A Pop of Color

by Becki Creighton, owner of Flowers By Fudgie

While much of the nation is still shivering and shoveling snow, brides planning spring weddings in Florida are dreaming of sunshine, warm tropical breezes and toes in the sand. Brides often choose a shade of blue or sea green as the color their attendants will wear and shades from tiffany to turquoise to sea green lend themselves beautifully to the beach setting. But how to choose flowers to match a shade of blue or green?

Nature does not provide an abundance of flowers in blue or green so brides often feel the need to stay with a neutral color palette of ivory or white. Bouquets of lilies, roses, orchids and hydrangea in shades of cream and white provide a crisp, clean look and, of course, coordinate with any color. But if color is your passion, fear not! There is no need to “play it safe” with your color selection.

Spring is the perfect time of the year to use color as a great accent to any shade of blue or sea green. Surprisingly, there are many colors that compliment blue and green perfectly. The Floribbean theme that many brides love allows bright tropical colors in bouquets to be paired with green and blue dresses and carried over into centerpieces that continue the beach feeling to the reception.

When deciding on the color you want to accent your shade of blue, I would suggest considering the color you lean towards as favorites. Do you gravitate towards bright and sunny yellow, soft, romantic pink, vintage feeling lavender or bold, rich orange. Whatever your choice, they can all be paired with blues or greens and lend a welcome pop of color that can be pleasing as well as pleasantly unexpected.

Yellow – it evokes thoughts of bright Florida sunshine. Yellow Asiatic lilies are always a popular choice, as the shape of the lily just “feels” tropical. Yellow roses are available in many shades from buttery “Skyline” to deep golden “Latina”. Gerbera daisies, tulips, alstroemeria lilies, freesia, and calla lilies are all readily available in various shades of yellow.

Pink – calling all “girlie girls”. Whether it’s soft baby pink or sexy hot pink, some brides can’t imagine any other color for their big day. Nature provides a bounty of pink blooms. Stargazer lilies, gerbera daisies, fuchsia orchids and roses in every imaginable shade of pink work wonderfully if you decide to accent with pink.

Lavender – the color that IS a flower. English lavender brings to mind vintage gardens and lace. Hydrangea, freesia, tulips, roses and waxflower are excellent choices for the hopeless romantic in all of us.

Orange – the color of the spectacular sun as it sinks into the Gulf. Opposite blue on the artist’s color wheel, orange is a perfect compliment to any shade of blue. Tropical birds of paradise and pin cushion protea as well as Asiatic lilies, roses and gerbera daisies all offer varieties in orange.

So go ahead – think “outside the box." Be bold, be fun, be COLORFUL!