My immediate thought when deciding on what blooms to choose for my bouquets and centerpieces was that I needed to pick something seasonal and within my color palette.  Makes sense, no?  More and more, however, I've seen weddings where set colors have been thrown to the wind and a variety of colors have been incorporated.  So if you are in a position that you haven't latched on to a particular color or two, why not pick your flowers based on the key attributes you feel that your marriage will have?  Check out this list I found that states the meanings of various popular flowers:

• Anemone — forsaken, unfading love, truth, sincerity, anticipation
• Baby's Breath — everlasting love, pure in love
• Camellia (white) — you're adorable
• Clover (four leaf) — good luck, be mine
• Daffodil — regard, respect, unrequited love, you're the only one, the sun is always shining when i'm with you
• Eucalyptus — protection
• Fern (maidenhair) — secret bond of love
• Forget—me—not — true love, memories
• Gardenia — you're lovely, secret love
• Honeysuckle (yellow) — bonds of love
• Lily of the Valley — sweetness, return to happiness, humility, you've made my life complete
• Mimosa — sensitivity
• Mistletoe — kiss me, affection, to surmount difficulties, sacred plant of India
• Orange Blossom — innocence, eternal love, marriage and fruitfulness, wisdom
• Pansy (all colours) — thoughts, love and happiness
• Peony — bashfulness, shame, indignation, happy life, happy marriage
• Rosemary — remembrance, fidelity
• Sage — wisdom, long life, domestic virtue
• Snowdrop — hope
• Violet (blue) — watchfulness, faithfulness, i'll always be true, modesty

Now believe me, this is not a full list of all the flowers that your florist can offer, but if the idea of picking your blooms based on virtues makes your skirt fly up, then go for it!  Do more research or ask your florist what they recommend!

We just moved to a new house in April.  At the time we bought the house, all the trees and landscaping were still dormant with our neverending winter, and only recently did our yard explode with the most amazing plants!  With flowers popping up all over, I am tempted to run through my backyard and pick and trim all my blooming buds off and put them in vases all over my house.  However, I refrain since that would mean I'd be left with a yard of stems and weird regrowth.  But I do go out for longer than necessary amounts of time to stare at my plants.  I wonder what my new neighbors think of me.... :)

While I'll leave the real flowers where they are, I did go through some of my favorite photos and "pick" out some of my most recent favorite finds for bouquets.  Check out these bouquets with their unique color palettes for your viewing pleasure this rainy morning!

Each of these bouquets makes me want to plan a new wedding inspired exclusively by these gorgeous color palettes found in the blooms!  Maybe I should just go buy myself a bouquet to put in a vase on my dining table to put the edge off a little from ransacking my backyard...

It's cold and grey outside my window this morning; a perfect time to sit down with a cup of coffee and the latest Martha Stewart mag.  While the woman has been under lock down in her past, she knows her flowers cold including the ones that you can find during these bitterly cold months leading up until the grass starts to poke out of the ground somewhere in mid to late March.  This month she has an article on the amaryllis, a beautiful and hardy cold weather flower.  The article really inspired me to quit thinking about the browing puddles of slush outside and to daydream about greener times...

For those of us brides who are getting married in the wintery months, you are not up a frozen creek without a paddle.  You have many choices of blooms that are in season with the florists and growers so that your budget won't burst at the seams.  Here is a collage of the flowers you can find this time of year.  Click on the links below each row to be directed to where you can find more info about each beautiful blooms!

Left: Amaryllis, Center: Anemone, Right: Bells of Ireland

Left: Camellia, Center: Casa Blanca Lily, Right: Cosmos

Left: Daffodil, Center: Forget Me Not, Right: Holly

Left: Jasmine, Center: Narcissus, Right: Poinsettia

Left: Ranunculus, Center: Star Gazer Lily, Right: Star of Bethlehem

Left: Sweet Pea, Center: Tulip, Right: Waxflower

Keep in mind that while I share one image per type of flower, most of these flowers come in multiple shades, shapes, and varieties!  The best way to start pinning down your flower choices is to talk to your florist.  When you go, bring some ideas of what you like and what you don't: shapes, colors, sizes, etc.  Also have in mind a general budget for your flowers as some of these blooms come at a higher price than others.  Your florist knows what he or she is doing and can help you put together what you need! 

Oh these pictures make me hang on to hope's shirt-tails that winter won't last forever, and that yes, Virginia, there is a Spring break.  And while I probably won't see anything poking out of the ground today, I may just wisk over to the grocery store to buy a $5 bouquet to tide me over. 

Something about the Fall season always does it for me... I think it has something to do with freshly sharpenend pencils and the smell of pies baking. Being a bride in the Fall holds much water with many who are planning a wedding: You won't sweat in your dress, high-tide wedding season is over, and people generally start to get into the holiday mood and thus get more into your wedding. I think it also has something to do with the rich aray of colors that lend themselves well to the season. Everyday Fall objects can become beautiful wedding elements, and the sky's the limit with what you can do.

While your front yard foliage might be turning a lovely shade of brown right now, there are still plenty of lush Fall flowers to have. Check out FiftyFlower.com for a full selection of Fall friendly blooms that you can purchase directly from them for DIY arrangements or use their site as a handy reference when you go to meet your local florist. Picking flowers that are in season is key for keeping to that pesky budget.

Anyhoo, enough chatter...it's time for some lovely Fall wedding images. I present the following for your consideration...

Well there you have it, folks. It's the beginning of a beautiful season.

Who says you have to have real flowers?  While hunting around for fun ideas for bouquets, I ran across a huge amount of bouquet ideas out there that have little to nothing to do with fresh cut flowers.  Check out these fun ideas...

 Look at this guy filled to the gills with dazzling jewels!  It looks as though each broach may not have been anything spectacular, but together these broaches make quite a statement!

 I think the Little Mermaid would do well to hold this pretty bouquet of shells...or any bride having a seaside wedding...

 Look closely; it's not a feather duster, it's a bouquet!  Even though this bouquet does look a little like a cleaning device, I do think the right bride could pull it off!

 Don't worry about losing a button on your wedding day.  If your dress splits, you can just borrow one from your bouquet!

 Don't let the mixture of creamy whites and lovely textures fool you.  Those aren't real roses; they're made of linen!  Cool! 

So what do you think?  Could you pull off a bouquet made of something totally unexpected?  If we weren't so close to the wedding, I may have let myself fall in love with that linen bouquet...so pretty!