What’s a wedding without a flower or two (or 100)? Here’s how to stay in the green when it comes to your floral arrangements.
Flowers play a very important role on the wedding day, so it is important to match them to the season. Like fruit, flowers are seasonal, and getting the ones you love will sometimes be expensive if they are out of season.
Summer
Having a summer wedding is the easiest season because you are guaranteed the best weather, most flowers have bloomed and available and you can have an outdoor wedding. These flowers thrive best in summer:
Roses
Roses can be dressed up or down in a bouquet for any type of wedding. You are never limited to colours with these flowers. Shades range from red, yellow, pink, and orange to purple and white. Be careful though, each colour has its own symbolism!
Chrysanthemum
These flowers are perfect for a summer vintage wedding theme. They are available in hues such as yellow, orange, white, red, purple, and pink.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers were made for summer with their bright, happy hues and appearance. They’re the perfect bloom for a rustic wedding. They are mostly yellow but you can find orange and red varieties.
Winter
Winter weddings are popular for thsoe that love the season, and tend to be more intimate and indoors. The weather is mostly gloomy but your decor doesn’t have to be, here are flowers to help.
Camellias
Camellias are one of winter’s most-loved flowers Their petals are layered, which adds plenty of texture and you can pair them with thorny green. Their peak blooming season allows them to be readily available and easy to use.
Carnations
These cuties continue to bloom and thrive during winter’s cold months, and they are also available in a variety of colours like shades of red, purple, pink, and white. They make a room come alive with their flexibility.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus are great to use if you are going for the all-white soft florals theme. They are perfect for the bouquet and the groom’s pocket flower.
Spring
Spring is the season of hope. During this time everything is bright and beautiful, the sun is out but not too harsh and you want to look like a blooming flower. Your wedding should represent that vibe with these options:
Tulips
Tulips are great flowers and they look vibrant. You will find them in every colour except for black, blue, and green.
Peony
It’s one of the most loved flowers of the wedding season and it’s easy to see why the peony is an all-time favourite. It is the perfect mix of softness and texture, the flower also has a secret meaning – ‘a happy marriage’. It is available in white, cream, burgundy, soft pink, crimson, rose pink, and deep pink
Lilac
These beautiful flowers have a great beautiful soft scent. They are available in pure white, pale lilac, deep lilac, and pale pink.
Autumn
This is a season of natural colours. Everything is wilting and is mostly windy, it is hard to imagine that there are flowers that bloom when trees fall. Here are flowers you can find in autumn to make your wedding a day to remember:
Dahlias
These flowers are a nice balance between organic and refined. They are commonly mixed with greens to make a grounding look on your decor. You can find them in pink, white, and a quiet orange.
Zinnias
The Zinnias have an ombre effect. They have a calming effect and can be a great use for a barn-themed wedding. You will find them in various shades, from deep burgundy to the palest blush.
Protea
South Africa’s national flower is fitting for a wedding day. It is symbolic of change and transformation across cultures.
Pictures: Unsplash
The practice of carrying bouquets on a wedding day dates back to ancient times. Ancient Greeks, Romans and even Egyptians believed that carrying bunches of herbs and spices would ward off any bad luck during the wedding ceremony. Flowers were used to symbolise fidelity, happiness and new beginnings.
The modern wedding bouquet emerged during the Victorian age, and has become ornamental, as those marrying use specific flowers to communicate various romantic sentiments.
Here are some wedding bouquets that are made of unusual floral choices and other add-ons:
Feathers:
Pine cones:
Baby’s breath:
Lavender:
Paper flowers:
Bougainvillea:
Juniper berries:
Rosemary:
Cabbage:
Eucalyptus:
Blue hydrangea:
Succulents:
Picture/s: Pinterest
In most cases, DIY is the cheaper and more fun option. Do you really need any other reason to take up a DIY project? If you do, we’re giving you one. A DIY wedding bouquet is not only quick and easy to do, but it also adds an extra special personal touch to your wedding day.
Imagine walking down the aisle, seeing your love await you at the end. You’re already beaming with pride. Now, you get to add to that pride, knowing that the bouquet you’re carrying was hand-made by you!
If you’re considering building your bouquet from scratch, here’s how to do it:
– You have options, use them
While you may have to stick to one vendor for other aspects of your wedding, with flowers you can mix and match. This means you can go to your local market (or several markets) and hand-pick your bouquet flowers, which makes it all the more special. Choose the ones that feel perfect to you.
-Look for inspiration on Pinterest
Before you go shopping, be sure you have an idea of what you’d like. This will make picking the flowers much less overwhelming when you’re there. Also keep seasonality in mind.
– Prepare your flowers
Once you’ve got a hold of the blooms that will make up your bouquet, remove the foliage from the stems using your hands or a stem stripper. If you’ve chosen roses, ensure that you’ve removed the thorns. Next you’ll trim the stems to ensure that they are all the same length.
– Organise the bouquet
Choose about 4 flowers for the base of your bouquet, then wrap their stems together (preferably with floral tape). Ensure that you have left some exposed stem at the bottom.
– Add as you please
To create your dream bouquet, add more flowers around the base flowers. Keep things like texture and colour in mind as you add, and wrap with floral tape at each layer.
– Wrap and Pin
Once you have decided your bouquet is perfect, give it one final wrapping of floral tape and leave some exposed stem at the top and bottom. Next, using ribbon to cover the floral tape, wrap the stems once more and pin it when you’re done.
– Preserve
Once the bouquet is prepped and read, over it in tissue and store it in the refrigerator. This will keep it looking fresh until you’re ready to walk down the aisle.
Image: Pexels