The Complete Book of Wedding Flowers: Stunning Flower Arranging Inspiration for Everyone & Every Location [Paperback]

Shirley Monckton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995

This text provides ideas and practical advice for floral arrangements on wedding days. From table arrangements to large showpieces, the photographs in this book illustrate a variety of designs for the home, church, registry office, reception or party.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304345652
• ISBN-13: 978-0304345656
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

160 of 161 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful elaborate do-it-yourself arrangments, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Book of Wedding Flowers: Stunning Flower Arranging Inspiration for Everyone & Every Location (Paperback)

This book, although beautiful, wasn't quite what I expected. I was looking for a variety of decor and bouquet arrangements, but a in more traditional format, such as table centerpieces. Instead, I found a variety of different ideas for decorating doorways, church entrance gates and creating topiary-style flower trees. The instructions are very detailed, although quite elaborate. I'm not sure how many of these ideas I will be able to use, but it's a good starting point. I think it would be quite expensive to use some of these ideas, unless you are growing your own flowers (which the author suggests!).

Also, I found some of the author's comments to be quite condenscending. She is assuming everyone who has a wedding is 21, living at home and has a host of relatives around to help. (Of course, she's from a small English village, so her perspective is different than mine). Many of her suggestions just aren't possible for modern, urban weddings. (Or at least, when relatives are from out-of-town).

However, overall, she provides some very beautiful and unique flower ideas. Many of her arrangements use a lot of greenery and berries, and provide lovely alternatives for fall and winter weddings. It's a great book if you're looking for out-of-the-ordinary ideas.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great source of experienced advice and aesthetic inspiration, August 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Book of Wedding Flowers: Stunning Flower Arranging Inspiration for Everyone & Every Location (Paperback)

I am thoroughly enjoying Shirley Monckton's book, which I happily discovered on returning from an "early honeymoon" in England, in which my fiance and I explored wonderful Gothic cathedrals and appealing parish churches. Yes, Ms. Monckton is writing for an English audience and her lovely decorations are suited more for the churches and manor houses in her country, but she has a great sense of design and lots of detailed advice for the rest of us, too. Being "florally-challenged," I greatly appreciate Ms. Monckton's experienced guidance on things I would never have considered, such as determining what the rules are in decorating a particular church or hall and who enforces them, how to keep a vertical arrangement from looking like a Christmas tree, how to prevent plastic in a basket arrangement from reflecting sunlight or camera flashes in your wedding pictures, and how long to condition flowers before arranging them (two hours to overnight . . . not the two minutes I would've allowed). Shirley emphasizes planning ahead and informs the reader which things can and cannot be completed until the Big Day. She kindly nudges the bride to delegate the last-minute work to the florist or talented friends/family members. Of the three wedding flower books I've read in recent weeks, Shirley Monckton's is definitely the best.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the little details, August 30, 2001

By 

Diana (Emporia, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Wedding Flowers: Stunning Flower Arranging Inspiration for Everyone & Every Location (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book because of the ideas it presented for the little details ... suggestions for floral arrangements that were dramatic, beautiful, and unique. It gave examples of floral arrangements for everything from baptismal fonts to tents. I was inspired to think beyond the standard altar pieces and table decorations.
While many of the actual examples were a little heavy for my taste, I found them to really demonstrate how powerful flowers and greenery - beyond the white roses and baby's breath - can be, and how carefully chosen floral arrangements can compliment any decor and create ambiance. I recommend that anyone needing to choose flowers for a wedding - or really, any occasion - at least take a look at this book for inspiration, even if one isn't going to actually arrange one's own flowers.