Blog Roundup
Feature Launched: March 27, 2007
About: Links to interesting posts in the wedding blog world.
Lesson On Flowers
April 5th, 2007 @ 12:08 pm by Blog Roundup
( A_Fairytale_Wedding, who has a xanga-locked site, found some great peony alternatives so we asked her to share her findings with weddingbee.)
I have been busy meeting florists now and have expanded my knowledge a whole lot in the floral department. I knew I wanted peonies for my bridal bouquet long ago, but unfortunately they will be out of season in September (peony season is May-June +/- a month). Most florists I met with will guarantee to get them for me if I am willing to pay a hefty price to fly them in for around $400 - and that’s only for a mixed peony and rose bouquet. If I wanted a full peony bouquet, that would cost even more. Others who charge less cannot guarantee to have them in September, but said they would try their best to get them for me if the local flower markets/wholesalers still carry them at the time of my wedding. Though they also prepped me not to have high hopes, and said that it’s more than likely they won’t be available.
I know I am not going to pay $400 for something that wilts in a day. So I went on a quest to search for a replacement, and to my surprise there are other options out there that cut my price down to around $150- $200. Here’s what I found:
Tulip-peony hybrid which is more affordable
There’s always the Ranunculus
But the more I research I did, the more I fell in love with the good-old-Rose. There are more varieties of roses than I imagined, and have decided to use an assortment of some of the following for my bridal bouquet.
I fell in love with these Cabbage Roses - they have a high petal count and I love their ball shape.
Also another lovely choice– the Juliet Rose
Other gorgeous roses I found:
(Images via Choice Farms)
Hope this helps some of you that want out of season peonies for your weddings!
Were you able to get the flowers you wanted?
21 Responses to “Lesson On Flowers”
for anyone else interested in peonies but not getting married during the narrow window they are in season, you should also check out the abraham darby rose. it’s an english garden rose. not sure how readily availalble it is, either, though ;).
I could be wrong, but that’s not a tulip/peony hybrid. There’s no such thing. It’s just a tulip that has a lot more petals than the average tulip, so it looks like a peony. They’re very different plants. However, they’re gorgeous tulips and would look amazing in a bouquet.
Thank you for these. I’ve always dreamed of using peonies and was blissfully ignorant of the fact that I might have to use a substitute. These are amazing choices!
pencils - i think you’re right… they call it a tulip peony, but it is just a tulip. 
you can find some here: http://www.vanbloem.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=PLANTS.plantDetail&plant_id=137
I had an Anna rose bouquet with a few stephanotis sprinkled throughout. Anna’s are a rich peachy pink that tend to blossom more throughout the day. People could not stop talking about them. So I definitely recommend them. Just because they are huge and beautiful.
ooh thank you! i want peonies but knew they might be out of season or too expensive for me. thanks for the helpful info!
yes, these are great alternatives. this was very helpful.
Those are gorgeous, Mrs. Bee! I can’t wait until we’re married and buy a house and I can plant lots and lots of bulbs in the yard. And peonies, too.
And, yes, Annas are beautiful roses and would make a wonderful bouquet. My bouquet is going to be Vendela, as I’m a bit obsessed with them.
I went with gerbera daisies- pretty much always in season I think. I love them so much- it’s our theme. My colors are fuschia, light pink, and sage (think stem). I’m doing them in wooden flowerboxes with grass (so they look like they are growing) as centerpieces.
I say go with whatever you love. If you go on marthastewart.com- she has white flowerboxes filled with just good ol’ white daisies. It looks so classy for a “cheap” flower. I think any flower can make a wedding beautiful for those bummed about out of season flowers- think of how big of an impact you can have flower-wise when you use less expensive and in season flowers. You can use tons of them everywhere vs. sparingly and worrying so much about the $!
Another alternative is using lisianthus, which is nice and fluffy and ruffly.
Garden roses are good, too.
I pretty much only went with a florist who could give me peonies for my personal bouquet because I really wanted them. A couple said it was “impossible” for my July wedding, but the florist we chose had no problem with it.
That cabbage rose is pretty cool!!! I was told that peonies and ranunculous are a No-Go for my Sept wedding… =(
carnations are a full and fluffy alternative too.
I wish I had known about cabbage roses! They are beautiful and look almost like peonies. Peonies are one of my favorite flowers but because I had Aug. wedding, weren’t available. Unfortunately all my favorite flowers (peonies, ranunculus, anemones, etc) were all spring flowers. Very fortunately, I had an awesome florist who made me a gorgeous bouquet that made me forget about not having my first choice flowers. I think with a bit of creativity and a talented florist, you can have beautiful flower arrangements regardless of what flowers you use. I agree with Christina that if you go with seasonal flowers and use lots of them in everything, you’ll get amazing high impact result.
THANK YOU!!!! I have a Sept wedding and a dream of a peony bouquet and my first meeting with a florist left me pretty disappointed and sad. I might try some of those fuller roses!
Thanks for featuring my entry on your Blog Roundup Mrs. Bee! Glad my research can help others who is also looking for a peony alternative. =)
Thank you! Thank you!
I know its been said…
but really…I cannot THANK YOU enough for this post!!!
Thank you
Grazie
Merci Beaucoup
Arrigatou
Muchas Gracias
!
We decided on August instead of July so I could have dahlias. I know, I know… but but I wanted dahlias and he didn’t care as long as we still got married.
A bonus if you get cabbage roses- they usually smell really really good. Also look at parrot tulips- not as full as the ones you have there, but the ruffly parts are really cool.
If anyone needs peonies for weddings in June or July check out http://www.bridgewatergardens.com. They overnight ship peonies for weddings and the prices seem reasonable.
Yay! I’m using ranunculus and lisianthus in our bouquets, and I love them.
Fresh from the Southern Hemisphere! I might do this for my wedding coming up.
http://www.peoniesflowers.com/
