Floral considerations for a midsummer wedding.

There’s an ancient marriage-related custom associated with the month of January: To see their future husbands, young women were advised to wait for the first new moon of the new year, stand outside and address the moon thus:

All hail to thee moon, all hail to thee,
I prythee, good moon, reveal to me,
This night who my husband shall be.

But, for those who are a little more pro-active, the beginning of the year is an ideal time to actually get married. Christmas holidaymakers have largely dispersed, giving you the best of the weather, a little less of the crowds and a little more of the service. And, if you envision striking floral accompaniments to your special day, summer is the gift that keeps on giving.

Flowers are an indispensable part of any wedding, and a summer wedding offers endless floral choice. Ask your florist for recommendations on the season’s best. In-season flowers will always be cheaper than flowers that need to be sourced elsewhere. Popular in-season varieties for a midsummer wedding include open field roses, Gardenias, Irises, Hydrangeas and the Lisianthus. Any combination of these will be lushly complemented by the green foliage of the summer season.

If you’re planning a garden or outdoor wedding, it might be worthwhile to make a note of these flowers, all of which are particularly resilient in high temperatures:

Baby’s breath
Black-eyed Susans
Calla lilies
Carnations
Celosia
Chrysanthemums
Cymbidium orchids
Dahlias
Daisies
Limoniums
Marigolds
Roses
Sunflowers

DIY Flower Arrangements

The practice of DIY flower arranging is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. You can purchase your flowers wholesale and arrange them yourself. A bouquet of roses and a little filler may be simple, but it’s infinitely more affordable and makes a stunning bouquet.

Be creative with your flower holders. The posy is the traditional arrangement style, but there are other options too that need to be selected on the basis of table size and shape, flower arrangement style and colour theme. Glass vases add an element of sophistication, but they’re also heavy and breakable. Ceramic pottery bowls are great if you want a consistent colour theme. They can be made to your specification, and can also double up as wedding favours. The woven basket holder, too, is flexible in design. From tray-like to country baskets, and from delicate single-ply to thick rustic-looking weaving, your flower arrangements can be surprisingly instrumental to a successfully executed theme.

Tip: Purchase your bouquet “ingredients” - candles, ribbons, bowls, paint - after the holidays. After Christmas sales can be a godsend!

Some Simple Tips for Preserving Freshness

• Add one part lemon-lime soda (not diet) to 3 parts water. Then to each quart of this solution, add 1/4 teaspoon bleach. Thereafter, add 1/4 teaspoon bleach after each 4 days of use.
• To 1 quart water add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon bleach.
• Add 2 ounces Listerine mouthwash per gallon of water. Listerine contains sucrose (food) and a bactericide. Listerine is acidic and is believed to help water move up the cut stem.
• Use plain, lukewarm water for most cut flowers, but use cold water for bulb flowers, such as daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips.
• Keep your flowers in a cool location away from draughts, direct heat and sunlight.
• Keep your fresh flowers away from ethylene gas, which is given off by ripening fruit and other organic materials. Many flowers are quite sensitive to ethylene, especially carnations, freesias, and lilies.
• Mist the flowers with plain water as often as possible, even several times a day, helping to keep moisture in their petals.

Silks: A Special Mention

Another option is silks. While many brides insist on natural flowers, silks have several not-so-easy-to-ignore advantages:

• Silks are available all year round
• Silks are easier in terms of specific colour matching
• Silks can be arranged months in advance of the wedding, thereby saving you precious last-minute time
• Silks can be an economical choice
• Many popular types are available, including calla lilies, roses, orchids and carnations

Wedding Flower Rituals

The tossing of the bouquet needn’t involve the bridal bouquet - many brides favour the making up of a separate and smaller arrangement for this purpose.

And don’t forget about the more contemporary custom: flowers for Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom. These thank-you gestures should stand out from the floral “crowd”, and are traditionally presented by the groom during his speech.

Summer is nature’s prime. The many offerings of the season set the stage for a truly climactic nuptial event - with or without New Year’s Resolutions!

Floral considerations for a midsummer wedding. | Wedding Articles