Engaged couples everywhere are so excited about their 2019 weddings. One of the biggest challenges can be deciding on which flowers go best with your wedding vision. Flowers can be a big expense in the overall wedding budget. Sometimes if they are sourced in season the cost can be slightly less, but quality flowers are still more costly than couples realize. Let’s look at popular seasonal flowers for weddings starting with springtime. This blog post was originally written by us for the new wedding blog Amor Latino Unveiled.

Spring Flowers

The queen of spring is the peony! It is a big, sweet smelling beauty that brings delight to flower lovers everywhere.  Peonies signal the start of the wedding season. These gorgeous flowers come in many colors ranging from white, pink and deep red. While they are considered premium flowers, their cost is definitely less during the local blooming season. On the east coast we can usually source peonies from April to early July. Other popular spring wedding flowers include ranunculus, roses (year round), tulips, lisianthus, sweet peas and hydrangea.

Bridal bouquet with pink peonies, white ranunculus and several types of roses

– Heather Adams Photography 

Spring bouquet with white garden roses, blue tweedia and other assorted blooms

– Pamela Lepold Photography

 Summer Flowers

Summertime brings many more blooms to the table.  Zinnias, Queen Anne’s lace, delphinium and roses are popular.  The undisputed star of summer flowers is the dahlia. Dahlias are wondrous flowers with many intricate petals.  The café au lait dahlia is a large showstopper that many brides covet.  It can range in color from delicate pink to a sandy cream.  The beauty of this flower is unmatched. It takes a front row seat in any bouquet or centerpiece, but it does work well with many other types of flowers.  Asters, snapdragons and stock are complementary when paired with dahlias.  Summer brides have a bit of overlap with spring flowers and fall.  They possibly have the greatest variety of blooms at their disposal. Roses remain readily available as well and come in a great variety of colors.  Below is a centerpiece design with large blush & cream café au lait dahlias, and white lisianthus.  Silver dollar eucalyptus and Italian ruscus greenery round out the arrangement and add extra fullness.

Fall Flowers

Fall brings cooler temperatures and a “second spring” for flowers. Many of the beauties from May and June are growing again on flower farms for a short period. Fall weddings often bring deeper colors such as orange, burgundy. Dahlias remain quite popular in fall, up until the first frost. They are one of the few true burgundy flowers available. Mums, calla lilies, celosia and sunflowers are also popular at this time of year. Berries start to appear and are available in many rich colors such as dark blue, red and warm pink. Many “filler” flowers, which are flowers that add fullness to bouquets, bring texture to the design. Thistle and scabiosa pods are popular textural flowers. Fall foliage from local trees add color and another element of texture. Fall bouquets can be abundant in size and extra colorful, but blush and burgundy is probably the most requested color combination currently.

Burgundy dahlias, roses and greenery  – Kelly Walsh Loss Photography

Winter Flowers

Winter couples often bring in an element of the holiday season for their weddings. Roses, which are available year round, are often used in bouquets, especially red premium or garden roses. Many types of greenery such as eucalyptus, evergreens and pepperberry are very popular. Even mini pine cones can be seen in centerpieces and sometimes boutonnieres. Other couples opt for the classic white and green palate for their winter wedding, accented with silver or gold elements. This is especially elegant in colder climates. Imagine this look with an evening snowfall! Flower variety may be more limited in winter but beautiful bouquets and centerpieces are still achieved using available products.

Winter bouquet with red and peach roses, pepperberry and eucalyptus

– Stephanie Leigh Photography & Design

 

Regardless of the season you choose to get married, you will have a beautiful wedding. Take some time to think about flowers you like, along with your favorite colors. If you covet an out of season flower, it may be possible to obtain it for your wedding, but be prepared for higher costs.  A professional florist will help you select a color palate that complements every aspect of your wedding design. They will often suggest using flowers you may have never heard of. Trust us to come up with a cohesive design that adds an extra special touch to your amazing day!

 

Shirley Goodwin is the owner and lead designer of JR Flowers. The studio located in Leesburg VA, and services weddings and events in Northern VA, Washington DC, and suburban Maryland.  Adding a pop of color to wedding and event design is their trademark style.  Find them on the web, www.JRFlowers.net or Instagram www.instagram.com/JRFlowersweddings/