Perfect Wedding Flowers: Roses

Roses, beloved by many for their timeless beauty and elegance, are a popular choice for wedding flowers. Their delicate petals, wide range of colours, and enchanting fragrance make them a stunning addition to any bridal bouquet or design concept. With their romantic symbolism and natural charm, roses will effortlessly bring a touch of luxury and grace to your special day.

A stem of blushing Generous Gardener with blooms at varying stages of development to give a natural, romantic feel.

Writing this in mid July, it seems in the distant past that we were treated to some days of warm, summer weather in May and June. In classic British summer style, the sun promptly disappeared, and it has been unusually wet and cold since.

But – all is not lost! The roses this year have been phenomenal, giving us a wonderful show throughout May and June – even those I planted as bare roots over winter have produced amazing, plentiful blooms.

The rose of course is a timeless favourite for weddings and event work and one of my favourite flowers to work with.Different varieties of rose will lend themselves to different uses - rambling stems of climbers with multiple blooms make perfect additions to archway installations whilst hybrid teas provide longer, straighter stems for smaller arrangements and bouquets. The choice of colours are of course endless, and bloom size is an important consideration when designing a concept. I love to create designs that mimic how these roses would grow in ‘real life’ - clusters of flower, rambling stems and negative space to create the perfect etherial, elegant and romantic atmosphere. Multiple buds at different stages of development on one stem again create a natural feel and finally, the scent. These ‘home grown’ roses cannot be beaten - from the musky smell of old rose to the sweet smelling citrus and fruity notes, the scent adds another dimension to the overall effect of the designs.

I am absolutely obsessed with my David Austin roses – Generous Gardener, Gertrude Jackyll and Princess Alexandra of Kent being my current favourites. The scent of all of the above is exquisite and I am truly mesmerised by watching how they change colour and shape as they develop.

Roses growing in a cutting garden

I’m keen to build up my collection of roses in the cutting garden over time. Currently, I work with a combination of my own and locally sourced flowers (if in season). The rose season in our area can be prolonged across summer, once the first flush has finished in early summer and the initial production slows - we are often treated to a second flush later on. Roses can be obtained all year round by importing them - of course they will still look wonderful when arranged well but it is worth considering that each stem will lack the natural appeal and scent that sets our English roses apart. There are so many other focal flowers that can be used as a wonderful alternative - ranunculus in spring, peonies in early summer, dahlia later on - I would encourage these as options first, working with our seasons and good old Mother Nature.

As well as using the blooms in design work - they also serve many other purposes for me. Any blooms that go over before I can cut them, I dead head and collect the petals to dry for biodegradeable confetti for my wedding couples. It looks simply fantastic in that ‘must-have’ confetti shot. Your wedding venue will thank you for choosing this type of confetti too (many venues no longer allow confetti that will not break down naturally).

Following the second flush of flowers, I will leave some of my dead heads on the plant to develop into hips – Generous Gardener is a great one for this. The hips can then be cut in autumn and winter, acting as small jewels that add interest and seasonal colour to designs as we move into the darker days of winter.

If you would like more information about which roses may be available for your wedding and how to best use them to create the impact and ambiance that you are dreaming of, please do get in touch - I would love to answer your questions.

Amy x