Flowers are also associated with folklore in other ways. In the Victorian era, men sent flowers with special meanings to women as a means of communication. Back then, the meanings of flowers were common knowledge. These days it’s more acceptable for a man to just come out and tell a woman how he feels, and these meanings are not as well known.

Knowing the meanings of different flowers can help you choose the best ones for your wedding day. Following are the traditional meanings of some of the more popular wedding flowers.

Roses

Roses are very popular flowers associated with romance, so it is fitting that they are often used in weddings. Specific meanings vary by color.

Red roses are known as symbols of love, pink ones symbolize elegance and admiration, and white roses represent innocence and purity. Yellow roses are associated with friendship and joy, orange roses represent enthusiasm and passion, and lavender roses symbolize love at first sight.

Daisies

Daisies are often used at informal weddings, but they may also make their way into more formal ceremonies. These flowers represent innocence and beauty. Gerbera daisies represent those things too, but they also stand for cheerfulness. Daisies are available in a wide variety of colors, making it easy to incorporate them into any wedding color scheme.

Lilies

There are many varieties and colors of lilies. In general, lilies stand for innocence and purity, but some specific varieties have their own special meanings. Bold and beautiful stargazer lilies, for example, symbolize aspiration, and the pink ones have become known as a sign of prosperity. The smaller Peruvian lilies represent friendship and devotion.

Tulips

Tulips are adored for their simple beauty and wide variety of colors. The flowers generally represent perfect love, but some colors have additional meanings. Red tulips, like red roses, stand for true love. Purple tulips are symbolic of royalty, and yellow ones send a message of cheer.

Carnations

The carnation is one of the oldest flower varieties in the world, and it is very popular in wedding arrangements. Carnations come in numerous colors and are symbolic of love. The colors of carnations have meanings similar to those of roses of the same color. Red stands for deep affection, white represents purity, and pink symbolizes gratitude.

Other Popular Wedding Flowers

There are several other flowers that are often used at weddings. Irises are lovely flowers for a wedding, and they represent faith and hope. Graceful and delicate orchids represent love, beauty and strength. Sunflowers symbolize loyalty and happiness.

Choosing the perfect flowers for your wedding can be a tough decision, because there are so many beautiful flowers to choose from. Learning the meanings behind the flowers can make that decision a little easier.

Taking some precautions when planning your wedding could help you avoid missteps. It can also reduce your stress levels leading up to the big day. Here are five things you can do to help avoid wedding mistakes.

1. Limit your guest list. Much of your wedding planning will be based on the number of guests you invite. If you keep adding on guests, you could drive your costs up. It could also result in not having enough room for everyone at the ceremony or reception.

As a general rule, you can expect 80-85% of the people you invite to show up. But it is important to take into consideration the fact that those who do come may bring unexpected guests. So it’s usually best to plan as though everyone will be there.

2. Know all applicable rules and regulations. Laws pertaining to marriage licenses, for example, vary from state to state, and possibly even from county to county.

They are only good for a specified time period, and some localities impose waiting periods before you can get them. Checking up on all of the legalities ahead of time can help eliminate unpleasant surprises on your wedding day.

If you’re having a church wedding, it’s important to make sure you know what types of dress and music are acceptable. There may also be specific requirements regarding the ceremony itself. Your officiant can fill you in on all of these things.

3. Make sure that all vendors know the details of your ceremony. Obviously they’ll need to know the day, time and location, but there may be other things they need to know as well.

It’s not a bad idea to visit each vendor a week or so before the wedding to go over everything, just to make sure you’re on the same page. And it’s also smart to bring along a list of vendor names and phone numbers on your wedding day, just in case problems should arise.

4. Do all beauty treatments a couple of weeks in advance. A dye job or tanning session gone wrong can put a major damper on your wedding day, especially if it’s done a day or two before the ceremony. Doing these things ahead of time gives you time to fix any problems that might arise (or lose the sunburn).

5. Be prepared. While you can’t foresee the future, having backup plans and supplies to use if things go wrong could save the day. If you’re getting married outside, secure an indoor location in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Putting someone in charge of bringing in an emergency kit with sewing supplies, toiletries, first aid supplies, and other things that members of the wedding party might need is also a good idea.

