Unique Wedding Flower Bouquet Choices

By Angela Fiebelkorn

Weddings are expensive events to plan, and alternatives to the traditional wedding bouquets can reduce your costs. With weddings costing an average of $20,000 to $25,000, every part of the wedding will come under scrutiny, and alternative cost saving measures sought. Wedding flowers average $1,100 for a wedding, and will fluctuate based on regional costs, how lavish the flower choices are, and whether the flowers are in season.

When you think of a wedding bouquet, two main choices come to mind—the traditional teardrop bouquet, and the round bouquet. There are many other choices when it comes to choosing a wedding bouquet, and we will address each one.

For simple, informal modern weddings, many brides will choose just a few flower stems. The bridesmaids might have only a single long-stemmed rose (with or without ribbon), while the bride might have three long stemmed roses tied with a ribbon. Simple, and elegant, this choice usually extends to the reception tables having a single long stemmed rose in a vase on each table. The long stemmed roses of the bride and bridesmaids are then able to be used on the head table to complete the look.

Smaller weddings allow for small bouquets, and in this situation the bride has a few choices. A circular posy or posy with ribbons is a nice choice. A posy is by definition a small bunch of flowers. A circular posy is when the flowers are arranged in a circular shape, or the posy can be a standard small bunch of flowers. Both posy styles can be accented with ribbon, or not, but most often a ribbon in the wedding colours accent the flower bouquet. These posy’s can be used on the head table as centrepieces, and similar flower centrepieces can be used on the reception room tables.

Medium size weddings often work well with a spray of flowers. A ’spray’ as they are referred to, are usually a bunch of long-stemmed flowers held sideways along the arm as the bride walks down the aisle. Flower sprays can be held upright, and either way, are usually accented with ribbon. Wedding reception flowers are usually the same as the wedding bouquet style chosen, so in this case the reception tables would have sprays of flowers in a vase. The flower sprays of the bride and bridesmaids can be used as decoration on the head table.

Larger weddings usually have a more extravagant flower bouquet, and the classic choice is the teardrop bouquet, or the trailing teardrop bouquet. The shape of this bouquet is like an upside down teardrop—large and full at the top, tapering down to just a few flowers. A trailing teardrop ‘trails’ down further than the classic teardrop shaped bouquet. When couples choose this type of bouquet, the wedding reception flowers tend to be equally extravagant with large trumpet vases holding lovely sprays of flowers.

These are the classic wedding flower bouquet choices, and budget is not the only factor in making this choice—the bride’s height and build will also play a role. A petite bride will choose a smaller bouquet style than a bride who has a larger stature. The key is to find the right balance in the overall look. If a bride is choosing a simple flower bouquet, it allows her to have a more elaborate gown to create an overall look that is balanced and not competing.

Whatever flower bouquet choice the bride may make, the bridesmaids usually have a smaller version of the same bouquet style—but, as in all flower choices, this is not a hard and fast rule. There are many wedding florists and wedding floral designers who have created their own unique combination of these classic flower choices. When the bride is ready to hire a florist, it is important to have a complete list of the flower needs and a total dollar amount budgeted. When communicating this to the florist, they will make suggestions, and help the bride choose the perfect wedding flowers.

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Serving Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Sometimes, a couple choose to have no alcohol at their wedding.  This can be for religious or personal reasons, and it does not have to be a problem in planning your wedding reception.

Even though you may choose to have no alcohol, it is considered proper etiquette to have two bottles of wine per table so your guests can toast the bride, and partake of other toasts during the speeches.  No other alcohol needs to be served at your wedding.

So what other options do you have if you choose to have no alcohol at your wedding?  If you want to stick to the more traditional, you could have non-alcoholic cocktails, alcohol-free wine and alcohol-free beer.   You could have special cocktails named after the bride and groom that are alcohol-free.  There are many great punch recipes that could be served as cocktails.

I, personally, use a particular punch recipe for church functions and other events that do not allow alcohol, that many people THINK has alcohol.  The secret ingredient?  Apple juice—but don’t tell anyone!  I had one lady tell me she was getting tipsy from the punch, and I just smiled, gave her a secretive look, and quietly said, “We can’t actually serve alcohol here”.  She was delighted and thought we had snuck in some alcohol—but the punch had no alcohol in it!  It was the apple juice.  You can find the recipe under the Resources section.

If you want to get away from the usual alcohol-free type of drinks, you do have other options.   Imagine coffee stations instead of bar stations serving a variety of flavoured coffees, and maybe even a special cappuccino station.  For the non-coffee drinkers, you could have a special Chai tea station (the smell of the spices alone will bring people to try it out), or an herbal tea station.  Or how about a hot chocolate station—not some packaged thing, but real hot chocolate made the old fashioned way!

