Aside from being the one wearing a wedding gown, nothing screams “bride” more than the bridal bouquet. Its beauty is second only to the woman carrying it, and yet, despite all the best laid plans and preparations, so many brides can be disappointed about its final appearance and performance on the wedding day.
Of course if you are using medium to high quality silk flowers (not the type found at Wal-Mart) then availability is not as much of an issue. Silk botanicals are seasonless, meaning you can get them pretty much all year round and are never subject to uncontrollable elements like heat, drought, rains, winds or import embargoes. In most cases the only time a silk botanical won’t be available is in the instance of a particular line being discontinued.
Color and Appearance Now that you have your stem research done its time to decide on the colors to use in your bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages and centerpieces. It’s a little known fact outside the botanical (flower) world that with very few exception, white roses, calla lilies and any other “white” flower ARE NOT white; they are in fact a very soft creme color.
Let me repeat this statement, white wedding flowers ARE NOT white – they are creme.
- Virginia Very large, soft ivory petals, outer ones with a pink blaze
- Escimo Delicate smaller size, pure “diamond white”, opens well
- Vendela Creamy white, medium size, high petal count
- Tineke Medium size, pointed bud, cool greenish-white, holds well
- Bianca Medium size, rounded bud, translucent ”rice white” color
- Sahara Warm ivory-ecru, rounded petals, opens full
- Clear Ocean Larger size, fragrant, soft ivory color, opens well
- White Majolika Spray type, “pure white” sweetheart sized blossom, opens well
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- Tineke
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- Polo
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- White Majolika
Of course if you’ve chosed to use silk flowers, not only are “white” flowers white (along with other shades of white), but the depth and saturation of color in other flower varieties is deeper and more varied. This is vitally important when you are trying to match the exact shade of purple, red, oranges or greens. Case in point, recently we had a bride request “eggplant” colored hydrangea (in nature, purple hydrangea has a blue hue). After showing her a prototype of her bouquet in silk, she opted to use fresh flowers; however when she came into our showroom to view her fresh bouquet she was greatly disappointed that the colors of the fresh flowers wasn’t as intense as it was in the silk. Long story short, we ended up making her bouquet in silk flowers instead and she was not only pleased with the outcome but appreciative of our extra effort. So let’s look at a side-by-side comparison of using fresh botanicals vs. silk:
Fresh Flowers
- Availability is subject to growing season and import
- “White” flowers are not white, they are cream colored
- Specific colors/shades difficult to obtain and match with attire
- Hybrid flowers typically void of fragrance, while others have unpleasant aromas
Silk Flowers
- Available all year round, unless discontinued
- True “whites” are available, as are limitless shades of “white/cream”
- Deeper, richer colors which are easier to coordinate and match attire
- Void of fragrance, however they can be custom scented if desired
In our next post we’ll discuss durability, care and longevity of your wedding flowers. Until then, subscribe to our blog so that you recieve our next installment automatically or email us. We’d love to share with you!
