Hey Wild Flower, wedding season is here - and with it comes a whirlwind of choices. We might not be able to help with everything — you’re on your own for seating assignments — but we CAN help with flowers!
Here are our tips for how to use our À La Carte wedding menu to select unique wedding flowers for your San Diego wedding.
You have the date, the venue, the guest list (phew — that was a doozy) and now it’s time for the fun stuff: FLOWERS! But where the heck do you start? We designed our À La Carte Wedding Flower Menu so you could mix and match unique wedding florals to fit your vision. Our wedding flower menu has NO minimum order, is customizable, and allows you to easily order online or directly with our incredible wedding florists. Let this be your guide to selecting the perfect size wedding bouquet, what will look best on your tables, and 3 rad options to dress up your ceremony.
First, Let’s Talk Customization
Native Poppy’s Weddings and Special Projects Manager, Devon, joins us to share her pro tips for choosing wedding flowers from our À La Carte Wedding Menu!
Q: Hey Devon! Can you share a little bit about the intention of the A La Carte Wedding Menu?
Devon: Our goal is to “spread love through the power of flowers” and we believe that designing your dream wedding should be a joyful experience. Over the years we have worked hard to curate a menu full of items that will fit a wide array of budgets and bring our customers' vision to life, all while giving you the service you need each step of the way! Our Customer Service Concierge will be there too, to make each process seamless and stress-free!
Q: What is a general guideline when it comes to customization for our wedding couples?
Devon: The great thing about our À La Carte offerings is that all of the items are designed in our signature, wild garden style - like you see on the menu! You are able to customize with any color palette that you like. You can share up to 5 inspiration photos (from Instagram, Pinterest, wherever!) that capture the colors you love. We discuss what parts of the photos you love and then save those notes to your order profile so that our team can reference your photos + notes when creating your items! We have an incredibly talented team of floral designers that will build items within our aesthetic to fit your requests!
Choosing wedding flowers also involves several factors, including wedding style, color palette, and personal preferences. Our À La Carte Wedding menu is designed to cater to a wide range of styles, ensuring that every couple can find wedding flowers that are fit for their San Diego wedding.
We have three signature color palettes for you to choose from plus a “custom” fourth (no surprise, it’s our most popular) - bright and cheery, neutral and elegant, dark and moody, and custom palette!
As you explore our À La Carte Wedding Menu, we encourage you to think about how our wedding flower menu option can reflect you and resonate with your vision for the day. We are here to make it happen! Selecting your wedding flowers is an experience to be cherished and relished. Remember, your florist is in your corner–rely on their expertise!
Q: What about requesting specific flowers?
Devon: Yes, we get - ‘I love peonies, can you ensure I have them in my bouquet?’ all the time! Unfortunately, we can not guarantee specific flowers due to seasonality, market availability and weather! We can, however, guarantee to match the color requests you have! We always use unique wedding florals that are fresh, seasonal and at their peak, so aside from color, we can also guarantee they’ll be beautiful!
The customization continues when it comes to special “vibes” and “add-ons”! We can incorporate touches of dried flowers and tropical blooms, build in your own vessels, and even add heirloom pieces to bouquets! We love tailoring your blooms to you to create truly unique wedding flowers for your special day!
Designing Your Ceremony Space
Ceremony flowers can be tricky, can’t they? Couples often want a big impact, but hesitate to spend their money there as it’s typically the shortest part of the celebration.
Q: What suggestions do you have for large-scale floral arch alternatives?
Devon: This is one of the most frequently asked questions we get! ‘If I can’t afford a floral arch, do you have other ceremony decor options?’ The answer is yes! I love that our menu has options to create a unique set up for your ceremony. If a floral arch isn’t in your budget or not quite your vision, here are some ideas for alternative decor:
Our first option would be Aisle Markers! Opt for two Meadow Markers (on the ground) or Round Markers (on Pedestals) on either side of the couple, to frame where they’re standing.
Or, a second option could be to create a ‘Ground Arch’! We suggest using between 5-8 Meadow Aisle Markers to place in a semi-circle shape on the ground where the couple can stand in the middle. This makes for such a lovely moment, as if the flowers are naturally growing from the ground around you!
