6 of the Best Flowers to use in your Wedding Bouquet

Are you making your own wedding bouquet but you’re not sure what to put in it? To help you decide which flowers to choose from, below are 6 flowers that are great for bouquets for either Spring, Summer or Autumn. They’re ideal varieties for putting in your bouquets for your wedding party, bridal flowers or any bouquets you and your guests will be holding.

If flower names are something you’d like to learn more about, this blog post will also help! I've gathered together my flower name knowledge to give you a handy insight into which flowers, in Spring, Summer and Autumn, work best in wedding bouquets.

Also, this blog post is called 6 of the best and not just ‘the best‘ because there are so many other beautiful flowers you can use in your wedding bouquets that aren’t in this list. I wanted to give you some flower names so you can use this guide below to get the ball rolling. But feel free to explore more seasonal flower options as you get more confident with your flower names.

As wedding bouquets are out of water and being held for most of the day, it's really important to use flowers that can last for a while without having a drink. To give your flower stems a fighting chance, here are 4 tips to boost their longevity when they're in your bouquets and working the camera on your wedding day:

1. Condition and prepare your flowers in advance so they last longer. Conditioning includes cutting your flower stems and placing them into a bucket of fresh cold water so they can hydrate as much as possible, before you arrange them. As soon as you get your flowers from your flower grower, have the buckets ready to put the freshly cut stems into.

    2. On the morning of the wedding, have your bouquets sitting in large jars of water. Roughly 20 minutes before you take them to your ceremony, remove them from the jars of water and dry the stems thoroughly. You don’t want any drops of water on your outfit and also make sure you don't press the damp ends of the stems into your lap when you're sitting in the car. When you’re getting ready and the bouquets are still in their jars of water, make sure the bouquets are kept away from hot radiators or hair dryers.

3. Have vases of water around your wedding venue for you and your wedding party to put your bouquets into, will help give your bouquets a little boost once they’ve been used for the wedding photos. You could place the vases of water on the gift table, pudding table or beside the cake.

It’s handy to remember that some of the flowers listed in just one of the seasons might also be available in other seasons too. The weather can mean that some flowers will bloom later or earlier in the year, and some of the varieties won’t span the whole season but here's an idea of what to expect growing during the warmer seasons.

Spring:

Daffodils - these come in incredible apricot colours as well as the classic yellow and orange.

Tulips - If you find these flowers getting floppy; wrap the flowers tightly in paper, cut the ends of the stems and place them into a deep vase of water overnight.

Ranunculus - Layered and luxurious and at a quick glance, often mistaken for roses and peonies and they’re a great peony substitute before peonies show up in May.

Muscari - also known as grape hyacinths, these are blue or white and have beautiful detail.

Forget Me Nots - these need a big drink of water before they go in the bouquet as they can wilt in heat. But their true blue colour is stunning alongside other Spring flowers.

Iris - bearded iris are particularly stunning with their complex structure.

Summer:

Dahlias - Dahlias have an incredible and complex petal structure. They come in star shapes and pompom shapes and one of the most popular ones is the cafe au lait dahlia - it lives up to its name and is full of stunning cappuccino and creamy milk shades.

Sweet peas - evoking lots of memories because of their scent, they’re perfect for a wedding bouquet

Sunflowers - these come in large but there are also smaller ones available that are more manageable in a bouquet

Cosmos - delicate and a great splash of colour in your bouquet

Snapdragons - these are spire shaped flowers and can help make your bouquet look larger

Astilbe - pointed and fluffy, these are gorgeous in a bridal bouquet

Autumn:

Sanguisorba - little red flowers that have a fabulous silhouette

Scabiosa - these are beautifully shaped flowers that can be found in various colours including: burgundy, deep plum, white and lilac

Rosehips - these are what roses develop into once they have flowered. They’re Autumnal and glossy.

Roses - some roses still bloom into Autumn so you can use these blousy flowers in your bouquet

Cosmos - Floaty and ethereal, these are nature's helipads for flying pollinators and beautiful in an array of colours including: white, pink, cream, chocolate

Eryngium thistle - a striking blue colour and slightly spiky

When you’re ordering your flowers, you could get in touch with your local flower farm and see if they’re growing any of the varieties you love on or around your wedding date. It’s great to be able to choose locally grown and seasonal flowers to help reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding and to support small businesses.

Something to note is that on very hot days some flowers may wilt if they’re out in the heat for too long, so try to keep your bouquet in shade and put it into a vase of water when you can.