Choosing Flowers by Month, With Your Hemisphere in Mind

Every couple who walks into the studio brings a picture. Nine times out of ten, the picture contains a flower that isn't growing in their wedding month. I don't say no right away. I say, "Let's find out what's possible."

A quick note before we start. I'm in the northern hemisphere, in a valley where the growing season runs on a familiar calendar. If you're getting married south of the equator, flip everything by six months: my January is your July, my October is your April. The logic is identical. Only the labels change.

Spring: the delicate months

Early spring belongs to ranunculus, anemones and sweet peas, all petal-thin and slightly frilly, and all of them hate heat. A spring wedding gives you softness. It also gives you a risk: cold snaps and rain can rearrange a field in a week. I tell spring couples to choose a palette, not a flower, and let the growers tell me what actually opens.

Late spring is when peonies arrive, and the whole city loses its mind. They're fat, fragrant and short-lived, and everyone wants them. If peonies are your heart's desire, book your date in the narrow window when they're in bloom. Otherwise you'll be paying for imports, and I won't use imports.

Summer: the generous months

By midsummer the fields are open. Dahlias start, zinnias go wild, and every grower has more cosmos than they can sell. Summer is the most abundant season and the most forgiving. If your budget is tight, this is the time to be married: a bucket of garden flowers in July looks richer than an expensive, out-of-season bouquet in February.

Heat is the challenge. Flowers wilt, and so do florists. Summer weddings mean early deliveries, shaded setups and a lot of cold water.

Autumn: the quiet months

My favourite wedding flowers are the autumn ones. Dahlias in their last, deepest colours. Chrysanthemums, if you're willing to fall in love with them. Seedheads, grasses, berries, branches of changing leaves. The palette goes toward burgundy, rust and bone, and the air smells like cut stems and woodsmoke.

Autumn is the season people forget to book, which is a pity, because the light is magic and the flowers are at their most characterful.

Winter: the honest months

Winter is the hard one. Nothing grows outside, and anything fresh is coming from a greenhouse or a long way off. We lean on evergreens, hellebores if we can find them, dried elements, paperwhites and a few well-chosen branches. A winter bouquet can be extraordinary, but it asks you to want something other than a summer garden.

How to use this

Pick your month first. Then pick your flowers from the list above. If you must have a flower that's out of season, say so early, and I'll tell you honestly what the compromise looks like. I'd rather lose a booking than send you something that disappoints you.

Not sure what shape the bouquet should take once you've chosen? A field guide to bridal bouquet shapes is next, and there's more in Seasons.