Wedding florist Helen Taylor and founder of bespoke wedding floral studio Bloom Room discusses her predictions for this year’s floral wedding design trends
As in fashion, the world of floral wedding design is subject to changing trends, some of which are slow to build, while others seem to appear out of nowhere.Loosely gathered bouquets and table centres are remaining popular in floral wedding design this year, with the demand for vintage vases and rustic wooden accents showing little sign of slowing down. Trailing foliage and traditional garden flowers are perfect to achieve this style, with British-grown flowers really lending themselves to that ‘just from the garden’ look. Shower and cascade bouquets have been slowly creeping back into fashion in the last year or so; expect to see this trend really take off again in 2016.
Colours are starting to move away from very pale pastels to stronger pastels in shades of blue and pink (as per the recently announced Pantone Colours of the Year for 2016, Serenity and Rose Quartz), as well as tones of brighter yellow and coral.
With the increase in popularity of less formal weddings and more unusual venues, couples are increasingly keen to let their personalities shine through. There’s been a rise in the requests for much stronger and brighter shades, with really playful pops of colour.
Colour blocking and ombre effects are firm favourites, particularly for table arrangements, where long and low runners and vase landscapes can be used for high impact.
By using a wider variety of textures, including the incorporation of succulents into bouquets, you can really help to enhance these stronger colour schemes, with hot pink peonies, echeveria succulents and the wonderfully bright yellow craspedia featuring heavily in 2016 wedding designs. Brides are also getting much braver with the use of coloured accessories, with accents in contrasting colours – turquoise and striped ribbons are exceptionally popular requests for the coming year.
The use of metallic and lustres in arrangements and especially containers is a trend that is continuing to grow, as couples want to add a luxurious yet sophisticated touch to more classic designs. Hints of silver, rose gold or copper are a great way to add opulence to flowers like hydrangea, orchids and beautiful roses.
As you might expect, some runway trends filter down directly into the flowers that brides ask for. This high fashion influence means that we’re seeing a rise in requests for more unconventional ways to incorporate flowers into a couples’ special day. We’re expecting 2016 to be the year that alternatives like using real flowers as embellishments on veils and dresses, and hanging flowers in the form of canopies, curtains and hanging backdrops really come into their own.
One of the things we’re most excited about is foliage becoming the focus for many couples. We’re expecting to be making some foliage-only bouquets as the wedding season progresses, with this look perfect for those who love less structured arrangements with lots of texture and movement. For arrangements that will still include flowers, foliage in muted silver-grey tones such as eucalyptus, senecio and succulents, and the use of herbs to give arrangements an amazing scent, are expected to dominate this coming wedding season.
Regardless of the trends and where these originate from, the most important thing is that you chose floral arrangements that suit your style, whether or not these appear above! Ultimately your wedding day is about you and your partner celebrating in a way that is individual to you and represents you as a couple, which is why you should choose a wedding design trend as individual as you are.