Decorating your wedding venue with flowers will more than likely consume a large portion of your wedding budget and we’ve seen anything and everything when it comes to floral décor.

From small but sweet arrangements to lavish and luxurious styles, it’s important that you choose a floral theme that works for you. We chatted to Charlotte Wood, bespoke floral designer, and owner of Wild Wood London, who shared her tips on planning your wedding flowers, with us.

“I tend to ask a bride to gather images of the flowers that they envisage for their big day as I want the flowers to represent the couple”, say’s Charlotte. “From this starting point, I like to build a visual mood board combining images of the venue, the dress, fabric from the dress, bridesmaid’s dresses, and wedding ring as they are all key factors when designing wedding flowers.”

“I like to work with seasonal flowers and buy directly from trusted wholesalers at New Covent Garden Market. Brides can sometimes ask for flowers that aren’t in season but I always advise against that because the flowers won’t last and can be very temperamental. I always ask if there is a particular flower or flowers that have a special meaning to the couple or if the bride has a particular favourite. One of the last weddings I worked on, the groom requested a small amount of Jasmine in the bridal bouquet as it had special meaning to the bride and she was really taken aback by his thoughtfulness. It is the little touches that make the big difference.”

“In the summer there is more variety in terms of wedding flowers: Hydrangeas, peonies, sweet peas, and lily of the valley but roses are available all year round. It is my favourite time of year for flowers. In terms of flower choices, a bride has to make it depending on what style she would like to have at her wedding – be it elegant and classic, wild and romantic, or over-the-top opulence. I love to gather all manner of briefs. Also, the ceremony venue and reception venue need to be considered when choosing the flowers as you want to complement the venue rather than work against it. I always view every space as this helps when suggesting venue designs.”

“Most brides tend to have a bridal bouquet, bridesmaid’s bouquet, and buttonholes but I also think floral crowns for flower girls or bridesmaids is a beautiful trend. Colour is an important factor when choosing flowers and also for setting a mood. I like to echo the flowers in the bridal party designs with the rest of the venue decor and centrepieces but not make it too matchy-matchy. For bridal bouquets I love to mix different aromas; one of my favourite designs featured sweet peas, lily of the valley, and norma jean white roses – it smelled heavenly!”

5 unique ideas on how to add flowers to your wedding day in more ways than just the bouquet.

1. Floral crowns for bridesmaids
2. Large urns filled with wonderful floral arrangements to decorate the top of the aisle
3. Succulents as wedding favours
4. Unique, extravagant buttonholes for the groom and his party
5. Flower walls; the ultimate backdrop for your wedding photography

“I absolutely adore decorating venues especially staircases. I created a winter staircase for a wedding last year using a range of seasonal foliages.”

“Statement urns are another personal favourite to make a grand entrance for guests at the reception venue, or to have at the front of the ceremony. Flower walls are another big trend and can certainly give the wow factor. For centerpieces, tall candelabras decorated with flowers can really make an impact in period properties and I’ve used a selection of varying height cut glass bottles on a mirrored discs for a different look to the traditional low centrepiece design. Mantelpieces are another area to looks great dressed.”