Our Favorite Blooms, Available by Month

Already set a date for the wedding and wondering which flowers are the best and most readily available for that season? This guide is just for you.

We all know the most annoying thing about choosing your wedding day flowers is seasonality. You’ve had your heart set on those perfect pink peonies ever since you saw them at Trader Joes that one time, but you’re getting married in September. It’s not like those chiffon table runners you chose are only obtainable 4 months out of the year (thank god). So, what do you do? Change your date? Are you insane? That was the only weekend your dream venue had availability.

I will tell you this, there is hope. Fighting against mother nature to secure all of your favorite greens for the big day is a lost cause. BUT, thankfully, we live in a world of multiple changing climates, different time zones, and best of all, airplanes. Nowadays, it is more possible than ever to get your hands on seasonal flowers. They have to be growing on a farm somewhere, right? Did you know that almost every rose you see sitting in a bucket at your local Whole Foods came from Ecuador or Holland? Travel, baby.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it may be easier than ever, but there are still a lot of variables that go into getting you a few stems of those peonies. Not to mention, a lot of money.

So, if you aren’t about to spend $25 on a single, half-open bloom (which isn’t even guaranteed to show up and will be dead by next week), here are your options:

• Artificial Flowers. A few faux blossoms popped into a live bouquet can help you achieve the look you want, while still tricking your eye – and the camera. We love silk flowers from Afloral and crepe paper florals from The Lovely Ave.

• In-Season Substitute. Can I tell you a secret? Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between a peony, a blooming garden rose, and an open ranunculus. There are so many gorgeous flowers in the world and I bet you can always find something you love that is in season and ripe for the plucking exactly when you need it.

JANUARY

Looking for that perfect, soft grey greenery for your winter event? Dusty Miller can achieve this and more. It comes in two styles, our favorite being the large leaf (shown). Magnolia trees bloom only in the winter months so you really have to make those unique flowers count. Plus, we love the two sided leaves featuring our favorite burnt orange. And if you’re looking for a touch of fragrance in your bouquet, Freesia is a great bet. Some of them even smell like Froot Loops…  

FEBRUARY

With Valentines Day on our mind, February is a tough (and expensive) time of year to find wedding flowers. But by staying away from the traditional, you might find some luck. Acacia trees stay green year round, but produce a yellow, flowering bloom once a year. The leaves themselves are another foliage of the blueish-gray variety if you’re looking to avoid true greens in your palette. Another fun pop of color in an otherwise all red and pink season, Sandersonia is a bell-like flower to add a little bounce and texture to your bouquet. If you’re looking for that classic winter look, Pieris Japonica can add the right touch as it cascades down your arrangement. 

MARCH

What says, “Hello Spring” more than Daffodils? Their unique shape is unmistakable in a colorful spring bouquet. On the deeper end of the color spectrum, Hellebores come in an array of jewel tones and happen to be one of my favorite flowers. Their distinct shading, whimsical shape and dancing stems make for a subtle but powerful statement. Looking for the ideal spring-time scent? Lilac. Lilac. Lilac. Although March is the beginning of the season, certain varieties begin to bloom early in the year. 

APRIL

Ask anyone in the floral industry what their least favorite flower is and you’ll probably hear this: Baby’s Breath. So what do we recommend as a replacement when a bride asks for this overrated filler? Wax Flower, of course. If you’re looking for that picturesque flowers growing directly on a branch springtime look, try Dogwood. It has to be good, it has the word dog in it. Once again, it wouldn’t be spring time without a little fragrance. That’s where Sweet Pea comes into play. Bath and Body Works, anyone? Unfortunately this precious petal is most commonly found on stems too short for a bridal bouquet, but can always be tucked into shorter arrangements. 

MAY

Another personal favorite, Anemones, come in their own range of colors and nothing else gives you that sweet, polka dot look. Every flower needs a fruit best friend. There’s nothing sweeter than a stem of Fruiting Kumquats to frame a lively little arrangement. And finally we’ve come to everyone’s current crush, the Peony. Though no two varieties look quite the same, they all have one thing in common: they’re a focal point flower that are big in size and bigger in personality.

JUNE

I wouldn’t be a true California native if I didn’t have a natural affinity for Poppies. Their lacey petals and soft colors would make anyone smile in awe. Another love from my youth, Artichokes make a fun addition to any floral bouquet. Plus, it’s always a fun little surprise when someone spots this unexpecting vegetable hiding among the blooms. A line flower similar to Snapdragons, Foxglove brings its own playful personality to the mix. The bell-shaped blossoms seem to be pulled from the pages of Alice in Wonderland.

JULY

Using hanging Amaranthus with your floral arrangements adds a beautiful, vine-like draping effect. If you want a pop of color or texture without the vertical length, try upright Amaranthus instead. Dahlias, especially these Cafe Au Lait, are jaw dropping but can be too good to be true. We recommend only utilizing their beautiful blossoms if your event is out of the mid-summer heat. Although one of the funkier blooms, coxcomb has its place in the fight setting. Its unique texture along with the velvety edges and bold colors make it one of our favorites. 

AUGUST

This underrated flower, Lisianthus, can often be mistaken for something more difficult to come by. These blooms are available year-round, come in many delightful colors, and stand up well to the heat – what more could we ask for? The Blushing Bride Protea is an intriguing addition to any bouquet, not to mention the aptly named variety with petals much more dainty and softer in appearance than its spiky cousins. Butterfly Ranunculus are another of our dancing friends. Their dark centers are more reminiscent of our Anemone favorites than the standard Ranunculus.

SEPTEMBER

A relative of our previously mentioned Coxcomb flower, Feather Celosia brings another unique look to any arrangement. Their wide array of brightly colored blooms make them a fan favorite, and promise a vibrant display when spotted at your local garden center. Our favorite type of Orchid, the Cymbidiums, are available year-round though we are partial to the rusty orange tones of the brown variety. And probably our least favorably named flower in this guide, the Scabiosa is another lace-like bloom to add delicacy to any arrangement.

OCTOBER

These sweet bell-shaped blooms look too perfect to be real. Lily of the Valley is a darling and delicate addition to your event florals, but remains a highly poisonous plant if ingested. Gomphrena and their paper-like pods are actually a globe amaranth and do well when used in both fresh and dried arrangements. Finally, standard Ranunculus. These picture-perfect petals are a must-have on anyone’s favorite florals list, though they can be quite fragile. There is no shortage of shade or tone when it comes to these beautiful buttercups.

NOVEMBER

A showstopper if there ever was one, Astilbe is enjoyably nicknamed False Goat’s Beard. Although its season is technically between spring and summer, this flower often has a long blooming period which means more of it for us to play with. What’s better than a hydrangea? An Antique Hydrangea. These beauties obviously require plenty of hydration and are one of the few flowers that can drink through their petals. We love the variance in color on even a single stem of this variety. Every bouquet needs touches of texture. For this, there is nothing better than a stem of berries and what’s more, we love a good steel blue plant like this Privet Berry.

DECEMBER

A subtle and feminine touch, we like a pop of Veronica. And with both white and purple blooms, you can find us making use of this fun little flower year-round. Now let’s be honest, you’ve got to have a certain style to really love an Amaryllis plant, but there’s something truly striking about seeing a few of these blooms in a bouquet. Plus, it’s one of my favorite stems to cut through. So satisfying. We’ve somehow made it all the way back to the Magnolia tree — just the leaves this time. But who can blame us, there’s just something we love about those colors… 

There are endless amounts of gorgeous, quality flowers to choose from, many of which are not on this list. Whichever way you decide to go, trust that it will be always beautiful.

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change.

Buddha