Bridal Blooms for June

—Allison Bedosky, Education Director

Well, it's that time again--wedding season! Couples and wedding planners are making the final decisions on some of the most important details of ceremonies, receptions, and all of the festivities in between. Besides deciding on the location, the dress, and the music, couples must choose the kinds of flowers they would like for boutonnieres, bouquets, and centerpieces. If you're having a June wedding there is a plethora of beautiful blooms to choose from that will look beautiful in pictures, on tables, and while walking down the aisle.

Determining a color scheme can be a major factor in deciding which flowers to use. If your bridesmaids are wearing blue, delphinium would be a great choice. Not only does this plant come in all shades of blue from powder blue, to cobalt and navy, but it's a beautiful, full flowering plant that will give you quite the bang for your buck by making your arrangements look like they're overflowing with color. Another great color choice is the gerbera daisy. With bright color options such as red, orange, yellow, purple and fuchsia, brides can mix and match to create fun, colorful bouquets. These multiple options allow for the colors to be drawn in creatively elsewhere, such as with tablecloths, bridesmaids dresses and ties for the groomsmen.

Although June is a beautiful time of year to get married, it can also be a hot and humid time. The heat may not only get to your guests, but can also lead to flowers wilting and arrangements flopping. If your style is a bit rustic, Taro Ietaka, the Director of Conservation and Land Stewardship at RNC suggests using azaleas, or mountain laurels. Along with appearing a bit more pastoral, the sturdy branches of these plants should help your flowers stand tall all day long. If you have more of a classic style, peonies and hydrangeas may be the way to go. Both flowers are big and beautiful, and will make a statement whether they are in centerpieces, or in bridal bouquets.

Once the wedding day has arrived, it's easy to forget about your flowers. Try to remember, or ask someone in your bridal party to keep them in the air conditioning as much as possible and ask the limo driver not to leave them in the trunk. If possible, keep your flowers in water as long as you can, which will help them look fresher longer. Finally, you can preserve your bouquet as a keepsake by following these simple steps:

• Loop a rubber band loosely around the stem and tie a string through the bands

• Hang the bouquet upside down to allow the moisture to leave the flowers

• Allow the bouquet to hang upside down for about three weeks or until the flowers are dry

• Once dry, you can take the bouquet down and gently arrange in a vase as a memento