Inspirational Ideas for Winter Wedding Flowers

After all those wild colors of summer and fall, brides often wonder what defines a winter wedding bouquet or floral arrangement. Fortunately, that’s not hard to work out: just read on! But note: you probably have more options for flower varieties than you think, with most major wedding flowers now available year-round. That doesn’t mean that they’re the same price year-round, though. And if you set your date too close to a major holiday, your floral prices could shoot through the roof.

Design Ideas for Winter Flowers

Most florists agree: the key to a wintry bouquet or centerpiece is a narrow palette. Unlike fall, which happily tosses together pinks with peach and brown and burgundy with orange and yellow, winter wedding flowers often involve only one color, not counting white. But what they might lack in color, they more than make up for in sparkle, elegance and  innovation.

Some surprising flowers are perfect for winter bouquets: tulips and Gerber daisies in red, white or burgundy, for example. They deliver solid blocks of color that really make the look work. Also, bouquet picks and brooches  play a big role here, with crystal or pearl pins often adding sparkle to  stephanotis, deep red roses, and the calyx of mini-callas. The bouquet wrap itself might be a glittering silver or gold ribbon. Or it might be Christmas red (even plaid!), or an icy blue announcing a Winter Wonderland theme.

Of course, with Winter brides often marching to the beat of their own drummers (who else would plan a snow-season event but a creative thinker?), you’ll often see alternatives to the traditional florals, such as bridesmaids toting wreaths, lanterns, or pomanders down the aisle … or even crystal bouquets in silver, gold or blue.

Hot Winter Looks, from Classic to Modern

Some of the most popular winter bouquets flow from palettes of white and red, white and burgundy, or white and ivory — or for Winter Wonderland weddings, white and blue. Here’s some of the looks you’re likely to see, from the traditional to adventurous.

Traditional

Red or white bouquets made up of roses, mini callas or amaryllis. White and ivory bouquets mixed with generous quantities of dark green foliage.

More: Winter Wedding Favors | Winter Wedding Inspiration Board | 10 Reasons to Have a Winter Wedding

Seasonal

Red roses paired with red berries in a red satin wrap. All-white or white and blue bouquets with an ice-blue wrap.

Modern

White anemones with black centers in a shiny white wrap. Burgundy and crisp white color blocking bouquets with lots of contrast.

Eclectic

Bouquets using interesting foliage or wood such as pussy willows, silver dollar plants, Scottish highland thistles, pheasant feathers or feather collars. Below are some of the most important colors seen in winter flowers … and blooms that help you pull off a holiday look.

Winter Wedding Flowers, By Color

Burgundy

In winter, Burgundy looks luscious paired with red (for a sultry look) or bright white (more modern). Here are some more beautiful burgundy blooms and foliage to grace your arrangements:

• Roses: Black Magic, Black Beauty, Black Bacarra
• Tulips: Queen of Night, Black Parrot, Black Hero
• Deep Purple Stock
• Mini Callas: Schwartz, Black Star, Maroon Sensation
• Maroon Astilbe
• Leucadendron
• Burgundy Lemon Leaves
• Burgundy Dahlias
• Burgundy Cockscomb

More: Winter Wedding Favors | Winter Wedding Inspiration Board | 10 Reasons to Have a Winter Wedding

 

Red

It doesn’t take much to give a red bouquet a distinct holiday twist.  Add some red berries and a hint of cedar, and you’re there. Try an all-red bouquet (even the wrap!) for a style statement, or sneak in a bit of Christmas plaid. Some favorite red blooms for the holidays:

• Roses: Grand Prix, Red Berlin, Classy, Charlotte, Estelle, Gigolo
• Tulips: Oscar, Burgundy Lace, Merry Christmas
• Red Amaryllis
• Red  Poinsettias
• Crimson Cockscomb (Celosia)
• Red-Tipped Hydrangeas
• Red Carnations
• Red Gerber Daisies
• Red Hypericum Berries or Winterberries

White Or Ivory

Not only are all-white bouquets the height of style right now, they’re picture-perfect for winter weddings.  Mix up various blooms (all white or cream), add some sparkle, and weave in very dark foliage for contrast. Now you have a timeless holiday bouquet that couldn’t look more regal against a white fur shrug. Here are some white and ivory blooms that won’t steer you wrong:

• Roses: Bianca, Ariana, Clear Ocean, Escimo,  Iceberg, Silver Fox, Vendela
• Tulips: Hybernia, Swan Wings
• White Amaryllis
• Mini Callas: Crystal Blush
• White Anemones
• White Gerbers
• Casa Blanca Lilies, White Oriental Lilies
• White Poinsettias
• White Lisianthus
• White Spray Mums and Spider Mums
• White Carnations
• White Alstromeria
• White Freesia

Green Foliage

Just a few sprigs of the right greenery can communicate ‘winter wedding’ at a glance — without going over the top.  Here are a few gorgeous charmers, particularly skilled at setting off an otherwise all-white bouquet.

• Pine Sprigs
• Flat Cedar
• Carolina Sapphire
• Holly
• Bupleurum Leaves
• Lemon Leaves
• Magnolia Leaves
• Pittosporum
• Ivy
• Green Berzillia Berries
• Green Winterberry
• Green Hypericum Berries

More: Winter Wedding Favors | Winter Wedding Inspiration Board | 10 Reasons to Have a Winter Wedding

Blue

White by itself is a gorgeous way to say Winter Wonderland Wedding. But if you want add a bit of blue to your blooms, here are some contenders.

• Light Blue Hydrangea
• Blue Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)
• Blue Salvia
• Blue Anemones
• Blue Muscari
• Blue Frangipani
• Blue Hortensia
• Blue Ceanothus

Silver

A touch of natural silver in the form of foliage can push an all-white bouquet to a whole new level of sublime. Bring out your bouquet’s best with these outstanding choices:

• Silver Pittosporum
• Silver Dollar Eucalyptus
• Lunaria (Silver Dollar Plants)
• Dusty Miller
• Gold

A subtle hint of gold in a rich red or burgundy bouquet amounts to beauty that might almost seem too great in a less splendid time of year. Unlike the silver accents above which are all-natural, these are materials sprayed a rich, smooth gold. But the results are truly stunning.  Try choosing from:

• Gold Ruscus
• Gold Sprayed Berries
• Gold Eucalptus
• Gold Holly

Now that we’ve covered the most popular styles and colors in bouquets, let’s not forget the other things that set the scene. Wood, for example, in the form of iced branches or twigs. And a winter wedding calls for a generous groups of flickering candles.