Wedding Flowers: Tulips | SouthBound Bride

Credit: Lisa Dolan Photography via Style Me Pretty

Ah, tulips for weddings. Hearty heart heart heart them. I mean, what’s not to love? They’re beautiful and elegant, they come in every colour imaginable, most are unscented, and they’re affordable. And for me, they really mark the start to spring, when I see them appearing on flower shop pavement displays all over London. Unlucky for me, those days are gone here on Mud Island, but with spring very definitely in the air in South Africa, I thought it was a good time to cheer myself up with a focus on one of my all-time favourite flowers. Here are some of my favourite recent wedding flower inspirations, from tulip bouquets to tulip centerpieces. *This post contains affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

BOUQUETS

DYING over these parrot tulip bouquets, seriously.

Image sources (top to bottom, left to right): 1- Martha Stewart; 2- Project Wedding via Wedding House; 3- The Garage by Ivy/Tres Chic Events/Sedona Bride Photographers via Style Me Pretty; 4- Deborah Zoe Photography via The Knotty Bride; 5- Locally Grown Weddings via The Knotty Bride; 6- Jose Villa via 100 Layer Cake; 7- House of Elliott Flowers via You and Your Wedding; 8- Lee Roche Floral & Decor/Drikus Le Roux via Bride with a Blog; 9- Simply Flowers/Captured Photography by Jenny via Style Me Pretty; 10- Robyn Michelle-Lee via Glamour & Grace; 11- Hy-Vee/Dixie Pixel via Style Me Pretty; 12- James Abel Events via Bouquet Wedding Flower; 13- Martha Stewart

Tulips come in three varieties (from least to most expensive): Dutch tulips (the ones with the shorter stems); French tulips (the ones with the longer stems); and parrot tulips (the striped ones with the ruffled edges). When I started this wedding business, I used to get a little thrill whenever I saw them in a wedding because it was so rare, but tulips have really been picking up speed since then, and now I get to squeal over them almost on a daily basis. (It’s true, I still squeal.) It’s their versatility that really makes them work – just as well for a formal ballroom wedding or a casual backyard affair, and the sheer range of colours they come in means that there’s something for every bride. They look gorgeous on their own, or as part of the current trend for lots of different flowers all grouped by variety, or happily mixed in to a multi-flower bouquet or arrangement. The only thing that you can’t really do with tulips is to DIY them, unless you have a friend or family member to do it for you on the day, since tulips can be temperature sensitive and need to be kept cold for as long as possible. Don’t let that put you off – in the hands of a good florist, these make the perfect wedding flower (and they’re meaningful too – tulips are a symbol of ‘consuming love’ and ‘happy years’).

CENTERPIECES