Blossoms and Blooms

Spring is in the air! And with this so are weddings, receptions, and flowers! Now that wedding season is in full bloom, we are taking the time to address some important flower tips for deciding on a bridal bouquet. To help with these tips, we spoke with Robin Buop, owner of Inspired Floral Design.

Robin started as a professional florist when she was only 16 years old. Growing up working with her mother in the garden, Robin discovered the "certain sense of happiness" flowers bring to a room. "There is definitely a passion shared among our team, we love what we do and our events reflect the love. It is like Christmas morning excitement to open the boxes of hydrangeas from Holland, orchids from Thailand, or the gorgeous blooms that are California grown," Robin said.

To reflect her and her team's passion for flowers, Inspired Floral works to design a style that portrays their client's personality. "Inspired Foral Design is best known for a natural, textured, organic style in the Cincinnati/Northern KY area." Not only do they specialize in flowers, but Inspired Floral also works with brides to create the overall atmospheric feel.

But let's get back to the bread and butter of this post, bouquet flowers. Depending on the time of the year, the flowers for your bouquet may vary. In The Queen City, according to Robin, spring's warmer temperatures bring to bloom forsythia, quince, almond, pear, peach and apple blossoms, along with tulips, daffodils, lilacs, hyacinth, ranunculus and Robin's personal favorites sweet peas, anemones and peonies.

During the summer, locally grown flowers are a must have. These include zinnia, celosia, foliage, rosemary and verbena.

As the leaves change, so do the flowers. The fall is perfect for warmer tones. "The beautiful ever changing hydrangeas from the West Coast and Holland pair beautifully with scabiosa pods, wheat, grasses, euphorbia, sunflowers, blue thistle, or kale," Robin mentioned.

Lastly, the winter brings amaryllis, ilex berries, tulips, white astrantia, orchids and dusty miller to name a few.

The weather isn't the only factor that comes into play when deciding on bouquets, a bride's wedding-day theme also influences the floral decisions. Robin told us that for the classic romance or vintage bride, it is best to combine soft ruffled flowers such as roses, peonies, hydrangeas or ranunculus highlighted by foliage. It also may include a high-petal count, a layering of floral or soft foliage. A vintage look can also be pulled off by using muted colors and soft textures.

For the urban bride, Robin says, "textures of berries, pods, and succulents softened with dahlias, mokara orchids herbs or foliage" will give off the metropolitan charm.

"The newest change in bridal flowers in the comeback of beautiful lush foliage's -- scented geranium, maidenhair and button ferns, Solomon's seal, grasses -- personally, I am elated," Robin exclaimed! "I love the framing characteristic foliage's offer to floral blooms along with a natural draping they bring to designs."

One of the last factors when deciding on your blooms is the size and shape of the bride's dress. Robin emphasized that the flowers should compliment the dress and not overwhelm the "intricate detail and style of the bridal gown" or the bride's figure. The bride's dress and bouquet are the most photographed elements of the day, aside from the bride and groom of course. So you must make sure the two go together.

Take a look at The Knot's Bouquet Glossary Guide shown below to determine what type of bouquet shape goes best with your bridal gown.

To learn more about Inspired Floral Design contact them at info@inspiredfloral.com or call them 513-370-7372.

Pictures provided by Inspired Floral Design, 1326 Studios, Nathan Peel Photography, and Loft 3 Studios.