My wedding is in May. The bridesmaid dresses are a dark brown, with possible a cream sash around their waste for accent. Any suggestions on what to do for flowers, and how to decorate the reception?

Hello.. Are you copying me..? LOL

That is the same scheme I am having.. The Bridesmaids flowers will look similar to this with a green ribbon:

http://www.flower-arrangement-advisor.com/images/yellow_calla_lily_long_stemmed_bouquet.jpg

But white, and the mens button holes like this:

http://www.mydreamwedding.ca/wp-content/uploads/image/Maggie/CalaLily5_L.jpg

They will be wearing black 3 piece suits with black shirts and ties and hankerchiefs in the same cream/cafe colour as the sash around the bridesmaids.

And i'm making my own centre pieces to look like this:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7da23b3127cce831e49698e8500000016101AZuW7hq4ZMX

(Inspiration from Julia & Nate c/- the Knot with those..!)

And for favours i'm using clear cubes that I bought off ebay and filling them with toasted marshmallow and hot chocolate jelly belly jellybeans (it's an Autumn wedding) and tying them up with a chocolate brown ribbon.

PS I'm not going overboard with the chocolate brown in the decorations.. I think it is a bit much to cover the chairs and tables it it!

Depending on the room where you're having the reception--you're going to want to pull some kind of color in. Given that it's May, maybe pick an accent color, have THAT be the sash for bridesmaids waists, and then use that color as a basis for decorating. Pink, green, blue, purple, pretty much whatever will work with your locations.

Look at this image, it has brown and gold but make you could switch it with the cream. It looks very elegant.

http://www.fwpevents.co.uk/users/www.fwpevents.co.uk/upload/brown%20and%20gold%202.jpg

Here is a picture of a cake. The champagne glasses have brown ribbon on them.
http://www.nowandforeverweddings.com/graphics/wedding-in-the-mountains/brown-swirl-wedding-cake-230.jpg

Yes cream sash would give it a softer look. Light colored flowers such as calla lilly would also provide compliment the look of the bridesmaids.

Reception..indoor
chairs = cover with theme color and tie it with cream sash
tablecloth = cream color
napkin = theme color
centerpiece = large crystal vase with crystal balls and your favorite floral arrangement
surround the centerpiece with petals ( silk flowers ) and votive candles (4)

outdoor
chairs, tablecloth and napkin = same as above
centerpiece = lilly with water and beta fish inside the vase
surround the centerpiece with votive candles only

Congratulations