Flowers are an important part of weddings as they add striking, fresh beauty and set the look, feel, and ambiance of your special day. Deciding which wedding flowers to select can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know much about the endless variety of beautiful blooms. Looking at the many pretty pictures of wedding flowers on Pinterest may give you inspiration, but it won’t help much if you don’t know the names of the flowers you like or if they’ll even be in bloom when you are getting married.

Fortunately, the floral experts at Walter Knoll Florist – Weddings & Events have put together this helpful guide to popular wedding flowers and when they are in season. Along with help and guidance from your florist, this list will help you know which popular wedding blooms are available for each season. Don’t know the difference between a lilac and a lily? Don’t worry! When selecting wedding flowers, a great place to start is discovering which blooms brides love the most.

12 Most Popular Wedding Flowers

Peonies

Romantic, round, fluffy, and ruffled, it’s no wonder the gorgeous peony is one of the most popular wedding blooms of all time. Coming in beautiful shades of white, cream, pink, yellow, and red, these luscious blooms are highly sought after by brides. Peonies bloom in late spring until early summer and are available from April through June.

Garden Roses

Garden roses differ from the tightly cupped blooms of the standard classic rose by having a denser amount of loose, fluffy petals. The result is a luxurious, full bloom brimming with romance and wonderfully fragrant. Garden roses are perfect when used in bridal bouquets and centerpieces and come in many beautiful shades. Garden roses are available year-round.

Anemones

These striking blooms are known for their bold, dark center surrounded by large, delicate petals. The white variety with a jet black center is striking and perfect for black- and white-themed weddings. They also come in shades of pink, purple, red, burgundy, and even blue. Anemones bloom in early winter through early summer and are available from December until June.

Ranunculuses

A wedding bouquet favorite, the ranunculus flower is an eye-catching bloom due to its numerous, delicate, tissue-thin petals wrapped tightly around each other. A hardy bloom despite its fragile appearance, ranunculuses make great boutonnieres and look amazing in centerpieces. Available in nearly every shade, you’ll have no trouble incorporating them into your wedding color scheme. Ranunculuses bloom during late winter and spring and are available from February through May.

Dahlias

A large, showy bloom, dahlias typically take center stage in bouquets and table pieces – as they should! Some varieties of dahlias grow to be as large as a dinner plate (appropriately named “dinner-plate dahlias”). The colors they come in are numerous, including varieties with striking color combinations. Dahlias begin blooming in mid-summer through late fall and are available from July until November.

Hydrangeas

Fluffy, lush, abundant, and versatile, hydrangeas have long been a staple at many weddings. These beautiful blooms pair well with other flowers and can just as well stand on their own. Their wonderful color variation, consisting of solid blues, whites, pinks, reds, purples, and greens, to a mixture of colors in the “antique” variety, makes them adaptable for nearly any wedding theme from classic to classic boho, romantic to vintage. Hydrangeas are typically available year-round, but their peak blooming season is mid-spring until late summer or early fall.

Sweet Peas

Perfectly named, sweet peas are endearingly sweet. With a lovely fragrance and delicate, ruffled petals in shades of pinks, lavender, light blue, and white, these flowers are a popular choice for weddings. Sweet Peas are available year-round.

Lilacs

A lush bloom made up of bunches of smaller flowers in dark purple and light lavender, lilacs are lovely, fragrant flowers that exude romance and sweet love. While the purple variety is more well-known, this flower also comes in a crisp white. Lilacs bloom in the spring and are typically available from April through June.

Hellebores

In contrast to the many bold-colored wedding blooms, hellebores bring a more muted and moody palette to a wedding. This enchanting flower with a slightly downward drooping head comes in shades of ivory, mauve, dusty rose, dusty blue, and even black. Hellebores bloom in the winter through early spring and are available from December until April.

