Layers of Beauty

By Suzanne Ens

Of all the embellishments that will adorn your wedding day, flowers alone have the power to engage more of our five senses - touch, sight and scent. They will frame your day and the special days leading up to it in ways that will celebrate the senses and form memories to be cherished later in life.

“I definitely suggest the more fragrant flowers,” advises Dean McNeely, award winning floral designer for 32 years. McNeely has been featured in national magazines and is now working with the Crazy Daisy in Orange Beach. “Stephanotis, stock flowers and wax flowers - filler flowers - have strong fragrance.” These all give fragrance to the popular rose bouquets, as commercially produced roses are hybrids and have little or no scent of their own. Along with roses, also popular are the beautiful calla lilies and tulips, explains McNeely, and bouquets are in the hand-tied tradition but with a more natural look than the posy style bouquet.

New owner Jeremy Sullivan moved the Crazy Daisy to Orange Beach in early 2007 and soon secured Dean McNeely on a full-time basis. The Crazy Daisy, 25595 Canal Rd., Suite 8 in Orange Beach, AL also offers gift baskets and silk arrangements for every occasion, 251-989-9988.

Other trends in wedding arrangements tend toward recreating the traditional. “The top seller looks we do at the present time are more contemporary with a European look,” says Fiore of Pensacola owner Shannon Pallin. For instance, “we own a beautiful collection of manzanita branches that are very hot right now. My top sellers change all the time—we try to recreate and change the normal into something a little bit different,” she explains.

“My favorite bouquets are actually more traditional, a giant handful of lily of the valley, a group of peonies in shades of pinks, a gardenia with ribbon tails, sitting on a small bible. Current trends include more elements within the event - we create atmospheres that include everything from lighting and linens to furniture and prop styling,” continues Pallin. As far as color trends, not including the seasonal use of color, “more monochromatic looks such as cylinders in white with a single type of flower grouped in each vase, a vase of all hydrangeas, a vase of all tulips with a lot of candlelight,” are some things Pallin suggests.

Shannon Pallin opened Fiore in February of 2006 in downtown Pensacola, 115 S. DeVilliers St. She has been in the floral design business for more than 20 years. “I have always been drawn to the extreme beauty of nature,” she confesses.

Another recent trend is the addition of “bling.” “Bling is added to the bouquets more than in the past,” says Lynn Ruthven of the KaBloom store at 1765 East Nine Mile Rd. “This may take the form of pearls, crystals and rhinestone accents. The latest trend is feathers,” she says. Ruthven, owner of KaBloom, employs a staff with a combined 45 years in floral design.

Choosing flowers in season by both color and type can save money as well as add a seasonal air to the occasion. For example, in the traditional summer colors of mauve, blues and pinks, the following are in season: Alstromeria, Chrysanthemum, English Lavender, Forget-me-nots and Hydrangeas. And in the fall colors of rusts, oranges and bronze there are Zinnias and Dahlias, which bloom in a myriad of colors, and Marigolds. These can be beautifully arranged with dried leaves.

“There definitely are some seasonal differences,” explains Ruthven. “For example, in spring there are more requests for tulips in bouquets. Callas seem to be popular with summer brides, especially the mini-callas that come in colors. White callas are requested all year long, as are roses. And summer weddings seem to be more colorful,” possibly because of the increase of beach weddings, explains Ruthven.

Research shows that scent is an emotional trigger of memories - more potent than music, words or even photographs. Form your memory of your special day around the scent, touch and visual delight of flowers.