And even though the majority of wedding receptions are held during the evening, this doesn’t have to be the case with yours. If you’re working on a tight budget, instead of planning a nighttime sit down-style reception, consider arranging a morning, brunch, lunch, or cocktail reception. They can be just as festive, but at a fraction of the cost. To set the tone, select a location with a pleasant daytime view. If you prefer an evening reception, a buffet dinner will cost less than a sit-down dinner as will a paid bar versus an open bar.

You need to plan your wedding food and drinks well ahead, at least 6 - 12 months in advance of the big day. Oftentimes, the reception location is selected because of the fact that the wedding food and non-alcoholic drinks are offered as part of the package price. And while these venues may not create the wedding cake, they will often refer a wedding cake specialist. At a minimum, you’ll find they offer cake cutting/serving services.

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More often than not, it is the case that some of the prospective guests never actually make it onto the final guest list. And you know what? As devastating as it may seem at the time, it really isn’t the end of the world for those who don’t get invited.

When should the couple put together the guest list? Although it doesn’t have to be set in stone, a fairly approximate head count is needed early on in the wedding planning stage. The number of guests invited to your wedding will have a considerable impact on your wedding budget. Remember, they’re your guests and you’ll need to accommodate each and every one of them!

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Right away is the time to plan your wedding music. Good talent gets booked fast and you don’t want to end up having to select the brand new DJ with only a few weddings under his belt or something even worse. Booking your music a full year in advance is advisable but at a minimum, you should know who will be showing up and what he or she will be playing at least six months prior to the wedding date.

For most weddings, selecting the music for the wedding ceremony isn’t that complicated because most often, it’s controlled by the person in charge at the location where the ceremony will take place. When you’re researching your wedding ceremony options, be sure to inquire about any guidelines with respect to wedding ceremony music as these could possibly impact your decision. If the ceremony is being held outdoors, check for electrical hook-ups or book live musicians.

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Here are those things that you can easily overlook but will certainly define a perfect wedding.

Color Harmony

You know that there is something wrong in a wedding event by just looking at it. Since wedding colors will dictate the kind of decoration and the overall motif of your wedding, harmony is important.

There are safe and popular wedding colors you can choose. These include: soft pink and brown, pink and green, hot pink and black, fuschia and lime green, and fuschia and orange. Or, you can always choose your wedding colors but check first if they match with your wedding theme.

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Plan Early

Plan your wedding at least 1 year in advance. This will give you a good lead time to identify all the necessary details you need for your perfect wedding. Know the theme or color, budget, location, honeymoon, and every major factor involved in your wedding as early as possible. Take note that you should have made a booking on the venue of your wedding at this point.

Make a checklist as soon as you have identified what your theme. Set objectives and create deadlines for each of them so that you know where you are at during as the wedding day nears.

Get Help

It doesn’t matter whether it is a professional wedding coordinator, your best friend or a family member. What is important is that you have someone or people who can help you accomplish things before your big day come.

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Here are the tips you can use to have a perfect wedding:

Plan early

Time is the most important element that can work for you if you want to plan for a perfect wedding. Use it wrongly and you will yield to an opposite result. So, after the engagement, plan your wedding immediately.

Set the wedding date at least 1 year in advance. With a lot of area to cover, you certainly would want to have a lot of time.

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Vows of Bride to Groom

I, (Bride’s Name), take you, (Groom’s Name),
to be my lawfully wedded husband,
secure in the knowledge that you will be
my constant friend,
my faithful partner in life,
and my one true love.
On this special day,
I give to you
in the presence of God and these witnesses
my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful wife
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow, as well as
through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation,
comfort you in times of distress,
encourage you to achieve higher goals,
laugh with you and cry with you,
grow with you in mind and spirit,
always be open and honest with you,
and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

Vows of Groom to Bride

I, (Groom’s Name), take you, (Bride’s Name),
to be mylawfully wife,
knowing in my heart that you will be
my constant friend,
my faithful partner in life,
and my one true love.
On this special day,
I give to you
in the presence of God and these witnesses
my sacred promise to stay by your side as your faithful husband
in sickness and in health,
in joy and in sorrow, as well as
through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation,
honor and respect you,
provide for your needs as best I can,
protect you from harm,
comfort you in times of distress,
grow with you in mind and spirit,
always be open and honest with you,
and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

Bride & Groom - Traditional

I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us.