Lilies of the Valley

So charming, so sweet, and so romantic. These lovely, delicate bell-shaped white flowers have a pleasant fragrance and a long history of use in weddings. Believed to bring luck in love, Lily of the Valley is a favorite of royal brides, having been carried down the aisle by Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, and Grace Kelly. Lily of the Valley is available year-round.

Tulips

A wedding classic, tulips are timeless yet evoke a modern vibe. Their iconic upright bulb set atop a long graceful stem comes in nearly every color, and the bright hues are especially striking. Whether used in a bridal bouquet or centerpiece, you can’t go wrong with such a charming flower. Tulips start blooming in late winter through spring and are available from December until April.

Calla Lillies

A stand-out from the crowd due to its chic trumpet-shaped blossom, the calla lily is as elegant as it is extraordinary. Creating a sleek and sophisticated look, this beautiful bloom comes in shades of striking oranges, burgundies, purples, reds, whites, and multi-colored hues. Calla lilies are available year-round.

Why You Should Choose In-Season Flowers for Your Wedding

Flowers add an enchanting natural beauty to your wedding day, and using in-season blooms creates an authentic and eloquent vibe that is in tune with your surroundings. Seasonal flowers are not only at the peak of their freshness, but they are also readily available from local growers, making them the most cost-effective choice. Ordering out-of-season blooms are more expensive and may not arrive in time for your big day due to various uncontrollable factors, such as weather, climate, or shipping issues.

Utilize the seasonal wedding flowers list we created below to select from the many gorgeous gifts Mother Nature bestows upon us every season. When gathered together, designed, and presented by an expert floral designer, your in-season wedding flowers will be a stunning masterwork of romantic seasonal blooms — and a wedding photographer’s dream.

Seasonal Guide to Popular Wedding Flowers*

Use the below picture guide of seasonal wedding blooms to help you narrow down your list of favorites. Then, you can present your list to your florist and together create something magical.

Spring Wedding Flowers (March, April, May):

Amaryllis

Anemone

Astilbe

Daffodil

Hellebores

Hyacinth

Hydrangea

Lilac

Paperwhites

Peony

Poppy

Ranunculus

Spirea

Stargazer Lily

Tweedia

Tulip

Summer Wedding Flowers (June, July, August):

Aster

Astilbe

Blushing Bride

Celosia

Coneflower

Cosmos

Coxcomb

Dahlia

Dianthus

Hydrangea

Pink Peony

Rudbeckia

Sunflower

Viburnum

Yarrow

Zinnia

Fall Wedding Flowers (September, October, November):

Amaryllis

Anemone

Asters

Billy Balls

Celosia

Chocolate Cosmos

Chrysanthemum

Cone Flower

Dahlia

Daisy

Dianthus

Marigold

Poppy

Viburnum

Yarrow

Zinnia

Winter Wedding Flowers (December, January, February):

Amaryllis

Anemone

Camellia

Cherry Blossom

Crocus

Daffodil

Hellebores

Holly

King Protea

Lilac

Paperwhites

White Poppy

Ranunculus

Star of Bethlehem

Stephanotis

Tulip

Wedding Flowers that Are Available Year-Round:

Alstroemeria

Amaranthus

Calla Lily

Carnation

Cornflower

Delphinium

Freesia

Garden Rose

Gardenia

Gerbera Daisies

Gladiolus

Gloriosa Lily

Heather

Iris

Lily

Lisianthus

Phalaenopsis

Pincushion Protea

Rose

Scabiosa

Stock

Sweet Pea

Veronica

Waxflower

*Depending on yearly weather patterns, growth cycles, or climate changes, some blooms may be available well before or long after their typical growing season. If your heart is set on having a particular flower in your wedding that typically blooms just before or after the season you are getting married in, check with your florist. They will know if there’s a possibility of those blooms still being available to you.

For a list of alternative flowers that you can use in place of out-of-season or unavailable wedding flowers, check out our blog on the best substitute flowers for your favorite blooms.