FLORAL FORECAST

From seasonal stems to wow-worthy installations, the floral experts pick out the hottest wedding flower trends

words Hannah May

Never underestimate the impact of flowers. Even if you’re planning on a pared-back bouquet or minimal installation, petals can infuse scent, style and personality into any type of space, stitching together the look, feel and colour scheme in the most inimitable of ways.

Should you wish to borrow some inspiration, however, and reflect the latest trends that are currently wowing and predicted to take wedding world by storm, we’ve enlisted the insights of some uber talented florists.

Here, they share their favourite flower trends and forecasts to help you hone your vision.

Emma Hewlett Tom & Lizzie Redman Fuss Pots Amy Chapple Photography

Fuss Pots

Tide Flowers South Weds Wedding Photography

Local love

Seasonal and local flowers are the most eco-friendly (and often, purse-friendly) option, so if you’d like a greener wedding in every way, today’s penchant for sustainably sourced blooms is the perfect solution. “I’ve seen a big increase in the requests for seasonal, local flowers,” observes Emma Hewlett (emmahewlett.co.uk). “It’s great to be able to support local growers but, with growing season not being in full swing until April/May, I would always suggest that couples aren’t too picky on flower variety and instead work with colour and let your florist choose the best blooms in that colour palette,” she advises. “I’m in the process of designing a ‘British’ wedding package which will allow more eco-conscious brides to have beautiful, seasonal flowers for their day.”

Charlotte Isles at Floren Studio (florenstudio.co.uk) has also noticed this burgeoning trend toward eco florals. “Demand for British blooms is still rising with more awareness over eco-friendly practices used by florists. We use as many British grown flowers as possible as well as having a ‘no foam’ policy (the green floral foam which is a single-use plastic). We have been using eco-friendly alternatives in our designs for years now but we are hearing more from our couples about this issue so the information is now filtering through.”

“We are seeing couples keen to keep their impact on the environment to a minimum, with floral designs often led by being plastic and foam-free,” notes Hannah Burge from Fuss Pots (fusspots.co.uk). “Natural simple designs in vases are more in favour, as are our very own seasonal British flowers.”

Emma Hewlett

Bright and bold

The after-effect of Covid continues to impact various elements in wedding world – including the blooms. “Couples are moving towards deliciously bold and bright flowers!” announces Helen Edwards at The Velvet Daisy (thevelvetdaisy.co.uk). “Designs expressing a happy release from a constant flat-level and worries of life over the past few years. I’m finding couples want a blend of bright colours incorporating different flowers such as yellow roses, deep blue delphinium, orange tulips, red anemone and purple clematis with a background of lime foliage,” she says.

Charlotte is another aficionado of bright blooms. “A lot more couples are steering away from the traditional colour palettes such as pinks, creams and lavenders by choosing bright, vibrant colours,” she reports. “It may be that they are wanting even more of a celebration as we move away from Covid, but bright pinks, blues and yellows are all a hit – as well as unusual schemes such as pairing pastel tones with burnt oranges and deep reds.”

Emma Hewlett

The Velvet Daisy Tide Flowers Tide Flowers

In the frame

Floristry is being used to decorate all areas and aspects of weddings, extending from tabletops and pew ends into statement crowns, dancefloor arrangements and one of the biggest trends of the moment: backdrops.

“Large-scale designs, in particular archways such as deconstructed archways and moon gates, are becoming even more popular,” says Charlotte. “Couples want their ceremony to be a centrepiece and these types of designs do just that. As most of them are moveable and can be used throughout the day, the idea of repurposing flowers is becoming more popular.”

“This year I’m still seeing a lot of installation floral designs – lots of statement pieces for ceremony backdrops,” says Emma. “People are framing themselves at the end of the aisle, so we’re seeing the continued use of things like the hexagon arch.”

Floren Studio Jo Bradbury Photography

Darling Buds Alex Grace Jones Photography The Velvet Daisy Verity Westcott Photography

Emma Hewlett Emma Hewlett Paige Grace Photography

Emma Hewlett Emma Barrow Photography

Floren Studio Kamila Nowak Photography

‘Queen Bee’ picks

Structured and statement are also popular buzzwords in wedding flowers, and while foliage continues to dominate mood boards, there is an emerging movement toward “less foliage, more flower,” reveals Ellie May from Darling Buds (darlingbudsofel. com). “My clients’ inspirational imagery is focusing on the structure of the flowers and generally a heavier flower content, including tons of texture (which I love!) with accents of foliage.”

