Tag Archives: summer wedding flowers

Wedding Flowers By Season

by Woman Getting Married on February 22, 2011

My red and pink flowers

When it came time to thinking about what kind of flowers I wanted for my wedding, I didn’t know where to start. First, I knew nothing about gardening or the names of flowers, except for three: roses, peonies, and tulips. Oh wait, and gladiolas, too! Yes, I am florally challenged.

Since I wasn’t working with a traditional florist, there wasn’t a “shop” I could visit where someone could explain to me what was available. It was more like “tell me what you want.” So, I had to figure it out.

Wedding magazines were a huge help in the floral department, except that most of the flowers I saw and loved were either way too expensive or out of season. For example, let’s take peonies. They are only in season in the US primarily late April-June, and cost about two or three times as much as roses (which are always in season). Of course, you can get peonies when they’re out of season, but because they have to be shipped in from other climates, you’re going to pay a pretty penny for them. According to this online wholesaler (which is a great resource if you’re looking to DIY your flowers), 25 Hot Pink Ecuadorian Roses will cost you $49.99, while 100 Hot Pink Peonies will cost you $329.99 in May. For June, November, and December add $60 to that, and for Feb-April and July-October add $500!

If you love peonies (which I do) but don’t love the price, you can get a garden rose variety that basically looks the same. For example, this Peony Roseis available year-round and costs $199.99 for 48 stems. Still not as inexpensive as traditional roses, but not nearly as expensive as peonies. I ended up going with a mixture of garden roses and traditional roses that were 2-3 days old, so they had that “open” and more rustic look.

For a quick overview of what’s in season when, I’ve compiled a short list of popular wedding flower types by season and their wholesale price according to Fiftyflowers.com. For a more detailed look at the most common flowers used by florists, click here. Remember, roses are available year round, so they’re not included in this roundup. Orchids are another year-round option, too, and they average around $180 for 50 extra long stems: