Planning the Perfect Wedding: Ceremony Flowers

 So you've completed the major task of choosing a ceremony site, now what?  Well, now you get to think about flowers for the ceremony! Flowers are an essential part of the decor for the aisle and altar, and can help transform any ceremony site into your own personal vision.

The choice, of course, is personal, but many weddings feature a very simple aisle, with one or two flower arrangements at the opening or even a light sprinkle of rose petals running the length. Others feature ribbons, simple swags of ivy, or wreathes on pew ends. To keep costs down, remember that the bridal couple is the centerpiece--several floral accents may be unnecessary.

The altar, or bimah in a synagogue, is usually the focus during most of the ceremony. Wedding Ceremony Flower Arrangements should be large enough for all to see, but, again, they can also be simple. Depending on the particular tradition, flowers may decorate the unity candle or Bible. If the wedding is Jewish, flowers are often used to decorate the traditional chuppah canopy.

If you're tying the knot in an unconventional setting, flowers are often used to decorate arches or trellises on a beach or patio. Again, these should be large enough to be seen, but can also be kept simple.

Wedding Ceremony Flowers are a great way to personalize the ceremony site! In fact, the same flowers can often can be used at the reception site after the ceremony.

Planning the Perfect Wedding: Floral Consultation

Congratulations, he popped the question and you said yes! So now what? As for the wedding flowers, the first step is to arrange an appointment with Bergeron's for a complimentary wedding consultation. This is best done at least six months prior to the wedding date.

During this first meeting, we like to get to know you and your ideas for your perfect wedding day. To get the most out of your wedding consultation, be sure to bring along any ideas, notes, magazine clippings and photos you may have. We also recommend your bring fabric swatches and pictures of the bridal gown and attendant dresses. If you have any important keepsakes or memories you would like included in your bouquet, such as your grandmother's brooch or special handkerchief, bring those along as well.

This consultation provides you and your florist with one-on-one time so you can both get an idea of your wants and needs and theme of your wedding. We will also go over details such as style, color, size and shape of your bouquet, number of corsages and boutonnieres you will need, and the style of each. Ceremony details will include how do you want your nuptials area framed? Do you want decor for the seating? If so, how many rows does the site have? Does the venue you've chosen have items for use on your day, i.e. candelabras or pedestals? What about how the reception is set-up? How many tables are you going to have? Are you and your fiance going to sit at a sweetheart table or have a head table with all of your attendants seated with you? Each wedding is different, so why not have your style captured?

We have many books here at Bergeron's for you to peruse. In fact, feel free to stop by and check out our library any time. Just give us a call at 703-455-0220 -  you are welcome any time the consultation room is not in use!

We look forward to getting a clear vision of your perfect wedding and making your ideas a reality!

Don't Bust Your Budget: Wedding Flowers Calculator

Planning your big day? The last thing you want to do is bust your budget. Wedding budgets are about as diverse as the people who are making them – from the simplistic to the extremely extravagant.

Looking for a simple way to find flowers that fit into your budget? Check out our Wedding Flowers Calculator - an easy tool to determine which flowers fit into your budget.

Our Wedding Flowers Calculator allows you to get an idea of how much you’ll be spending on flowers for your wedding, before you even come into the shop. The spreadsheet will automatically calculate total costs according to the quantity you estimate for each item. The spreadsheet includes categories for economy flowers, most popular flowers and more expensive flowers.

Many of you ask, "Which flowers fit into each category"?  Well, that can depend. If you were concentrating chrysanthemums, dianthus (carnations), alstroemeria (Peruvian lily), or asters~these would more or less be considered in the lower price point. So, if at any point you mix these flowers with some of the more expensive flowers, then you would be lowering the cost of your flowers. Roses, freesia, gerbera, tulips, etc. are considered among the medium price point. And, just to name a few of the higher price point flowers~we have orchids, calla lilies, peonies, and hydrangea to round out the list. Although, there are hundreds of flowers to choose from, this will give you just a snippet of what each category includes.

Keep in mind that while the Wedding Flowers Calculator is a useful tool for estimating and calculating a floral budget, it doesn’t take the place of an in-depth consultation with our knowledgeable bridal designers. It is, however, a good place to start when determining cost options.

Weddings: Kaja & Dan get married at the House of Sweden

Who: Kaja and Dan

What: Modern, sleek, and elegant ceremony and reception. So fabulously "DC"!
When: September 13, 2009
Where: House of Sweden, Washington DC

What I loved: The venue and how we could create something with Kaja to embellish the House of Sweden. Ever decorated an all black room?








The infamous "black" room. Main Event Caterers came up with the set-up to create ambiance.












The entrance to the House of Sweden was graced with a bamboo vase filled with curly willow and orchid blooms. It was over 5 feet high, very impressive!












