It doesn’t take a fashion expert to know there are so many different shades of every color out there, that it’s difficult to match colors perfectly without clashing.  All you have to do is go shopping for a top to match that beautiful navy blue skirt you just bought to know what I’m talking about.

With all the wedding accessories you want to match, such as: napkins, flowers, bridesmaid dresses, cake decorations, wedding favors, etc., it can be difficult to find even similar shades of the same color.  When planning my daughters weddings, I found that purchasing a spool of ribbon, or 1/4 yard of fabric of the colors they chose, came in very helpful.  I would cut a small swatch of the fabric and take it with me wherever we went shopping.  I left samples of the colors with the bakery, florist and stationers in order to insure a color match.

You may even be able to visit the paint section of any department store and find paint sample cards with your color on it.  The cards are free and you can take several to hand out to your wedding vendors.

HELPFUL HINT:  When shopping for personalized napkins, be sure to ask how old their display is and if any of the colors have faded.  We made the mistake of matching the display napkins, which were the perfect shade of red, only to have them arrive a purplish shade.  Most vendors will replace such mistakes free of charge, but time may also be an issue if the wedding date is fast approaching.  Asking a few questions may help to prevent this problem altogether. 

Garden weddings can be beautiful, but many brides don’t want to take a chance on planning an outdoor wedding, only to have the weather throw them a curve.  If having a natural garden-type setting for your wedding ceremony and/or reception is appealing, you may want to consider moving the garden inside. 

Instead of decorating with cut and arranged flowers, use small potted plants for your table centerpieces and larger indoor potted plants for random room decorations.  Consider purchasing small trees with their rootball intact and later planting them in the yard of your new home.  You can really create a special garden scene with several topiary pieces.  These shaped, ornamental plants can add such an elegant look to your special day.

Decorating with plants and trees that are potted can be a little on the pricey side, however, if you consider that they can also be used in the landscaping of your yard, the cost is not quite so prohibitive. 

Choosing a color theme for your wedding can be a lot of fun.  Whether you want to work around one main color or a combination of two or more colors, you should keep several things in mind. 

 The first thing you’ll want to consider is the popularity of your color or colors.  Teal and rose look beautiful together, but it’s not as popular today as it was about 10 years ago.  You want to be able to find bridesmaid dresses, as well as other accessories in the colors you pick.  Check out the available colors for items such as napkins, flowers, candles, wedding favors, cake toppers, and invitations to name a few. 

You’ll want to take into consideration how colors will look on your bridesmaids.  You will, no doubt, be dressed in either white or ivory, however, the bridesmaids will want to look their best that day as well.  Colors like yellow or orange can tend to wash out lighter complexions, whereas blue or green may compliment certain color eyes. 

If you want two or more colors for your wedding, consider varying shades of the same color.  Brown can be a very elegant look for a wedding, especially when it is combined with a coffee bean or lighter mocha.  Totally different colors can work too, however stay away from opposite ends of the color wheel such as purple and yellow. green and red, and blue and orange.  Instead, choose color shades that are next to each other on the color wheel.

If you have chosen to try to cut your wedding costs by creating some of your floral arrangements out of silk flowers yourself, congratulations!  Floral arranging is a lot of fun and you will be absolutely amazed at how much money you actually save. 

The best way to start is to look for a floral arrangement book.  These can be found in the wedding section of most craft stores.  You may need to purchase several books in order to find all the arrangements in the style you like.  First, look for a book that has a style of bridal bouquet that you like.  Remember you can substitute different types and colors of flowers to create your own unique bouquet; right now you’re just looking for a style you like.  These books will list all the materials you will need to make each arrangement and step-by-step directions.

You may want to start out small, making boutonnieres and corsages first.  These are very easy to make and take very little time.  If it all seems a little overwhelming to you, try creating a long stem floral arrangement for the bridesmaids instead of bouquets.  This is done by simply arranging 3 - 5 long stem flowers and tying them together with ribbon.

