A Guide To Vintage Inspired Wedding Flower Arrangements

Every wedding is unique, special, exciting, and just a little bit stressful. Among all the choices being made about your special day exists a certain current of anxiety- what if I regret it later? Will it look this good in person? These feelings are totally normal. The truth is, your special day will be magical not because of the exact length of your taper candles, but because it is a day to celebrate the love you've found. That said, we've certainly all seen the wedding faux pas photos that get passed around in email forwards like urban legends. Since we can assume you're skipping the at-home perm and bridesmaids dresses with teal ruffles and cinches, we can get down to business- keeping it classy.

Vintage-inspired wedding flowers are a growing trend because they represent a return to a classical style of entertainment and an increased interest in younger generations of recapturing certain lost social graces and gentility. For brides 30 and older, who make up a large percentage of those getting married, these hallmarks of vintage class are often throwbacks to the ceremonies they grew up with, the classic bouquet of white daisies in a Mason jar adorned with a yellow ribbon sitting on grandma's table. That little bouquet straight from the garden evoked a sense of happiness, joy and warmth; something in the energy of the flowers spoke to the fact that she'd tended them by hand, lovingly cut them and tied the bow just right. Vintage tends to evoke the idea of precision, beauty and delicacy met with skill, and has a huge amount of evocative potential in modern weddings. Some of the most continually popular floral arrangements at weddings are classic designs that have been used for many years, some of which include:

• Dark red long stemmed roses bundled with white ribbon
• Glass jars filled with wildflowers and country flowers
• Tea roses with baby's breath
• Pristine white daisies interspersed with dark red roses

There are many possible ways to display vintage-inspired wedding flowers. If they have long stems, tall vases or podiums are ideal to demonstrate the true majesty of the blooms in their natural form. Daisies and roses together can be cut short and placed in a small, square vessel or can be bundled and wrapped with ribbon for a glamorous vintage look or placed in a mason jar or old glass container for a classic country look. Of these, perhaps the easiest to do on your own is the small, square daisy and rose arrangement. To do this, you will need:

• 8 red roses, short stemmed are the most economical choice
• 8 white daisies with perfect blooms
• A roll of cellophane tape
• A small, square glass dish about 6" by 6" and 4" deep

This setup is extremely simple. Fill the dish of water about two thirds of the way full. Create a grid across the top of the container using the clear tape, with three strips going horizontally and three going vertically. This will create a grid with 16 holes. Do not extend the tape down to the side of the vase, simply end it at the lip of the vase so that it will not be visible. Cut your flower stems to the appropriate length on an angle using a sharp pair of pruning shears, and arrange by alternating flower placement inside the grid- known to florists as a 'frog'. One of the best things about vintage-inspired wedding flowers is that they are generally quite simple, using their simplicity, color and minimalist class to create an energy of calm sophistication. One of the best ways to truly customize your vintage floral experience is to pick a color or colors that will help create the energy you would like to experience on your special day. Purple flowers represent and often evoke feelings of royalty, plushness and comfort. Yellow flowers are bright, cheerful, innocent, lighthearted and fun. White flowers reflect purity, virginity, piety and sincerity. Pink flowers are evocative of new love, innocence, sensuality and femininity. For those looking for something classical yet unusual, black orchids and other similarly dark-toned flowers evoke a sense of hedonism and mischievousness. Once you've chosen your perfect vintage-inspired wedding flowers, from the cut to the color to the flowers themselves, you can figure out how to give them amazing classic accents that will make your wedding truly unique. Here are some great ideas:

• Check out a local antique and vintage store for vintage handkerchiefs, table linens, hand towels and other textiles. They can make unique and fun chair and table decorations.
• Vintage teacups make precious dishes for Jordan almonds, butter mints or any other little table treat
• Local flea markets often have old glassware from across the ages on sale for dirt cheap, as long as you clean it yourself. A good baking soda scrub will leave the glass good as new!

Do you want a classic wedding? What are your favorite vintage-inspired wedding flowers?