FLORICULTURE 2023/24
What's new in wedding floral palettes?
CAPTIVATING COLOURS
Fresh new inspirational floral palettes for weddings in 2023/24
While people are realising the importance of our planet’s well-being, social well-being is also high on our list of priorities. It’s no longer about having more and being better and faster, but instead, we’re starting to focus on luxury, comfort and slow living. There’s more of a need for peace and quiet, being mentally and physically healthy and feeling good in your own skin.
We know that flowers and plants can help reduce stress and bring happiness and, in our opinion, because of this, they are an essential part of any wedding.
Brides naturally want to bring personal touches to their style and wedding flowers, and are daring to experiment and think outside the box. There’s a floral palette for everyone, and these four are steadily gaining popularity amongst our clients. Which will you choose?
CHEERFUL & EXPRESSIVE
Cheerful, colourful, playful, imaginative, original, surprising, structural and inquisitive.
This trend is all about being spontaneous, passionate and romantic, celebrating life with bold splashes of colour and escaping from the humdrum of routine.
It draws inspiration from Spain and Southern Europe, Mexico and Central America, calling on us to surround ourselves with patterns, mosaics, coloured tiles and textiles, tassels, fringes and frills. These creative solutions show the ceremony and reception areas in a new light.
The idea of reusing, repurposing and recycling may also influence your palette choice. Looking back to the 1970s as well as rural folklore, handicrafts, delicate flower patterns and products made of various parts, like a patchwork, this makes a diverse, welcoming palette.
The floral palette that we are starting to see emerge varies greatly where there is a passion for colour. Essential tones are pink, red, Viva Magenta (Pantone colour of the year 2023), orange and bright yellow flowers are festive and voluminous - think fringed tulips, bold contemporary dahlia varieties, protea, gloriosa; a festive garden brimming with tropical plants mixed with British blooms in warm, exuberant colours.
Our clients who choose this have a zest for life, are fun loving and are after a relaxed, informal, garden style that appears almost self-made.
However, we love the individuality that clients are choosing as it gives floral designers like me lots of flower possibilities and scope to design something truly unique for them.
EARTHY WILDERNESS
Natural, untamed, mystical, earthly, authentic, historical, archaeological, the wilderness and environmental awareness.
We are more and more conscious that it is not the planet that needs saving, but ourselves - we are the ones who are vulnerable. We are increasingly witnessing the overwhelming power of nature as an awe-inspiring element in our living environment. Mother nature provides some beautiful organic forms, so why not go for some eco-friendly, locally-sourced, garden-grown blooms in your floral palette? Artisan flowers offer natural movement with their relaxed, imperfect stems and shapes, offering an almost ‘uncultivated’ look and feel.
With an emphasis on the earth, we are seeing the emergence of a ‘primitive’ style, full of rough,rugged and robust materials, with natural layers of earth, sand in different colours, minerals and stones. Many shapes, for example rock, stone and pebble shapes, are directly inspired by nature. This trend encourages the use of eco-friendly or recycled materials such as stone, minerals, ceramics, coconut, burlap, cotton, pressed recycled leather, clay, mud and irregular glass.
Unique textures are becoming increasingly popular in floral designs for weddings, with shades of brown taking centre stage. Other popular colours include light beige, yellow, salmon pink and lilac, which combine beautifully with browns and greens. Think leafy garden plants such as begonias, and succulents like echinacea and orchids, that add to the quirky, natural feel of the whole look.
TELLING A STORY - TREASURED MEMORIES
Remembering, eclectic, homely, nostalgic, reflective, thoughtful, beloved objectives and personal
This trend is all about using your big day to create and evoke treasured memories, either by repurposing enchanting materials which have a sentimental value attached, or by choosing mesmerising flowers with a romantic story behind them. Whatever your goal, the florals should be harmonious - as if each individual flower has a particular meaning, and together they create a beautiful poem or story.
Green is the leading colour here, in its various shades. Soft pink, white, lilac and lavender can be added, their comforting tones adding to the feeling of nostalgia and poetry. Small, fragile flowers and leaves with delicate structures play a major role - think jasmine, snowball hydrangea, snowdrop and Aquilegia.
Reusing vessels with memories attached, such as your grandmother’s vase, or other vintage finds, is also key. The aim is to use familiar and nostalgic materials, such as porcelain, enamel, rattan, handcrafted wickerwork, ceramics and natural textiles like wood, cork and leather - anything with calming patterns or those that are inspired by weaving, plaiting and other artisan techniques.
CLASSIC WHITE
Dreamy, soft and hard, full of contrast, surprising, endless, light, utopian and friendly
It doesn’t look as if white is going away any time soon - it’s still one of our couples’ favourite choice of colour palette. And little wonder because its dreamy, soft textures represent a timelessness that wouldn’t seem out of place in a film adaptation of a Jane Austen novel.
This year, the shapes are mainly round and spherical, with common elements such as hard and soft marble, concrete, ceramics, natural stone and fired tiles.
Clients are opting for ‘Cloudy’ bouquets with transparent edges, and incorporating dried flowers such as gypsophila and Limonium. The shapes of the individual flowers bring a sense of softness to the bouquet.
It doesn’t have to be just white, though - muted tones of pastels and nudes, conveying a sense of tranquillity and harmony - are also in demand.