Your Wedding Flower Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Ordering Wedding Flowers with Wild North

Planning your wedding is an exciting time full of possibilities and, let’s face it, a lot of decisions. There are so many details to consider: the dress, the venue, the caterers’ menu… and, of course, the wedding flowers. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the elements that come with tying the knot, you’re not alone. Statistics have shown that up to 40% of couples find planning their wedding stressful.

At Wild North Flowers, we believe that you should be able to select beautiful wedding flower arrangements for your celebration without much fuss. That’s why we decided to create our unique A La Carte model for ordering wedding flowers in Toronto and the GTA. From your jaw-dropping bridal bouquet and boutonnieres to flawlessly paired bud vases and centrepieces for your reception, we offer on-demand designs expertly made in our signature, modern garden-style aesthetic.

Whether you’re ready to cross wedding flowers off your list and add-to-cart today, or just getting started with your search for inspirational wedding flowers, we’ve compiled this comprehensive guide to help make your wedding planning process as joyful as it was meant to be.

Some couples dream of a winter wonderland, while others opt to wait it out for balmy summer weddings.

Whatever time of year you decide to get married, all florists will advise you that some flower varieties are limited by seasonal availability. Early Spring is the perfect time for tulips, hellebores, and fritillaria to bloom. May and June are busy wedding months with the coveted garden roses, peonies, and delicate bleeding hearts. Meanwhile, fall wedding flowers will allow you zinnias, cosmos and dahlias aplenty.

At Wild North Flowers, we source from local flower growers as much as possible, and use primarily in-season flowers in our designs according to year-round availability. We do this to ensure you get the most cost-effective, healthy and beautiful blooms for your wedding flowers. And while some varieties (like the ever-popular ranunculus) are available year-round, other fleeting flowers—like cherry blossoms and other flowering branches—will only bloom for a few weeks every year.

Our artful take on contemporary garden-style flowers will always incorporate multiple floral varieties in your bouquets or centrepieces, no matter the time of year or colour palette. We typically include at least 8 different varieties of flowers in every arrangement, often more! But if you were hoping to use your favourite flowers or had your heart set on a select bloom for your wedding flowers, it’s best to research when certain flowers will be available and plan accordingly.

The wedding venue is usually one of the first things to get crossed off the wedding planning checklist. Where you choose to proclaim your love in front of family and friends will set the tone for the rest of your celebration.

For example, an estate in the GTA might give your nuptials a timeless and old-worldly feeling, whereas a downtown restaurant will be intimate and modish. Farms lend themselves to pastoral settings just as much as industrial venues lend themselves to a laid-back elegance. And hotel banquet halls create sophisticated atmospheres for black-tie affairs.

Any innate quality that the space in which your wedding will take place possesses can be an aesthetic anchor for the rest of the elements you need to plan. Our biggest suggestion is don't try and fight the space. If you want a maximalist look, don't book a minimalist venue and then spend tons of time and money trying to make it look full and lush. If you want gold as your accent colour, don't book a venue that has obvious silver finishings.

How do you incorporate wedding flowers that complement your wedding venue? Consider the interior design, the natural features, and the predominant colour schemes throughout the setting. You’ll want to choose wedding colours that your professional floral designer can use to enhance these attributes rather than compete with them. Don't have a strong preference when it comes to colour palette? Let the professionals help! Florists LOVE having the choice to design using the very best and most interesting blooms available the week of your wedding.

Our A La Carte package offers a variety of pre-selected palettes to choose from, such as bold and saturated, soft and romantic, or classically meuted-neutrals. We also offer a wide range of vessels, from footed compotes and chic ceramics to airy and minimal glassware, all of which would make for beautiful table centerpieces. Feeling overwhelmed? Once you decide which direction your wedding venue is leading you, these choices will come about organically.

Another factor that wedding venues dictate is the guest list capacity. Most venues will have a firm limit on the number of guests they can accommodate. Once the RSVP’s are tallied and the chair arrangements for the reception are finalized, you’ll know how many tables you’ll have, which will correspond with how many centrepieces your florist will need to make. Overall, a total headcount will give you a better idea of not only the flower budget but also the wedding budget on the whole. In all the excitement to share your special day with loved ones, it can be easy to forget that more guests equal more flowers and more money.

Ordering one centrepiece per round table of 8-10 guests is an industry standard for any event flowers, not just for weddings! But there are always new and innovative ways to add décor to your seating plan. For example, clusters of bud vases combined with various-sized flower arrangements per table will give your table-scape an eclectic feel. We always recommend adding candles to add to the ambiance (votives or tapers or pillars, or all three!)

Going for a relaxed vignette with multiple styles of floral arrangements has become especially popular for harvest tables, and with good reason. Creating a cohesive collection of differing floral arrangements gives your guests more room to interact with your wedding flowers without feeling crowded.

Other factors you will want to consider for the floral budget are the peripheral areas of the space you may want to liven up with some floral design. Cocktail tables, washrooms, welcome tables, card tables, and dessert tables are all prime real estate for adding some extra blooms. Even a simple bud vase or two can make a big impact in terms of pulling everything together and creating a cohesive look throughout your venue.

Now that we’ve talked about the type and quantity of your flower arrangements, it’s time to deliberate on who will be handling the logistics of the wedding set-up.

Some venues include table setting as part of their service, but be sure to inquire about this while you are touring its amenities. Another option is hiring a wedding florist or a day-of wedding planner who can help coordinate all the nitty gritty flower-related details so you don’t have to stress on your big day. Sometimes couples throwing intimate gatherings or elopements want to pour love into their wedding day with a hands-on approach by setting up the wedding celebration with their wedding party, but make sure you have the proper floral supplies to make your DIY flowers without any added stress. Remember that flowers need an adequate water source to stay fresh, and often require refrigeration or climate-controlled environments to thrive. It can also take a lot longer than you might expect to make centrepieces and bouquets, and so if you or your loved ones are DIYing them, make sure to do so the day before the wedding. We have heard a few too many horror stories about DIYing flowers the morning of one's wedding that have resulted in very stressful wedding days!

Our A La Carte wedding packages offer both a delivery option and a pick-up option so you always have the reigns when it comes to timing and setting up your event flowers, even when our florists come along to help!

In the floral industry, we refer to any wedding flowers that will be "on the body" as personal flowers. These include bridal and bridesmaid bouquets, corsages, flower crowns, boutonnières, hair flowers and pocket square flowers.

While reception flowers, boutonnieres, and all other arrangements needed for your wedding are certainly important, every wedding florist knows that the bridal bouquet is typically a top priority. They tend to be the most photographed floral element in any wedding, which is why bridal bouquets receive the most time and attention in our studio. Here at Wild North Flowers, a senior floral designer will create your bridal bouquet with the utmost care, hand-picking and double-checking every stem is picture-perfect before it is included.

We can’t wait to be a part of your special day. Here are a few important facts about our A La Carte Wedding Service:

• We encourage you to send us inspirational photos with your order, but cannot guarantee exact likeness or certain stems. Each of our arrangements is unique - we never make the same bouquet twice!

• Orders can be placed anywhere from 1 year to 6 business days prior to the event, subject to availability. We recommend placing your order for wedding flowers sooner rather than later, as some days will be blocked off once capacity is reached.

• Your order will be available for timed delivery or pickup but does not include onsite set-up. Need a florist to come help out at the venue? You may inquire about on-site set-up for an additional fee.

• All wedding flower orders require a $350 minimum spend.

• We will plant one tree for every A La Carte item purchased through our website. So if you order 11 bud vases and one bridal bouquet, 12 trees will be planted! Pretty cool.