Wedding flowers are getting more experimental, more personalised and more fabulous, according to Amy at WOOKIE Flowers. For today’s Industry Insider, we asked her to reveal her top trends for 2012… and just look what she’s found!
The Blackberries
“Blackberries look awesome, but they’re a pain,” says Amy. “Most naturally growing varieties are incredibly prickly, and any that are too ripe will burst… just hopefully not on the bride’s dress!
The blackberries for this particular wedding were all sourced from the bride’s parents’ garden, which posed another problem… spiders!
Thankfully, it all ended up looking stunning, and very eco-chic. And to be fair, I could have made life much easier for myself and just bought them from my wholesaler. No thorns, spiders, or mess. Which is what I’m doing for another all-blackberry wedding we’ve got coming later this year.”
The Strawberries
“This type of bouquet was one of my favourite wedding flowers from last year, although I’m not sure I would recommend it for real brides due to the impracticality of having juicy strawberries next to your precious, ivory gown! However, I’m currently on the hunt for a glue or varnish that will solidify fruits to make them durable enough for a day in a wedding bouquet. If anyone knows of anything, please do let me know!”
The Snowberries
“I am a huge fan of the snowberry. Since I discovered its use for wedding work, I now see it absolutely everywhere I go. Honestly, glance at any roadside verge and I swear there will be a snowberry bush there. I can’t believe that they’re not used more often, they look amazing! You might notice a trend here but once again, for every beautiful pure white snowberry there is a brown, squashed one, so prepping snowberries takes time. Another reason I need that glue! One thing I would say for any bride hoping to make her own snowberry bouquet from the surplus on the roadside: DON’T DO IT. Snowberries in the wild are very dirty, mostly far too ripe and carry hundreds of earwigs. That last detail I discovered on a horrendous car journey home from snowberry-picking. Be warned!”
The Grass Table Runner
“This grass table-runner was for a promotional shoot back in the summer. I used tiny white Aster heads as daisies, and small candle holders filled with spray roses as decoration.
The initial plan was for turf to run down the entire length of the 12ft antique table, but apparently I was one week early for turf season (who knew?)
In the end, I had to make do with a single roll I found in B&Q, but the results are just as effective.”
The Hydrangeas
“I’m chosen hydrangeas purely because they’re SO PRETTY and provided some beautiful shots at weddings last summer! Perfect for your bridesmaids, they come in a variety of colours and lend a vintage look to your photos. They also look great as hanging decorations, on chair backs or tied onto pew ends.”
The Green Spikey Things
“Possibly my favourite buttonhole of 2011. No-one ever has a clue what it is, but it’s called Amaranthus. Most wedding-flower-obsessed people will recognise the more common trailing variety, often found dangling from table centrepieces. I especially love this wedding because it looks so rustic and Texan – the type of wedding you see on American wedding blogs where the bride is wearing cowboy boots.”
And finally, this year’s biggest trend for wedding flowers is…
“… Gypsophila! This is one of my favourite wedding photographs ever! Its simple and whimsical appearance looks both modern and vintage at the same time.
Gypsophila is set to be a HUGE trend in wedding flowers for 2012 and beyond. I’ve so far had numerous brides expressing an interest in gypsophila-only weddings.
And remember, using gyp on its own is key… start mixing it with lots of other flowers and suddenly you’re back in 1982!”
Our thanks to Amy at WOOKIE Flowers for these top flower trends for 2012. If you’re not following her, you SO should be… @WOOKIEflowers
