Making the bouquet, tables and ceremony flowers feel like one thing

The bridal bouquet, buttonholes, table flowers and any ceremony arrangements are often decided as four separate things. That is where the coherence is lost. Here is how we think about the whole.

Coherence does not mean the same thing everywhere

The hardest mistake is repeating the bridal bouquet in miniature on every table. It becomes monotonous, and it makes the bouquet itself less special. Coherence comes from one of three things – rarely all three at once:

• Colour palette. Same colour family, different flowers.

• A few recurring varieties. One flower that reappears everywhere.

• Style. All loose, or all tight – but not a mixture.

Pick one as the carrier and let the rest vary.

The table: low, always

The most important rule in table flowers, and the one most often broken. Guests have to be able to see each other across the table. Anything below eye level – around 25 cm – works. Anything above it blocks conversation, however beautiful it is.

For long tables, either one elongated low arrangement or several small ones with space between them. The small ones have the advantage that they can be moved when the food arrives.

Buttonholes: smaller than you think

A buttonhole has to be worn for hours without falling apart or getting in the way of a hug. We usually use one small focal flower and a single leaf. Taking elements from the bridal bouquet creates the link without repeating it.

The ceremony: one place, not five

If the budget allows one large gesture, put it where everyone is already looking – behind you during the ceremony, or at the entrance. Five small arrangements scattered around go unnoticed. One decisive gesture does not.

The room matters more than the palette

A white gallery, an old church and a garden ask for different things. Dark rooms need pale flowers to be seen at all. Light rooms carry deep colours. If there is already a lot of colour in the venue – rugs, curtains, wallpaper – it is usually wiser to keep the flowers calm.

Practical: delivery on the day

Bridal bouquets are normally delivered in the morning, typically between 09:00 and 10:00. Table flowers ideally go up after the room is set but before guests arrive – that needs coordinating with the venue, and it is worth settling early.

Read next

• See the bouquets: bridal bouquets in Copenhagen

• The full range: wedding flowers

• Timing: when should you order wedding flowers?