When a bride tells me that she’s looking for “seasonal wedding flowers”, I ask her what she means by that.

Some say they believe it means that the flowers should be less expensive, others say that it means a flower that is at the peak during the time she is getting married.

 What would you say?

The REAL answer is simply that it’s available.

It doesn’t necessarily mean they are less expensive because the cost of a flower is a function of variety of factors. And also as efficient as technology and the ability to transport flowers from far distances might be, as with most things in life, most flowers have a season.

The ones that are most affected by seasonality are all the ones that I have spent the last couple of weeks featuring and these are the spring flowers.

The commercial growing season for spring wedding flowers actually begins and ends much earlier than most people realize leaving many May brides disappointed and surprised when they are unable to have their hyacinths, daffodils and ranunculus because the season has come to an ealy end.

The timing of what we see growing outside in a garden is not always the same as what and when a flower becomes available on the market.

So, if you have your heart set on tulips, hyacinths, ranunculus, sweet peas plan on getting married in the in the months of March and April when the weather may not be so great, but you can have the best flowers that spring has to offer.

And for those who love these flowers, it is a choice well worthwhile.

It’s one of the most commonly asked questions when I meet with a couple.

“Will the flowers last?” And it’s usually asked along with a recounting of how the flowers of someone they knew wilted before the ceremony.

Under normal circumstances, the short answer is they absolutely should. The longer answer is that it depends on some many factors.

1. The weather – There is nothing that will save the most well prepared and hydrated a flower on an extremely hot or sub-zero degree day. This will be especially true of the flowers that are out of water, such as the boutonnieres and corsages. To give the flowers the best chance of looking their best, they should be in refrigeration until they are worn.
2. How the flowers are grown and cut before the florist takes them – A florist’s choice of grower and supplier are critical as the process to grow, harvest and prepare flowers for their sometimes long journey to their ultimate destination.
3. The florist’s process for caring for the flowers – Like people, flowers require certain types of food and require a particular kind of environment for them to be in their best condition. The time and effort that it requires is a large part of the service associated with the purchase of your flowers.

If well prepared and with good weather on your side, your flowers should not only look beautiful on your wedding day, they can be enjoyed in the days after by those who get to take them home!