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Wedding Planning: Tips for Choosing Seasonal Flowers and
Colors
by
Sheree Zielke
A bride usually knows exactly what flower she wants for her
wedding, regardless of the season. And our global marketplace can usually
provide all that her heart desires, for a price; sometimes a very high price.
But if you are a bride constrained by a budget, then you are best advised to
purchase in-season flowers for your wedding.
Year Round Availability:
Some popular traditional wedding flowers are available
year-round: roses, lilies (calla, oriental and stargazer), daisies, orchids,
chrysanthemums (giant, spider, and button), carnations, and greening florals
like statice, misty blue heather, tree fern, leather leaf fern, eucalyptus,
trailing ivy, and the must-have gypsophilia (gyp) or baby's breath.
The all-season flowers, listed above, come in a huge variety
of colors, so matching them to either a bride's color choices or a season's
colors is not a problem. Prices will vary, but common flowers like carnations,
mums and lilies tend to remain affordable year-round. Roses, while always
available, become outrageously expensive around major celebration days like
Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
Traditional Flower Choices:
White is still the most traditional choice for wedding
florals, no matter what the season. Classic weddings lean towards neutral
color tones: white, off-white, creams, and greens. One of the most stunning
bridal bouquets is a dramatic arrangement of long-stemmed cream and green calla
lilies, their stems woven with rich satin ribbon, knotted and trailing. Simply
gorgeous.
Seasonal Flower Choices:
Winter weddings are fabulous with a dramatic splash of rich
color against all that white. Blood-red amaryllis, pink-veined stargazers,
sunset orange birds of paradise, spicy ginger, wine red poinsettias, or a spray
of purplish exotic dendrobium orchids can make for simply jaw-dropping bridal
arrangements.
Spring weddings are usually softer, in keeping with the more
delicate blooms of the season like daffodils, tulips, violets, freesia,
anemones, lily of the valley, gardenias, and the very seasonal, but fragrant,
lilac. Spring wedding flower colors range from pastel pinks and mauves to
creamy yellows and light tangerines.
Summer weddings, afforded the huge color palate offered by Mother Nature, can
incorporate any of the colors of the rainbow. This is the time when flowers
are in abundance and are generally lower in cost, so a bride may find she is
able to afford more flowers. And one can never have too many flowers at a
wedding. Summer flowers can include: Lilies (tiger, calla, oriental, and
stargazer), daisies, chrysanthemums, dahlias, orchids, aster, zinnias, bachelor
buttons, roses, snapdragons, sunflowers, delphiniums, peonies, sweet peas and
poppies. There is no shortage of flower choices from late spring through
mid-fall.
Autumn weddings usually lean towards the brilliant warm
colors of fall: rich reds, vibrant burgundies, fiery oranges, burnt umbers,
sienna, sunny yellows, and dusty browns. Flowers during this season include:
zinnias, lilies, roses, dogwood, bittersweet, dahlias, goldenrod, thistles,
sunflowers, carnations, and seed pods (these are often sprayed and glittered
and added to increase drama in arrangements).
Back-up Plan:
A bride must be prepared for disappointment as flower
availability is not guaranteed. Many times crops are hit with unseasonable
frosts, pestilence and disease. A back-up flower plan is advised.
A bride should choose a flower that stirs both her emotions
and her senses. If cost is a factor, then a bride must either curtail her
choices and choose only in-season flowers, or opt for a summer wedding when
flower choices are in abundance, both by special order and locally.
Either way, regardless of season, there is always a flower and a flower color
to fulfill every bride’s wishes.
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