Planning May Wedding Flowers: Seasonal Soft Yellow and White Blooms for a Romantic Spring Wedding

Just like our food, our flowers look, feel and smell even better when used seasonally. That is why using seasonal flowers is so important to me as a wedding florist, I want my clients to experience the very best in flowers that each season has to offer, and quite frankly nothing else will do!

If you are getting married in May throughout the South West, you will have some amazing British flower growers to choose from, and this May wedding ceremony set up shows some of the most exquisite flowers available. I sourced all of the flowers for this barn wedding ceremony from three local growers I use frequently throughout the wedding season, working to a springtime brief of yellow, cream and ivory with fresh zingy greens.

What flowers are in season in may?

As we head into May, more of more seasonal flowers and foliage become available to us wedding florists! The difference is flowers available from the beginning of May towards the end is quite vast, so I am focusing on early May when this wedding set up took place. ‘Ranunculus’ are a firm favourite, a classy, blousy bloom they are always a showstopper and a fab focal, alongside their relation ‘Butterfly Ranunculus’. These are one of the most beautiful flowers you can choose in May, they have a stunning pearlescent feel to them and the texture and movement they bring means they work perfectly in large scale installations through to delicate bridal work. Icelandic Poppies are another excellent choice for bring style and seasonality to your May wedding flowers. They range from pure white to soft peach, apricot, orange yellow and red tones, so perfect for bringing that spring freshness!

A florists Top 5 May wedding flowers:

• Ranunuclus

• Poppies

• Viburnum

• Orlaya

• Pansies

Using butter yellow wedding flowers:

Yellow is the most fitting colour with springtime and works so well in May, ranunculus, tulips and poppies all come in these beautiful soft creamy butter yellow tones. Alongside flowers like scented stocks, sweet peas and later on in the month garden roses and peonies, if you are opting for butter yellow as your wedding colour palette May is such a great month to get married. The soft yellow works fabulously with fresh green and ivory as shown here, or incorporate it into a more varied colour way such as pale blues, lilacs or pinks. A versatile colour, it is stylish yet very much in keeping with the spring season. One of my absolute favourites to use in weddings this time of year are pansies. Dainty and delicate, yet striking due to their mottled and patterned petals, varying in colour they are are they the most exquisite flower offering such uniqueness. Traditionally they are a shorter stem flower, and one you would potentially grow in pots, however in recent years more flower farmers have been nurturing pansies and increasing their stem length so they can be used more in wedding designs. Longer stems mean pansies can be used in bridal bouquets and table decorations.

Elegant and natural May Bridal Bouquet Design:

Lots of the springtime blooms are more delicate in shape and size, so bridal bouquet designs will also reflect this too. Texture, movement and interest are three crucial aspects you need to consider when it comes to your bridal bouquet and an experienced wedding florist will be able to use seasonal flowers accordingly. This May bridal bouquet is full of ranunculus, poppies, double tulips alongside touches of sweet rocket and sweet peas to add fluff and soften the blousier blooms. Flower full bouquets have become so popular, so bouquets without foliage… however I think it is hugely important to still think about what role foliage would play in a bouquet. It separates flowers, softens and allows the individual flowers to shine, so by using more daintier ‘filler’ style flowers like sweet rocket. This will ensure your bouquet looks natural, elegant and of course timeless, which as a bride is what you ultimately want!

The best ceremony flowers for a may wedding:

For a barn wedding, like this ceremony set up, statement installations are always a great idea! A barn can be a big expanse of space and so your ceremony flowers need to reflect this and create impact in a large scale way. I created a natural, broken floral arch for the centre of the ceremony, full of natural fresh zingy spring foliage and seasonal flowers. Big branches of white broom, white lilac, and solomons seal brought lots of interest, alongside clusters of bright yellow poppies and butterfly ranunculus. I was lucky enough to source some white apple blossom branches, the epitome of spring... that delicate scent is unbeatable and how special to know that you have been lucky enough to have such a fleeting blossom at your wedding! Other options that would work well for a wedding ceremony at this time of year would be large vases full of natural, seasonal blooms… placed at different heights to create a full feel, alongside stunning floor standing meadow arrangements to create a really intimate feel. Make the most of the foliage such as lilac, viburnum and blossom that is in season, as it has such a short flowering period!

How to decorate wedding tables in May:

At Pirzwell Barn we created a long table set up, full of round tables placed together. This created a curvaceous, sweeping design for the wedding breakfast, quite a unique look! Low ceramic bowls with overflowing blooms were placed throughout the centre of the tables, alongside ceramic buds to add interest in between the bowls. Clusters of candle sticks with lush green taper candles were nestled amongst the table decorations to add extra atmosphere and interest to the tablescape. No wedding tablescape is complete without candles… A florist top tip there! If you’re planning a wedding in May and just investigating your options for flowers, I hope this post has been helpful! I am always available for any flower questions, so do get in touch if I can help further and if you’re getting married in the South West and would like to book a consultation with me, you can do so here! Photos from Felicity Billen Photography