Flowers to Fit Your Theme

Wedding Style: Luxe To achieve a glamorous aesthetic, steer toward large statement centerpieces with monochromatic blooms or masses of a single flower type, says Diane Wagner, a New York-based floral designer and author of “Beautiful Wedding Flowers: 350 Corsages, Bouquets, and Centerpieces” (Hearst, 2011). All white flowers will always look elegant, and tall arrangements will feel formal and dramatic. “Imagine a cascade of white orchids on a silver or glass stand,” Wagner says. Lush (and pricey) blooms like peonies and gardenias as well as delicate stephanotis and lily of the valley can also accentuate refined romance. Wedding Style: Modern Opt for sleek, structural blooms like calla lilies and orchids, says Emily Gladnick, owner of San Diego-based Urban Garden Floral & Event Design. Consider minimalist arrangements, sculptural pieces or, as Gladnick suggests, floating or submerging flowers in clear vases. For something fuller, try large, monochromatic bunches of a single bloom. Even romantic roses, hydrangea and china mums can feel sophisticated and modern when arranged in clusters by themselves without fillers or greenery, says Gladnick. “The consistency keeps things tailored.” That said, you’ll want to avoid baby’s breath, wildflowers and daisies of any kind. Wedding Style: Rustic Chic “Rustic is my favorite style,” says Wagner, who enjoys working with seasonal blooms. Her go-to is combining different textures and a variety of warm (coral, peach, rose) and cool (lavender, plum, blue, green) shades in an eclectic collection of small vases. “I like to mix mercury glass with clear and cut glass, or small birch-wrapped vases with miniature clay pots,” Wagner says. Gladnick suggests having your florist create natural-looking (avoid symmetry) arrangements of roses, hydrangea and succulents in mason jars or glass vases wrapped in burlap, lace or twine. “Soft, pastel colors are perfect,” she says, “but also feel free to add a pop of something bright, like orange, yellow or pink.”