by Nicole of mywedding.com

Wedding Bouquet by The Flower Exchange.com

Before choosing the flowers for your wedding, consider the meaning behind them first. Choosing flowers based on their symbolic meaning allows you yet another way to personalize and add more meaning to your ceremony and reception. Just like colors, flowers can set the tone of an event and either add or take away from the overall atmosphere. Choose the flower meaning that is closest to the message you are trying to convey at your wedding. Below you’ll find a list of common wedding flowers and their meanings to help you in your decision making process.

Carnations are one of the most popular flowers in the world. This flower comes in a variety of colors and is typically a symbol of fascination and love. ( view wholesale carnations)

Chrysanthemums are associated with innocence, cheerfulness, truth and love. The name chrysanthemum comes from the Greek word chrysos (meaning gold) and anthos (meaning flower). (view Chrysanthemums)

Ferns are found in many a bouquet—often as a filler to help round out the floral arrangement. However, the fern is a fine choice for any bridal arrangement since it stands for sincerity. (view wholesale floral greenery)

Gardenias are often chosen for their lovely fragrant smell as well as their beauty. These flowers are perfect for a wedding occasion as they stand for joy and happiness.

Gerbera Daisies come in a variety of vibrant, cheerful colors and are a popular choice for wedding flowers today. Traditionally, daisies represent beauty and innocence. (view wholesale gerberas)

Hydrangeas are a favorite for wedding flowers. There is some confusion of their meaning-some say they stand for vanity and boastfulness while other say that this flower represents gratitude. If you love this flower and plan on using it in your wedding-go with gratitude. (view hydrangeas for weddings)

Irises symbolize affection, faith, hope and wisdom and are used for a variety of occasions-including weddings. (view wholesale Irises)

Ivy, like the fern, often accompanies flowers in the bridal bouquet. Symbolically this is a great addition to wedding flowers since ivy stands for eternal fidelity. (view wholesale greenery)

Lilacs are a popular choice for spring weddings as they are one of the first signs of the season. Purple lilacs are said to symbolize you “first love” and white lilacs represent “youthful innocence.”

Lilies come in many varieties, but the most popular are Peruvian, Calla, and Stargazer lilies. Peruvian lilies represent friendship and devotion while Calla Lilies symbolize magnificent beauty. If you’d like to infuse your wedding with a majestic quality, Stargazer Lilies are the flower for you. (view wholesale flowers)

Orchids are a popular tropical flower used in wedding and exhibit an exotic quality. True to their nature these flowers have come to symbolize rare and delicate beauty. (view wholesale orchids)

Roses are by far the most popular flowers used in weddings today and in years past. Roses are the ultimate symbol of love and appreciation. Beyond that, each color rose holds a different meaning:

Red-love

Pink – admiration, appreciation

Yellow – friendship

White – purity, new beginnings, honor

Orange – passion, romance

Lavender – enchantment, love

wholesale roses

Stephanotis is also known as the Hawaiian wedding flower and stands for good luck & happiness in marriage.

Sunflowers bring a light, cheerful mood to any occasion. They have come to represent warmth, adoration as well as a sign of longevity.

Tulips is one of the world’s most cultivated flowers and is right up there with the rose as a favorite flower. Also like the rose, tulips symbolize love and have different specific meanings according to its color:

Red – true love

Purple – royalty

Yellow – cheerfulness

White – forgiveness

Varigated – beauty

by Lisa Nelson of Elegant Event Design

Photography by Whitebox Weddings

I received an email question a few weeks ago that I would like to share with everyone. It was a great question that I think everyone would benefit from. Here is the question:

“Have you encountered brides that needed to reduce their guest list after invitations have been sent out and RSVP’s has been received? If so how do you suggest they handle that? Especially with the current economy status.”

I think everyone knows how bad the economy is – great people are losing their jobs every day. If you, your fiancé, or one of your parents looses their jobs, it’s absolutely devastating on the budget. This also holds true in other situations. In my personal experience, I have seen my couples’ budgets impacted by a variety of crises such as; car and home repair bills.

Unfortunately – it does happen – and in many cases, out of your hands. What you can control is how you handle your new situation, and how to overcome.

So…you lose your job or your car breaks down and now you do not have enough money for the wedding in your budget, but you still want to have a wedding. It’s perfectly okay to trim the guest list, assuming that you have not already sent out Save the Dates. You can trim and add to the guest list all you want. Once you invite someone to your wedding, never rescind an invitation.

What are the solutions? Since the reception site is typically the largest portion, I would start there. Work with the site (or your caterer) to design a menu which will fit into your new budget. This might involve choosing different types of foods (crab cakes are more expensive than salmon), or choosing an alternative food service. Maybe flowers are not as important, and you can change the type of flowers used, or cut down on the number of arrangements (as long as you are making these changes more than 2-3 weeks prior to the wedding). How about a videographer just for the ceremony and not the reception? These are alternatives you really have to consider – start thinking about your priorities.

An important thing to remember before signing contracts is to thoroughly learn the ins and outs of your agreements. Just incase you do get into a budget cut situation, you can easily go back to your contracts and review the policies on making changes and cancellations.