White Flowers: Best Left Alone?

If you have been following my blogs, you know that I have addressed my personal issues with the use of teal, black, and artificially dyed blue flowers.  I have not however, talked about the do’s and don’t’s of using the every popular, white flower.

Now you might be wondering why in the world would I be picking on the most popular wedding color of our time?  How could a basic color like white be a potential problem in the flower world?  It is after all, a natural color found in Mother Nature, and is undoubtedly used in countless weddings all over the world.  So what gives?

Believe it or not, white is one of the most dominant colors, or non-colors, that is often used the wrong way.  What do I mean?  I try and drive home the idea of considering how your flowers, dresses, and decor, is going to look like through the lens of a camera.  Have you noticed that when looking at bridal bouquet with deep rich colors, it suddenly takes on a whole different look when you add stark white to it?  You find yourself looking at it, and wondering what doesn’t belong.  If you look at pics with pure white added to say dark purples, blues, reds, burgundy’s, etc, all you see is white here, white there, white over there….in other words….blobs of white stand out like a bright light!!  Too many florists make the mistake of not balancing the white with a darker shade of creams or a very pale yellow, or if appropriate, a peach or pink tone.  Now I’m certainly not saying that florists in general do not understand the tricky balance that pure white can require.  Brides are often stuck on a color palate that the features all the dominate ranges, but they can sometimes fail to understand how to brighten or soften a bouquet.  Often out of necessity, and sometimes frustration, florists throw in white in the hopes of bringing darker colors out……but unfortunately it often does the exact opposite.  Instead of white acting as a brightener, it just becomes one more overly dominate color that actually makes dark colors, even darker.

So what do we do with white?  We of course LOVE white in weddings.  It’s classy, it’s clean, it’s elegant, and romantic.  My advice, and remember this is only MY opinion is…that we consider the over all color combination of the bouquets, and arrangements, first.    In other words, are you using a color palate of deep rich fall tones, or are you considering deep purples and blues?  Maybe a beautiful rich red perhaps?  I would advise you to drop by your nearest fabric place…I’ve recommended doing this before….and taking your initial ideas of color, and lay them side by side.  Start with all of your darker tones…now add a bolt of white.  Where does your eye immediately go?  I guarantee you are going to say WHITE! Now what about bright yellows, oranges, pinks, green, lavender, soft peaches, and light blues?  Here’s where a little white can be very complimentary, but I still advocate the use of a little cream for a good balance.  However, I have seen lavender and white bouquets that were lovely, and the same with yellow and white, and orange and green and white!  Again it comes down to balance…the softer and brighter tones all carry a brightness on their own, that when paired with a bit of white, make their colors stand out even more!

To not sound too redundant, I’ll end with my favorite use of white.  I absolutely adore a white, cream, and green bouquet.  That’s it….just those 3 colors.  The green can just be…well the green, or it can be in a flower or filler. White and cream can go from the height of sophistication and glitz, to the most subdued garden, and natural, setting.  The combination is really stunning no matter which way you take it.

Now I’m not saying to forego the use of white in your bouquets….I’m just saying be careful on HOW and WHERE you use the white.  Think about how those bouquets are going to look in the pictures that you will show off for many years to come.  With a good eye for balance, and color, white will be a very welcomed addition to your wedding decor!!

*At Silver Leaf Events, I offer design consulting for a nominal fee.  Contact me on my website http://www.raedavis.com or raedavis1099@gmail to request more information.