There are many places to look for inspiration for a wedding bouquet and these days there’s no shortage of sources.

For me, one of the places that I love to start with is the wedding dress if it has already been decided.

The style, silhouette, the material, the colour, embellishments…the variations especially at this point in time are true endless.

All these elements of this dress can provide lots of ideas as to waht the bouquet could look like especially if you don’t already have a set idea.

It reminds me (and I’m going to date myself here) of the time when I read a story of how Sophie Rhys-Jones (who married Prince Edward in the early nineties) chose her bridal bouquet.

The florist felt inspired by the slightly flared sleeves of her wedding dress and suggested calla lilies to complement the style of the dress.

So while you don’t have to have the dress to begin the process, if you have chosen it already consider looking to it for your floral inspiration.

It can be confusing, I know.

What are the rules concerning wedding flowers? Are they mandatory? Do I have to give a corsage or a boutonniere to every members of my very large family?

Unless you feel compelled to follow the rules laid out by Emily Post, the truth is that these days there are no rules.

I might get myself in trouble from those who might say that’s not the best way to promote my service, but then again I’ve never considered myself a conventional florist.

The plain and simple truth is that while an experienced wedding florist should be able to offer you the guidelines the fact is that it should revolve around YOU and YOUR BELOVED. That’s it. You decide. What, how many and for what and whom.

There are starter lists for wedding flowers to be found everywhere, bu the finer points will ultimately be determined by you.

When brides start planning the wedding flowers, the question of what to do with the centerpiece usually tops the list after figuring out what the bridal bouquet might be.

The truth is that for a complete look the centerpiece is only one part (albeit very important) of the table.

The “other” elements are in no particular order:

The shape of the table and type of chair

The colour and type of linens, chair covers and napkins

The nature of the place setting

The menu and placecards

The candles

All of these elements thoughtfully chosen together can make the simplest centerpiece stand out.