Florals where east meets west

Peonies signify prosperity and a happy marriage. Orchids signify refinement and many children. Lotus, in arrangements that include it, signifies purity. None of this is obscure — it is the vocabulary your florist's grandmother grew up with — but it rarely makes it into the moodboard.

Ask your florist to source one stem in season locally before importing anything. A locally grown garden rose holds shape through a ten-hour day; a flown-in peony, even a good one, can collapse by the reception.

Build centerpieces in two heights. Tall arrangements for the ceremony aisle and the head table, low arrangements for the guest tables. Guests need to see each other across the table — this is true at every wedding and especially true when half the room is meeting the other half for the first time.

Repurpose without apology. The aisle arrangements migrate to the reception entrance, the ceremony altar florals become the photo backdrop. A good florist plans this in the original quote. A great one does it without being asked.