Tag Archives: seasonal wedding flowers

6 Utah WILDFLOWER OPTIONS FOR YOUR WEDDING

utah wedding wildflowers for your reception venue

 

Author: Emma Bishop

Are you looking to go a little wild with your wedding? A Utah wildflower or two is a great way to reflect some of the state’s natural beauty in your nuptials. Most Utah wedding venues are perfect for the wildflower look. Here are our top six native wildflower picks for you to include in your wedding arrangements.  Because it is illegal to pick wildflowers from public lands, find many of these blossoms in yards of friends and family involved with your wedding plans. You could also seek a special permit for picking wildflowers in Utah.

1. Anemones

anenome white wild flower
Photo by Captri23auto

These beautiful wildflower blossoms are a wedding favorite, but you’ll have to go a bit off the beaten path to find the wild variety. Find these gems at your local garden center.  If you don’t have time to plant and grow them, seek friends and neighbors who may be willing to give you some blooms for your wedding.  There are several different types, with some blooming in the spring and others in the fall. Colors include white, red, pink, and yellow, and they make a charming addition to any bouquet. Pasqueflower (or anemone patens) is native to Utah, and it’s one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring.

2. Blazing Star or Liatris Wildflower

purple wildflower liatris
Photo by Still Works Imagery

You can find blazing stars growing wild in meadows and prairies across Utah. It is such a beloved native Utah plant that it has found its way into many Utah gardens, probably in your neighborhood.  Ask around!  The feathery purple flowers bloom in summer on the plant’s long and stately spike. It’s a popular wedding flower since it adds vertical interest to bouquets, centerpieces, and other arrangements. Dried blazing star works beautifully in floral crowns, wreaths, and garlands.  Again, many Utah gardeners use this in their perennial beds.

3. Sunflowers

bright yellow sunflowers wild flower of utah
Photo by Otrotrangian

The common sunflower is one of five species of sunflowers native to Utah. It’s also the one that produces those favorite seeds on which we enjoy snacking. If you get engaged in winter or spring, and are planning a fall wedding, pick up a packet of seeds to plant, and you’ll have lots of blooms in time for your celebration. Western Gardens has a wide array of seeds that do well in our Utah climate and soil. A word of warning: These wildflowers depend on bees to pollinate them and produce sunflowers. You’ll often find male bees resting on the flower heads, and it’s the females that sting.

4. Western Coneflower

Rudbeckia_occidentalis_on_Aspen_Mountain
Coneflower – Echinacea – Rudbeckia – Photo by Rhododendrites

This member of the sunflower family grows in Utah’s mountain meadows. It has a brownish-dark purple cone with green leaves at the base. Use it as a unique touch for taller arrangements or to add a rustic flair to your bouquet. It blooms from midsummer to fall and will hold its looks for a long time as part of a dried arrangement.  Many Utah gardeners plant varieties of this in their gardens.  Also known as Echinacea which comes in various colors.  The most common is the Purple Coneflower.  A quality local garden center like Western Gardens carries a good selection in different colors – white, orange, red, yellow, and of course, purple.

5. Yarrow Wildflower

White Yarrow wildflower in Utah
Photo by Foto Blend

Yarrow is a perfect match for almost any type of flower. It features small, flat heads of tiny flowers and fern-like green foliage. We see a lot of the non-native baby’s breath at our wedding receptions, but white yarrow could be a wonderful substitute. The most common colors are yellow, white, pink, and red. Yarrow can last up to five days after it’s cut. It’s heat tolerant so that it won’t wilt during outdoor ceremonies and receptions. According to folk legend, hanging the yarrow used in your wedding above your bed will ensure lasting love. Yarrow is also a hypoallergenic wildflower because it produces less histamine than other blooms. Your local independent garden nursery should have a good selection.

