These days there can't be many brides that haven't heard of Pinterest, and it can be a really useful tool to find inspiration when planning your wedding flowers. Particularly for couples looking for wild wedding flowers, images abound of jaw dropping displays using gorgeous wild flowers and props to create the perfect look. I often suggest couples take a look at my pinterest page to start them off if they are struggling to know where to start when planning their wedding flowers, but there are a few common pitfalls to avoid.

Colour

Working in a very visual discipline it is really helpful to get images showing the colours of flowers you like, and I often take paint charts to my consultations so we can colour match dresses. I have learnt from experience that people see colours differently and one person's lilac is another person's Cadbury's purple. When using Pinterest make sure you check with your florist that the colour in the photo does really exist in that flower type. I get a lot of couples asking for burgundy / marsala flowers and some of the images have been treated with filters so the colour you see on screen is not what the flowers would have actually looked like on the day. It's always good to know if you are asking for the impossible, but there are other ways of including that colour in your wedding such as the ribbon or pins used to fasten the bouquet.

Season

As Pinterest is used world wide there are lots of beautiful images of wild flowers that it is hard to source in the UK, or that may be in season in Australia or the USA but might not be available in the UK or Europe until later in the year. The prime culprit is the Peony, which beautiful as it is, is a heart breaker. Countless couples fall in love with its blousy romantic look but it has a very short growing season. So if you fall in love with a particular flower check when it is in season and if it is really important to you, plan your wedding for that time of year. I try to use British grown flowers as much as possible and the changeability of the weather can mean that wild flowers will bloom earlier or later than planned, but it's always worth doing your homework before you plan your wedding flowers.

Longevity

This is to say, how long your flowers are likely to last! There are lots of gorgeous but misleading photos on Pinterest from photoshoots or projects that include beautiful delicate flowers in buttonholes and flower crowns, but what you don't see is that they would only stay looking that good for an hour or two. An experienced florist should be able to choose flowers to suit the designs, for instance flowers that will stay out of water and be on someone's head or chest like flower crowns and buttonholes will be exposed to heat and a lot of hugging. They should be able to stand up to these challenges so don't always trust what you see on Pinterest. That said, as soon as a flower is cut from a plant it is on a count down, once you take a flower out of water or wire it, it will not last forever. Perhaps it is the ephemeral nature of flowers that makes them so special!

Gyp - Baby's Breath

Baby's breath is a marmite flower for many florists and some will refuse to work with it. Personally, I prefer to use the many beautiful alternatives, but if it has to be used it looks best on its own rather than mixed in with other flowers. Many florists working in a wild flower style will immediately dismiss a wedding if they see the word baby's breath so beware. One of the problems is that Pinterest is flooded with images of it used for rustic weddings and wild flower weddings, but actually British grown gypsophila looks completely different to the stuff used in these shots, which is grown on an industrial level. There is a bit of a misconception that it is an economical option for your wedding but as flowers are bought and sold at market anything that is popular in wedding season will inevitably go up in price. Lastly, it smells of cat pee in large quantities and the stems are quite fragile so tend to break easily. If you truly want your wedding to look rustic and individual ask your florist what options they would suggest instead.

Although there are pitfalls to avoid on Pinterest when planning your wild wedding flowers, it is a great source of inspiration. The biggest pitfall of all would be to make a Pinterest wedding; your wedding should be about you and your partner, not a collection of other people's weddings so take a look at my gallery, pin like crazy, be inspired and make it your own!