BALANCE & PROPORTION IN FLOWER BOUQUETS & ARRANGEMENTS
Balance and proportion are primary elements of all kinds of art and design. The two work hand-in-hand to create a feel that looks "right" to the eye. In terms of flower design, balance and proportion should be considered in flower selection, color and placement.
Balance in Floral Arrangements
Think of a see saw when using rules of balance in your floral arrangement. It doesn't mean that each side of a design must match the other, but that one side, color, or texture, is offset by an equal element on the opposite side. Make sure arrangements have equal visual weight or equal eye attraction on each side of the arrangement. In the example to the right, there is balance in the arrangement because the weight above on the right is being balanced by the weight below on the left.
Proportion in Floral Arrangements
Proportion refers to the correlation of one part of an arrangement to other parts, in addition to the overall look of the arrangement.
Scale in Floral Arrangements
The most important rule for proportion is learning to use flowers, containers, and foliage in an appropriate scale. Comparing objects to each other with size in mind is an appropriate step in creating arrangements. Look at the size of the flowers and rotate them through the arrangement properly so they blend and become proportionate in scale. Use greenery in scale with the amount of flowers you put in an arrangement as well.
Flower-to-Flower Scale
Think about how the size of each flower will look together in terms of proportion for the arrangement as a whole. Pairing larger flowers such as lilies with tiny flowers such as cornflower can look out of balance/proportion. Adding a medium-size flower into the mix will bring all the flowers to scale. Creating an array of different sizes to gap the major differences in size will bring all the flowers to look proportionate as a whole.
Flower to Vase Scale
You need to carefully consider scale and proportion when it comes to picking vases and flowers together. If you don't have this, gravity will take over and dump your flowers on the floor. The arrangement will not be able to stand if the flowers are too tall or heavy for the vase. Also consider what the arrangement would look like if there were too many flowers in a small vase or not enough flowers in a large vase. Keep your vase size in mind when it is time to order flowers and pick out quantities.
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The tall and top-heavy gladious blooms were too much in weight and height causing the small vase to tip over and break.
Flowers to Greenery
Make sure you are not purchasing greenery with large leaves and flowers with small blooms. Keep in mind that greenery can be paired with flowers to accent shapes and sizes. Make sure you get greens that are in scale with your flowers!
Flowers to Atmosphere
Another rule of proportion is making sure you are using the space that you are putting into your arrangements properly. If you have a massive wedding hall with tall ceilings, it is better to use larger or taller arrangements to appropriately fill the space. Short arrangements would be barely noticed or add texture to a large room. To stay on a budget and get tall arrangements, use tall vases but only fill the top of the vase with flowers! If you have a smaller room with lower ceilings, you should use shorter and small table arrangements. If you have an outdoor wedding, then you should use bright colors that stand out from natural colors and decorate with larger arrangements. The main idea here is to keep the space as a whole in mind when you are thinking about the arrangements you want to make.