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Although the winter wedding season is winding down, the wedding planning for next years winter weddings is picking up. Below we will go through best flowers for winter weddings, the care needed for flowers in cold weather and how to rearrange your wedding timeline to have your flowers look good throughout the day.
Best Flowers for your winter wedding
For your winter wedding in the Northeast, I gotta be frank with you and tell you that there are almost zero flowers that are in season locally. Despite this, there are many flowers that we can ship in from the south that can add color and fresh blooms to your special day.
Greenery: a great option in winter. There are so many varieties that will hold up better to the cold and will add wintery vibes to a bouquet. Some of our favorites are cedar, pitt, leucodendron, sprengeri, douglas fir, wax flower, and eucalyptus.
Chrysanthemums: cold hardy flowers that come in a variety of sizes and colors.
Hypericum Berries: we absolutely adore these berries. They add the perfect pop of color to arrangements and do so well with the cold.
Roses: don't physically do good with the cold, but are available throughout the winter when they are shipped from South America. Roses come in a variety of colors and sizes and we love to work with these blooms.
Calla Lilies: these flowers add a really unique shape to arrangements. We love that they retain their structure even with you flinging your bouquet around.
Ranunculus: ranunculus in Vermont bloom in May and June. However, in warmer areas of the United States, they start blooming in February and March. If you are having a later winter season wedding, these flowers are in their prime shape and look awesome in arrangements.
Caring for flowers in the cold
The cold is the hardest part about winter weddings. Flowers really do not do well in extreme temperatures. In the heat of summer, we deal with this by flowers drooping a lot cause of need for water and being burned by the sun. In comparison, in the winter, especially in Vermont, flowers cannot handle below freezing temperatures. This does not mean that beautiful Vermont winter wonderland wedding can't exist. We just have to be careful!
Rule of thumb: when you go outside with the flowers, leave the flowers outside.
Once a flower freezes you do not want to have it thaw again. If it is frozen, it will maintain its shape and color for a longer time. However, if you let the flowers freeze and thaw, the flowers will begin to yellow and eventually brown.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, make sure your flowers stay away from high heat sources indoors. Don't put your bouquet near the fireplace or near the space heater. This will make your flowers droopy and/or begin to brown. WHY ARE THESE BASTARDS SO PICKY!
Wedding Day Timeline
We chatted with our fave photographer friend, Kris at K. Lenox Photography. She suggested that is best to lump all your photos together so that your flowers look the best for all your photos. This means the flowers are outside for a shorter period of time and look their prime. Kris also mentions that this method is great because you have more time to enjoy your cocktail hour! It is a win-win! Other options that Kris suggested in the winter were to do posed photos with family without your flowers OR to do your posed photos indoors. Another option if your budget allows is to have two sets of flowers, one for photos and then one for the ceremony.
Moving flowers around: We don't recommend reusing flowers in the winter like we do in the summer. For example, moving your arbor piece indoors. Because, as we said before, the flowers will brown. However, if you have an indoor cocktail hour and then another area for your reception, just make sure when transporting flowers that whenever they are outside they are under cover. We transport all our flowers in trash bags so that the blooms are inside a little bubble of warmth.
Are you planning a winter wedding? Reach out to us! We are happy to talk you through the logistics of your day. Because truly, winter weddings are a special kind of magic, especially in Vermont.