If you are into healthy foods, maybe a station with lots of fresh fruit with a blender to make smoothies and other juice drinks is the perfect solution.  You could have a “bartender” there to make them for your guests, and they could try out all kinds of juice blends.  Think of commercial outlets like Orange Julius or Booster Juice to get more ideas.

With the large number of diabetics today, remember that sugar-free options are a must.  Of course there are the usual diet drinks, but water is a popular choice.  Consider large pitchers of water with sliced lemons, limes, or oranges.  It flavours the water and it is a very healthy option.  You might even consider pitchers of this water on each table.

Just because you choose to have no alcohol at your wedding, does not mean your drink selection needs to be boring.  There are a lot of great choices beside the typical cocktail.  You might even choose a non-alcoholic reception just because it is more reflective of your personality.  Not everyone is into alcohol, and the options I have talked about can be a lot of fun.

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Top 100 Wedding Songs

WEDDING SONGS

Are you looking for that perfect wedding song? Look no further! We have a list that will give you ideas for your ceremony music, reception music, and the all important wedding dance. We have ideas for the bride’s dance with her father, and the groom’s dance with his mother. We even have a list of ethnic wedding songs to give your wedding some personality and flair. Explore our list, and feel free to add your suggestions at the bottom of this post.

Listen to our wedding music songs!

CEREMONY MUSIC
Many religious institutions have special requirements for church wedding music, so please check.

1. Agnus Dei – Michael W Smith
2. Air (Water Music Suite) (Handel)
3. Allegro Maestoso (Water Music Suite 2) (Handel)
4. Always by Bon Jovi
5. Annie’s Song by John Denver
6. Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Handel)
7. Beautiful by Gordon Lightfoot
8. Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
9. Breathless by Kenny G
10. Bridal Chorus (Lohengrin-Wagner)
11. Canon in D Major (Pachelbel)
12. Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
13. Evergreen by Barbra Streisand
14. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams
15. Follow Me by John Denver
16. From This Moment On by Shania Twain
17. Give Me Forever (I Do) by James Ingram and John Tesh
18. Hawaiian Wedding Song by Elvis Presley
19. Hornpipe (Water Music Suite) (Handel)
20. Longer by Dan Fogelberg
21. Lord I Give You My Heart by Michael W Smith
22. Loving You by Holly Cole
23. I Believe In You and Me by Whitney Houston
24. I Do (Cherish You) by Mark Willis
25. If by Bread
26. I Wanna Be Your Everything by Keith Urban
27. I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman
28. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach)
29. Just The Way You Are by Diana Krall
30. Morning Has Broken – Cat Stevens
31. My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
32. Ode To Joy (Beethoven)
33. One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story
34. Pie Jesu by Sarah Brightman
35. Prayer by Celine Dion
36. Prelude in C Major (Bach)
37. Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill
38. The Gift of Love (traditional)
39. The Keeper of the Stars by Tracy Byrd
40. The Lord’s Prayer by Sister Janet Mead
41. The Sweetest Thing by Juice Newton
42. The Wedding Song (There Is Love) – Mary McGregor (Peter, Paul and Mary)
43. This I Promise You by Ronan Keating
44. This Very Moment by KC and JoJo
45. Time In A Bottle – Jim Croce
46. Trumpet Voluntary (Jeremiah Clarke)
47. Wedding Day at Troldhaugen (Grieg)
48. Wedding March (Mendelssohn)
49. We`ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters
50. When I Said I Do by Clint Black and Lisa Hartman
51. You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

WEDDING DANCE
If you are looking for the perfect song for the first dance, bridal party dance, the bouquet toss, the garter toss, the cake cutting, or dollar dance, this list is sure to have something you love.

