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Possibilities are ‘endless’ with wedding flowers

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By Kim Margolis, Staff Writer Updated 4:17 PM Thursday, December 31, 2009

The flowers used at a wedding are one of the most flexible parts of the day.

Flowers can range from simple blooms tied in a ribbon to elaborate decorations cascading down a staircase in a grand hall.

Mark Brueninghaus, owner of The Flower Shoppe in Dayton, has done the flowers for weddings ranging from a few hundred dollars up to $20,000.

“The possibilities are endless with doing flowers,” he said. “You can do something simple to something extravagant.”

Many floral wedding trends are dictated by season. In winter, there are the white flowers. In spring, there are, of course, pastels, but hot colors are popular, too. In the summertime, almost anything goes.

Fall might have more flexibility than people realize. A lot of the clothing and other features are from brown tones, so any flower color works well.

“It’s not necessarily orange and yellow anymore,” Brueninghaus said.

When planning the wedding flowers, Brueninghaus suggests brides plan on spending 30-60 minutes with the floral arranger, letting him know the theme of the wedding, who is attending, the color scheme and the wedding’s budget.

“A lot of times they don’t have a clue, at least half of the people we get haven’t purchased flowers before,” he said.

So it’s his job to help them know what they want. No bride should be shy about admitting her tastes or speaking up about something she sees in his shop.

There are things for wedding guests to consider when it comes to flowers as well, said Linda M. Weprin, president Midwest School of Etiquette in Dayton.

Corsages are only worn if they are given by the bride and groom.

Guest can wear flowers in their hair, but only if they are very small and only if the bridal party is not doing the same.

Find flowers that suit your wedding style

Off-beat: Find a single item you adore and plan the flowers around it. One bride saw a peacock feather in Brueninghaus’ store and planned her flowers around a peacock theme.

Princess: This floral arrangement is about the ‘bling.’ Among the peonies and garden roses (which are bigger than the usual rose), there could be crystals or pearls. There even could be rhinestones glued onto the plants.

Trendy: The trendy bride uses the trendy flowers and the trendy colors of the year. Lime green flowers are hot, as are hot pink and hot oranges.

Simple: A bride getting married in a simple outdoor setting could have a bouquet of flowers tied together by a ribbon and other similar, simple vase arrangements on tables.

Elegant: Of course the elegant bride would be drawn to roses. But calla lilies, gardenias and stephanosas also would create a classy effect. Hydrangeas and gerbera daisies are a good choice, too.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2216 or kmargolis@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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