We caught up with Caroline Bailly, owner of NYC-based floral and event design company L’Atelier Rouge, to get her take on some of her favorite wedding flowers for each season. Here’s what she had to say:
ANEMONES
“Anemones can be beautiful on their own or as accents in larger arrangements.”
Peak season: late winter / early spring (January-April) or late summer
Colors: red (bright and dark), white with the distinctive black center
MIMOSA
“Mimosa have a very unique smell (that I love) and are only available in a small window from Italy. They have a long, almost branch-like quality so they can be used in in a wide variety of centerpiece and larger arrangements. Their length can also lend itself to a unique bouquet or headpiece.”
Peak season: late winter through early spring
Colors: yellow
Pair well with: peonies
PEONIES
“I field requests for peonies year round because they’re often grown in home gardens, people are familiar with them and their soft, lacy, almost sensual petal texture. They come in a diverse range of colors.”
Peak season: late spring through early summer (May-mid-July) or late fall through winter (mid-October-December)
Colors: white, coral, yellow, blush pink, hot pink, red, burgundy
ROSES
“Roses are one of the most popular and versatile flowers available—and they’re always available. We always encourage couples to consider some of the more unconventional shapes and shades.”
Peak season: generally depends on the rose varietal (of which there are thousands), but there are always roses available year round
Colors: virtually every color imaginable, with dozens if not hundreds of shades within the white and cream family for one.
Pair well with: almost anything. They’re incredibly diverse flowers with a wide range of bloom sizes, petal texture, and their color and patterns.
SWEET PEAS
“Sweet peas are rather small and very delicate—they can bruise or wilt with little provocation. They work best as primary flowers or accents in bouquets.”
Peak season: early May through mid-June or late winter through early spring
Colors: pink, white, purple, lavender, red, blue, green, cream
Photos: Lydia Hudgens
