making the case for spring weddings using local NJ grown flowers

As a NJ wedding florist for *cough*  years now, I’ve seen the creep of wedding dates get later and later into the year. September used to be the hot Fall month, now it’s October – and more and more dates are getting booked for November than ever before. Fall is a beautiful time to get married, don’t get me wrong. Hot apple cider for your guests, beautiful burning bush altar installation for your ceremony space, and cozy fireplace hang outs. I’m here for it! But, couples in the process of choosing your wedding date, hear me out: early Spring weddings are so underrated.

A few questions: Is incredible floral design a must have for your wedding? Do you value supporting local New Jersey small businesses?  Do you want your wedding photos to reflect the literal day you got married, by using floral design as a mark of seasonality? Do you love ranunculus? (I know you do!!!) If you said yes to any or all of the above, then really consider a March or April wedding date. 

At Jessamine, we are committed to supporting our local wholesale flower collectives like Jersey Cut Flower Market and Garden State Flower Coop that never grow only your basic types– as farmers and sometimes designers themselves, they love the interesting and ultra unique just as much as we straight-up designers do! Springtime is when their magic reveals itself in the fields and hoop houses.

Spring is wonderfully reflective of the feelings you have when you first get married: color exploding every where you look, gentle birdsong, tender shoots rooting firmly into rich earth. Increasing warmth sprinkled with a few rainy days and in turn encouraging growth of ever more flowers down the path of life. By leaning into seasonality we can capture this joyful, warm feeling of Spring in our designs and by extension the tenor of your wedding day.

So what flowers are available locally in Spring? Read on:

Okay, I’m biased. Some of my absolute favorite flowers are grown locally in early Spring. The flowering season actually starts in late Winter with hellebore, an extremely hardy blooming plant that ranges from creamy white to a deep wine color and everything in between. The foliage on hellebore is also stunning, and I often use it as a two-for-one kind of flower in designs, utilizing both bloom and green as a base for many arrangements. Hellebore is so long lasting outside of water that it’s also one of my favorite flowers for the personals you have to craft, like boutonnieres, corsages, or pocket boutonnieres. With the variety of color and bloom stage, it works with almost any color palette.

At Jessamine, we root for the freak flowers. Fritillaries fall into the freak category. Their unusual coloration and stem movement are so unique it’s hard to forget a fritillaria once you’ve seen one. Persica is a gorgeous chocolate brown line flower with so much personality. Crown imperial fritillaria feature a striking orange boom and lime green foliage in a cluster shape. Melagris, also called snakes’ head fritillary, comes in a plum and white checkerboard pattern. No really! It’s incredible. Side story: My husband and I got married in mid-June. My number one flower must-have was a melagris fritllaria. Folks, this goes to show you even florists are not immune to seasonality and availability– none of these checkerboard beauties were anywhere to be found at any wholesaler and I had to sub for a different flower. In hindsight, of course June was too late! But as my own wedding florist, I didn’t have anyone to gently break it to me that frits in June was a fool’s errand, haha.  So if you have a must have flower–check in with your florist to make sure your date coincides with its availability. As florists we will go to the ends of the earth to get your must have but sometimes you just can’t beat the turn of the earth. If this is the case, Jessamine will recommend a similar flower or something even more exciting that you’ll fall in love with!

Hyacinth, the most fragrant flower of the season! If you walk into a room with a hyacinth plant or arrangement, you certainly know it. A candy color pastel dream, hyacinth is a gorgeously thick flower featuring many tiny florets to create one larger focal flower. Currently trending in the world of floral design and championed by master designer Sue McCleary is using individual hyacinth florets en masse to create garlands and floral jewelry such as necklaces and earrings. There are so many different, cool things to do with this concept – utilizing hyacinth as a living ribbon, in installation work as a draping element, or in bouquets to create unique shapes with wire that flowers don’t naturally bend into. The possibilities are endless, and something we at Jessamine are so inspired by.

Ranunculus is another Spring (and personally, all time) favorite flower. Pronounced RAN-UNC-YOU-LUS, it’s also probably the hardest flower variety to say out loud. I got you. If you start saying “ran” and run out of steam during a consultation, I know what you’re talking about–  and don’t worry it happens all the time! With its infinite petal count, head size and color range, it’s a staple in flower design for good reason. These long lasting blooms are extremely versatile, from bouquet to centerpiece to installation work. Ranunculus (dare you to say it three times in a row) comes in a perfectly round variety, a weirdo pon pon version, and a fluttery butterfly variety. There’s a specific type to pair with any wedding style from romantic garden style to a more modern and envelope pushing design.

Tulips! Not just grown in Holland. New Jerseyans have proven tulips are some of the most beloved of Spring blooms. Don’t take my word for it– just try to get a time slot on the weekend in April for u-pick tulips at Holland Ridge Farms in Cream Ridge, NJ. Another bloom that comes in just about any color under the sun, tulips are an incredibly dynamic flower. Tulips are photosensitive and once cut move towards sunlight or even artificial light. Tulips are also one of the only flowers that continue to grow taller once cut, up to an extra inch! There are so many specialty varieties of tulip shapes  I would be hard pressed to name a favorite. They include: parrot, resembling a creature from an alien planet; a flirty frill-edged variety; double, which when open truly resembles a peony in a pinch (and for a fraction of the price!) a delicate bell, and so many more. Tulip petals can also be physically manipulated in a method called “reflexing” where petals are gently bent to open and reveal more of the interior of the bloom. Reflexing allows designers to show off more of the beauty of a tulip and treat the bloom as a focal flower. 

Daffodils and their buttery yellow or orange and cream goodness. Their scientific name is Narcissus, a name I will never forget, because that’s the name of the first flower shop I worked in! Daffodils come in a classic trumpet shape or also double petaled varieties. A bit of a diva, once cut daffs secrete a poisonous sap that will kill any other flowers in the same vase, so some behind the scenes magic is required to utilize daffodils in mixed arrangements. Once daffodils start to pop up in your neighborhood, you know warmer temperatures are just around the corner. 

Some other early Spring honorable mentions are muscari, anemone and pansies. Not to mention all the incredible flowering branches that come alive at this time like qunice, cherry, pear, magnolia and forsythia.

While Summer and Fall are the most popular seasons for weddings, if you’re a specialty flower lover getting married in NJ, I beg you to consider getting married in March or April. You’re truly spoiled for choice for flower varieties, in both soft and bright color palettes! Now envisioning your wedding day filled with fringed and frilly pink tulips? Inquire here, we can’t wait to hear from you! 

_{all flower variety images sourced through pinterest}