Winter wedding flowers, do you play it cool or warm and moody?

Getting married in the winter is getting more and more popular.

Is it the games of Thrones effect? Or shall we blame the concept of Hygge.

It really doesn’t matter as getting married in the winter is a great idea.

In January some venues offer discounts as it is such a quiet time after Christmas and overall the flowers are quite cheap at that time.

Even though not many flowers are around in nature most flowers are grown in green houses and there is always a good selection to choose from. There is also a great selection of foliage, seedpods and twigs available.

However, there are a few weeks in the winter months where getting married is not such a good idea.

The period between Christmas and New Year is difficult to deal with if you are a florist ( or any other supplier)

There is no auction over Christmas and supply is poor just afterwards so it is hard to get nice flowers, and for most wedding suppliers this is a time to rest after the busy time in the run up to Christmas. (I had an enquiry for a wedding on the 27th of December, which means asking my florists to work over the Christmas period)

The other time that’s tricky is around Valentine’s day.

With the majority of flowers being sold at auction where demand is huge (especially for roses) and supply is low the prices will shoot up. The wedding florist will have to pass on this price hike onto the customer so expect higher prices for wedding flowers. Florist are also very busy with valentine’s orders so it’s better to wait and get the florist to pay full attention to your wedding flowers!

Anyway, back to those lovely winter months where getting married is all cozy, with lots of candles, throws and firepits and…

There are 2 very distinct styles of wedding flowers that are very popular at the moment, both very different from each other,

we are playing it warm or very very cool.

Firstly, lets talk about Hygge.

This is a Danish concept which means a state of wellbeing, coziness and happiness  (Or as the Dutch say: Gezellig!)

This concept is obviously an abstract sense and can translate into whatever makes you feel good inside but there is a distinct style associated with this and this lends itself really well to winter weddings.

The Hygge bride likes lots of candles, foliages and whites. This Scandi style is great year round but it lends itself very well  to winter weddings.

The flowers are not too blowsy, small and understated but very stylish indeed.

Popular in this style are garlands, floral or foliage chandeliers and wreaths rather than the traditional centre pieces.

To accentuate the season a lot of silvery foliage looks great. Eucalyptus, Senecio and Olive are great foliages to use, deep greens such as italian Ruscus is great and the copper tones of the Magnolia leaves are very nice to use as well.

 

Popular flowers in this look are white Ranunculi, spray Roses, scented Narcissi, Hellebores, Muscari and my favourite flower, the white Anemone.

Paired with berries, seedpods and twigs and lots of foliage this is a great look.

Don’t forget to finish the look with lots of candles, some cozy shrugs, fire pits and soft furnishings, or add big statement balloons.

 

 

The second popular winter wedding trend is all about warm and moody tones, deep hues and lush arrangements.

Colours such as Burgundy, maroon, deep purple, burned oranges and deep blues are great, flowers are lush and luxurious.

The arrangements can be messy and deconstructed with lots of lush velvet or silk ribbons with little pops of berries and trailing foliages, with blousy flowers in rich deep tones.

All these jewel tones are great paired with gold and copper accents in the use of goblets, candelabras, cutlery.

Other great ideas to accentuate the depth of colour are dark tablecloths and napkins and lots and lots of candles.

Great flowers to use are Amaryllus, anemones, Hydrangea, Amaranthus, Hypericum, Roses, Euphorbia, Hyacinths and Hellebores

 

Or what about a hybrid?

Whites and greens with a pop of Burgundy or blue are popular.

It’s best to add some other nude tones so the contrast between the whites and deep tones is not too harsh.