Flowers for a civil ceremony or an intimate wedding

A civil ceremony or a twenty-person wedding is not a smaller version of a big wedding: it is something else. With fewer people, every detail is more visible, and that changes the whole strategy.

The rule: few pieces, very good ones

At a party for two hundred, an arrangement is seen from a distance. At a lunch for twenty, someone will have it thirty centimeters (about a foot) from their face for three hours. It pays to spend on fewer, higher-quality pieces rather than spreading the budget around.

What you really need

1. The bride's bouquet. For a civil ceremony something small works very well: a compact bouquet or just a single flower, such as a calla lily, an orchid or three roses. It goes better with a short dress or a suit than a large bouquet does.
2. The table. If it is a single long table, a low continuous garland of foliage with a few flowers is the best investment you can make: it sets the whole mood and costs much less than it looks.
3. A photo spot. An arrangement at the entrance or where you sign.

That's it. A civil ceremony doesn't need more.

What works especially well on a small scale

• Flowers of a single species and a single color. On a small scale, variety looks messy; monochrome looks intentional and expensive.
• Candles. At a table for twenty, candles do more for the mood than any flower.
• Foliage as the star: eucalyptus, olive, ruscus. Very affordable, and with an elegance flowers alone don't give.
• Small individual bottles and jars with one flower each, lined down the center of the table. It is one of the prettiest and cheapest options there is.
• A boutonnière for the groom with a flower from the bouquet. On a small scale, it really stands out.

What you don't need

• A ceremony arch, if the civil ceremony is in a Civil Registry room where nothing can be set up.
• Tall arrangements: in a small space they feel overwhelming.
• Decorating spaces people just pass through.

A note about the Civil Registry

If the ceremony takes place at a Civil Registry office (where civil weddings are performed in Argentina), you generally can't decorate: ceremonies are booked back to back and there's no time for setup. Put everything into the bouquet and the place you go afterwards. If the civil ceremony is held at home or at a venue, then there is room to work.

Budget

An intimate wedding allows something a large one doesn't: spending on a species that would be unaffordable at a large scale. If you want peonies and there are twenty of you, it works. First check what's available on your date, in seasonal flowers for your wedding.

Availability of each flower changes with the season. If you are looking for a specific flower, ask us before ordering and we will confirm whether we have it.