There are lots of benefits to using silk flowers for your wedding arrangements other than just the money you’ll save.  You never have to wait until a flower is in season or worry about working around holidays when florists may be out of a certain flower you want.  Silk flowers can be found in many more color shades to fit into your wedding color scheme, and best of all, they last forever.  So you can keep your wedding party table arrangment to use in the dining room of your new home. 

I remember, as a little girl, dressing up as a bride and walking slowly down an imaginary aisle to an imaginary wedding march with my beautiful bridal bouquet.  Of course, back then it was usually made up of dandelions or lavender from the backyard, but it was beautiful none the less.   When it came time to order my bouquet for my real life wedding, it had to be perfect.

The bridal bouquet is still a large part of the bride’s wedding attire and a lot of thought goes into its design.  All florists have pictures of their standard designs, but most are willing to do custom bouquets as well.  When ordering your bouquet, have in mind a basic style, size and color scheme.  Keep in mind that a large bouquet may be difficult to take care of during the reception.  If you are tradition-minded, you may want to research the meanings behind different types and colors of flowers. 

If you will be throwing your bouquet at your reception, remember that the person that catches it is allowed to keep it.  I had the florist make a small bridal corsage and place it in the middle of my bouquet.  Before I threw my bouquet, I removed the corsage and was able to not only have flowers to wear on my honeymoon, but I was able to press some of the petals as a favorite wedding keepsake.

For budget-minded brides you may want to consider hand-making your bouquet out of silk flowers.  You can more accurately match the flower color with your wedding colors.  Plus you will be amazed how much money this can save you.  I helped both of my daughters make all of their floral arrangements and bouquets and the savings was in the hundreds of dollars.  Best of all, we were able to keep our flowers and use them to decorate with.  The corsage I wore and the boutonniere my husband wore to our daughter’s wedding is now part of a wall arrangement with several of their wedding pictures.  It’s really not that hard and we had a wonderful time ‘making memories’ as we made the bouquets.

Flowers play an important role in every wedding celebration.  From bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages to floral arrangements for the church, pews and reception tables, flowers are a decorating essential.  We all have our favorite flowers and colors, but in case you’re wondering what some of the more popular wedding flowers and their meanings are, here’s a short list:

Baby’s Breath ~ everlasting love
Calla Lily ~ magnificent beauty; elegance
Daisy ~ innocence; faith; simplicity
Gardenia ~ lovely; secret love
Ivy ~ love; fidelity; marriage
Lavender ~ devotion; loyalty
Lilac (purple) ~ first emotions of love
Lilac (white) ~ youthful innocence; purity; sweetness
Lily of the Valley ~ sweetness; humility
Orange Blossom ~ innocence; eternal love; wisdom
Orchids ~ love; magnificence; rare beauty                          
Rose (red) ~ love
Rose (orange) ~ desire
Rose (pink) ~ perfect happiness; simplicity; grace
Rose (white) ~ innocence; purity
Rose (yellow) ~ jealousy                                                                              
Stephanotis ~ happiness in marriage
Tulip (red) ~ declaration of love
Tulip (yellow) ~ hopeless love
Wisteria ~ I cling to you

The tradition of the bridal bouquet probably gets its roots from Ancient Greece and Rome.  It was common then to decorate their athletic champions with laurels of flowers and greenery.  These same type of garlands would be worn by the bride and groom in their marriage ceremonies to symbolize fertility.   Later, in addition to wearing flowers in the bride’s hair, she would also carry a bouquet of different plants, usually herbs.  This was thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.

The Victorians were the ones to give different meanings to different flowers and different flower colors, ranging from hatred and unrequited love to innocence and purity.  Bride’s then had to put more thought into the flowers they carried on their wedding day.  Today, as always, roses and calla lilies are a safe bridal favorite.

Tossing the bouquet is another bridal tradition we all enjoy.  The bride gathers all the unmarried women in attendance and throws the bouquet backwards over her head.  The woman that catches it is said to be the next to be married.