If there’s one person who can steal a bit of the spotlight from the bride on her big day without her minding, it’s a flower girl! These little ladies are always a great addition to your bridal party, not to mention that they look adorable in photos. Traditionally, the flower girl’s role is to scatter petals down the aisle ahead of the bride’s entrance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t change things up a bit! From how (and who) to ask to what to carry down the aisle, here are ten fresh flower girl ideas you’ll love.

‘Propose’ with a special gift. The moment you ask her to be your flower girl can be a special bonding moment, so why not mark it with a gift? It could be something fun, like a candy ring pop, or practical, like a piece of jewelry she can wear on the day. A special book makes a perfect gift, like my new picture book, ‘Goldie the Handpicked Flower Girl’. It’s a great way of teaching little ones about their new role! (There’s a book available for ring bearers too – Jack Brings the Rings.)

Drop the age limit. Recently I’ve seen a few brides passing on the role of the flower girl to older family members, like grannies and great grannies. It’s a lovely way to include them and your guests will love it! Another sweet option is to have your pets as ‘flower girls’.

Give her a balloon instead of a bouquet. I love balloons, and they make a great alternative to flowers. Not only is it a super cute visual, but balloons have a way of lifting everyone’s spirits. Be sure to tie the ribbon around her wrist to prevent the balloon from accidentally escaping.

Switch out petals for a replacement that matches your theme, season, or location. Instead of having your flower girl scatter petals down the aisle, opt for something in line with the wedding itself. For example, leaves for a fall wedding or pinecones for a winter one. Or how about dried lavender for a destination wedding in France, or a lei in Hawaii?

Have her hand out flowers to guests. Another alternative to scattering petals is to give each flower girl a basket of single stem flowers and ask her to hand them out to guests as she walks down the aisle.

Tell her to blow kisses. Another super adorable petal alternative? Blowing kisses! This works especially well if you have a confident little flower girl who’ll eat up the attention and charm all your guests.

Revive a regal tradition. As flower girl ideas go, this isn’t so much a new trend as the revival of a classic. If you’re planning a formal wedding and your dress has a train or cathedral length veil, have your flower girls carry it behind you. If it’s good enough for royalty…

Indulge her fairytale dreams. Being a flower girl is already a fantasy for many little girls. So why not make it extra exciting by allowing them to live out their storybook dreams with her attire? Think ballerina tutus, fairy wings or wands, and tulle princess dresses.

Ditch the dress. On the other hand, you may have a flower girl who is very anti-dress. Take your cue from modern bridalwear and opt for a stylish jumpsuit or pantsuit instead. She’ll feel comfortable and look just as cute!

Trust her with your vows. Many couples now write their own vows and there has been a growing trend to write these in beautiful bespoke booklets that can be kept long after the ceremony. So why not entrust these to your flower girl (if she’s old enough to be responsible)? It’s a lovely way to include her in the ceremony itself.

Would you include any of these flower girl ideas in your wedding?

xoxo,
Mindy

Image by Amy and Stuart Photography