Fashion and Flower Trends for Summer Weddings 2012

As always, the wedding trends for this summer have broken the mould and are further avant-garde than the last, with more and more couples opting for a contemporary style over traditional. This trend ranges from eclectic, exotic cuisine, obscure settings and reception destinations to dress code and even the ceremony.

Another tradition to see a fashionable style change is the floral arrangements. Convention has made way for personal uniqueness as every couple wants their wedding to be sculpted towards a theme that mostly reflects their individual love and relationship, no two of which are the same.

Traditionally, wedding flowers were chosen through the symbolism based on old hat superstitions evermore fading from our culture. Roses are still fairly symbolically entrenched as the flower of love and romance so heavy use of the bloom has not necessarily been eradicated. An unorthodox mixing of rose colours is a lot more commonplace than in the past, as an outdated belief that a combination of red and white flowers is reflective of blood and bandages, is culturally over looked.

Orange flowers have always been big at weddings as they are traditionally symbolic of chastity and purity. The colour orange has not been lost from the wedding scene but its figurative nature may have lost its pungency. Lilies are making a massive come back thanks to their audacious, unapologetic beauty and pleasing scent. White lilies have been historically avoided because of their links with death but modern weddings are moving further away from white, the traditional colour of purity, anyway, as it has proven to be a theme the more realist wedding planner isn’t too keen to adhere to.

This summer has seen some of the most fantastic arrangements of flowers, whether it be table arrangements, ceremony decoration or bouquets for the procession. It seems colour is the biggest theme and the more outrageous the contrast the better. In sharp distinction to the traditional whites, peaches and soft pinks, more vibrant, deeper colours such as plums, scarlet’s and hot pinks have been spotted at the more en vogue celebrations this summer. Bold arrangements seem to have taken the place of more delicate traditions, as again more and more couples strive to reflect their own individual style.

Some of the most archaic wedding flowers are Delphiniums, Baby’s Breath, Carnations, Bachelor’s Button, Heather, particularly in Scotland, Gardenias and Lilies of the valley. All of these blooms are available all year, which may offer an explanation as to why so many wedding photos are donning the somewhat sickeningly stereotypical wedding flower aesthetic.

It seems more fashionable now to make a mix up of the flowers that are particular to the season in which you are getting married. You chose the season for a reason and there are countless wedding paraphernalia that keep to the aesthetic of the season in mind at the same time being stylistically contemporary. Some really striking summer flowers include: Snapdragons, Irises, Lisianthus, Lilies, Snapdragons, Larkspurs, Solidastors, Liatrises, Alstroemerias, Stephanotis, and Gerbera Hydrangeas. All of these flowers have really amazing colours and vibrancy and some have strong scents too. It is advisable to go to a florist who really knows how to make a complimentative mix of colour and style but also scent.