Carrying through the curly willow branches, we filled vases with them and added chic flats of wheat grass and brightly colored blooms. Very organic!













Kaja's bridal party flowers included fragrance, an often forgotten element. We worked with fresh rosemary, roses, stephanotis, and orchids.

To top it off her bouquet~curly willow, swirling into her bouquet along with feathers. The junior bridesmaids carried a European "teardrop" design-a break from the nosegay tradition. I love it!

Kaja made the process a thoroughly enjoyable one. Many happy regards to the couple in their new digs in NY.


Photos courtesy of Stephen Bobb, Love Life Images

Handle With Care

So many details go into planning a wedding. For the bride, it is so easy to become overwhelmed and distracted with the planning, that you forget that the day is actually about you. One easy way to help make your day special is to personalize your bouquet and other flower arrangements. The bridal bouquet can really set the tone of the event, and I find it often truly reflects the personality of the bride.

With my creations, however, the bouquet doesn't stop with the flowers. The bouquet handle can be as unique and expressive as the bouquet itself! A wrapped and adorned handle is a place to express the bride's personality and make an impact.

I like to create a personalized look by adding embellishments to the bouquet & bouquet handle with ribbon or sparkling accents, such as crystals, lace, rhinestones, fruit, feathers... almost anything! For a more natural look, the flowers can also be wrapped with tree bark, banana leaves, or twine.


A bouquet handle can also be adorned with personal, meaningful elements, such as your grandmother's handkerchief, vintage fabric, special photos, a locket or charm, or pieces of jewelry.

The flowers are one of the most important parts of the wedding. They should be a reflection of the bride's personality and unique sense of style.

Brides: DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Trend

Over the course of the past few weeks, we've had many brides coming in to see if they can effectively produce their reception centerpieces themselves, and a few interested in making their own bridal party bouquets.

My initial thought is, "Of course, you can!". But as I think about it there are a few things that pop into my mind that can be warning signs. I thought I would mention some of these items so that brides would have a chance to think about it before jumping in:

1) Your wedding day (and the days preceding it) are extremely stressful. If you have a tendency to get stressed over the "small stuff" then this may not be the best option for you. The beauty of flowers is lessened when making sure everything needs to look it's best for one of the most important days of your life.

2) Realize that all flowers need to be processed and hydrated before working with them! And, some flowers need to have the refrigeration time to "harden" in their perfect state before arranging them.

3) Don't take on too much! Would you make your own wedding cake and decorate it? Taking on 10-20 centerpieces for the reception may be more than you can handle.

4) There are lots of ideas that can be done by you and your wedding party. Make sure that your bridesmaids are willing to help you and that you won't be left alone trying to put this together by yourself at the last minute. Let's face it, not everyone is the creative type, so don't expect all of your bridesmaids to be expert floral designers.

There are other countless questions/comments to bring up, but you have to be prepared.

All that to say that if you decide to venture down the "designing your wedding flowers" road, then try a few ideas from the expert first.

1) Maybe just working on the bridesmaids flowers would be fun. Ask your local florist if they would be open to you and your wedding party coming in and assembling the bouquets yourselves? Or, have a one-on-one demo with your florist to show you how to make the bouquets and then work on them by yourselves if you need to. Please don't expect your florist to do this for free. This is what your florist has been doing to years and their expertise and knowledge are worth something.

2) Keep in mind that if you are going to be doing something yourself, then pick something that is easy to put together, not more than you can handle. I don't suggest trying to learn how-to design 7 cascade bouquets for your bridesmaids, this requires a little bit more skill. But a hand-tied design, maybe with all the same type of flower, might be an easier choice.

3) Take a class on floral arranging to see if this fits your creativity level. This is the best way to see if you can handle this type of work for the days leading up to the wedding. Some brides have realized too late that they loved to work with flowers, but their wedding week was too hectic.

4) How about some creative centerpieces that can be made in advance and have flowers added at the last minute? Tap into your local florist and find out what part you can do and how they can help.

The last point I want to make as a florist, is to not expect to buy your flowers from somewhere else and think that the florist you bring them to can guarantee them and work with them. I've learned this for experience. You might be able to get them cheaper somewhere else, but do you know how those flowers perform? Does the variety of flower you are ordering open nicely? Does that variety hold-up and last in the design you have chosen? Is it in season? If it isn't, then the quality of the flower isn't going to be a great as it would in the height of it's season.

As a professional florist, we do have floral purveyors that we use on a regular basis and trust the quality that comes from them. Florist's process them, clean them, add preservatives, determine the correct water temperature and special handling instructions for every type of flower. That is part of what you are paying for when you come to a professional. Our designs and labor are just a part of the whole process.

We love to help you and guide you in the most important day of your life. Trust us, we are here to help you make decisions that best fit your budget and ideas.