Nothing adds a romantic finishing touch to your wedding design quite like florals. From delicate hydrangeas to lush roses, flowers can help convey your unique personality and the atmosphere you want to create for your big day. But when faced with thousands of choices and combinations, coming up with wedding flower ideas can be tricky!

So, we’ve put together some tips and trends to give you inspiration, along with some advice from our resident floral experts here at the Rocky Mountain Wedding Collective.

1. Do Your Homework

A well-chosen florist will be able to guide you in your decisions about your bouquet and overall floral design. But it’s best to do your homework and know some of the basics before you get started.

Create idea boards and try to categorize by colors and flower types. Having that type of visual to show your florist will help you jumpstart the decision-making process when the time comes. Your florist will have a better idea of what you don’t like and be able to come with suggestions that are to your taste.

Florals by Flowers by Janie | Wedding Planning and Design by Moments by Madeleine | Calgary Venue Flores and Pines | Decor Rentals Modern Luxe Rentals | Bridal Gown Blush and Raven Calgary | Hair by MSlay Wedding | Makeup by Mariam Akbar | Suit by Supreme Menswear

2. Check Out the Latest Trends

Like all things wedding related, wedding flower ideas change with the times. You’ll find through your own research that certain flowers, color schemes, and other design elements come up all the time as they are currently on trend.

“There are basic fundamentals of design that will never change like color theory, balance, the use of negative space… But things like popular bouquet shapes and specific flower varieties change all the time. Bleached greenery is really trendy right now!”

– Fawna Sidoryk, Alpine Blooms

When in doubt, check out some of the latest celebrity weddings, especially if you’re generally a fan of a particular celebrity’s style.

“Trends can change a lot depending on the latest celebrity wedding. They are usually cyclical, so some 70s and 80s floral styles are currently coming back with more baby’s breath and dried flowers.”

– Janelle Gerestein, Flowers by Janie

3. Think About Your Color Scheme

Lots of flowers are available in different colors, but some are not. Either way, it’s important to keep your overall color scheme in mind when choosing your flowers. If you have chosen very bold colors as part of your color scheme, you may want to go for lots of white and pastels in your floral design so the combination isn’t overwhelming.

Wedding Florals by Alpine Blooms | Hair and makeup Lilies and Lace Beauty Co.

4. Choose Seasonal Flowers

On the same note, embrace the season of your wedding when it comes to wedding flower ideas. If you’re having a fall wedding, embrace rich, warm colours. A winter wedding is great for rich red roses, especially with a blanket of snow on the ground as your backdrop.

A lot of those choices might also be out of your hands. Janelle advises that certain flowers will simply be unavailable depending on the season, and even if you can source off-season flowers, be prepared to pay for them:

“Peonies are a spring flower and more plentiful between May and June. They can be available in April and until mid-July, but at higher prices. They can be sourced from New Zealand in December and January but the price is much higher as they need to travel so far. Flowers also tend to look best in season and grown locally.”

Wedding Florals Flowers by Janie | Wedding Arch by J.M. Wilkinson Rentals

5. How Do Your Wedding Flower Ideas Fit Your Venue?

It’s also important to think about the setting for your flowers. If you have already chosen your venue, bring some photos along to your florist. You’ll want to make sure your florals complement the venue decor and are suitable for the setting rather than looking out of place.

Wedding Florals by Alpine Blooms | Banff Makeup and Hair by Beautymark Makeovers | Banff Wedding Planner Signature Events by Ashley | Wedding Gown by Blush and Raven

6. Choose Your Florist Carefully

One of the most important decisions you can make is choosing your florist. This is especially true if you need a lot of guidance and help with your wedding flower ideas.

Fawna from Alpine Blooms suggests that you find a florist whose existing aesthetic catches your eye:

“Take a deep dive into your florists’ portfolio. Do you like what you see? Do you see things similar to that Pinterest photo you’re so in love with? Floral Design is an art and each artist has their own unique style. It’s important to pick an artist whose style and tastes match yours.”

By choosing a florist who has already created designs that you would love to have for your wedding day, half the work is already done! 

Wedding Florist Flowers by Janie | Wedding Planning by Moments by Madeleine | Dress by Essence of Australia

7. Have Realistic Budget Expectations

When it comes to paying for your wedding florals, you’re paying based on the:

• Depth of experience and artistic flair of your florist
• Type of flowers you have chosen (some flowers are more expensive than other)
• Volume of flowers and size of your bouquets and other designs
• Complexity of the design

Janelle from Flowers by Janie recommends setting aside a specific portion of your overall wedding budget upfront:

“General advice is to budget somewhere around 10-15% of your overall wedding budget for your flowers. If you’re looking for high-end and lush designs, you should allocate around 20-25%.”

Like most elements of your big day, how much you spend is totally up to you. But if flowers are important to you and the overall design of your wedding, be prepared to pay for good quality and impeccable execution.

Janelle also recommends getting in early with your order:

“Try to order your wedding flowers between 7-12 months prior to the wedding day to ensure availability as we have a limited number of weddings and events that can be covered in one weekend.”

Whichever direction your wedding flower ideas take you, be sure to choose flowers that complement your other choices and are the perfect finishing touch! If you’re like to get in touch with our floral experts:

Contact Flowers by Janie
Contact Alpine Blooms

All photo by Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise photographer Rocky Mountain Photo Co.

Feature Photo:
Wedding Florals by Alpine Blooms | Banff Makeup and Hair by Beautymark Makeovers | Banff Wedding Planner Signature Events by Ashley | Wedding Gown by Blush and Raven