Flower Girls-Flower Petals or Flower Pomanders?

    I think this is, again, a choice of personal taste.  First of all, what are pomanders?  Pomanders are a circle of flowers glued to a styrofoam ball and held by ribbon on the flower girls' wrist like a little pocketbook.  It is similar in style to the previous picture on the last post that is tied to the chair as a reference.  I will post more pics as I get them uploaded.  Pomanders need to be made out of hearty flowers that do not need a water source to hold up in different types of environments.  Usually daisies are best and come in a variety of colors and sizes or can be sprayed to match just about any color scheme.  They lay flat and their petals aren't extremely fragile.  They also represent the classic he loves me, he loves me not scenario in the days of old.  This is just a nice sentimental touch.  The advantage of a pomander is that there are no petals to have to keep up with or clean up after the ceremony.  This is a nice option for a very young flower girl who may have trouble following directions on throwing petals or just another option for style.  However, there is no keepsake basket for them to keep afterward.
     Flower petals give the classic look of lining the aisle or walkway with petals just before the bride makes her entrance.  This is definitely part of a traditional ceremony but not necessarily one that cannot be changed.  The basket can be used as part of the gift for a flower girl and of course any type of flower can be used to create petals, even delicate ones.  But, do they really get the desired attention on the aisle or is it more about the actual little girl who's carrying them as it is with the pomanders.  Cost wise, petals are usually free when having a florist do all of your flowers as they are made from the waste, and the pomanders would be a charge as their is somewhat of a time factor in creating them.  I think it depends on the age of the flower girl and what you actually want your aisle or runner to look like before you walk down.

Pew Marker Flowers or Bows?

Another element to consider when decorating a church or even marking chairs for an outside wedding is whether to use pew marker bows or small fresh flower arrangements.  What is a wedding without a few tulle bows, right?  Well what if you could do both?  We have begun to use pew marker clips with simple shoestring tied bows that have a water pick glued to the clip.  In that water pick we have used flowers that match the color and theme of the wedding.  This has been a huge timesaver and a great added touch to bring together the walk down the aisle and the decoration at the front of the church or venue.  For a florist, this is a huge cost saver as well because you can ask for the clips to be returned and use them over and over.  This saves money and material which is always great!
    The picture above displays a great way to decorate chairs for an outside wedding.  While this does take a litte more time, it's not necessarily more costly than bows.  A lot of the labor can be done by the bride herself if necessary as the ball arrangement above is just daisy heads glued to a styrofoam ball.  In my opinion, it just dresses up those plastic chairs.

Church Arrangements or Greenery?

     One of the first decisions to be made when starting to decorate your wedding venue is whether to have church arrangements or big large arrangements or greenery or both.  This all depends on personal choice and wedding theme, if any.  For example, if you are having a "green" or "organic" wedding it is best to go with lots of greenery, ferns, ficus, etc.  A nice option we have recently used was an arbor created and constructed from curly willow and bamboo.  This brought the outside touch to the inside of the church.  Lots of beautiful full ferns are a great space filler and make a lovely background for pictures.  Silk greenery can be used as a budget saver as well.
     On the other hand, the beauty of large fresh flower arrangements is one that cannot be matched if done professionally.  The color is absolutely gorgeous and adds to a color scheme of any wedding.  This, however, can be a more pricey option when decorating a large area or church.  Each arrangement can run anywhere from $100 and up.  This also is another area of personal choice and opinion.  We will continue to discuss specifics of price and type of flowers chosen to accentuate each type of wedding in future posts.