Spring weddings on pinterest have proven to be a teaching opportunity for me. Brides find fabulous pins of bouquets created from flowers that are completely out of season or are quite expensive or difficult to ship. So many advice columns seem to beat the statement "in order to save money be sure to use flowers in season" to death. Since the 90's you can get almost any flower year round and they don't cost that much more. So for that reason I like to use flowers that are at their best and ONLY available a few weeks out of the year. Be more unique than your friend getting married in July. Sure you love roses, hydrangea, stock, and lilies but they are not specific to any season. When you are entertaining ten years later, I would want saavy guests to look at your silver framed bridal portrait and recognize through the bouquet what time of year you were married.
Tulips are first shipped starting around Thanksgiving and are waning by Mother's Day. That is a long season but seem to be most prolific February through April. Like roses, there are a huge variety of shapes and colors and their sleek texture and sheen can add so much. But in warm weather they will blow wide open and look just like a lily! They are also one of the only commercially grown flowers that continue to grow after they are cut. I find that desirable but if you are a roundy moundy domed girl then they might not look right to you.
Yellow daffodils [also called jonquils or narcissus] are around for just a few weeks. They do not like warm rooms and in a bouquet they can "leak" so be sure to seal the ends with layers of ribbon.
Hyacinths are extremely fragrant so a few stems go a long way. We like to cut their individual buds and glue them into bouquets or corsages. There is nothing like a punch of pink or purple Hyacinth to amp your style to the next level!
Ranunculus are also a cool weather favorite. They look like very fragile mini peonies but are sturdy enough for boutonnieres. Since they look so much like a miniature rose, I tend to use them in different colors from any roses I am working into the design
Now on to my biggest "ask". Peonies are everywhere in print! Not so much in reality!! I love them just like you but here is my quandary. They are shipped April through June but are at their best in May. The pink ones tend toward a bluish cast so if you are adding them to a yellow based grouping they may be a little "off". Then New Zealand ships their crop Oct. and Nov. and, like lobster, are at market value. So if $20 a bloom is a lot to you, move on.
Sweet Pea is not very tall but oh are they wonderfully fragrant. The Japanese are growing some at almost 12 inches! Again, warm weather is not very friendly to their tender petals.
Locally grown purple, lavender and white lilac is so sweet and fits in perfectly with vintage weddings. The long, thin stemmed varieties have little fragrance, are grown in greenhouses, and sometimes just won't drink water. Maybe it is because they are shipped from Europe and that long ride gives them a headache!
Anemones are one of Mother Natures' few true blue posies but their availability is not consistent. That deep blue center is so velvety and unique but if they are open too long you get to watch black crud fall out of your bouquet. Just sayin'! Last Memorial weekend I had a bride who insisted on adding white anemones to all of her bridesmaid bouquets and the third replacement batch I found that week was just adequate.
As the spring season moves into consistent warmer weather the flower world flips into a whole different set of choices. Maybe April was your first choice for a wedding date but the church bumped you to July.....we florists do what we can to give you that amazing look you have had in your head for years. But if the day is 85 degrees my spring flowers will be very angry with you!
2 Different shades of pink Peonies- blossoms and blooms. Paul Versluis
Fully opened soft pink Majolica Roses, white open Ranunculus, blush pink Stock, pink Mini Callas with fresh water pearls. Paul Versluis
Tulips, White Hydrangea, Coral Hypericum, fully opened Free Spirit Roses, Yellow Viking Mums, and Hens & Chicks. Freeland Photography
White Peonies, Juliet David Austin Roses, White Hydrangea, Pink and Blush Spray Roses. RPM Photography and Cinematography
