How to use seasonal British flowers in your wedding
Seasonal, locally grown wedding flowers are the future of wedding floristry. But what does that mean for your spring, summer, autumn or winter wedding?
Perfection. It’s something we’ve all strived for in some way at some point in our lives, before accepting that it’s wholly unrealistic and largely unachievable. Isn’t everything perfectly imperfect?
The same can be said for wedding flowers, or flowers in general for that matter.
When you take time to stop and smell the roses, you’ll see that nature is beautiful in its own right. It’s twisty, brittle, craggy, frayed and a little rough around the edges but when you look at a garden rose or peony or ranunculus dancing in the breeze surrounded by feathery foliage and flanked by prickly counterparts, I doubt you gasp with dismay at its imperfectness.
It’s safe to say that we’ve all been utterly spoiled over the past decades by an ability to have whatever we want, whenever we want it. And when we see lavish, varied and abundant wedding flowers with the most perfect pristine petals on social media, no matter the time of year, it’s no wonder we have forgotten that flowers are natural, seasonal entities.
Year round colour and variety is of course beautiful. But is it great for climate change? You don’t need me to tell you that it’s not.
Opting for seasonal British flowers
Choosing seasonal flowers wherever possible is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re doing your bit for the environment and supporting the wedding and events industry in moving away from a reliance on importation.
Choosing seasonal British flowers is also a more fitting choice from a design perspective.
Seasonal blooms ensure that your wedding styling and floristry sing harmoniously with the landscape and natural surroundings of your wedding venue rather than fighting against it. And on a perhaps less conscious note, associations between certain flowers and the time of year will provide timely opportunities to reminisce about your big day. The sight of a peony, the smell of honeysuckle, the determined emergence of snowdrops or the umber hues of beech, will transport you.
So if you’re keen to understand what might be available to you in your chosen wedding season, here are some of the best, locally grown flowers you might consider for your UK wedding.
Winter wedding flowers
(December, January, February)
December through to early February is typically a time of little new growth but plenty of beautiful style options if you get creative and use your imagination. Think branches of Oak, Ash, Beech, Lime and Maple to add height in wedding centrepieces or as an abstract addition to a wedding ceremony backdrop or installation.
There are many beautiful foliages to cut for winter such as heather, winterberry, magnolia, laurel, myrtle, viburnum and stems of rosemary. The January snowdrop can look wonderful in simple glass bottles, as can pure white cyclamen, alternatively potted in bowls as delicate table centrepieces.
Hellebores in subtle variations of colours are a welcome addition to wedding table centrepieces and can even make for an original and sustainable bridal bouquet, whether alone or mixed with other blooms.
Dried flowers are an increasingly popular option in all seasons, but they are particularly charming and appropriate in winter weddings. Dried arrangements add an elegant, vintage feel to venue decorations. Bunches of dried hydrangeas suspended high or woven through foliage runners are incredibly impactful and fit with almost any colour scheme; the delicate flower heads can fade to a green / brown with flecks of pale pink, or dry in rich burgundy or even pale blue tones.
Winter favourites
- Heather
- Winterberry
- Magnolia
- Laurel
- Myrtle
- Dried herbs
- Dried roses
- Dried hydrangeas
- Branches of Oak, Ash, Beech, Lime and Maple
- Honesty
- Snowdrops
- Cyclamen
- Rosemary
- Viburnum
- Hellebores
Winter weddings also invite the opportunity to get creative with decorative items borrowed from nature such as leaves, feathers, berries, fruits, pine cones and mistletoe.
Spring wedding flowers
(March, April, May)
Spring brings forth a blousy and romantic rush of new colours and textures to choose from.
Narcissus, hyacinths, bluebells, tulips and crocus can be used in flower boxes to line a wedding aisle or to decorate welcome signs or seating plans. Flower boxes are super versatile and can be easily moved from space to space to maximise your budget.
Spring is the season when delicate anemone and ranunculus appear; both of which featured heavily in bouquets and table centrepieces last year. These beautiful, light flowers can usually be sourced locally in the UK in spring and just a few stems can make a beautiful, simple wabi-sabi style centrepiece.
Euphorbia is a bright yet light green that lifts most floral arrangements and adds brightness in keeping with the season. It works especially well with white and cream flowers.
Pussy willow and magnolia look beautiful on tables or in floor standing vases or arrangements to add height and texture.
Spring favourites
- Narcissus
- Hyacinths
- Bluebells
- Tulips
- Crocus
- Euphorbia
- Pussy willow
- Magnolia
- Lily of the valley
- Forget me knot
- Linaria
- Anthriscu ravenswing
Summer wedding flowers
(June, July, August, Early September)
English summer flowers are abundant and plentiful, offering the most stunning array of colours, shapes and textures, and giving you plenty of choice for your summer wedding flower arrangements. You’re truly spoiled for choice and can find almost any popular wedding flower growing locally, subject to demand and availability.
June is prime rose and peony month, with blooms coming thick and fast. By July and August, cosmos make fantastic cut flowers, as do oriental poppies, nicotiana N. sylvestris, zinnias and dahlias, to name but a few.
Summer favourites
- Peonies
- Roses
- Dahlias
- Sweet peas
- Larkspur
- Delphinium
- Hydrangea
- Scabious
- Snapdragons
- Nigella
- Lavatera
- Godetia
- Lavender
- Campanula
- Astrantia
- Mint
- Trailing vines
- Clematis
- Jasmine
- White cobea
- Cosmos
- Poppies
- Sunflowers
- Tagetes
- Nicotiana
- Zinnias
- Phlox
- Gaura
- Foxgloves
Autumn wedding flowers
(Late September, October, November)
As the weather turns cool and pumpkins begin to show up at farm shops, supermarkets and more, fear not; there are still beautiful, seasonal stems available to add exquisite colour and texture to an autumn wedding setting.
Dahlias are still going strong in October, and perhaps lesser known additions such as bright green florist’s dill work beautifully with faded browns and rich autumn colours. Herbs and foliage can make up a lot of what’s available to a couple marrying in autumn, and there’s nothing better than dried or fresh beech to add burnt orange hues to a cosy autumn wedding arrangement.
Dried hydrangeas pair beautifully with rich burgundy and fresh or dried eucalyptus – a foliage typically imported as cut bunches but which can be found locally, and even dried or died using natural dies to suit a specific colour theme.
Another great died and dried flower is gypsophila, which maintains its structure superbly once dried so can be used out of season in all manner of arrangements.
Autumn favourites
- Dahlia
- Ridolfia segetum
- Hardy annuals cosmos
- Herbs and foliage
- Pelargoniums
- Branches of Oak, Ash, Beech, Lime and Maple
Making small improvements with seasonal wedding flowers
As with all of the worlds climate change efforts, change wont happen overnight. What is most important is that couples are aware of where their flowers come from and conscious of the choices they make in choosing all or partly sourced blooms from overseas.
Where possible, consider locally grown, seasonal flower and foliages for your wedding day and embrace seasonality and the rawness of nature. Creative wedding designers like Lace & Lemons can support you with building a locally supported wedding day, using local suppliers and designing a day that it’s everything you’ve ever wanted and more.
If you’d like to discuss wedding venue dressing, design or event flowers, get in touch with Amy today.