Sometimes you can have your heart set on a flower, and it is not in season, or perhaps it is not available in quite the right shade to match your wedding colour palette. Maybe your dream flower should be in season during your wedding, but you find out weeks out from the big day that something has affected its availability…
What can you do in these situations? Well, we have a few ideas on how you can still have the wedding flowers of your dreams.
Choose another flower
The most obvious option is to select another flower which closely resembles your favourite bloom. There are many flowers which look like each other but are not directly related.
Let us look at everyone’s favourite flower, the peony, for example. Peonies have a very short season of 6-8 weeks at the end of spring but should your wedding fall outside of this time, you could opt for a similar looking bloom such as garden roses, double tulips or ranunculus.
Import from overseas
Chances are the bloom you have your heart set on may be in season in another part of the world. Although it can work out a little more expensive, your florist could investigate importing your favourite flower from another state or country.
Use premium silk flowers
Faux flowers have come a long way since the less than favourable varieties available in your local bargain store. High quality silk flowers can closely resemble their real-life counterpart and your guests will not know they are not the real deal.
We had a bride who requested a particular variety of magnolia bloom be included in her bouquet for sentimental reasons. The variety was not available commercially, so we combined faux magnolia blooms with real flowers for her. She was able to keep the magnolia stems as a keepsake after the big day.
Entire bouquets can be created using silk blooms, which are perfect for those eloping or having a destination wedding in a tropical location where their delicate favourite flower is unavailable. This is also an option for brides wishing to keep their bouquet after the they say “I do.”
Make flowers resemble another
This option is often laborious and therefore can be more expensive, but you can use elements of one flower to make them look like another. We have had brides request branches of blossom outside of blossom season, and what the bride wants the bride gets! We have emulated branches of blossoms by intricately wiring Singapore orchid or stock blooms on to bare branches creating spring-like spaces in the middle of summer.
Change the colour
You may not know that there is such a thing as floral paint which is used to tint natural blooms. This can be used to simply white out the coloured throat of a phalaenopsis orchid or mute a vibrant shade to a lighter hue. It can also be used to spray flowers gold or black for a dramatic look.
We recently had a client who requested a room full of hydrangea in an exact shade of blue and purple. It had to be exact! Colouring of hydrangea is a bit of a science and dependent on factors such as soil acidity. They were also required at the very beginning of hydrangea season to make the task even trickier! Victoria, determined to make this happen for her client, found a grower willing to work closely with her in heating the hot house and monitoring soil conditions.
The client was kept updated throughout and was informed from the very beginning that although Victoria would do everything in her power to ensure the hydrangea were the exact hues requested, there was a chance that they may need to be dusted with floral paint.
The grower did a magnificent job at providing hydrangea in the specified shades but not all flowers bloomed in time. White hydrangeas had to be purchased to supplement and needed to be sprayed with colour so that they matched the naturally coloured blooms. Victoria rented a spray booth and purchased protective clothing and masks to ensure her staffs’ safety from the fumes. The additional blooms were carefully sprayed to match then dispersed amongst the naturally hued hydrangea. The team pulled it off and the client was thrilled with the end result!
As you can see, even if Mother Nature affects the availability of your favourite blooms for your big day, your chosen florist can work towards recreating the same look using various techniques. Do not fret, you can have the wedding flowers of your dreams after all!