1. At The Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis
2. All My Life by KC and JoJo
3. Always and Forever by Heatwave
4. Better Today – Coffey
5. Cha Cha Slide by Mr. C The Slide Man
6. Cherry Pie by Warrant
7. Close To You by The Carpenters
8. Come What May by Air Supply
9. Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain
10. Dance Me To The End of Love by Leonard Cohen
11. Dance With Me by T Carter Music
12. Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend by Marilyn Monroe
13. Everlasting Love by Love Affair
14. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams
15. Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
16. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You – Rod Stewart
17. Heaven by Bryan Adams
18. I Am So In Love With You by BassHunter
19. I Cross My Heart by George Strait
20. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith
21. I Have To Say I Love You In A Song – Jim Croce
22. I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
23. I Just Call You Mine by Martina McBride
24. I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden
25. I Love You by Celine Dion
26. I Need You, I Love You by Mark Anthony
27. I’ll Be by Edwin McCaine
28. I Swear by John Michael Montgomery
29. It’s Raining Men by Gerri Halliwell
30. It’s Your Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
31. I Wanna Grow Old With You (from the Wedding Singer) by Adam Sandler
32. Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne
33. Leahy-Wedding Day Jig by Natalie McMaster
34. L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole
35. Loved Her First by Heartland
36. Love of My Life – The Wedding Song by Darla Day
37. Nobody Loves Me Like You Do by Anne Murray and Dave Loggins
38. Nothing Else Matters by Metaliica
39. She Believes In Me by Kenny Rogers
40. Shower Me With Your Love by Surface
41. Sugar, Sugar by The Archies
42. That’s Amore by Dean Martin
43. The Rose by Bette Midler
44. The Stripper by David Rose Orchestra (garter toss anyone?)
45. (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
46. The Wedding Song by Kenny G (instrumental)
47. This One’s For The Girls by Martina McBride
48. Together Forever by Rick Astley
49. Wedding Song by Bob Dylan
50. We`ve Only Just Begun by The Carpenters
51. What A Wonderful World by Rod Stewart
52. When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating
53. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler
54. You`re In My Heart by Rod Stewart

MOTHER AND SON WEDDING SONGS

1. A Mother`s Song – by T Carter Music
2. A Song For Mama by Boyz II Men
3. Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston
4. The Man You`ve Become by Molly Pasutti
5. There You’ll Be by Faith Hill
6. You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

FATHER DAUGHTER WEDDING SONGS

1. Daddy`s Angel by T Carter Music
2. Daddy’s Girl by Red Sovine
3. And Then They Do by Trace Adkin
4. Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle
5.Daddy’s Hands by Dolly Parton and Holly Dunn
6. I’ll Always Be Your Daughter by Lynn Leonti and Jim McShane
7. My Little Girl by Tim McGraw

ETHNIC SONG LIST
Arabic Wedding Songs
Indian Wedding Songs

Wedding Date And Wedding Time

Let’s look at the TIME options you have for your wedding. If you have a large guest list, and limited funds, choosing the right time for your wedding is a great way to make your wedding work for everyone.

Dinner is the most expensive for both the reception site and your menu choices. Lunch is less expensive. Breakfast is the least expensive. An evening wedding followed by a cocktail reception can be the least expensive of all choices.

Let’s start with a sunrise wedding ceremony. This would be wonderful with an organic or eco-friendly wedding theme. Things to consider are: you and your guests will need to be up early, and how much preparation time to do you need to get ready. I have been to one sunrise outdoor wedding ceremony that was located next to a river that was spectacular. Almost all the guests attended as no one wanted to miss such a unique wedding ceremony. A “sunrise” ceremony need not actually be at sunrise. You might choose an early morning time like 7 or 8 am followed by a breakfast reception. Financially speaking, this is much less expensive than an afternoon or evening reception.

Morning weddings at 10 or 11 am are becoming more popular with a lunch reception complete with a sit down meal and dancing. Alternatively, an hors d’ouevres lunch reception is less costly, and you can have lounge type music instead of dancing. This type of reception works really well at unusual locations like your local art gallery or botanical gardens—and it is less costly than your usual evening sit-down reception.

An afternoon wedding is usually followed by an evening reception. This is the most common time for a wedding, and the most expensive option. Not only are you paying for primetime space but a full sit-down meal is more costly than a lunch or cocktail menu.

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Personalization Of Your Wedding

Step 5 is about defining your wedding colours.  If you have seen my wedding colour video or the document called Wedding Colour Choices Made Easy, you will know that there is a way to use a colour wheel to figure out what colours go together.

What I have done in this list is to actually write down the most common colour combinations.  There are many colour wheels, so there are many more combinations.  For example, the colour wheel I used did not have burgundy.  Burgundy and hunter green go well together (especially with ivory).  So if you think red and green, a few shades over would be burgundy and hunter green.  If you haven’t seen it, the wedding colour video is in the resources section of this module.  Check it out, and have fun and enjoy exploring colour!

Again, on the SmartBride Action Plan we have a place for the bride and groom to list their favourite colour choices.  When you are ready, work toward your final colour choice.

Step 6 of Defining Your Wedding Vision is about personalizing your wedding.  Grooms tend to be very good at this—much more so than brides.  What is personalizing your wedding?  To personalize your wedding is to include things that express something of your personality as a couple.  For example, if you are a cookie lover, and your fiancé proposed by giving you a giant cookie with an engagement ring in the centre, well cookies can be a way to personalized your wedding.

