Make the Most of Exquisite Lilies for your Wedding Flowers

The lily flower is unique in its attractive star shape, vibrant colors, and distinct fragrance. It can easily be the focal point of your wedding bouquet or table centerpiece, or serve as a supporting cast member in an assorted arrangement. Most lilies fall into one of two categories (not counting the calla lily): Asiatic or oriental. Asiatic Lilies are springtime flowers that come from Central or Western Asia and are not scented. Oriental lilies are from Japan; they bloom in the late summer; and they have a wonderfully pungent aroma.

One sophisticated idea for lily bouquets is to create an all-white look. You can design a beautiful wedding bouquet of white lilies using either an Asiatic lily theme or an oriental lily design and hide the stems with white ribbon for a complementing look. Add a splash of color with a gold or peach ribbon. You can also choose to make the bride\’s lily bouquet white and make the bridesmaids’ bouquets a different solid color of lilies, like bold red Asiatic lilies or sunny yellow Asiatic lilies.


If you\’d rather design a bouquet with lily accents, you can mix and match these luscious flowers with many other gorgeous blooms. Here are some recommendations:

·Orange Asiatic lilies, red gerberas, and yellow Fuji mums.

·Pink oriental lilies, pink daisies, and pink roses.

·Yellow Asiatic Lilies, yellow snapdragons, purple hydrangeas, and purple asters.

·Red Asiatic lilies, red roses, yellow roses, and white calla lilies.

You can also use these ideas for table centerpieces. Lilies truly light up any centerpiece arrangement with their bold and stately composition. Here are some great ideas for using lilies with the following wedding color combinations:

·White and peach: Combine white Asiatic or oriental lilies with peach roses or bright orange rose

·Pink and chocolate brown: Mix pink Asiatic Lilies, white calla lilies, and white roses in a vase covered with chocolate brown and light pink satin ribbon.

·Orange and purple: Include orange Asiatic lilies, orange roses, purple asters, and purple hydrangeas into your table centerpieces. Another idea is to omit the orange roses from this mix and place orange rose petals around the centerpiece instead.

It’s no wonder that lilies are symbols of majesty and purity. Lily flowers are a wonderful addition to your wedding if you are looking for something dramatic but not overdone.

Wedding Decoration Ideas

Beautiful wedding decorations add style, fun, and drama to your wedding day. If you love a particular mood, or simply want to create a gorgeous and memorable setting, you need to think in the following areas to decorate and think about using wedding flowers.

Ceremony


•Entrance
•Aisles, Pews and chairs
•Altar
•Special touches around the church


Reception


• Entrance
• Gift table
• Tables and Centerpieces
• Chairs • Buffet table
• Cake table and cake

Tips for Choosing your Wedding Decorations:

Wedding ceremonies and receptions take place just about anywhere including boats, mansions, marinas, gardens, restaurants, scenic locations, and churches. Each area provides ample opportunities for setting the scene and creating a mood with elegant wedding decorations. First, ask yourselves what style and mood do you both want for your wedding day. Are you casual, sophisticated or romantic? You may decide you want a traditional evening wedding ceremony with lots of candles and wedding flowers, or you may decide on a contemporary setting with silver and white balloons, floating orchids and an ice sculpture. Second, it is important to know your budget. This gives you an idea of how many decorations you can reasonably incorporate into your wedding. Remember that careful planning is necessary to avoid costly mistakes. If budget is an issue, choose only two or three wedding decorations or decorating ideas that really add visual impact. Third, take several photographs of the site to reference as you read through the above ideas. Try to imagine where you could use each idea. It will become clear which decorations will be successful and which ones are unsuitable for your particular setting.

Consider these items when choosing and creating your wedding decorations:

• Color Scheme
• Available Space
• No. of Guests
• Mood/Theme
• Time of Year
• Time of Day
• Location/Setting
• Family Traditions
• Budget

Consider decorations for these areas:

• Altar/Pews
• Flowers
• Gift/Cake Table
• Favors
• Bathrooms
• Guestbook/Pen
• Food/Cake
• Tables
• Guestbook
• Getaway Car
• Chair Backs
• Walls/Doors
• Banisters
• Accessories
• Ceilings/Floors

Keep in mind that locations that are already very festive or decorative may require less, or even no wedding decorations at all! To save money, have friends or relatives transport your ceremony decorations such as flowers, pew bows, or candelabras to your reception site.

With a little imagination, you'll be amazed at how easy and affordable it is to create a unique day that you and your guests will remember for a lifetime.