Wedding flowers for every season: tips and tricks from florists

Flowers make such a big difference to the look of your wedding day. You'll find them brightening up the ceremony space, tables, as buttonholes for the groom and groomsmen and in the hands of the bride and bridesmaids.

But when it comes to arranging your wedding flowers, it's not always just a simple case of pick and choose. Some blooms are only available at certain times of the year which might put a dampener on your plans. 

Thankfully florists are well versed in the seasonality of flowers and know just how to achieve the perfect bouquet; from when to order in your favourite flowers to ensuring the blooms reach their peak on your big day.

Florists Gemma Twigg of Twiggs and Thistles and and Helen Hardman of The Greenshed Flower Studio weigh in on shopping for wedding flowers throughout all of the seasons. 

Popular wedding flowers 

Peonies

“If anything signals the start of summer, it’s the peony,” says Helen. “And if there is one flower that tops the popularity charts, this is it.”

Perhaps its rarity is part of the appeal – the plant’s flowering season is painfully brief – just a few weeks, usually towards the end of May and into June.

But once you’re into high summer, Helen points out, masses of other kinds of flowers are at their best, “including some of my favourites: roses, ammi, cosmos and snapdragons.” 

Dahlias

Late summer is when dahlias start appearing, flowers Helen loves for the sheer variety they offer her in her work: “They come in every colour you can think of, and almost as many shapes,” she explains.

Thistles

At the same time, Gemma finds that the thistle – Scotland’s national flower (and one half of her business’s name) – is just ahead of the peony for the sheer volume of requests she gets. “How fitting for a Scottish wedding!” she laughs.

Can I get flowers that aren't in season?

“Seasonality is always part of the conversation – but in a positive way,” says Helen. “I tell my couples that I try to work with local suppliers as much as I can, and this means seeing what is available at the time of year. I do complement this with flowers sourced elsewhere – so unless something is really out of season there is usually a creative solution to be found.” 

In Gemma’s experience, most couples are happy to plan their picks from a colour palette of available flowers. "I had a bride who really wanted anemones for her summer wedding – but anemones are a winter bloom. The compromise was very high-quality silk anemones mixed through fresh flowers and greenery.” 

Both florists explain that another option is swapping flowers for a seasonally available lookalike. For sunflowers, which don’t grow in winter, Gemma suggests large yellow gerberas: “They can look very similar.”

For peony fans, Helen recommends “a double tulip as a convincing 
doppelganger” before peony season starts, and, later on, garden roses, as “they give that same sort of blowsy romance.”

When will the flowers be ordered?

A lot of thought goes into the wholesale ordering process, Gemma reveals: “Some flowers naturally have a shorter shelf life so will be ordered as close to the wedding day as possible. Others, such as roses, will be delivered a little while in advance so they have time to open up and look their best on the day.” 

How to keep flowers looking fresh

Gemma's top tips for flowers that stubbornly stay closed? “We can steam them to encourage the buds to open, or twirl the stems upside down to inspire petals to loosen.”

“Generally speaking,” Helen adds, “keeping the flowers cool and hydrated is key – and that’s the same advice I give to couples upon delivery of their bouquets.” Sharing is caring, she concludes: “If you feel like you could do with a wee drink, your flowers definitely feel the same."