Everyone hopes to have a picture-perfect wedding day. Getting to that point takes untold amounts of time, money, energy and patience. Even the tiniest detail cannot be left unchecked, if we have any hope of eluding Murphy's Law. These days, brides-to-be must even consider potential allergic reactions to their flowers, in addition to the more traditional details. It's enough to crush the faint of heart.

A big item on the wedding planning list is the flowers for the church, the wedding party and the reception. It that goes wrong, it can be a real disaster. Many problems can arise in this area, such as flowers not being delivered on time, not fresh, or not the flowers the bride ordered. Just imagine if your perfectly orchestrated color scheme is ruined because the wrong colored flowers arrived. Just try sending them back or getting new ones in time. Besides the ambiance of the wedding being ruined, there is now an upset bride. Taking certain precautions may avoid this disaster.

The first detail to be attended to is the color scheme you are choosing . Be sure to be decide this well advance, or you will guarantee yourself a headache. You will usually base the colors of the flowers on the colors of the bridesmaids' dresses, so decide on that before you start to look at flowers. Stick to your color scheme and then pick flowers in that color scheme. Be definite about the color. Some flowers are available in just about every colors, while others are limited. Don't try to pick a specific type of flower, it may not work with that color scheme, just start with the color. Bring swatches and be ready to complement rather than match. Before that first crucial meeting with the florist, certain steps will prepare you.

Even though, nowadays, many flowers are available all year long, you need to take the season of your wedding into account when you are choosing your flowers. There is a certain charm added to the wedding if the flowers suit the season. Sunflowers in the middle of winter may not convey the tone you want, plus out of season flowers arel probably be more expensive. Formal church weddings need more sophisticated arrangements than a wedding on the beach, so you need to consider the type of wedding you're planning.

When you are planning the budget for your flowers, keep your total wedding budget in mind. A rule of thumb is to spend ten to fifteen percent of your total wedding budget on the flowers. Spending more than that will cause you to skimp on other more important items. Discuss your budget and its limitations honestly with your florist at the very beginning. He can work with you to explore different ideas that will make your day perfect and still keep this lovely part of your wedding in budget.

You also have to consider the size of the bouquets for both you and your bridesmaids, the shade of your gown, if you are going to have an additional bouquet to toss, and the temperature of the season, if you will be outdoors for any length of time. (Many flowers react badly to very cold temperatures.) And as if that is not enough to worry about, you need to worry about pollen that may stain your gown. (For example, lilies should have stamens removed because of this problem.) Be flexible, and make sure you take the advice of your florist. He wants your day to be perfect too.