent Registrar or venue owner will decide whether you are allowed to bring in your own flower arrangements. If the register office is very busy, you will not be able to arrange for new flower arrangements to be positioned before your wedding ceremony. The flowers may be provided by the management of the registered premises, and you should discuss with them exactly what is usually provided and what kinds of decorations you would like.

For wedding ceremonies at licensed venues, you are usually free to place flower arrangements wherever you wish. You may like to arrange for an archway of flowers to be erected, under which you can stand for the ceremony. The décor of the premises will probably affect the type of flowers that you choose. You may like to compliment the historical period of the building, or to allow the flowers to enhance the theme of your wedding.

For weddings in synagogues, the style in which the synagogue is decorated must be discussed with the Rabbi or Secretary. Like churches, synagogues differ greatly in style and layout, and also have high echoing spaces. However, the 'Chuppah' is greatly decorated with flowers, the canopy under which the service is conducted. The Jewish Chuppah symbolises the home that the couple will now set up together.

Confetti
Not all churches and register offices will allow confetti to be thrown after the wedding, so as an alternative guests may like to use bubbles or dried flower petals that are biodegradable. You may like the flower girls to hand out cones or boxes of floral confetti as the guests enter the ceremony venue. Please contact your licensed venue to find out whether you can use metallic confetti.

Flower Arrangements For The Reception
The scale of the arrangements depends on the size of the room and the availability of space. The type of reception you have chosen to have will help you with your choice of flowers. For example, choosing a grand hall will indicate that large and formal arrangements could be needed.

If the florist is going to take care of the flower arrangements for the reception, they will probably meet with the venue's banqueting manager to view the venue and discuss the seating plan. This will enable the florist to know how many table arrangements are needed and the size of the venue. The florist will also need to meet with you to discuss where you would like the flower arrangements to be placed, and which styles and shapes you would like. The florist will also need to know when the flower arrangers will be able to access the venue. For a marquee reception, the florist will need to know the style of decoration, the colour of the lining, whether it has poles and if so how many need to be decorated, whether you want pedestal arrangements or hanging baskets and the quantities you are looking at.

Places where you may choose to position flower arrangements include:

• The entrance
• Window sills
• The buffet table
• Each dining table
• Top table
• Side tables
• On the cake and the cake table
• Pedestals
• Around poles or pillars

You should choose a stunning arrangement for the entrance, to welcome your guests as they arrive. Remember that entrances are passed through en route to the main areas, so guests will only have time to appreciate the arrangement quickly; so plenty of variegated foliage with just a few flowers is suitable and money saving.

You may decide to incorporate fairy lights into arrangements that are in dull areas; decorating unsightly pillars with foliage, flowers and fairy lights will totally change the appearance of the venue and make it feel special.

The top table will traditionally have a long low arrangement, to allow the bridal couple and their guests to see each other. You could also hang a garland across the front of the table, to add extra decoration. Ribbons or other fabrics also add texture to the top table.

Each dining table should some decoration, either floral or otherwise. Make sure that the decorations are not too large, to enable your guests to speak over them and have enough room on the table for food, plates and more glasses than usual.

The advantage with table arrangements is that they are directly in the view of the guests, which maximises their effect.

Candles could be incorporated within the table arrangements to add a touch of interest. Alternatively, pot pourri could be placed on each table, or added to each floral arrangement to add a pleasing scent. Suitable flowers to choose for table arrangements include carnation, daffodil, daisy, fern, gerbera, gypsophilia, jonquil, lily, nerine and rose.

The wedding cake may also be decorated with a small flower arrangement. It is traditional for a small silver vase to be placed on top of the cake, containing a small arrangement of flowers. Your cake designer will be able to show you the various floral decorations that are available for wedding cakes. Flowers can also be used as decoration around the cake, to pick up on the colours used.

Trailing ivy is a very popular choice for reception arrangements, as it can be wound around poles, napkins and chairs and be used in garlands and table arrangements. A nice touch to add to each guest's chair is a tied bunch of flowers tied to the back of each, accompanied by a name label for each guest. Pedestal arrangements can be placed around the reception venue, to add colour to the walls. Most pedestal arrangements are made up of two or more pieces fitted together, usually the top bowl in which flowers are arranged, and the stem of the stand. If the budget will stretch, it is a nice idea to place a small arrangement in the toilet to brighten it up. Skilful use of foliage and flowers can conceal eyesores and accentuate attractive features.

If the reception is going to take place in a marquee, the marquee company will be able to provide rope or hooks on the poles, so that floral arrangements can be hung in the marquee like chandeliers. It is unlikely that the marquee company will provide the floral decorations themselves, although they may be able to give you the name of a suitable florist who often does flowers in their marquees. Use hanging baskets and chandeliers in marquee receptions, but make sure that they are planted well in advance to allow for growth. Ideal flowers include ivy, lobelia, fuchsia and petunia. To make the entrance of the marquee attractive and welcoming, place a topiary tree or other arrangement on either side of the entrance. For any reception, you could arrange for pomanders to be hung from the ceiling in the colours of the wedding.

If you have arranged to have the wedding reception outside in a garden, some pre-planning of which varieties and colours to plant out several months before the wedding will help to continue the colour theme throughout the whole day. Nearer the time, spaces in the flowerbeds can be filled with bought potted plants from garden centres. Remember that if the reception is being held in a marquee, guests may walk through the garden on their way to the marquee.

If the reception is going to be held at a hotel, the flower arrangements may be included within the hotel wedding package, although some hotels may charge extra for the service. You will need to arrange a meeting with the hotel management to discuss your colour scheme, the styles and positioning of the flower arrangements. Some caterers will also include flower arrangements for the reception as part of their wedding package.

Some brides may also arrange for flower arrangements at her mother's home, where she will probably dress on the morning of her wedding. Some photographers will take photographs of the bride at her mother's home before she leaves for the church, and the flowers serve as a decorative backdrop to these photographs.

To further decorate the inside of the house you may like to hang swags from doors and drape garlands round mantelpieces and banisters. You will have lots of visitors before and after the wedding wishing you luck and bringing gifts, so you may like to have the flower arrangements in place a day or two before and after the wedding.

The floral arrangements that are used in the ceremony venue could also be used at the reception venue. This would lower the cost of the flowers, especially for couples with a tight budget. You should either arrange the transportation of the arrangements to the reception with the florist, or alternatively ask several friends to take care of it while the wedding photographs are being taken. Once at the reception, the arrangements may be split up into smaller ones that can be placed on each table. Once the wedding is over, make sure that your table centres and moveable arrangements go home with your friends and relatives. Local old people's homes may be grateful for contributions in the form of flower arrangements.

Introduction to choosing your flowers
Budgeting for your flowers
Create your own flower bouquet
Flower preparation and checklist
Choosing a florist
Creative ideas
Choosing your bouquet
Flowers to suit your star sign and birthday
The symbolic meaning of flowers
Flowers A to Z