Confusing wedding flower terms explained

Are you at the beginning of your exciting West Sussex wedding flowers planning? Constantly hearing or reading confusing wedding flower terms that fly over your head, leaving you feeling a bit uncertain?

West Sussex wedding florists are constantly using certain language or terms to describe different types of arrangements or flowers, but I appreciate these might not be so well-known to anyone outside our bubble! 

So let me demystify some of those words which will help you in your planning so that you can feel confident making decisions for your wedding flowers:

Installation

A term that’s used to describe an arrangement that’s likely to be a focal point in your wedding where flowers and foliage are designed on a structure, such as an arbour. Examples include Archways, Flower Clouds, Staircase Meadows, Aisle Flowers or a Mantlepiece feature. These will require more budgetary allocation due to labour, logistics, flower and planning involved.

Conditioning

When flowers arrive with us, they are likely to have been out of water for up to 48 hours or more and will be looking a little worse for wear. Their flower heads will be tight, and Rose stems will be covered in thorns. Conditioning is the term used to describe the process of getting flowers looking their best, and will include tasks such as removing leaves, cutting the ends of the stems and repeating the process every few days.

Personal Flowers

Any flowers that are held or worn. These include bouquets, buttonholes, corsages, and flowers for the hair.

Top Table vs Sweetheart Table

A top table is a setting where you will both be seated with your wedding party, whereas a Sweetheart table will just have you two sitting together only.

Flat-Lay Foliage

This usually refers to foliage that is placed onto a table in a relaxed design without a water source, and can be an alternative to a structured foliage garland when styled across a rectangular table or mantelpiece and comes at a higher price point.

Flower Meadow

A flower arrangement that is relaxed, organic and whimsical, which mimics the natural textures, shapes and flowers that you’d find in the countryside. The great thing about these arrangements is that they are super versatile – they can easily be repurposed from Ceremony to Reception, making your budget go even further. These wedding ceremony flower designs are perfect for couples looking for relaxed, lush and modern designs for their wedding flower decor.

Find this blog post useful? Save these tips for later or share with friends planning their wedding!

If you have any questions about wedding flowers or want to run an idea past me, just pop me an email or a DM on Instagram and I’ll be more than happy to help!

Image by Lauren Knuckey Photography