With every wedding detail comes the possibility of pitfalls, mistakes and disappointments. After all, most of us are only doing this once, and someone has to be first, so brides-to-be might be limited in their wedding experiences. Your flowers are going to brighten and decorate the whole wedding as well as being the main accessory for you and your bridesmaids, so it's important to get them right. There are a few mistakes brides can make that can cause them all sorts of floral problems, so it's best to avoid them. Here are our top ten wedding flower mistakes.

bridesmaids with flowers

Ignoring your florist

Brides often have one idea about what they want for their flowers, and they don’t properly utilise the experts they have at their disposal. Chances are, while you may have an idea of what looks nice, you are not a master florist. Take advice from your florist about what flowers look best together and what will suit the overall feel of your wedding.

Refusing to compromise

Like we said, brides can get stuck on one idea they have for their flowers (or anything else for that matter) but it’s important to be willing to compromise. Sometimes the flowers you want might be outside your budget, or not in season, or just might not look right with your gown. You have to be willing to compromise on flowers if they won’t work, and once again, you have to listen to your florist when it comes to this.

white peonies

Not going for big blooms

Some brides avoid big blooms because they tend to be more expensive, but think about the bigger picture. The bigger the flowers you use, the less you need to actually fill the vases, so it could be less expensive in the long run. That’s the downside of the smaller flowers. You will have to use more of them to actually fill centrepieces and vases. Talk to your florist about what works best for your budget and for what you need.

Ignoring foliage

It’s common to neglect foliage and greenery or to just avoid it completely because it’s not considered to be the ‘star’ of the bouquet. However, the foliage is essentially the bones of the bouquet, or any flower arrangement for that matter. There’s a reason you don’t see any arrangement without it. Greenery is becoming particularly popular this year as you can add texture and contrast, depending on what type of greenery you use. Your flowers need to be broken up with a bit of foliage.

pastel bouquet

Only using one colour

Contrasting colours are important when it comes to your arrangements and bouquets. Just like your colour scheme, there needs to be more than one colour to offset the tones. It’s also a good idea to switch the dominant colour when it comes to your flowers, so they don’t look too matched up. So if your colours are mostly mint with dashes of peach, maybe have a mostly peach and coral bouquet. And no one says you just have to have two colours either, especially when it comes to your flowers. Multiple complementary colours often look even better than just two.

Not thinking about your dress

You might not think it, but your dress choice should influence your flower choice. If you’re stuck on the idea of a massive bouquet with lots of big blooms, as well as a slim, form-fitting gown, you may run into some aesthetic difficulties. You don’t want your big bouquet to overshadow your slim gown. Equally, if you have a big ball gown, you should absolutely go for your big bouquet, as you don’t want the flowers to be swallowed up in a sea of tulle.

ribbon bouquet

Forgetting about some flowers

When you’re thinking about your bridal bouquet, your bridesmaid flowers, your centrepieces and your ceremony flowers, it can be easy to forget about other flowers you might need, like petals for the flower girl or boutonnieres for the men. The easiest way to remember is check out our flower checklist, add it all to your own checklist. Then run through your list with your florist to make doubly sure that you’re not forgetting anything. You don’t want the wedding day to arrive only to realise that you don’t have the boutonnieres for the groomsmen!

Not thinking about the flower season

The time of the year will influence your choice of flowers. Naturally, certain flowers are only in season at certain times of the year, so if you have your heart set on peonies in December, you might be left disappointed. That's not to say it's impossible to get flowers out of season, but depending on the bloom and the time of year, they could cost three times as much, and if you have to get greenhouse forced flowers they won't look as good as if they were naturally grown in season. You're better off looking at flowers that are in season at the time of year you want to get married. Chances are there are plenty of flowers you don't even know about that will be perfect for you.

Peach bouquet

Forgetting about your reception venue

Don't forget about the colours and overall look of the venue when it comes to choosing your flowers. If it's a very intimate space, there's no point in getting sky-high blooms in tall vases to completely take over the flowers. You equally don't want to choose the colour scheme of your wedding without thinking of the colours at your reception venue. Most are fairly neutral but it's still worth checking.

Not repurposing your flowers

Think about it. Your ceremony is going to last an hour or two max, and then it's off the the reception venue for everyone. If you've decorated your ceremony with beautiful blooms, it seems an awful shame to waste them for the rest of the day. There are plenty of ways you can repurpose your flowers from your bouquets and your ceremony to use for your reception.

- Jenny Darmody

Image credits: White bouquet: Dominique Bader | Pastel bouquet: Jen Huang Photography | Ribbon bouquet: Avec L'Amour Photography | Pale pink bouquet: Carmen Santorelli