The great thing about these two options is that you can repurpose these arrangements post-ceremony! Bring the Aisle Markers to place in front of the Sweetheart Table, DJ Booth or Dessert Table!
Bouquets + Boutonnières
Q: One of the biggest decisions when it comes to wedding flowers is the bouquet because it’s such a pivotal piece! What sorts of advice can you give someone when selecting a bouquet?
Devon: The good thing is, whatever you chose, you can’t go wrong - they’re all beautiful! The main difference between our bouquet options is size + quantity of premium blooms. The Signature Bouquet is the most grand, statement option. We use a great deal of premium blooms (Garden Roses, Dahlias, Orchids, Peonies, etc.) in this bouquet because of the higher price point and to create the most fullness all around. For some people, their bouquet is something they have dedicated an entire Pinterest board to over the years and for others it is something that is just part of the wedding tradition that they don’t have as much invested in. It has to be right for you.
Signature, Darling, and Dainty – Oh My!
Which of our 3 bouquet sizes is for you? Let’s break it down!
- Signature - our full, fluffy, premium option! This is the bouquet for you if you prefer luxe blooms, and have a “more is more” mindset!
- Darling - the goldilocks of bouquets, if you will - not too big, not too small - just right!
- Dainty - this bouquet is for a more minimal and demure vibe; petite and lovely!
Want to “try them on”?? We have silk floral replica bouquets in all sizes in our South Park and Solana Beach shops, with full-length mirrors so you can see how each bouquet size compliments the beauty you are!
What’s the difference between a Classic and Pocket Boutonnière?
Our classic Boutonnière is what you’ve known and loved for years! Simple, clean and made with a pin for your suit jacket’s lapel. A pocket boutonnière is a newer floral accessory that says goodbye to the traditional pin (and the potential for any pokes or prods), allowing for more flowers and a stylish alternative.
The difference between classic boutonnières and pocket boutonnières is all about their placement, size, and style: pocket boutonnières slide right into a suit’s pocket, perfect for slipping on after enjoying a few pre-ceremony cocktails with your bridal party, whereas standard pin boutonnières are pinned directly onto the label, fully visible with the stem elegantly wrapped in chiffon ribbon.
How to Select Arrangements for Your Reception Tables
Native Poppy has a ton of options when it comes to designing tablescapes for your wedding flowers - with three different centerpiece options, four sizes of bud vases, and garlands (with or without flowers added) plus votive candles - the combos are a plenty!
Q: What guidelines can you offer couples to help select the right size, shape, and quantity of flower arrangements for the tables at their reception?
Devon: For round tables, we recommend opting for a single, circular arrangement such as our Signature Bowl Centerpiece or Dainty Bowl Centerpiece! Adding votive or taper candles is an elevated touch! You can also opt for a collection of bud vase arrangements, with or without candles.
For rectangular tables, the options really expand! We suggest having flowers approximately every 2’ on a rectangular table. For a standard 6’ table, that could look like:
- 2 Dainty Bowl Centerpieces
- 1 Signature Bowl Centerpiece + 4 Bud Vases (2 on either side of the centerpiece)
- 1 Long and + Low Centerpiece + 4 bud vases (2 on either side of the centerpiece)
- 8 ft. Greenery Garland + 15 Floral Stems (interspersed throughout the garland and inserted with water tubes to maintain hydration)
Arrangements You Didn’t Know You Needed!
Q: Where do people either forget or not know they might need flowers?
Devon: We often get couples coming back after they’ve placed their initial order because they remembered they need flowers for their bar, guest book table, gift table, seating chart, escort table, etc. Even the bathroom! This Tall Urn Arrangement is perfect for all aforementioned spots (except the bathroom - unless your venue has a really big bathroom! - then bud vases are perfect there).
Your wedding flowers can and should be exactly what you want! There’s so much more to explore on the full menu, plus you can check out our FAQ’s for weddings and beyond here!
We’ve designed this process to be super fun, and you can opt to place your entire order online! But selecting your wedding flowers is a big decision, so if you have more questions, prefer to order in person or over the phone, or just want to chat, our team is here!