Trends coming up roses

In the 1970s, the big flower trend was a bouquet of daisies. The ‘80s hosted bouquets with ribbons trailing off the ends. Also popular were long cascading bouquets. The ‘90s preferred neat and simply shaped mounds.

These days, the trend in wedding flowers has shifted from showy to au natural. Women want rustic and vintage, with big centerpieces and statement flowers. For their bouquets, they favor arrangements that are natural and organic.

Although they are in the peak of the busy wedding season, which typically lasts from March to May in Florida, a few florists took a time out to tell us which trends they are seeing the most.
   
Beneva Flowers hones in on neutral tones
Beneva Flowers and Gifts, 6980 S. Beneva Road, dedicates an entire building with a cooler, design and consultation room to weddings. The florist has a team of eight people responsible for getting the flowers to the eight to 10 weddings it does each weekend during wedding season. Now, as far as getting the groom there — he’s on his own.

When it comes to the flowers, Laura Rosich has more than two decades of experience. And she’s learned that these days brides are set on the way they want things.

“Twenty years ago, a bride would walk in clueless,” Rosich says. “Now, with Pinterest and The Knot, they know everything when they come in and we fine tune it for them.”

And what they want typically doesn’t involve a lot of bright colors. A few years ago orange, hot pink and lime green were in vogue. Now, it’s mostly taupe and champagne.

“Everyone wants peonies,” she says.

However, stem-died blue orchids are big for beach weddings. And coral-hued petals and bouquets are also the outlier.

Plus, vintage is in. To add those antique touches, Beneva Flowers incorporates vintage books and mercury glass in the setting for the arrangements, and it has wraps bouquets in burlap and twine.

Rosich’s favorite trendy wedding so far this season was a couple who was married at The Oaks. They had a whimsical vintage look. The bride carried a cascading bouquet with fern curls, scabiosa pods and peonies. Two large bouquets on pedestals on either side of the aisle welcomed guests to the outdoor ceremony. Lanterns lined the aisle.

“Candles are always in style,” Rosich says.

Flowers by Fudgie centers on centerpieces
Flowers by Fudgie’s business is 60% weddings.  The small shop at 6627 Midnight Pass on Siesta Key does 225 weddings a year, and during the spring wedding season nearly 16 weddings a week.

Owner Becki Creighton has been in the industry her whole life.

“I’m glad to see some trends that are no longer here,” she says. “I must have made a million daisy bouquets in my lifetime.”

She’s glad brides are no longer into oversized bouquets. As expensive as wedding gowns are, she thinks bouquets should complement them. They shouldn’t be the focal point when a bride comes down the aisle. She also favors the color palettes of late.

“Girls that want the purples and bold colors, those tones do an injustice to them,” she says.

One thing she’s noticed is that brides are putting more emphasis on table settings and receptions than on personal and ceremony flowers.

One of her favorite weddings so far this season was an intimate, 16-person wedding at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Creighton did a $1,200 feasting table centerpiece with an elevated, 5-foot arrangement in coral, salmon and fuchsia tones.

But she says simple weddings with mason jars, mercury glass and wildflower looks are just as pretty as the big and grandiose.
   
Victoria Blooms prefers just-picked and organic
Victoria Warren of Victoria Blooms, 1818 Main St., says things are moving toward a more unstructured look.
“We’re going away from the very compact, and doing a more natural, free style,” she says. “They are more earthy and organic.”

Recently, she created a bridal bouquet for a couple who exchanged their vows at The Ringling. It was a last-minute inquiry and they let her design what she wanted. She made an earthy, non-structured bouquet.

“It’s fun when we’re given artistic license,” she says.

For their ceremonies, Warren believes couples are moving away from arches and getting more creative.
She made a living wall of succulents, various plants and greenery to act as a backdrop for a ceremony recently. She’s also hung glass bulbs of flowers behind couples for a unique presentation.

A trend she’s glad to see moving on is adorning bouquets with rhinestones and bling, which she thinks are passé. And as much as they are being demanded: “We’re moving away from the mason jar look with baby’s breath — it’s a new season and it’s time for something fresh,” she says.