Every day is a beautiful day for a wedding and a beautiful bouquet. Designer Sarah Rose and her floral team created these special posy gatherings to highlight the fall foliage and the beauty of the person who carried them to the alter. The flowers chosen are both simple and sophisticated, bold and blushing, cautious and reckless in their style, color and ability to create a statement and capture a vision.
Here is a list of some of the flowers used to construct the bouquets pictured in this article:
- King Protea – comes from a flowering plant and is South Africa’s National Flower. Its large spiky blooms come in several colors with the most common having deep red tips. This giant beauty symbolizes change or transformation – like the symbolism of two becoming one . . .
- Cherry Brandy Roses – is a bicolor rose with peach and cherry pink petals. Its blooms can sometimes be up to 5″ in length and its fragrance is enticing. The meaning of this rose is “beauty, love, passion and perfection” and it is perfect for a wedding.
- Antique Blue Hydrangea – you have seen many varieties in gardens around the states including white, pink, purple, green and the beautiful blue in our photo example. By virtue of its name – hydrangea – keep it in water and it will keep you smiling for days. A little trick for rehydrating your hydrangea . . . when wilted, submerse the flower head in water for a few seconds, place the wet head in a vase of water and set in a cool place. In 20-minutes or so . . . the beauty is back!
- Anemone – notice the purple black-eyed variety used against the white flower background in our photo examples. There are about 200 species of flowering plants in this family of flowers called Ranunculaceae. In flower language the Anemone means “fragile” and it is so bride’s beware if you are using this variety – take good care!
- Dahlias in blush and burgundy – surprisingly related to the sunflower, daisy and chrysanthemum species – this soft petaled flowers grows in many a garden and adds a feel of vintage elegance to a flower gathering.
- Cymbidium Orchids – also known at the Boat Orchid derived from its Latin name cymba meaning boat. It comes in a variety of colors and lasts a very long time when care is taken.
- Mother of Pearl Roses – this blushy pink rose was first used in the US in 2007 and has quickly become a flower of choice for wedding designs. its petals are pale pink on the outside and pinkish taupe on the inside. When it opens wide the inner petals are a lovely gold-taupe color giving the rose new beauty with every stage of life.
- Sunflowers – who doesn’t love the happy feeling these orbs of sun inspire? It has great meaning for a wedding of adoration, loyalty and longevity, so bring on the sun when you are thinking of all things wedding!
- Gerbera Daisies – big beautiful and colorful are adjectives to describe their garden mainstays – and there is also a mini version. Colors are almost neon and gives a gathering of flowers a real pop!
- Rubicon Spray Roses – tiny little rose buds on a single stem add a feeling of texture and Granny’s garden to any bouquet. The Rubicon variety is a deep red, but fear not these little beauties come in numerous colors.
- Astilbe – a perennial in many a garden, Astilbe has a long straight stem (perfect for bouquet making) with fern-like leaves. Its blooms are feathery and come in many vibrant colors, which is why they are attractive for weddings and butterflies.
- Hypericum Berries – this plants flower gives way to the most colorful berries, which make for great filler in any flower gathering.
- Privet Berries – like the Hypericum, these berries give any bouquet a touch of class and color. Privet most often used for the dark almost navy color, but comes in others like green and red.
- Mums a plenty – Mum varieties are never-ending and their colors unlimited, but their meaning makes them perfect for a wedding – “Optimism and JOY”!
- Babies Breath – or Gyposphila is commonly used as a filler to crown or highlight other larger flowers. Take a look at how it frames the sunflowers in one of our photo examples.
- Blue Thistle – once considered a weed, this almost flower was native to eastern Europe, but has been naturalized in the US for its beautiful blue color.
- Black Pearl Roses – Yes they look black!
- Waxflower – has a Rosemary like stem which brings forth tiny buds of flowers in a variety of colors. Having this dainty flower in your bouquet means “happiness in marriage” – so we use it often!
- Black Magic Roses – Yes they are close to black and the magic comes when the flower speaks to your heart on your wedding day.
- Leucadendron – a cousin to the King Protea, this stemmed evergreen shrub is rich in deep reds and greens. The perfect complement to the King as is shown in another of our bouquet photos.
And, the list continues with more flowers and a variety of greens and foliage like:
- Seeded Eucalyptus – fills the empty spaces of a bouquet with tiny clusters of seeds.
- Silver Dollar Eucalyptus – giving a foggy gray tone to an arrangement of flowers.
- Baby Blue Eucalyptus – most know this variety for its long stems with circle-like leaves and yes, it baby blue tones.
- Feather Eucalyptus – did you know there were so many types of Eucalyptus? And, there are many more of hybrids of this variety.
- Parvafolia – another type of Eucalyptus also known as Chinese Elm.
- Pittosporum – which comes in a solid green or variegated white and green.
- Leatherleaf Fern – a fern that blankets the forest in many countries with Brazil calling its harvest of economic importance and the UK gaining the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit for its cultivation of this fern.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the creations of flower bouquets and gorgeous gatherings produced by the Stroudsmoor Floral Team lead by designer Sarah Rose. BRAVO for a job well done in capturing the beauty of our couples’ vision on their wedding day!
