Protecting Your Flowers From the Cold

It seems like it would be easier to handle flowers in the cold, right? Hot weather can wilt flowers quickly, especially without a water source, but temperatures below 28 can be tricky.

Picture this: You have a beautiful bouquet that you take outside before your ceremony to do your first look and bridal party photos with. It’s 10 degrees and snowing, but you had hoped for snow, so it’s perfect. You bring your flowers back inside, but then when you grab them to take them to walk down the aisle you notice that many of the flowers are brown and wilted. What happened?

This is what happens when flowers freeze due to the cold weather. There are certain flowers that are more susceptible to this then others (dahlias, lisianthus, hydrangea.) Where as a rose may hold up better. Here are a few things to think about if you have a winter wedding where temperatures can be freezing.

    • Choose flowers that are naturally more resistant to the cold.

    • When transporting your flowers put a plastic bag over them to protect them from the frigid air.

    • Keep flowers inside as long as possible

    • Be cautious of doing pictures outside before your ceremony with your flowers. You may want to alter the timeline

    • Don’t lay flowers in the snow

    • Know that you may not be able to reuse your outdoor ceremony flowers as centerpieces or focal pieces.

    • Don’t spray flowers with water, then move into cold weather

    • Be cautious of how cold the water you use are

    • Check your bouquet after the outdoor photoshoot. You may need to pluck a few blooms out if they have frozen.

Here are some flowers that are cold resistant:

Roses, Carnations, Bulbs, Proteas, Succulents, Anemones, Babies Breath and wax flower, Snap Dragons, Berries, Most Greenery

When I am meeting with a winter bride, I keep these things in mind when designing their wedding day. If the bride really loves more delicate flowers, then maybe using heartier items in the outdoor décor, and the daintier blooms inside is a better way to design if the weather will be bad.

Happy Planning!