The Best Wedding Flowers For May

Best wedding flowers for May

As a wedding florist, the flow of the seasons brings me so much joy. I love working with the distinctive types of flowers available at different times of year, and would be hard pressed to choose a favourite month. If I really had to pick, though, May would be high on the list of wonderful months for wedding flowers. If you’re having a late spring wedding we have lots of beautiful varieties available to us, and lots of couple favourites too. The best wedding flowers for May are always the ones that are in season, and the design I’ll create for you will make the most of all the season’s natural beauty.

The best wedding flowers for May - what’s in season?

May weddings really hit the sweet spot between spring and early summer flowers, and this is about the only month of the year that you can get ranunculus and peonies at the same time. This allows us to create really incredible romantic, fluffy, ruffly designs, and both these varieties are almost always a hit with couples.

It’s also a great month for delicate white cow parsley, pretty lily of the valley, and lots of types of blossom. As May blends into June the roses and stocks start to grow, along with lovely sweet peas and spirea. We have so many different delicate shapes to choose from, but these spring flowers can be tricky to work with because of their soft, short stems. It’s possible to use them alongside more woody stemmed flower varieties like lilacs and magnolia and other flowering trees.

The best blossom is British grown, but it has a short available window and has to be cut at specific times. It has to be grown on trees, therefore we can’t force it to grow in a greenhouse - when it does appear it’s always a great opportunity to use in your wedding flowers.

The real beauty of May wedding flowers is their emergence after the winter, reminding us of all the new beginnings and fresh life appearing around us. What better way to start your married life than being surrounded by the year’s newest flower varieties?

Variability of May wedding flowers based on weather

While some wedding florists see the seasons as very distinct, I particularly enjoy how they all blend together. When I buy the flowers for your May wedding there is a definite unification of spring and summer, especially because the British weather is so variable. The available flowers can differ hugely between years depending on whether we’ve had a colder, longer, wetter or drier season. This is one of the most exciting things about working with nature, being flexible in my approach and sometimes getting treated to a spring surprise.

As previously mentioned, the best wedding flowers for May are the ones that are in season and thriving. Sometimes the spring flowers last longer than normal, or you start to see summer flowers sooner - I absolutely love it when this happens and we can lean into using the very best of what’s available, rather than rigidly sticking to what’s considered a spring or summer bloom.

Summer flowers such as wildflower varieties, double tulips, cosmos and foliage can sometimes begin to appear at the end of spring if the weather conditions are right, and it’s always such a treat to see what’s available from the British flower farmers.

How to choose your May wedding flowers

I always tell my couples that the best way to get the most beautiful wedding flowers is by working with what’s available, and being flexible in our approach. If you are particularly set on having one type of flower at your wedding, it may be that you choose your wedding month based on that.

If you’re a peony lover, May is the perfect month to get married. However, if you are set on having dahlias in your bouquet you’ll need to consider late summer or early autumn, particularly if we are to use British grown blooms.

My approach is always to talk extensively with you about your vision for your wedding flowers, and bring to life your dream colour palette, textures and designs using the best available varieties at that time. Your wedding flowers are organic art, and these dynamic living things shouldn’t be forced. Your design will be sympathetic to the natural beauty available to us, and work with each individual stem to bring out its absolute best.