Flowers (Boutonnières aka Corsages)

Alright, then. Corsages. Tiny little accents of flowers on the the wrist or clothing. Adds class to anything you're wearing. For most weddings, it is customary of the groom, his best men and the families of both the bride and groom to wear corsages. Its sort of like a tag that lets people know you're family or part of the shenanigan, so to speak.

A bit of tradition before I start.
The groom's boutonnière could either be a flower that matches the flowers in the bride's bouquet or a flower that holds a special meaning. Example:

• a red rose = true love
• a red chrysanthemum = I love you
• a stephanotis = happiness in marriage ***
• a red camellia = you are a flame in my heart
• an orange blossom = purity, eternal love, marriage

So here we go. Boutonnières or also commonly known as, corsages.

Groom's Boutonnières/Corsage:

So for the groom, I want (he he yes, he'll wear what I want him to wear) something small. Maybe a single flower if its big, or a small bunch if its small enough. Here's some that I think will look nice on him =)

I can't seen to make my mind up about these though. I think I'll let him choose.

  

Best Men Boutonnières/Corsages:

These are nice. I'll let him choose again since it is after all his parade. 

 

Family Boutonnières/Corsages:

Family corsages will have to all be the same. So I'll have to be budget wise a bit. Roses therefore are out of the question. These will do just fine.

 

I like the first and last ones. Albeit totally out of the colour theme, but what the heck. As long as it looks good, eh? 

Flowers (Bridal, Bridesmaids and Flower Girls)

My Bouquet:

I really don't mind round bouquets or cascading bouquets. As long as they look good, I'm good :) So here we go. 

   

Ultimately however, whatever bouquet I choose, it has to have Stephanotis flowers incorporated in it. Simply because my name's Stephanie ^^ Here's how they look like. 

PS: They're really tiny flowers. Much like myself. Tiny, I mean. So it's perfect AND it's also known as the Good Luck Flower. (It just keeps giving and giving!)

Did you know: 

Though the Stephanotis is most widely used in wedding bouquets and bridal arrangements, its traditional meaning of Good Luck makes it a great flower to give at a time when someone is facing a big life change. Certainly a new marriage qualifies to be included in this category, but here are other occasions where the Stephanotis may be appropriate:
- When someone is leaving a job for a new opportunity
- When someone is moving away
- When someone is starting something new

Bridesmaids Bouquets:

It really will depend on the colour of their dress. But since its most likely going to be blue, I think white bouquets will look best on them.

I'm in love with the multicoloured tulips though. It'd look cute if each bridesmaid carried one bouquet of a different colour. Picture it. Same coloured dresses and shoes and same bouquets but with different colours. I think it'll look lovely! Adds chaos to order. 

Flower Girl Bouquets

Flower girl dresses will also be blue and white. A very very light blue with white accents. So again, I think multicoloured bouquets or baskets will look nice. Baskets more likely. Unfortunately, the pictures I managed to find were mostly bouquets. So bare with me. I'd like these flower designs in baskets =D

By the looks of it, I think I want them to carry Gerberas. They come in so many vibrant colours and they're cute in small bunches like in the bottom right picture. Just need them in baskets like in the bottom left picture. I think they'll look adorable and they'll match the bridesmaids without being overly matchy.

Flowers

FLOWERS! I absolutely adore flowers. I'm going to have a garden full of flowers blossoming everywhere you look. Pansies, violets, petunias, snapdragons and hyacinths! Must have hyacinths. For those of you who don't know what Hyacinths are, here's what it looks like:

 Looks like something you'd find in Pandora, doesn't it?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Flowers. More specifically, wedding flowers. We'll need lots of flowers for the wedding. I think I'll make a list.

Flowers:

1. My bouquet (duh)
2. Bridesmaids bouquets
3. Flower girls' baskets
4. Church pews
5. Groom's corsage
6. Best men's corsages
7. Corsages for immediate family members
8. Flower stands at the banquet hall
9. Table centers (if not already provided by the hotel)
10. Arches

Well that's pretty much it, I think. For now at least. The theme's still white, green and blue so I'll have to play around with these colours as mains. Should be fairly easy since they're from the same colour family. I'll break the list up to parts and then blog about it. All 10 in just one post is a bit absurd.

Engagement Rings

So okay, engagement rings. How do you pick one when there's so many different styles and cuts and carats and colours to consider? Of course its simple to just go to a jeweller's and try everything on, but why not take some time to know what's what in the sparkling world of rings and diamonds. Some cuts come with their own tale too. Here's a pretty simple summary on the different kinds of diamond cuts. Enjoy. 

Cushion Cut diamonds is an antique style of cut and were only found in antique and estate markets. They are making a come back today and you can tell that a diamond is cushion cut when the base of the diamond is flat and the top has a rectangular or square shape with rounded corners. 

Asscher cut diamonds, or commonly called Square Emerald Cut diamonds, have recently gained popularity.

Emerald Cut diamonds are quite similar to the Asscher cut one but these are more rectangular shaped. Also, inferior colours tend to show more on these rings so pay attention to clarity.

The Princess Cut diamond is also a favourite because it has a modified cut instead of the usual step cut (like the above rings which make the cut on the diamond look like steps).

This is the Radiant Cut diamond. Radiant Cut diamonds have a square or rectangular cut that combines the elegance of the Emerald Cut diamond with the brilliance of the round. 

The Oval Cut diamond are a favourite among women with small hands as the elongated round shape can make a woman's finger appear longer. 

The unique and sometimes rare Old Mine Cut diamond gets its name from the fascinating way the diamond reflects and refracts light, making its overall effect almost like a fantasy.

The Round Cut diamond are by far the most popular and this shape also compliments small hands. 

The Heart Cut diamond is a favourite among hopeless romantics and the skill of the cutter greatly determines the beauty of the stone. 

The Pear Cut diamond also known as the Tear Drop diamond also looks great on small hands. However, this particular shape is considered to be bad luck because it resembles a tear. Then again, it all depends on wearer of the ring. 

The Marquise Cut diamond was supposedly inspired by the smile of the Marquise de Pompadour and is often used as a solitaire. 

(images taken from Samuel David Jewellery)

So there you go. The complete Engagement Ring guide. Ha ha. For me personally, I like the Oval and Round Cut diamond rings, but with inset stones. Not in platinum or white gold though. Gold always looked better on my tan skin. Here's some I like. And oh yes, the rings will have some inscription on the inside too, like maybe my ring will have his name and his ring, my name, or something of that sort :)

This one is my ultimate favourite, but in gold of course =)

This one I like because of the Celtic accents.