How to Arrange Flowers

Flower arranging has been a popular art for centuries with many considering the ability to create a perfectly balanced arrangement a great skill. While styles vary across the globe, many cultures seem to enjoy using floral symbolism, whereby each flower or aspect of an arrangement has a specific meaning. While this is a fascinating and often sentimental concept, flower arranging in the main stream is becoming a lost art as people have less time to nurture their gardens and arrange the blooms they provide.

Steps [edit]Make sure the vase you use has been thoroughly cleaned and any residue has been rinsed off. Almost any vessel you have in your home can be used to house a gorgeous and individual arrangement - flower heads can be broken off and floated in a bowl of water with candles or a teapot can be used to house a posy of flowers. If you are using a regular glass vase it can be nice to add sand, pebbles or glass beads to the bottom. Not only will this help to support the stems, but will also give any arrangement an attractive finish.
Prepare your flowers by always cutting at least 1" from the bottom of each stem and remove any leaves that will lie below the level of the water in the vase as this will help to keep the flowers fresh.
Use room temperature water to partially fill the vase and add any flower food that you have. If you buy very fresh flowers and want the buds to open quickly you could try placing them in slightly warm water to encourage them to open. Alternatively, some people swear by searing the bottom of the stems very quickly on a hot pan so that they become sealed and stay fresh for longer.
Posies of smaller flowers tend to look best in shorter, stouter vases, whereas longer flowers tend to look more elegant in taller vases. However, you can always cut your flowers to the required length to fit the shape of your vase before you start arranging them.
Place flowers in your chosen vase and place the larger, more dominant flowers in first so as to create the focus of the arrangement. Try to place these flowers at different angles to make the most of their individual shapes and to give the arrangement a balanced feel. You should then add the smaller flowers and finally the foliage to fill any gaps and accentuate the mix of colours in the arrangement.
Learn that when using lilies or other flowers with pollenous stamens you should remove the stamens from their base with your fingers before including them in your floral arrangement as this will not only stop the pollen from discoloring the petals and staining anything and everything else it touches, but will also prevent the flower from becoming pollinated as so will increase its longevity.

How to Choose Flowers for Your Wedding Day

A wedding would just not be the same without flowers. Every bride wants her wedding to be memorable and her choice of flowers or arrangements should reflect her specific taste and personality. Her flowers should create a theme to make her wedding day special and provide the finishing touch to this very special day

Wedding flowers can be simple or elaborate depending on the type of wedding that is being planned. They should have a look of individuality and look as if they have all been specially created for the bride.

The style of dress, the height of the woman, the overall theme of the wedding should all have a bearing on the choice of the flowers.
There are various styles of bouquets. These include round, trailer, sheaf, crescent, line and cascade bouquets.


Round bouquets made of roses are a popular choice for many brides.
Large trailing bouquets particularly suit romantic style wedding gowns.
An elegant line bouquet of lilies would be a good choice for a slim fitting gown.
A modern style bouquet made of exotic flowers and tropical foliage will suit the contemporary bride.


The bride's bouquet should be the largest and most spectacular bouquet in the wedding party. White is still traditionally the most popular color for the bride's bouquet, but many different colors are used in weddings today for the bride and bridesmaids from soft pastels such as pale pink through rich, vibrant colors such as hot pink, burgundy and violets.

Pearls and crystals can be incorporated into bouquets for a touch of added glamour.


For a delicate touch sheer organza ribbon can be used to create ribbon bows and long streamers.
Wide satin ribbon will give a rich, luxurious look.


Know that bridesmaids flowers can be a smaller version of the brides flowers or a different shape. If the bride is carrying a trailer bouquet the bridesmaids could carry round bouquets. Each of the bouquets can be the same colour as the brides bouquet or a different colour.
Learn that to give a different look, the bridesmaids could carry elegant evening bags filled with flowers. The bag would need to be lined with a piece of plastic to prevent staining the inside of the bag. A piece of soaked florist foam can be placed in the bag and the flowers and foliage arranged in the foam to extend gracefully from the top of the bag.
Notice that the flower girl could carry a small basket of flowers to match the bridesmaids flowers. The basket can be sprayed white or a pastel shade. Another alternative is to attach a spray of flowers to a piece of ribbon and tie it around the flower girls wrist, tying the ribbon ends in a bow with long ends. This is particularly suitable for a very young flower girl who may find a basket awkward to carry.
Remember that the bridegroom and groomsmen wear a buttonhole which often consists of a single flower such as a rose or a carnation or another flower the same type as used in the brides bouquet.
Notice that the mothers of the bride and groom also wear corsages. Often grandmothers and special aunts also wear corsages. It is helpful to know the colour of their dresses so colours will not clash. White or cream is always a safe choice