Having a winter wedding is one of the most beautiful experiences a bride and a groom can choose. Between spending money on winter garden wedding venues, foods, drinks, religious ceremonies and other winter wedding ideas, you’ll need to consider flowers as well. Of course, you can get a wedding flower guide and choose anything from there, but wouldn’t it be truly special if you grew your own winter wedding flowers? Let’s look at the options.
Winter Wedding Flowers to Grow on Your Own
1. Amaryllis
Usually, amaryllis comes in bright colors, such as red, pink, white, salmon shades or a combination of white and pink. They serve great as focal points for any bridal bouquet. You can even consider them the equivalent of the lilies and peonies that are used for spring and summer weddings. The only downside might be the fact that one stem of amaryllis is quite expensive. However, the bright side is that each stem can bear 3 – 6 large flowers. If you decide to grow some more, you can have one flower for each table arrangement at the reception.
2. Wax Flower
Though it’s not the first option that comes to mind when you think about winter wedding flowers, wax flowers are a great idea if you want to grow your own bouquet or arrangement. They sport white, pink, or lavender flowers, placed on woody stems. They have a narrow and abundant foliage, so you can use them as a body for large floral arrangements. Wax flowers are great fillers whenever you need to complete a bouquet or a casual arrangement.
The leaves of this plant have a citrus aroma when you handle them, which is going to come in handy at the ceremony. The wax flower grows natively in Australia, where it is, in fact, an evergreen shrub. When deciding to plant it, keep in mind that as a shrub, it can reach a height of six feet.
3. Tulips
Tulips are some of the easiest flowers to grow. They don’t have many requirements and they look beautiful at a winter wedding. Their clean, strong lines are more suitable for someone who wants to use modern floral arrangements. Some recent varieties also include frilled or fringed tulips, which might be a great vocal point for your wedding arrangments.
The best thing about tulips? They come in almost every color and even several colors on the same flower. Most likely, you have already heard about the black tulip. There are plenty of bicolor varieties as well, which you can match to the rest of the décor at the ceremony.
4. Sweet Pea
Yet another surprising choice for growing your own winter wedding flowers are the sweet pea varieties. They can be the central fragrant element that brides need for their floral arrangements. They are also available in a variety of colors, from white, pink, red, or purple. A good idea is to insert them in wedding corsages for an exquisite look. Some brides even chose to add them into their hairstyle. Regardless of the use, you should be considering this species for your wedding.
5. Star of Bethlehem
If you don’t know what fillers to use among your winter wedding flowers, the Star of Bethlehem is a great choice. For those who decide to grow it on their own, you’ll see that it grows in clusters placed on some long stems. Because of this, they are mostly used as filler flowers. One thing you need to pay attention to; they naturally bend towards any light sources they find. As such, it’s a good idea to keep the arrangements you have upright if you don’t want any meandering stems.
Luckily, the Star of Bethlehem flowers can last quite long in a vase, with a maximum lifespan of three weeks. This means that even when the reception is over, you can keep them and take them home to enjoy their beauty even more.
6. Ranunculus
The peak for the ranunculus flower is between January and May. Most of the time, the price of roses rises in February, which means you need to look for a substitute if you’re on a budget. The lush ranunculus is appreciated for its beautiful, delicate petals. They’re also called buttercups, and you can enjoy them in a variety of colors; yellow, red, pink, orange, or white. An alternative would be to combine various shades of this flower instead of using different plants.
7. Poinsettia
We can easily call this plant the most popular potted flower around the Christmas season. However, this is even more of a reason not to exclude it from your bridal bouquet or the arrangements. Many florists cut poinsettias and use them for wedding occasions, and many gardeners love having it around at Christmas. Most likely, you have already imagined a red variety when reading about it. Though indeed, this is the most popular one, you can still opt for other more unique colors.
A special effect is given by the marbled varieties. Orange or purple poinsettias are more appreciated because they are more rare. However, there’s an important thing to know if you’re going to handle the poinsettia yourself. The stems that are cut need to be sealed properly. If you don’t do it correctly, the milky sap will start leaking out of the stem.
8. Daffodils
Also called narcissus or jonquils, daffodils are in season simultaneously with tulips. They have beautiful colors and a pearly white shine that fits the bride’s dress, as well as other arrangements. The only thing you need to pay attention to if you’re planning to have daffodil arrangements is the fact that you can’t combine them with tulips. The reason is that daffodils exude a kind of sap that is damaging to the tulips. Don’t use them together, unless you want to see your flowers die in the middle of the ceremony.
9. Carnations
The good news about carnations is the fact that they are available year-round. However, given their low cost and the spicy scent, they are among the best choices for winter wedding flowers. You can enjoy them in shades of purple, red, orange, pink, or yellow, but there are also bicolored varieties. Most florists use sprays of miniature carnations for some weddings. This adds volume to the centerpieces on the tables, so you could use this idea as well.
10. Camellia
If you know you’re a sentimental bride or groom, camellia flowers are the best option for your wedding. They have an impressive longevity, which makes people love and appreciate this species for a long time. Some brides choose to have in their bouquet camellias planted by their grandparents, for instance. Even 80 years later, you can still find the same shrub and admire its blooms that resemble peonies.
Camellias are amazing if you want to use them as greenery as well. They present waxy, shiny, and green leaves, which makes it a perfect choice. You can forget the flowers altogether if you want to take advantage of the beauty of their leaves.
11. Bells of Ireland
In the recent years, there was a popularity boom when it comes to the Bells of Ireland. These green flowers are amazing for wedding arrangements. If you want to have a presentation bridal bouquet, make sure you keep the bouquet upright when you’re not holding it. These flowers have the same issue as the star of Bethlehem; they bend towards any source of light they can find.
12. Anemones
Once again, this plant is very appreciated when it comes to winter wedding flowers. Anemones are extremely thirsty after you cut them. They do a lot better if you keep them in a vase with water, instead of floral foam. If you want to have black accents at the wedding to contrast with the white bridal dress, they’re an excellent choice because they have dark centers.
You can easily incorporate them into your bridal bouquet or just leave them as table centerpieces. They also come in an array of colors, such as purple, pink, blue, white, and red. All of them make a nice contrast with the black center, so you don’t have to worry about combining them. These shades are perfect for those who want to go for an elegant ceremony.
13. Holly Bush
Since it’s Christmas time, why not take advantage of another Christmas plant and include it among your winter wedding flowers? Most brides and grooms choose to use them as table centerpieces, and they’re not that expensive either. Don’t use both holly bush and poinsettia, or your wedding will become too Christmassy.
Conclusion
Contrary to popular opinion, there are plenty of options for winter wedding flowers. From Christmas-specific plants, such as poinsettia or holly, to anemones, daffodils, or carnations, you can check the list above and see which ones you like most. Start planting them early so that you’ll have them blooming just in time for your big day.
Image source: depositphotos.com
