What is the Difference Between Wedding Arches, Chuppahs, Mandaps, Canopies, Gazebos, and Altars?

The spot where you publicly declare your love and commitment to your partner on your big day is kind of a big deal. In your grandparents day, most wedding ceremonies were conducted in churches, so there were few vow area choices to make apart from placing a few flowers at the altar.

Nowadays, many wedding ceremonies are conducted outdoors under some type of arch, chuppah, canopy, arbor, or structure, usually decorated to complement the wedding style, decor, and colors.

Though different types of wedding arches have both cultural and religious significance (representing protection, divine presence, and the home, for example), couples embrace the curve for aesthetic and décor purposes, too. A beautiful arbor can anchor and define an outdoor ceremony, serve as a photo backdrop, or bring new meaning to your wedding celebration. With the addition of fabrics, flowers, and various builds, arches can become part of your own theme, not to mention a gorgeous way to bring a bold new look to the end of your aisle.

What’s the difference between these structures?

The Arch

The arch itself is a symbol of the future home the bride and groom will start their family in. Arch meaning in many cultures also suggests initiation and ceremonies of renewal. Walking through an archway represents the sloughing off of the old and moving into a new phase of life. Arches are often constructed simply with three posts and the top post either straight or curved. They are commonly built of wrought iron or wood lattice, with decoration including flowers, lights or fabric.

The Chuppah

Literally, chuppah means “blanket,” or “protection” for the couple, much like a sturdy structure. It consists of a cloth, sometimes a prayer shawl or other significant piece of fabric stretched out over four poles. A traditional chuppah is held by four people who have special meaning to the couple getting married. Some larger weddings use a chuppah that has self-supporting poles. This allows more people to join the couple under the chuppah. Some families have heirloom chuppahs that they pass from generation to generation.

The Mandap

In a Hindi ceremony, the four posts represent the four mantras and goals of a fulfilled life. Other South Asian cultures such as Sikh and Punjabi also use Mandaps; some have a groom processional around the structure, others gather their families inside the mandap before the vows.

The Arbor

Typically the arbor is an arch-shaped structure covered in vines, shells, branches, twigs, flowers or fabric and is sometimes called a “wedding arch.” An arbor typically incorporates a trellis, with the design often being arched, to create a “tunnel” for plants to cover.

The Canopy

The four post canopy, an obvious adaptation of the Chuppah, is traditionally covered by either a semi-sheer white or ivory fabric, and then accented with colored swags and/or tiebacks.

Everything You Need to Know About What Your Wedding Flowers Mean

If you're planning a wedding with plenty of personal touches, think about personalizing your flowers, too. But instead of basing your choices on flower color and style alone, let each flower's significance and meaning inform your decision as well. From your bouquet to your arrangements, there are so many ways to infuse your personality and signify something truly special.

The "language" of flowers has been around for centuries. During Victorian times, flowers were used to express emotions when words and gestures failed. Today, many couples follow this romantic practice and create bouquets and centerpieces with flowers whose meanings have some significance to them. While flowers with a love connection, like roses and carnations, are popular, there are many other meaningful traits like new beginnings (daffodil), faith (iris), and perseverance (hydrangea) to consider.

Color plays a substantial role in a flower's meaning. Everyone's favorite wedding flower, the rose, has different meanings depending on the hue. While a red rose symbolizes passion, a white rose means purity, and a pink one signifies joy and admiration. The same goes for hyacinths: The white variety means loveliness, whereas the blue kind represents constancy.

Ahead, discover the meaning behind 41 popular flowers used in weddings.

Don't call amaryllis a wallflower! Though pictured here in a coral hue, amaryllis comes in a variety of bold colors as well. With its lily-like style, it has rightfully made a name for itself in the botanical world as a "splendid beauty."

You don't need a breeze to be charmed by the allure of this delicate bloom. Anemone comes from the Greek word for "windflower" and symbolizes anticipation.

If you're going with a heart theme for your wedding, this tropical beauty is a true fit. Anthurium stands for hospitality and has a Cupid-inspired shape that will fit right in.

Everything You Need to Know About Flower Walls

If you’ve been on Instagram, ever, you know exactly what we mean by flower walls— lush greenery, artistically-styled blooms, custom signage—all working together to create the perfect photo-moment frame at an event, premier, or branded space.Flower walls are custom-designed statement pieces built for businesses, brands, and individuals looking to inject vibrancy, style, and personality into their big moments. They’re growing in popularity, replacing “step and repeat” banners, and popping up alongside the floral installations that are sweeping the 2021 summer scene. But, despite flower wall ubiquitousness, you might still have questions. And, fam, we have answers.

Why Use a Flower Wall?

Flower walls are used for a lot of reasons, but most can be summed up by crafting an eye-catching feature designed to draw attention, create a mood, or make a statement.

These pieces can be found at weddings, product releases, high-profile events, in corporate spaces or at popular restaurants, shops, or venues. Flower walls can also be branded with everything from logos, to slogans, and last names, featuring custom Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), plexiglass, or plaque-style signage.

Are Flower Walls Made from Real Flowers?

Flower walls can be made from real or everlasting silk flowers, depending on their intended use. Real flowers are the perfect solution for temporary installations, like single and multi-day events, conferences, or parties.

Less temporary installations, like summer-long store features or corporate holiday season decor, are great occasions for everlasting flower walls. Everlasting or silk flowers are beautiful replicas of the “real thing,” creating stunning designs with a longer lifespan.

What Kind of Flowers are Used in Live Flower Walls?

Live flower walls are not only works of art, but they’re (excuse us for stating the obvious) made from living materials. This means that in order for a live flower wall to be a beautiful, vibrant, fresh success, certain considerations have to be taken when it comes to flower and plant choices.

The best flowers for live flower walls are those with hearty blooms and sturdy stems and leaves. You’ll often find varieties like roses, ferns, rosantha, calla lily, orchids, and nasturtiums woven together into stunning living wall designs, strong enough to be handled into works of art.

On the other hand, delicate and soft blooming flowers like hydrangea, tulip, or anemone are difficult to use in live flower walls, and are therefore not often seen in real flower displays.

Because they come in a wide-range of sizes and styles, flower walls are priced per square foot. This range typically falls between $75 - $150 per square foot, depending on the materials used and the complexity of the design.

Logistically speaking, standard sizing is usually around, or in variables of 8ft x 8ft sections, as that is the largest size that can be successfully navigated through hall and doorways, and in most freight elevators.

Custom built signage is often incorporated into designs, adding on $300 - $500 up charge, on average.

How to Make Your Own Wedding Flower Arrangements and Bouquets

If you use our tips and follow our advice, you're sure to have a good experience. So, let's get started.

Wedding Flower Arrangement Tips

Get lots of ideas: Look through magazines, books on floral decorating, visit fine floral shops, and take pictures of floral arrangements you like in public places. A five-star hotel is a great place to get ideas. Go on a Saturday and you'll probably see weddings already set up. The more ideas you have, the more you'll have to incorporate into your wedding flowers.

Put all your ideas in one place: There's nothing worse than finding just the look you want, then losing it because you weren't organized. So get a notebook with pockets or a manila envelope just for your flower pictures. When you're ready to start making decisions, you can toss out the photos that don't fit into your plan.

Decide on your color scheme: If you have a favorite color, that's what you'll want for your wedding. But if the carpet is hideous in the room, you should probably think about a colors scheme that will help to take the eye off it. Or you may have fallen in love with some dresses for your bridesmaids. Choose your color scheme using any of these sources.

Set your flower budget: The flowers are just one part of a wedding celebration. Added to the cost of the dress, music, reception, and gifts, the budget for flowers can just about break the bank. But in any wedding, the flowers set the tone, add color and fragrance, and are one of the things that the guests really remember. So don't skimp.

Select your flowers: Many different flowers can give the colors you choose. Will you want roses or carnations, orchids or iris? Your decision will be somewhat influenced by where you live and the season of the year. Lilacs are almost impossible to get (at a price you can afford) in January, so find other flowers that have a similar shade. You may decide to have all roses or an assortment of several varieties. Whatever you choose, make sure the flowers are available in your locale or place a special order for just what you want.

Recruit lots of help: Because flowers are perishable, they have to be prepared and arranged at the last minute. If you're having lots of flowers, you'll need lots of help.

Make a recipe to follow: Prepare a recipe for your floral arrangements just as you would write a recipe for a food you're preparing. Each centerpiece will need a container, a block of floral foam, 12 stems of roses, five stems of baby's breath, and three stems of ivy. Well, you get the picture. Be sure you have more than you need for what you expect to make.