Lily's Boots: Why Brides Need Flowers to Take the Plunge

Dress               Check!
Venue              Check!
Invitations         Check!
Flowers            Check!
Cake...
               
Last night, I sat down with a friend to help her choose flowers for her upcoming wedding. I was happy to point her in the direction of flowers that suit her taste, show her some unique varieties, and tell her how to take care of them all the way from the shop to the alter. (I couldn't have done that a year ago.) Mostly, I was happy because she was happy, and I could feel her elation grow with the addition of each Green Ball and Chamomile Button. This inspired me to take Lily's Boots down the aisle for today's post.

Since wedding season is in full swing (and let's be honest, because I'm a girl), I've been perusing the wedding blogs to keep my finger on the pulse of the latest trends, especially floral, for tying the knot. While I've noticed a few overlapping themes (green wedding, outdoor wedding, Anthropologie wedding, etc.), what resounds the most is that today's weddings are all about individuality, not necessarily the latest trends. And the flowers reflect that. Throughout my quest to stay current on today's most stylish vow swaps, I've seen arrangements taller than my house and wild flowers placed in mason jars. I've seen flowers in the hair, on the cake, in Radio Flyers, and floating in ponds. I've seen real flowers accompanied by larger-than life paper flowers painstakingly cut and pieced together by hand. Elaborate, simple. Traditional, contemporary. Monochromatic, multi-colored. The point is I've seen flowers in 99.9% of photos depicting folks enjoying their big day.

The greater point is, after all this time, most people still consider flowers one of the staples of their ceremonies and receptions. The bouquet, the flower girl, the centerpieces - they haven't gone anywhere. Even as cake is phased out by cupcakes and French pastries, puffy bridesmaid dresses are replaced by fashion-forward dresses that can actually be reworn, and tuxedos make room for denim, flowers remain front and center. As you might imagine, I have a few theories as to why flowers continue to show up at each and every matrimonial ceremony.

1. Style

What bride doesn't want her day to be beautiful, both emotionally and aesthetically? I think most of us can agree that the natural beauty of flowers is enough to fill any venue, be it a Four Seasons or a backyard barn, with a touch of class, elegance and whimsy.

2. Self-expression
As I mentioned before, today's couples are all about showcasing what makes their loving relationship unique. Given the hundreds of thousands of flower varieties out there, and then multiplying them by the endless ways they can be arranged, my calculations show that there are infinite ways to use flowers as focal points. Not only that, but with various symbolic meanings, emotional triggers and signature shapes and colors, the flowers a couple chooses for their wedding can actual communicate who they are as people.

3. Happiness
I've harped on about this before, but flowers are shown to truly make people happy. On an already joyous occasion, why not add a little emotional buffer, like a happiness insurance policy? You know, just in case of rain or some other wedding day stressor. Brides must already be privy to this flowers and happiness information because they're still positioning flowers in every visual field in their marriage site.

For whatever the reason they love flowers, I love that brides still love them. I'll admit that as a grower, Sun Valley isn't directly involved in weddings, but brides indirectly account for a large portion of the demand for our flowers. So as it turns out, I'm not the only one at the farm paying attention to trends. Like most brides, our production team plan well in advance (years even) to make sure we have just the right flowers at the right time. Year-round availability and seasonally appropriate coloring of our core crops (Tulips, Lilies, Irises), plus seasonal items like Montbretia, Cotinus and Rosehips help us fill bridal bouquets with the flowers brides want, when they want them. And if what we do here at our farm can ultimately make brides feel stylish, unique and (for Pete's sake) happier, then I'm thrilled that I'm a part of it!



To get an idea of what we have available this season, check out our Sun Valley Showroom: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/Showroom2.cfm?site=svf