When I was planning my own wedding, I had a vision that the church would be bursting to the rafters with copious amounts of flowers flowing from every flat surface. I wanted to go on one of our romantic country walks near where we lived and collect up armful after armful of beautiful cow parsley and adorn the church with swathes of the lovely white flowers. I wanted the feeling of a country day to be in abundance as the first impression for my guests. However, I had overlooked one very crucial fact (one which Dee McMeeking makes in her guest post this month). I got married in August and by the height of the summer there wouldn’t be any cow parsley gracing the lanes of the British countryside anymore. I had to rethink my plan and pick flowers that were in season at the time of my wedding. (Don’t worry my amazing florist made such great suggestions on flowers that the place looked amazing anyway!)
To help you start to choose your flowers, here’s a very brief guide to some of the most popular flowers and shrubs used at weddings and when they’re mainly in season in the UK (and therefore more readily available and at a more reasonable price):
SPRING
- Apple Blossom
- Azalea
- Bluebell
- Broom
- Carnation
- Cherry Blossom
- Chrysanthemum
- Clematis
- Daffodil
- Daisy
- Forsythia
- Freesia
- Gladioli
- Honeysuckle
- Iris
- Jasmine
- Lilac
- Lily
- Orchid
- Polyanthus
- Rhododendron
- Tulip
SUMMER
- Aster
- Azalea
- Calla Lily
- Carnation
- Chrysanthemum
- Cornflower
- Daisy
- Dahlia
- Delphinium
- Forget Me Not
- Freesia
- Fuchsia
- Gerbera
- Gladioli
- Heather
- Hollyhock
- Hyacinth
- Iris
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Lilac
- Lily
- Lily of the Valley
- Lisianthus
- Lupin
- Marigold
- Orchid
- Peony
- Rhododendron
- Rose
- Sunflower
- Sweet Pea
- Sweet William
- Zinnia
AUTUMN
- Chrysanthemum
- Dahlia
- Freesia
- Gladioli
- Gypsophila
- Hydrangea
- Iris
- Lily
- Lisianthus
- Orchid
- Rose
- Sunflower
WINTER
- Calla Lily
- Carnation
- Chrysanthemum
- Forsythia
- Freesia
- Gerbera
- Gypsophila
- Iris
- Lily
- Lisianthus
- Orchid
- Rose
- Snowdrop
This is by know means an exhaustive list but just a starting guide to begin thinking about what is available for your big day. Take a look at some other blog posts on colours, traditions and meaning of flowers at weddings.
