The wedding season begins in force in April, with every year more couples opting to marry during the shoulder season. It is a gorgeous time of year full of new growth, and there is something beautifully symbolic about choosing to start your lives together as a married couple just as all the new spring flowers appear and the weather turns to a more palatable sunny gleam.
As a florist, the month of April is such an exciting one. Everywhere you turn there are pops of spring colour that were not there a few weeks ago: clusters of daffodils, blossom of all varieties, and the spring bulbs of tulips begin to make an appearance. The season is one full of colour, growth, and hope.
However, there are also some challenges that this time of year brings. Many of the stems that are adored in this early spring season are very thirsty, have short stems, and can be fragile. This does bring its challenges when considering flowers to be used in a bridal bouquet, which must withstand hours out of water as well as lots of manhandling.
Keep it simple
One option for the bouquets would be to utilise a single flower type, such as tulips. There are some stunning varieties and colour combinations of tulips that are not readily available on the high street and will elevate your bridal bouquet beyond the stems seen in your back garden. I am a particular fan of parrot tulip varieties. Their ruffled petal edges add such a unique and interesting texture.
Dainty Delights
Many of the early spring flowers are short and fragile, which can make for some very cute, petite bouquets. With the intricate petals of ranunculus, the glossy, more open butterfly ranunculus, and the bell-shaped heads of hellebores being amongst the most luxurious, April can bring a beautifully delicate floral palette.
Classic ranunculus have a tight pack of delicate thin petals that open slightly as the flowers mature, whereas butterfly ranunculus have petals with a slight shine and are more open and flat. This can add some great variety in the shapes and textures in your wedding florals.
These stems can be quite thirsty, so it is always best to ask your venue or your florist to have vases on hand to pop your bridal party bouquets in water as soon as they are no longer needed. They will also prefer a well-soaked floral foam or a foam-free style of table arrangement, making them ideal for bud vases or low bowls.
Due to the short stems, many spring flowers may get lost in larger urn arrangements. I would opt instead for smaller meadows to create the feeling of an abundant woodland with pockets of spring flowers.
Structural Stars
One of the best ways to add interest and a unique twist on the table arrangements is to incorporate blossoming stems. These can add some very interesting shapes and create individual designs that are more modern than a traditional circular arrangement.
By incorporating structural elements like blossom into your wedding centrepieces, your florist can play around with pockets of negative space. This can draw the eye throughout an arrangement and make it easier for guests to see through the designs.
As a wedding florist, I think that April is the perfect month to create a woodland style wedding. Small but structural table arrangements incorporating spring bulbs and blossoming branches, alongside petite bouquets with dainty butterfly ranunculus and hellebores, would beautifully complement smaller aisle meadows to create a cohesive and whimsical wedding floral design.