making a statement: adding colour to the brightest day of your life

The Engaged Show @ The Fort Garry Hotel - March 2020

Planning a wedding in 2020 has been no walk in the park. Rescheduling dates, switching venues, alternating budgets… it is no wonder why brides are experiencing overwhelming levels of stress heading into the New Year. I might not be able to cure a global pandemic or predict the future to help choose alternative, safe dates for the upcoming 2021 or even 2022 wedding season, but what I can do is provide some inspiration on how to make your florals stand out and create the scene they were designed to – regardless of the size, setting, or style. Lets take a break from the commotion that has been this entire year and explore a full range of colour that maybe you haven’t even considered for your big day!

There is something to be said about the classic white/ivory and greenery palette. It is timeless, beautiful, and always sure to impress. Of course you can add in those touches of blush pink or baby blue delphinium to give a touch of colour, but if you want to really personalize your wedding in a way that exemplifies who you and your love are, then this is the blog post for you! We often forget that flowers come in all colours of the rainbow and that playing around with the various hues boasted by nature is such an easy method to showcase your individual style. This is something that the world, or more importantly, your wedding guests, deserve to see when at an event celebrating you!

Some of the most common concerns I hear when discussing colours are the fear of not matching or clashing with the bridesmaids dresses. We highly recommend choosing your bridesmaids dresses before beginning your floral planning process. The dresses will set the tone for the entire wedding, at least where décor elements are concerned. Regardless if you’ve chosen muted tones or different colours for every bridesmaids, there is always a way to incorporate pops of colour without feeling overwhelmed or too out there. Below are some different ways to incorporate colour into your wedding while feeling bold, confident, and super trendy.

The Rainbow Palette

There are very few things as satisfying to a florist as successfully completing a full rainbow installation wedding. Beginning with one colour and working your way through an entire rainbow, using a combination of large fluffy blooms, structured stems, and filler gradients gives off an effortless vibe that was anything but unintentional. Consider pieces like this for alter backdrops, overhead hanging pieces above head tables or statement installations at the beginning of an aisle or the entrance to the reception. Picking a tone from the rainbow, you can build your bouquets and centerpieces.

We had the pleasure of combining our creative motives with Tessa from Tessa Dawn Floral for The Engaged Show that occurred back in March at the Fort Garry Hotel. We were given creative freedom in three different areas and created this masterpiece of a rainbow. Beginning with soft yellows, easing into elegant peach, moving into oranges and corals right through to bright reds and ending with the ethereal purple and blue tones. Not only was this incredibly fun to make, it was a show stopper the entire weekend!

An Academy Florist favourite is the Paige and Mark Wedding created by Stonehouse and Deer Dutch Creative. Everything about this event from the bouquet, to the guest tables with correlating candles, to the vibrant and vivid aisle markers is literally what rainbow dreams are made of. To check out their full floral album and all of Laurens behind the scenes notes, check out this link!

Top tip: Be super specific if you have a particular colour palette in mind. The last thing your florist wants to hear and the last thing you want to see is a completely different colour palette than you had imagined. Colours like burgundy, fuchsia, mauve, merlot, can all be misconstrued for lighter or darker versions than you were hoping for. Conduct a quick google search for the colour palette and pick the version of the colour you like best. Sending that with your inspiration photos will help to specify and clarify. Building a colour wheel or a custom palette board are great ways to narrow down confusion and is a top tip from our brides! Remember that flowers are a part of nature and may not fit identically to the shade you envisioned.

Top tip: Be wary of photos you see on the ‘gram. Instagram and Pinterest are wonderful resources to utilize while trying to find your signature style and theme but keep in mind that majority of those photos have been heavily filtered. This will alter the colours of the flowers you see. The same roses in a light pink might look different in every photo based off the edits. The best thing to do is check with your florist and verify the colour that is most likely to be ordered for you!

Purple monochromatic bouquet made by @vanessakolthof for Academy Florist

The Softer Take

Adding colour doesn’t have to mean overflowing amounts of Nina garden roses, although they are what dreams are made of. Basing your vision around softer pastels or even neutral boho elements are perfect ways to incorporate different tones without having to go too far out of your comfort zone. Take the beloved quicksand rose for example. This rose is a gorgeous staple for weddings regardless of the season you’re in. Why not take the extra step to elevate it while simultaneously adding that unique touch that will separate your colour spectrum from others’? A sweet pink zinnia softens and sparkles without going overboard. A lighter coral ranunculus calls upon a soft peaches and cream vibe. A kaleidoscopic amnesia rose brings moodiness and depth while remaining elegant and timeless. Mixing and matching with pastels allows for a fresh, effortless take on some of your favourite colour combinations while looking unique. Light blue paired with soft lilac, flowing into a mellowed pink is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a muted memorable array. The options are truly endless and florists love to see “out of the box” colour combinations and a chance to create something stunning and different!

Summer Sangeet w/ Events by Emma - Casey Nolin Photography

Monochromatic

To simplify, a monochromatic palette would be a full range of tones based off the same colour. Whether it be pinks and reds, purples and burgundies, or yellow and oranges, this is sure to impress and compliment all kinds of themes no matter the season! Our designers love to work with unique pieces such as maravilla anthuriums to add dimension to the purples or apricot lisianthus to soften up intense pinks. The lists go on and on. Speaking with your wedding designers about the florals available in your colour palette will be the best way to get an accurate idea of your options!

Top tip: Colour swatches are your new best friends. Head out to your local Home Depot or Lowes (bring that trusty mask and hand sanitizer) and take a look at the paint colour walls. Grab some sample swatches of the colours that stand out most to you and don’t worry about whether or not they will look good together yet. Once you’ve scanned your options and denied the desire to paint every wall in your home, take a look at your dominant colours and narrow it done to two or three focal choices. Not every colour you choose must be bold or bright. Pairing attention colours with lilac purples or dusty rose pinks will be a wonderful balance. Take your colour swatches into your consultations with you, whether they be in person or virtual, and speak with your florist about what flower options you have in those colours for your wedding month. Be aware that although blue flowers are all the rage across the social platforms these days, they are more than likely heavily died and many fresh flower florists may not carry them.

No matter what colours you chose for your big day, it is guaranteed to be beautiful. Don’t be afraid to speak with your florist about adding statement colours to really create an impact. It is the happiest day of your life, let your flowers reflect that. Happy flower shopping!

Brittany
Academy Florist Wedding & Event Consultant

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