Reception Flowers

Fresh reception flowers are the most impressive element of your wedding reception, creating romance and style, sometimes the importance of which can be initially overlooked by the bride and groom.

To feature table centrepieces, including the same or similar flowers as you have in the wedding bouquets and incorporating the same flowers into one or more free standing pedestal arrangements will bring life and style to the most basic structure.

At your wedding reception venue, be it a grand ballroom, a favourite restaurant, at home, in a marquee or in the local community hall, it is the reception flowers that set the scene your guests will remember. It is the reception flowers that create the impact on all the senses, with fragrance and visual splendour, transforming the room into your own, very personal wedding reception. 
                          
For the bridal and guest table floral centrepieces, there are many ideas and styles available to reflect every theme and budget. These focal reception flowers range from the superbly impressive flowery tall decorated candelabra arrangements to small clustered posy style arrangements... usually using the flowers that are in your wedding bouquets, or flowers that are very similar. The table centrepieces often incorporate candles for late afternoon and evening weddings, thus creating the ambiance of a most beautiful and romantic setting.

Though large candelabra style arrangements will create an impressive and stunning impact when entering the room, low table arrangements are a good idea to ensure the guests an uninterrupted view and ease of conversation with other guests and of the room. It also ensures the guests can appreciate the beauty and detail of the reception flowers especially if they have been designed in the image of the wedding bouquets.

Where do you have flowers in the reception?

Table centrepieces
Check with the wedding reception venue to see if the tables will be round, oval or rectangular. This can make a decided difference when you are choosing the style of arrangement of reception flowers, and it is important to know this before you talk to your florist.

Large arrangements
Sometimes referred to 'Pedestal' arrangements because they will be positioned around the reception room on top of a pedestal or stand... There are many styles and sizes of these and will reflect the theme of your other flowers. (See samples below.)

Ivy trails or foliage garlands
With or without reception flowers, these can be produced to decorate stairways, poles, unsightly structures, doorways, or on or above the entrance to the reception venue.

The Bridal Table
The bride and groom traditionally sit at a reception table facing their guests, with their attendants and, sometimes, with the parents of the bride and groom. This table may be slightly elevated and there is usually a  floral arrangement along the front of the reception table. We florists refer to this as a long and low style. For an elegant and voluptous look it will be full-length or more, simply a single arrangement positioned in front of where the bridal couple will sit for the meal.

If you are having a cocktail or afternoon tea style of wedding reception, there are usually small table flower centrepieces or maybe just a few blooms scattered around on the various small tables. Or if the room does not allow for this , perhaps one or two large pedestal arrangements of reception flowers strategically placed around the room may be sufficient.