Part of this trend is a penchant for more elaborate petals, as Ellie explains. “Specific flowers such as orchids are up there on the top luxury ‘Queen Bee’ flower list. Other structured blooms we have seen a lot of are varieties of blousy roses with the ‘peelback’ petal effect, as well as large daisy style flowers.”

Charlotte is another fan of this particular trend. “We love blousy, scented, romantic blooms such as stocks (they smell divine!), delphiniums, double tulips – and dahlias are always a firm favourite. We are also introducing more unusual blooms such as cymbidium orchids into some weddings as they have a real feel of luxury. Heavy use of foliage and different textures is also becoming more popular for their look and smell.”

Emma Hewlett

Floren Studio Chloe Ely Photography Emma Hewlett Yeti Photography

Emma Hewlett

Emma Hewlett / Styling Knots & Kisses Yeti Photography Emma Hewlett

Hanging out

Dramatic arrangements aren’t going anywhere either, with hanging installations, giant flower walls, chandeliers, oversized wreaths and floral tunnels all forming part of the bold floral design movement.

“Statement pieces are popular with couples being more daring with their ideas, which I love,” says Emma. “Incorporating lighting is also a big trend – everyone loves an Edison lamp.”

Sculptural designs can be used to achieve any kind of look, moving from a few minimal yet eye-catching mono floral arrangements (created with a single type of flower) to maximalist, attention-grabbing florals.

Floren Studio Laura Williams Photography

Darling Buds Grace Elizabeth Photography

Dried flowers

Having claimed the spotlight over previous seasons, dried flowers look set to maintain their multidimensional and budget-friendly appeal. “I strongly feel that the dried flower range will sneak into designs that create that multi-textured, whimsical vibe. Pampas and palm spears are here to stay!” asserts Ellie.

One of the many benefits of dried flowers is that they can also be combined with fresh to elevate the textural quality, palette and interest of your arrangements, as Emma remarks: “There’s been a big increase in the use of dried florals – often combining fresh and dried together, while pampas grass is still proving popular for boho looks”.

Emma Hewlett / Styling Knots & Kisses Maxi Photography Emma Hewlett / Styling Knots & Kisses Maxi Photography

Fuss Pots Maxi Photography

Brompton Buds Katy Jones Photography Styling Knots & Kisses Brompton Buds Katy Jones Photography Styling Knots & Kisses

Potted & earthy

Vertical arrangements are proving particularly en vogue at the moment, and everything from giant potted palms to miniature trees dotted throughout the venue create striking centrepieces. “These are chosen as an eco-friendly option and are a big win-win for stylish impact!” says Hannah, who has seen a recent surge in demand for her tree and plant hire services.

Potted plants also work well for more foliage-heavy or neutral coloured schemes, as Ellie further elaborates. “My colour style as a wedding florist tends to gravitate towards the neutral colour palette and so, naturally, clients are drawn in to match up to that style, but I am excited to be introducing some more earthy tones this year with a colour palette of sunsets, rust and amber accents making an appearance, as well as the classic muted, ivory, white and soft cream too.”

“We are seeing couples inspired by the warmth of earthy tones coupled with romantic dusky blues and pinks, whilst continuing to choose a mix of delicate fresh flowers with natural dried grasses and materials,” says Hannah of how an eclectic and personal approach to the leading tones and looks are being combined into one gorgeously bespoke result.

Tropical touch

From bright and colourful schemes to the type of flower itself, a more exotic aesthetic is trickling into this and next year’s wedding flowers, aimed at increasing the wow factor and sensorial escape.

“Flowers such as butterfly ranunculi, anemones, David Austin roses and spray roses are the standout flower,” notes Hannah. “And brides are still drawn to large loose bouquets but are migrating slightly towards trailing designs, perhaps incorporating modern tropical twists such as orchids and anthuriums – both of which you can get in stunning warm and muted tones.”

Fuss Pots