Winter Wedding Trends: Rich and Inviting

This year’s ethereal, dream-like floral design trends will close out the year just as strong as they began. In 2023, we’ve seen variations of enchanting stems supported by natural botanicals, bringing fairytales to life in all hues across the color spectrum. As we round out the year and head into 2024, designers are working hard to create something special for the winter wedding season.

Traditionally, winter weddings bring to mind shades of whites, light neutrals and perhaps a pop of red, but this year designers note stark contrast to previous years and opportunities to step outside the box with surprising color combinations.  “In terms of style, I am seeing a lot of candle decor and more rich and saturated color palettes with deep pinks, reds and magentas,” says Paulina Nieliwocki, founder and lead designer of Blue Jasmine Floral. 

Paulina Nieliwocki

This season's requests are an exciting chance to play with color, texture and accessories. And while some weddings opt for a minimalist or mono-bloom design, according to Brides, others are making a statement with carefully considered floral combinations. “We are still getting requests for whimsical things – which I love!” Paulina says. But many determined brides and grooms envision “modern elements and very bold primary colors” to turn heads, an opportunity that excites her.

Alexandra Farms garden roses and dahlias are excellent examples of the blooms that designers like Paulina use to bring vision and inspiration to life this winter for wedding parties ready to take a chance. Beatrice, one of Paulina’s favorites because of its unexpected warm yellow and cream tones, can become the spotlight or take on the supporting role of something deeply colorful. Couple her with blush tones like Juliet or a deep red like Darcey and designer favorite Loli Spr for a modern twist. 

Other Alexandra Farms varieties that appeal to the attention-driving rich hues of the season are Tess, Yves Piaget and Hettie. All of these garden rose varieties, and more, are an option to out-of-season requests for flowers, Paulina says. “I follow up with ideas for a substitute that will evoke the same tone the desired flowers would have communicated; for example, a peony out of season can be replaced by a gorgeous garden rose – they are both large, lush and chock full of petals.” These are also sturdier varieties that withstand the unpredictable weather changes of the season. 

For more traditional designs, Patience and Princess Maya bring the classic cream whites to bouquets and centerpieces, emanating a warm sunset on fresh winter snow. Again, Loli Spr would provide excellent support to the beauty of these stems, and the combination opens the doors for other pops of color.

This year, invite warm and enveloping hues to the event of a lifetime and take a chance on standout varieties to create a winter dreamscape. Paulina says the key to achieving this distinctive style is to select “textural blooms, dark emerald foliage and candlelight.” This combination is sure to satisfy the season's trends before the new year brings a surprising and fresh perspective.