6. Sego Lily

Photo by Matt Lavin – Flickr
wild flower Utah sego lily state flower
Photo by WensLens

Utah’s state flower is the perfect choice to show your state pride and give your wedding a homey touch. However, this is a true wildflower since it doesn’t transplant or grow well in lower altitudes. These sweet blooms are difficult to find, but you may see them along the arid West roadways and mountain valleys at altitudes between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. Because they are not common, leave the plants in nature. The bulb does not like to be disturbed and will die; therefore, the Sego Lily can be tough to grow in the garden, but you can try by seeking seeds from some native-plant societies and other online sources. The sego lily prefers hot, dry conditions and sandy soil.

Final note:

While Utah is the beehive state and we welcome pollinator-attracting flowers in the garden, you probably don’t want bees buzzing your wedding. You may want to choose flowers that either don’t attract or repel bees. Roses and Red Penstemon work well.

Native wildflowers are an eco-friendly choice for your festivities because many thrive here naturally. Since they don’t need to be cultivated in a greenhouse or shipped from far away, they could also save you money. Check with your family and friends about their yards to see if they would donate to your beautiful day. 

So let loose and embrace a bit of your wild side by going native with your wedding flowers.

utah wedding flowers at Salt Lake wedding venue

 

About the Author:

Emma Bishop is a lifestyle and design writer, and mother of two beautiful girls. She is a social butterfly and loves to entertain guests at home with beautifully decorated spaces for any occasion.

 

Avoid 4 Flower Mistakes at Wedding Venues in Utah

wedding venues in utah with wedding flower suggestionsHere are 4 common mistakes that Brides often make – Don’t fall into the trap!

Utah reception centers that let brides do their own flowers

Mistake #1 – Miscalculating the Cost

Realize that there are more to flower needs at wedding venues in Utah than just the bride’s bouquet and the groom’s boutonnière.  There are bouquets for bride’s maids, corsages for mothers, grandmothers, boutonnières for uncles, groomsmen, flowers for centerpieces, throwing bouquet, buffet table and the list could go on.  See basic lists of wedding floral packages here.  Also, our prior Flower Basics blog post gives a lot of ideas as well.   Whether you go extravagant or simple, don’t forget the costs of the vases for your flowers, the labor to create them, and any accents including pearls or simple ribbon.  It is not just buying a bouquet from a big box store and plopping them in a jar.  At least a little time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to it.  If you do not hire a professional, then at least put a trusted family member or trusted friend in charge of all the flower needs.

Swensen baby breath bouquets WM

Mistake #2 – Forgetting that it’s YOUR wedding, not a wedding found on Pinterest!

Don’t get too set on what you find on Pinterest and similar sites.  A few photos to your designer is a wonderful way to capture the overall feel of what you want for your wedding.  But allow your designer to make it personalized for you.  Think of ways you can put your own style into your flower designs or let them run ideas past you.

Extravagant wedding 2

From this Pinterest feel (above) to this Ivy House reality! (below)

Ravenburg white pumpkin floral WM

utah wedding receptions with elegant wedding flowers

Mistake #3 – Being stubborn and Insisting on Out-of Season Flowers!

Flowers can be seasonal.  It is very common for brides to have favorite flowers they want for their weddings.  Pink peonies are a good example. There are times in the year that a florist can absolutely not get any or enough of them delivered for an event.  You either need to change your wedding date to accommodate the flowers you desire or be willing to compromise a little with the local flower shops.  Seasonal flowers are not only less expensive; they are easier to obtain.  Click here to find out what flowers are in season during your wedding month.

 

Mistake #4 – Considering only the Appearance of the Flower

Some flowers are incredibly beautiful but have an odor that wouldn’t please your guests.  For example, Paperwhite or Narcissus is a very popular spring forced bulb, but some people find the odor quite offensive and gives them headaches in enclosed areas.  Guests at wedding venues in Utah wouldn’t enjoy that!  There are so many flowers that have sweet scents on their own. Other flowers have complimentary scents when grouped together. Your professional florist will know.  Consider all the senses when choosing your flowers.  One bride invited her aunt to supply flower bouquets at Ivy House.  She simply used pink & white lilies cut from her garden with greenery.  The reception hall was filled with the beautiful refreshing sweet fragrance of lilies.

Odor of paper whites can be offensive in wedding venues in Utah

 

Pink lilly 450px

wedding flowers at wedding venues in utah