Image By Sean + Danni Photography

Summer weddings are magical. Warm days make for a laid-back vibe and we love the wedding bouquets that are created. Summer is a time to play around with colour! It is a time to have lots of levels and depth within the bouquet.

As the weather changes so does the flower availability, each week different varieties can be in or out of season or their quality can be affected by extreme temperatures or heavy summer rainfall… This makes planning months in advance tricky. For our clients’ summertime bouquets we usually recommend focusing on a colour palette and a style/vibe, then we pick the specific flower combination the week of your wedding, factoring in your personal taste, the weather and the quality/abundance of the blooms.

Image By Elsa Campbell Photography 

Some tips for working with your florist for a summer bouquet are:

  • Come to your meeting prepared with a few images of what appeals to you
  • Keep an open mind when they make suggestions on size/style/colours
  • Don’t be afraid to play around with colour
  • Be open to the exact design being changed in terms of the weather and flower availability
  • Balance your flowers and your outfits. If you have detailed/patterned dresses, make the bouquets simple; if you have classic/plain dresses make the bouquets a feature
  • In summer you can get away with a larger bouquet, if the outfit and your build allows, don’t be afraid to go LARGE!

One of the biggest challenges as a wedding florist is that our “busy season” falls over the hottest months. To add to the irony, the softest, most delicate flowers are blooming during these months. This can make the logistics a little tricky. Howver, with some careful planning, we can ensure the blooms are at their best. The greatest thing you can do to ensure your bouquet goes the distance, is to give your florist creative freedom over the specific flower and foliage choices.

That way, depending on the weather, they can choose more appropriate blooms which will last throughout the day. We don’t know the forecast until the days leading up, so ideally we like to make last minute choices of what to omit, or we may add some extra foliage or “sturdy” flowers to hold these temperamental blooms in place, so we can still keep these amazing flowers, just with a little support.

Image by Agent 86 Photography

As all flowers are unique, we don’t know exactly what will work best until we have the flowers in our hands. Some weeks certain varieties will be sturdier than the week before.  We have no control over this (it depends on the growing conditions/weather in the weeks leading up to being picked), nor will we know what the best are until we are making each design. So, by having freedom over said design, it allows us to create the best overall bouquets without having to stress out our clients by communicating these changes the day before or day of the wedding.

Some popular summer items we use which can be temperamental include:

  • Hydrangea
  • Garden roses
  • Peonies
  • Dahlias
  • Queen annes lace
  • Veronica
  • Delphiniumn
  • Astilbe
  • Bouvardia
  • Jasmine foliage
  • Oak foliage

Something that may seem obvious, but can be easily forgotten on the big day is; FLOWERS ARE PERISHABLE! If it is a sunny 35-degrees, the flowers will not last as long as if it is an overcast 18-degree day. In warmer months, it is important to remember that if flowers are out of water and being paraded around in the sun for hours on end, they will be looking tired and there is no amount of careful flower choices that will change that.

A way I explain it to my clients, is to think about their bridal flowers like a cheese platter. At certain times of the year, you could buy your ingredients, leave it in the car whilst you do your shopping, put it outside for your friends and a few hours later it will still be good to eat from. On sunny days, you would not get away with this! Treat your bouquet, how you would a block of cheese!! My clients always laugh when I say this, but it sticks in their heads!

Image by The White Tree

Some tips for making your wedding party flowers hold up are;

  • Ensure your florist delivers your bouquets in a small amount of water
  • Keep the flowers in a cool spot out of direct sunlight
  • If appropriate, keep the bouquets in the water whilst you drive to the wedding
  • Avoid putting the flowers in the boot where the air conditioner does not reach
  • If you are having a pre-ceremony photo shoot consider just having one or two photos with your bouquet then return it to water and out of the sun for the remainder of the photo shoot
  • Have the buttonholes attached as late as possible (even just before the ceremony)
  • If you would like the buttonholes attached for a pre-ceremony photo shoot consider ordering double so they can be replaced halfway through the day
  • If you are having a flower crown consider ordering two or just having it for your reception as it will not last all morning, afternoon and evening on a warm day.
  • White flowers show browning and bruises before coloured flowers, so if you are particular about this go for bold coloured flowers where it is more difficult to notice
  • Remember flowers are perishable and they will move, open and wilt throughout the day, this is to be expected, but you can reduce this by following your florists instructions

Image By Perla Photography

Ms Zebra Says: Flowers are such a gorgeous way to incorporate colour and add freshness to your aesthetic! Wonderful tips to consider when having a summer wedding and wanting to your flowers to look their best. LOVE the cheese analogy!

About Gillian Pollard: Gill is the owner and founder of Gillian Pollard Flowers and is super passionate about what she does. Every job she takes no matter how big or small get the same amount of attention and dedication. Being able to have full creative licence over the vision has enabled her to build the brand the way she likes, select the team she wants and love what she does!