Bouquets for Elopements and Outdoor Weddings
The Do’s & Don’ts of Outdoor Wedding Bouquets
So you’ve decided to elope—that’s amazing! Eloping is different from traditional weddings in so many ways, so today we’re talking about one of those differences: Flowers and bouquets.
We’ll cover tips for the basics of bouquets, some environmental need-to-knows, transporting real flowers, why couples choose faux florals, and the often overlooked boutonnieres.
Bouquet Basics
Further, some of the locations people elope in tend to be remote. These smaller towns have fewer resources, meaning you might have slim pickings when it comes to floral vendors—or you might have to pay travel fees.
With all this in mind, let’s dive into the types of flowers, pros and cons, and more.
Leave No Trace Includes Flowers, Petals, and Pollen
When you get married in the great outdoors, it’s essential to follow Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. Many outdoor locations have specific rules and requirements when it comes to what kind of decor you can have, flowers included.
For example, some national parks outright ban live flower bouquets, such as Death Valley, Redwoods, and Saguaro. While others—like Joshua Tree and Yosemite—allow flowers but limit certain types to reduce the chance of spreading invasive species.
These rules aren’t meant to be a bummer. They are practical ways of protecting these natural areas, thus keeping them healthy and attractive for years to come.
Real Flowers for Elopements
If you’re eloping in a park, rental, or another area that allows for live flowers, this section is for you.
Live flowers are BEAUTIFUL and are an easy way to add personality and color to your day. As a bonus, flowers smell good. In the days of old, flowers were used on a wedding day to mask bad smells. But really, smell is a strong part of memory, meaning you can smell the sweet fumes of a rose and be transported back to your wedding day.
Floral Vendors We Love
Moonstone in Bloom | Bloom Maven | FarmYard | Heath Floral | Wild Flora
Tips for Choosing Flower Vendors
There are so many amazing floral vendors, but that’s not always the case in remote places. So when choosing a vendor, find someone who can work with your budget and vision, but also one who is local and has good knowledge of flowers and how they will hold up. A good vendor will know what’s allowed in certain parks, what flowers will hold up best in certain situations, and what’s in season.
As a bonus, look for floral vendors like Tangled Sage and Alpen Glow Gardens who grow or source flowers locally. Better still, locally sourced flowers are more eco-friendly since they don’t need to be shipped in—and they mesh well with the environment since their petals and pollen are already found there.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, shop around in neighboring cities. Just be aware of travel pricing. Or, make your own! Flowers tend to be more expensive than we sometimes expect. If you’re trying to cut corners on your budget, consider buying your flowers from a floral mart or grocery store.
Tips for Transporting Live Flowers
Sadly, live flowers don’t last forever. That’s especially true when traveling. Real flowers tend to wilt in the slightest of heat and can be crushed easily. So when choosing a vendor, keep safe transportation in mind. Hire local vendors and choose flowers that are currently in season so the flowers stay nice for longer and are grown where you’re buying them from.
When transporting and storing live flowers, keep them in water as long as possible and between activities. Or better yet, keep them in a refrigerator (not too cold, but just cold enough). Embrace the imperfections that will come along with transporting throughout the day.
Pro tip: Preserve your flowers! If I had known about companies like Blossom & Rhyme, I would have done this myself. It’s a super cool way to turn your wedding day flowers into a keepsake.
Faux Flowers for Elopements
Faux flowers are becoming super popular and for good reason. Seriously, some of the newer stuff coming out is so beautiful and realistic. You might not even notice!
There are pros to getting faux flowers, like being able to reuse them to decorate your home since they won’t go bad. Plus, faux bouquets follow LNT principles.
Here are all the types of faux flowers you can choose from
Silk Flowers: These are my favorite because they look SO real. You can get any color or style since you won’t have to worry about seasonality, and you won’t be limited to colors that exist in nature. Silk flowers ship and travel well.
Wood Flowers: Wood flowers are durable and last as long as you take care of them. Similar to silk, you can get any color or style. They can be shipped and reused.
(Real) Dried Flowers: Technically, these are still real flowers—just dried so they won’t spill pollen into the ecosystem. Another plus is that they’ll last a lot longer than live flowers and can be shipped easily. The downside? They tend to shed petals and leaves—a lot. Which means they’re frequently on the list of types of flowers you can’t bring.
Favorite Faux Floral Vendors
Gracefully Bloomed | Petals & Bark | WoodbineEverlasting | Ling’s Moment
Beyond the Bouquet: Non-Floral Ideas
Flowers don’t fit your fancy? That’s okay! The wonderful thing about non-traditional weddings is that you get to choose exactly what you want.
If you want to ditch the bouquet, there are other non-floral decorative options for you. Here are some of my favorite alternatives:
Skip the bouquet entirely
Get a bouquet of succulents instead
Bring a hoop with ribbons and decorations
Pack a cute umbrella or parasol for the sun
Carry lanterns for soft lighting
Bring baskets full of decorations or yummy eats
Use balloons for that festive spirit
Or lean into the beauty of paper fans
These are just suggestions, of course. If you have your own ideas, run with them!
But Wait—Boutonnieres
Boutonnieres are single flowers or small arrangements worn on the lapel of a suit jacket or tuxedo. They add a pop of color to your attire and can complement the bouquet, decor, and more. Besides, we love to see flowers—which are typically seen as feminine—on clothing that’s typically seen as masculine. Mwuh!
That being said, boutonnieres can be difficult if you aren’t used to wearing them (and honestly, no one is). Most boutonnieres are hard to attach to a suit. They can be tricky if you aren’t familiar with the process—which is basically using a straight pin to insert through the boutonniere into the lapel. If you aren’t careful, the boutonniere becomes lopsided, falls off, or results in pricked fingers. Ouch!
Lucky for you, I’ve applied dozens of boutonnieres. So, if I end up photographing your wedding or elopement, chances are I will be the one attaching it to your coat.
There are also easy alternatives to the old straight-pin method. Pocket boutonnieres are growing in popularity. They are amazingly easy because you just slide it into your exterior coat pocket. Similarly, boutonnieres with magnets are simple to put into place without piercing your suit. Or maybe you want to go all in and have a floral lapel or tie/bowtie made of flowers.
Talk to your floral vendor about boutonnieres options, or make your own! Just make sure to wrap it with something that isn’t sticky.
Bouquet Your Way
And there you have it. Helpful advice, practical tips, and some clever ideas regarding flowers for your outdoor wedding or elopement.
As long as you follow Leave No Trace principles and the regulations of the area, you’re free to experiment with what you want.
Need an outdoor wedding photographer to capture the day? Reach out to Love & Latitudes today. I’d love to work with you on setting up the perfect wedding day.
