It’s not surprising that the growing popularity of multicultural and ethnic weddings leaves florists with the often daunting challenge of “thinking outside the box” for their nuptial flower arrangements. Cultural heritage affects nearly every facet of the wedding ceremony, stemming into the floral arrangements more often than expected. Brides, couples, and ethnic wedding planners are now enlisting the aid of florists to help give the bridal couple a memorable ceremony with a somewhat different meaning to the word ‘traditional.’

It is important in this ethnic wedding boom for florists to sculpt ceremonial floral arrangements and decorations around a cultural wedding theme. According to an article in the March issue of Floral Management magazine, taking the time to research the heritage and customary wedding traditions of a bride or groom may be the just the unique difference that helps guarantee the job for that couple’s wedding.

Many people wonder how different traditions affect wedding flowers. There are, in fact, many faux pas that can be avoided by researching the bridal couple’s heritage. For instance, it is customary for many Asian brides to change outfits three to five times during the ceremony. Florists may wish to alter the floral arrangements to suit the various colors of the bride’s gowns. A consideration for florists decorating a Jewish wedding ceremony is the Jewish bride’s desire for a beautiful chuppah, the wedding canopy that the couple stands beneath during the ceremony. Florists of Jewish brides will need to provide flowers for the chuppah as well as pew markers.

The first ethnic wedding for florists may seem a bit formidable but a few tips exist to make the project easier. First, be prepared to do a lot of research. Understanding the customs of the couple will help to give them the wedding of their dreams as well as the perfect floral decorations. Secondly, do not be afraid to ask questions. Remember that while some customs remain the same, each wedding ceremony celebrates an individual couple.

There are many places in which you can find information about cultural practices. In fact Wedding and Party Network has developed a Wedding Traditions resource that includes many cultural wedding traditions. They constantly update the information and even allow their readers to give input.