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Expert Tips on How to Select Your Wedding Flowers

From how to select your wedding flowers and get the most bang for your buck to what bloom trends to look for, we have you covered for all things floral! Whitney Virden, founder of Roots + Blooms Floral Design, is here to share her expert tips including how to repurpose your flowers. Keep scrolling for all the awesome details!

Expert Tips on How to Select Your Wedding Flowers

Photo //  Tammy Odell Photography

What floral trends are you loving?

I love dried florals right now. They bring in such a fun shape and textured element. Most of the brides I have met with so far are loving pampas grass, which I like too! Pampas brings a boho wild child vibe, and I am here for that.

Where are the best resources for couples looking for floral inspo?

Brides of Oklahoma magazine is a great place to start. Mark the pages of styles that stick out to you and circle flowers that catch your eye. When you meet with your florist, she/he can help you identify your style and the flowers you like. You can later Google those in arrangements or type them in Pinterest to get further ideas.

Any advice for couples selecting their blooms?

Yes, when looking for inspiration or browsing through the magazine when something catches your eye, be sure to ask yourself the questions to identify what it is about the arrangement that has caught your eye.  Is it the shape you like that caught your eye? Is it the color scheme that caught your eye? Is there a particular bloom in the arrangement that stands out to you? Asking these questions can help you better understand your style and what you like. When you meet with your florist, you can show her your pictures and tell her exactly what you like about each arrangement. Doing this will make selecting your blooms much easier!

How can a bride get the most bang for her buck with florals?

A bride can get the most bang for her buck with florals when she hires an experienced florist who will take the time to understand her needs. I know this sounds cliche, but it is so true. An experienced florist will be able to help you select products that will fit within your budget and remains loyal to your overall vision.  Sometimes substituting a high-end flower like a peony with a garden rose during certain times of the season can significantly lower your cost.

Sometimes going with a more monochromatic color scheme or choosing florals in the same color can make a significant impact on a smaller budget. As an experienced florist, I will take the time to understand what is most important to my brides for their big day and come up with some creative ways to stretch their dollars if necessary. 

For some of my bride’s, flowers are the main highlight of their wedding, so on items that may get photographed more like an arch or bridal bouquet, we focus on using the best product for those. Other brides have expressed that the flowers being unique to their taste and look and feel for their wedding is more important. So we do what we can to make sure that happens. Some brides have told me that they want the bare minimum that fits their budget, and I accommodate to their needs as well.

To get the bang for your buck, I recommend hiring an experienced florist that takes the time to understand your needs and be open-minded to their suggestions.

Where are your favorite places to include florals in the wedding decor?

As a florist, this is the hardest question! My love for flowers runs deep, and if it were up to me, I would cover walls in florals, lol. However, my favorite places to include florals in the wedding decor are on ceremony installations and centerpieces for the reception tables.

Where are the best/easiest places for brides to repurpose their flowers?

The best and easiest places for brides to repurpose flowers are from ceremony locations to reception locations. I have had brides use altar arrangements on head tables later. Or use their bridesmaid bouquets as centerpieces. Anything put out at the ceremony location that is mobile can be reused in the reception area. I have also known brides that have reused rehearsal dinner florals at their reception.

What has been a favorite floral design you’ve created?

My favorite designs are the ones that challenge me or push me outside my comfort zone. I say designs with an S because I just had two that did just that. The first one, the bride wanted lilies painted turquoise. The second bride, the two most important products she wished to incorporate were lotus pods and calla lilies. If you did a quick search for either online, you would not find many examples. Therefore these designs had to be constructed from pure creativity. Both those brides told me endlessly how much they love what I created, that the bouquets fit them, and were precisely what they wanted. As a florist, there is nothing that makes me happier than brides who love what I have created for them! Therefore those two stand out the most in my mind and are among my favorites! 

 

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A special thank you to Roots + Blooms Floral Design founder, Whitney Virden for sharing her expert floral insights with us! To have her do floral design for your wedding or event, you can reach her directly through her Brides of Oklahoma vendor profile.

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Other Local Vendors: Roots + Blooms, Le Petit Salon, Normans Bridal