Floral displays have a way of bringing fresh energy and life to an event. “With the ceremony décor as an incredible focal point, it’s all about the florals,” says expert event planner Brian Green (ByBrianGreen). Using bold, bright colors, floral trends are headed in the direction of dichotomy, whether through a large statement piece or a simple, minimalist arrangement. Take inspiration from these trends and creative uses of florals to make your next event blossom.
Floral Statement Arches
During What’s Trending in Floral Design? (held as part of The Special Event in Anaheim, Calif.), Derek Woodruff (Syndicate Sales) and Liza Roeser (FiftyFlowers) emphasized the impact of a statement piece. Green echoed the effect of this trend in his session 2022/2023 Global Wedding Trends, saying that these massive pieces can be reused throughout wedding festivities, from the ceremony to the party and beyond. Floral-wrapped arches, chuppahs, and structures can be used over catering tables, over entrances welcoming guests, or wherever your event needs to draw eyes and wow the crowd. Bonus point: use your statement piece throughout multiple stages of the event.
Maximalist or Minimalist Centerpieces
Woodruff and Roeser discussed the dichotomy of client preferences for 2022, noting that arrangements are either extravagant or simple. From single-bud low-key vases and short, sprawling tablescapes to cascading arrangements and even pieces that sit on legs above the tabletop, centerpieces create an elegant yet energetic mood for any event.
Dripping Floral Ceiling Treatments
Post-pandemic event designs aim to transform the space from floor to ceiling, so consider the way you can use florals to turn a plain ceiling into a garden. “As everyone knows, ceiling treatments have gone through the roof,” says Green. Don’t be hesitant to fill every inch of ceiling with flowers and greens.
Getting Creative
There’s no hard-and-fast rules to incorporating florals into your event; even as furniture and lighting trends start taking the main stage, there are plenty of ways to sneak flowers into unexpected places. Adding pops of color in corners, signs, photos, and anywhere else you can imagine adds energy and elegance to the space.
Floral Sustainability
Event sustainability can target all areas of the industry, including florals. To improve floral sustainability, create sustainable systems by examining every step of the process to check for environmental care. Start by considering your own practices and products to check for waste and identifying what products can be reused and which steps can be skipped. Use products that are locally sourced and in season.
Not only can you check for waste throughout your process; check for ways to prevent waste after events. Consider working with clients to donate used flowers after their events in order to get the most use possible from the products of the earth. You can also donate arrangements to women’s shelters, children’s hospitals, nursing homes, and recycled flower organizations like Petals for Hope.
Next, work backward to evaluate each step of bringing a flower from the ground to your event. Roeser encourages interviewing your distributors to ensure they source their products sustainably, as well as seeing that they follow environmentally-friendly procedures. Learn about the farms your products are sourced from to ensure plants are grown in a way that nourishes the earth instead of exploiting the soil. Thinking about your business as part of a cycle, instead of a line that ends up in waste after your event, is the best way to ensure you’re participating in sustainable practices that will continue long-term.
New Blooms
Keeping arrangements creative is a skill but having new products to freshen up your style helps. View the New Blooms photo gallery to see some of the trendiest blooms making their way into the market, according to Woodruff and Roeser.