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Deciding On The Wedding Location

Here we will address step 7 of Defining Your Wedding Vision – the wedding location.  Your wedding location is an important factor in creating the overall feel to your wedding.  When choosing a location for your wedding, you have the option of having the ceremony and reception in separate locations, or they can both be held at the same location.  Many churches have a hall or some other facility in which you can hold your reception.  Alternatively, often you can hold your ceremony at your chosen reception site.

If you are planning a fairytale wedding, for example, having your wedding in a grand historical house in your city might be a perfect match.  If you are planning an organic or eco-friendly wedding, holding it at your local botanical gardens or at the gardens in a city park might be a great match.  If you are an artsy couple, a wedding at your local art gallery might be a perfect wedding location.  If you are into sports, holding your reception in a sports complex might be a unique statement.

Looking for something completely different?  How about a wedding at a local farm or ranch?  Or maybe there is a grand factory that rents out space in your city.  For a family friendly wedding, holding it at a zoo might be a fun, unique location.  Small weddings might be perfect at a pretty bed and breakfast in a lovely location.

Of course there are the usual hotels, resorts, golf and country clubs, and restaurants if you want both a reception site and food services together.  Some other options, which may or may not include food services—meaning you might have to arrange for a caterer—are local theatres, museums, cultural centres, gymnasiums, community halls, Canadian Legions, and so forth.

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Wedding Styles And Wedding Themes

Look over the choices and check off all the ones that appeal to you.  Have your fiance also look over the choices and check off all the ones that appeals to him.  Which items have 2 checks beside them?  There is space for both bride and groom to list their top 1, 2 or 3 wedding style choices.

If you are thinking the same way, you will have your final decision before you.  If not, I suggest you both sleep on it, and let the ideas settle.  Don’t try to force a decision.  This is about identifying what you think.  In a few days, when you have time, the two of you can come back to it to finalize things.  In the meantime, move on to Step 4.

Step 4 is about identifying a wedding theme.  Again, both of you should just check off those things that appeal to you.  See where your choices are the same, and talk about those wedding themes.  The themes you see here have been gleaned from a variety of wedding favour manufacturers, so if you choose any of these themes, you will have wedding favours to enhance that theme.  If none of these themes appeal to you, come up with your own.  A wedding theme should reflect your tastes, your style and your personality.  There is a video in the resources section that talks specifically about how to choose a wedding theme.  Check that out if this list does not appeal to you.

Again, there is space for both bride and groom to list their top 1, 2 or 3 wedding theme choices.  There is no need to finalize your thoughts now.  By time you finish this SmartBride^TM Checklist, you might find that your priorities have changed—-or tomorrow you might be thinking differently.  That’s ok.  This is a process, and it’s ok to change your mind on the way to your final decision.

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Defining Your Vision & Identifying Priorities

The most important thing you need to do when you start planning your wedding is to define your vision.  What do you want your wedding to look like or feel like?  Do you envision a grand formal wedding?  Or do you envision an informal family atmosphere full of love and laughter?  Or maybe, your vision is somewhere between those two extremes.  Both you and your fiancé will have your own ideas of what you always thought your wedding would be like.  It is time to share that vision with each other.

Print out the SmartBride^TM Checklist for this module is called Defining Your Vision Step One and Two.  In Step One, we ask you and your fiancé to sit down and share with each other how you have always imagined your wedding to be.  Brides often talk about their wedding dreams, so we suggest that the groom go first and share his thoughts on what he has always envisioned his wedding to be like.  Although not talked about often, men DO have dreams about their wedding day.  Be open and receptive to each other’s ideas.  Just think about what you have shared with each other, and observe where you are the same, and where you differ.

When you are ready, move onto Step Two of your SmartBride^TM Checklist.  Here we ask both you and your fiancé to identify the 10 things that are most important to each of you—in order of importance.  For example, the bride might think the style/theme/colour and décor is the most important thing, so she would place a number 1 next to that item.  The groom might think the music is the most important thing, so he would put a number 1 next to music.  In the first section of this step, you will number, in order of importance each of the 10 main areas of your wedding.

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It is Easy to Choose Your Wedding Colour Scheme

Just watch this short video about wedding colours by Angela Fiebelkorn, Wedding Expert on several important Wedding Blogs, and you will get a clear idea on how you can match your wedding colours. Additionally, this short video will give you a starting point for your wedding colour scheme and all the understanding you need to complete the scheme.

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