The Evolution of Wedding Flowers: Classic Designs, Fresh Flowers
Photos by: Drew Cason (Hollan’s Wedding) and Bailey Fraccascia Photo (Mariel’s Wedding)
Every so often I have the privilege of designing for multiple weddings within the same family. Not only do I love celebrating these special moments with my clients and getting to know them over the years, I’ve realized that reflecting on their events is the perfect way to assess the Evolution of Wedding Flowers! That is how one of our favorite blog series came to be!
The VanHorn Sisters—Hollan and Mariel were both married within the past 10 years and they both chose classic floral designs, but different floral ingredients that reflected them as individuals and trends of their wedding time. Let’s dive into the details and see which wedding fits your vibe the most.
Hollan was married in August 2015 and she chose a color palette of pinks, hot pinks, and whites. Classic romance with a nod to Valentine’s Day-one of my favorite palettes because it’s always so pretty! We designed with roses, hydrangeas, and peonies; eucalyptus gunni framed them perfectly.
Mariel was married in January 2022 and she chose a palette of all whites with touches of something blue. Blue makes white flowers POP so I’ve been excited to see this palette trending in recent years. We used white roses, spray roses, stock, and carnations; blue delphinium rounded out the ingredients.
Both sisters carried round, semi-organic bouquets—Hollan’s a bit more traditional with long ribbon-wrapped stems while Mariel’s was a bit more organic because we used more ingredients. See them side by side below!
For their bridesmaids, they each chose to go with smaller versions of their bridal bouquets. Hollan chose all-white so that her pink and red bouquet would stand out. Mariel chose the same color palette as hers to complement her maids’ blue dresses.
Hollan was married at Cross Church in Springdale while Mariel was married at Stone Chapel at MattLane Farm. We designed altarpieces to adorn the cross for both ceremonies. Hollan’s was an organic piece that started from the center of the cross and moved outward. We used pink and red carnations and roses as the focal point and then arranged Italian Ruscus and Ivy to tie everything together. For Mariel’s ceremony, we left the cross bare, but adorned the altar with two large altarpieces filled with trailing Italian Ruscus, roses, and carnations. Similar ingredients, two totally different looks and feelings!
For their receptions, we designed 3 different types of centerpieces each to give the room dimension and depth. The first was a tall arrangement that brought height and grandeur to the space. Hollan’s was placed on a glass candelabra designed with white hydrangeas, hot pink and light pink roses, and light pink carnations. Mariel’s was a tall open style arrangement in a glass vase filled with eucalyptus, roses, and stock.
A medium-sized arrangement was our 2nd centerpiece! For Hollan we filled compotes with pale pink roses and white hydrangeas to bring a soft tonality in contrast to the tall arrangements. For Mariel we surrounded 3 vases of floating votives with ruscus, eucalyptus, and spray roses. Very different from one another, very beautiful!
To round out our centerpieces was a low, compact arrangement that felt sweet and intimate on each table they were on.
Last, but not least is the CAKE! Both are adorned with roses, but both exude the feeling and vibe of the day they were meant for.
In the end, it’s amazing what a difference 7 years can make it wedding floral trends and these photos show that! Despite their differences, the throughline is that they’re both stunning. You can’t go wrong with any color or flower, as long as it feels true to you. Happy flowering!
Vendors
Venue: Stone Chapel at MattLane Farm and Chapel on The Creeks
Photos: Drew Cason and Bailey Fraccascia Photo
Do you have an image you're curious about? Just email it to althea@roseofsharonar.com and I'll take a look.