No wedding would be complete without an abundance of flowers, in fact it is probably a given that there will be flowers at your wedding in some form or another. But when you list flowers down in your wedding planning are you aware of how many you will need and what you will need them for?

At first you will probably think about arrangements for the reception, your bouquet and buttonholes. But here are some other ways flowers can be used for your wedding:

• Bride’s bouquet: Possibly the first floral arrangement that sprang to mind when you started thinking about flowers. Your bouquet will probably be the second most talked about feature of your wedding after your dress. It has to coordinate with your dress and wedding colors so make sure your florist is aware of these details when you first meet with them. If you want to keep your bouquet but also want to follow the tradition of throwing it for the single ladies amongst your guests, ask your florist for a smaller version which you can toss at the reception.

• Floral hairpieces: Some brides choose fresh flowers for their hair instead of beaded or metal headpieces. You may also want floral hairpieces for your bridesmaids and flower girls.

• Attendants’ flowers: Your bridesmaid’s bouquets or posies need to coordinate with your own bouquet.

• Flower girl: Usually a flower girl will carry a pomander (a ball shaped posy) or a basket filled with rose petals which they scatter down the aisle in front of you.

• Corsages: These are traditionally given to the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom. You can have them match the wedding bouquet or match them to the individual you will be giving it to i.e. include their favorite flowers or match to their wedding outfit. Make sure you ask them if they would prefer corsages they can pin to their outfits or ones which can be worn on the wrist.

• Boutonnieres: These are worn by the groom and his attendants and should match the bride’s bouquet.

• Ceremony wedding flowers: Make sure you check with your ceremony venue first about any flower arrangements which may already be in place for your wedding day. Usually you will be able to decorate the aisle, pew ends and other architectural features such as arches and the entrance.

• Reception wedding flowers: At your reception you may want some large floral displays which will be freestanding in the room. You may also want floral centerpieces for the tables and small floral arrangements for the wedding cake table. If you are having a buffet you could also ask about small arrangements to decorate the table on which the buffet will be laid out. You could cut costs here by using your attendants bouquets to decorate the buffet or cake table.

Flowers are often an intrinsic part of any celebration, but you should be careful to only order as much as you can afford as professionally arranged flowers can be expensive. After the wedding why not arrange for your flowers to be sent to hospital or old age home. Not only is this a lovely gesture but your flowers will bring much joy to other people.