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Flowers are an essential element in any wedding celebration. It's easy to understand why flowers and weddings are inseparable - their natural beauty and fragrance infuse a romantic feel throughout the celebration. In this article, we'll be covering a few important things about brides and her wedding flowers, hopefully providing useful insights for your business.

Popular wedding flowers
Being a florist, you face the dilemma of choosing flowers for your clients since there are many kinds of flowers, but some choices are more popular than others. Below are some classic and trendy flowers that are favourites among today's brides.

• Roses
  The classic and all-time-favourite wedding flower. Roses are romantic, classy, solid, and they come in so many different colours. Aside from local roses, brides are now taking interest in imported flower specimens like David Austin and garden roses.

• Lilies
  Lilies have a very strong fragrance, they are bright-coloured, with full petals and coloured edges. Lilies diffuse a nice scent to a room and also bring an aesthetic impact to the whole wedding decoration.

Photo by Rebecca Hollis (left) & Megan W. (right)

• Succulents
  Though succulents are not flowers, there are popular for weddings lately following the rise of rustic-themed weddings. Aside from bouquets, succulents can also be used as part of wedding favours and centerpieces.

• Orchids
  Symbolizing purity and refinement, orchids are unique. They can stand on their own or add texture to a simple floral arrangement. They also come in different shapes and colours, making it easy to create a bespoke flower bouquet based on your client's personality.

Photo by Le Hai Linh (left) & Meg Miller (right)

• Proteas
  Named after the Greek God Proteus, the distinctively-shaped protea are eye-catching and have varieties of shapes and colours. Signifying courage, the exotic flower has become increasingly popular, with their pure white breed especially on high demand.

• Peonies
  This lush and feathery flower is usually made the prime flower in a floral arrangement. Peonies are very feminine and delicate, which is suitable for romantic brides with a classic taste. At the moment, the trending floral arrangements revolve around soft-coloured peonies in all shapes and sizes.

Photo by Sheradee Hurst Photography (left) & Jose Villa (right)

Flowers and their meanings
When arranging a flower bouquet or centerpiece, consider the bride's personality. Try to convey the memories from her story, because a beautiful floral arrangement is one thing, but a meaningful one takes it to another level. Take a look at our guide below to flower meanings that will help you create a bespoke, meaningful bouquet.

2016 Wedding flower trend
Classic wedding flowers are beautiful, but there are unconventional floral arrangements that are currently trending. We've collected some amazing wedding flower styles that we expect to decorate many beautiful weddings this year.

• Hand-tied bouquet
  Hand-tied bouquet features a bunch of flowers tied simply with a ribbon or string. The trend nowadays is to keep the ribbon long and cascading, making it a stylish decorative element to the bridal ensemble. If your client is planning a rustic wedding, this could be the right bouquet for her.

Photo by Ruth Eileen

• Fountain or cascading bouquet
  This statement-making bouquet features cascading flowers instead of ribbons. Popular back in the 1980s, cascade bouquets have made a comeback with a shorter length and a casual feel. This bouquet adds a sense of effortlessness which suits rustic and alfresco weddings.

Photo by Sposto Photography (left) & Rebecca Yale (right)

• Loosely organized bouquet
  Classic bridal bouquets usually have a rounded shape, but is popular to have it loosely organized due to the rise of rustic-themed weddings. The refreshing, messy also suits a bohemian-themed wedding or a simple wedding dress that needs a boost of edginess.

Photo by Ryan Ray (left) & Taylor Barnes (right)

• Deep, daring colours
  Be bold and bring in dark, rich hues into a floral arrangement! Deep shades of berry, purple, and plum will look amazing mixed with softer colours. These flower are not easy to find, so talk to your clients about their budget to make sure they're fine with sourcing the flowers from abroad.

Photo by Taylor Barnes (left) & Studio Something (right)

• Ceiling decorations
  Want to bring on a creative and impactful wedding décor? Instead of putting flowers only for the room decoration, put some on the venue's ceiling as well to instantly lift the heads of all guests!

Photo by Jacky Suharto, Decoration by Stupa Caspea Event Decoration

• Exotic flowers
  Succulents, proteas, orchids, cotton flowers, and other exotic flowers are predicted to stay in trend over the next year. Some brides are reluctant to use these flowers for versatility concerns, but it's proven that adding exotic blooms can actually make a floral arrangement even more memorable.

Photo by Almond Leaf (left) & Christine Foehrkolb (right)

Flowers to avoid
Technically speaking, there is no right or wrong when it comes to wedding flowers; it's only a matter of picking a suitable flower for the bride, theme, and venue. Below are some things you should remember when discussing wedding flowers with your client.

• Out-of-season flowers
  Unfortunately, not all flowers will always be in season. It is possible to source out-of-season flowers from abroad, but it will be very expensive and might not fit your client's wedding budget. Tell them about the costs and offer alternatives if they hesitate to increase the budget.
  
  To see which flowers are in season, check out our simple guide below.

• Out-of-sync flowers
  A good floral arrangement should match with the bride's taste, season, theme, venue, and the bride herself. If it's an outdoor summer wedding, avoid using flowers that need extra hydration to keep looking fresh. In winter weddings, find flowers that stand up well in chilly surroundings.
  
  When arranging a flower bouquet, consider your client's physique and complexion first. Bright flowers suit dark-haired brides with dark complexions, while pastel coloured bouquets flatter brides with light-coloured eyes and blond or red hair. Also, small bouquets are good for petite brides, while large or cascading bouquets suit taller brides. Then, consider her dress. Arrange a glamorous bouquet to pair with plain dresses and a simple one for a more intricate dress.

• Strongly scented flowers for the dinner reception
  Brides usually want scented flowers on their wedding ceremony, but it might not be the best choice for sit-down dinner receptions. Scented flowers can mess with the guests' appetites and might cause discomfort to allergic guests.

Photo by Josh Gooden (left) & Connie Whitlock (right)

Tips for florists
Remember to always ask for your client's timeline and budget before you propose an idea. This is so that clients don't get overwhelmed with the total cost of the flowers and by knowing their budget, you can get creative accordingly. Also, ask your clients when and where she wants her bouquet to be delivered to avoid any delay.

For clients with a tight budget, ask your clients if they would want to mix both local and imported flowers. This way, they can still maintain the overall aesthetic of their floral decorations. However, if imported flowers are out of the picture, find similar alternatives by swapping costly flowers with cheaper alternatives that provide similar effect. For instance, use local roses instead of the imported David Austin roses. Or, use gerbera daisies instead of anemone to add colour to a flower bouquet.

Don't be afraid to experiment with less popular flowers, too! Add new varieties to your floral ideas by studying the flowers' character and meaning. Flowers like tuberose and hydrangea are actually very pretty but not very often seen in weddings. Mix and match the uncommon flower and see which ones can be used for weddings that can decorate as beautiful as the popular ones.