You've got your favourite flower, the one you keep pinning that you've always dreamed of including in your bridal bouquet... and then you realise your wedding date you've picked and its growing season aren't exactly best friends.
Before you panic (or start trying to redesign your whole wedding around a peony), here's the good news:
Preserved flowers can give you that dream-flower look, even when it's not in season.
Why seasonality matters (and why it can be frustrating)
Fresh flowers are seasonal, and availability changes depending on:
- The time of year
- Weather and crop conditions
- Where your florist sources from
- Import restrictions and costs
So even if a flower exists somewhere in the world, it might not be reliable, affordable, or at its best on your date.
And that's where couples can get caught out: you fall in love with a spring bloom, but you're getting married in late summer or winter.
What are preserved flowers, exactly?
Preserved flowers are real flowers that have been treated to keep their characteristics including shape, colour and texture for much longer than fresh.
They're not artificial, and they're not dried in the traditional crunchy way either. They're their own category: real blooms, with a much longer life.
Common preserved favourites include:
- Roses
- Hydrangea
- Eucalyptus
- Peonies
- Sunflowers
How preserved flowers help when your favourite flower isn't in season
1) You can keep the look you love
If your heart is set on a certain flower (peonies, hydrangeas and sunflowers tend to be my most requested), can be available all year round when they aren't available in the fresh supply chain.
2) Your colour palette stays consistent
Some flowers are only available in certain shades at certain times of year. Preserved blooms make it easier to keep your palette cohesive especially if you're matching hair accessories to a bouquet or bridesmaids tones.
3) Less last-minute stress
Fresh flowers are often finalised close to the wedding day. Preserved pieces can be designed earlier, approved earlier, and ticked off your list sooner.
4) They're brilliant for hair accessories
If you're wearing flowers in your hair, preserved blooms are the perfect option because they:
- Hold their shape
- Don't wilt
- Photograph beautifully
- Can be made ahead of time
A gentle reality check: preserved isn't always a perfect copy
Being completely transparent, preserved flowers are amazing, but they're not a 1:1 replacement for every fresh bloom. Not every bloom is available in preserved form and not every flower will have the movement you get with fresh.
Preserved + dried + fresh: you can mix them
You don't have to choose one lane.
A lot of couples love a blended approach:
- Fresh for big statement arrangements (these tend to be the things you aren't realistically going to keep due to size and space)
- Preserved for key blooms you want to keep consistent (I.e the bouquet, buttonholes, hair accessories)
The takeaway
If your favourite flower isn't in season when youre getting married, it doesn't mean you have to let go of the look you love.
Preserved flowers can help you capture the same mood, shape, and colour palette with less stress, more reliability, and pieces that last far beyond the wedding day.
Want help translating your dream flower into a design that works?
If you tell me your wedding date, your colour palette, and the flower you're obsessed with, I can suggest preserved and dried alternatives that will give you the same feeling and photograph beautifully. Get in touch here.