PHOTOS BY CARL S. MILLER WEDDINGS

When Meredith Cain and Patrick Reeves wed in September at The Frick Pittsburgh, they dreamed of an elegant and enchanting garden party.

They enlisted the event planners at Hello Productions, who worked with The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers to create a grand entrance piece for the reception tent, as well as arrangements on the king’s table and surrounding accent areas repurposed from the ceremony.

Alyson Huth, event coordinator/social media manager at Hello Productions, says they embraced The Frick’s natural beauty for their creation.

“Meredith and Patrick’s wedding was one of my favorites,” she says. “We put together a design with an array of blooms and greens that gave a reminiscence of the summer coming to a close with the welcoming of a beautiful fall afternoon.

“The inspiration was whimsical, yet elegant to capture the formal affair.”

When it comes to wedding florals, showstopping statements are only getting bigger and better.

The ‘Wow’ Factor

At The Pennsylvanian Downtown for their June 2022 wedding, Heather Dean and Carmen Connolly danced under a floral canopy with flowers from The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers, lighting and truss by EF Lighting, linens by Mosaic and rentals by All Occasions Party Rental and Marbella Event Furniture & Decor Rental — all put together with a vision by wedding planner Soiree by Souleret.

Company owner Shayne Souleret says dance floor installations are becoming more popular, in part because it’s a focal point for the celebration during a couple’s first dance or parent dances.

“People are always trying to do something different, and centerpieces are at every single wedding, but I think people are trying to bring one ‘wow’ or statement area,” she says.

She also notes couples can reuse the statement areas throughout the night; a flower wall might be used to hang escort cards and later be transformed into a selfie station or photo booth backdrop.

“You’re doubling your impact,” she says.

Another place she likes to recommend couples focus their flowers is an elaborate bridal table.

“It’s kind of the biggest bang for your buck there, and the reason I say that is because everyone is looking at the head table most of the evening,” she says. “I always like to draw everyone’s attention to that part of the space.”

Jorge Ramon, a lead on the design team at florist May Chester Design, crafted a floral installation that served as a grand backdrop for the bride and groom’s king table at Gina Borelli and Ulysses Ator’s June 3 reception at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland. The couple posed on a vintage tufted sofa from Vintage Alley Rentals for portrait photos in front of the flowers, and the area was heavily photographed during the reception speeches.

Ramon says floral installations are becoming more of an immersive experience, whether with a floating wisteria ceiling above a king’s table or a bar completely wrapped in hydrangea.

“The statement pieces are bigger while creating a breathtaking floral experience for the guest that is tactile and close up,” he says.

Mary Beth McConahey, who owns Mary Beth McConahey Floral Design, says more couples are using the art and architecture of their venues, whether it’s fountains, chandeliers, staircases or arches, and building on them for statement pieces guests are sure to remember.

“It’s only getting bigger and more extravagant in terms of installations,” she says.

AT THEIR JUNE 2022 WEDDING, HEATHER DEAN AND CARMEN CONNOLLY DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY UNDER A FLORAL CANOPY CONSTRUCTED IN THE PENNSYLVANIAN FOR THEIR CELEBRATION.

Pretty and Petite

If there’s one area where couples are keeping things small, it’s in the bridal bouquet. McConahey says she’s getting a lot of requests for “mini bouquets,” which have a royal connection.

“It’s a throwback to that kind of timeless style of the 1950s and ‘60s,” she says, referencing Princess Grace’s famously simple bouquet of posies for her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and her sister, Pippa Middleton, also had small bouquets for their weddings, McConahey notes.

“It’s so simple, so chic — it’s elegance at its finest,” she says. “And Pittsburgh brides are going for it this year.”

Of course, for every trend in the wedding world, there are those couples who want the opposite. McConahey has also been tasked with a few large, cascading bridal bouquets akin to what Princess Diana carried at her wedding in 1981.

With the small bouquets, McConahey has noticed an increased interest in sustainability. Some couples ask for foam-free storage for their flowers or they want flowers grown locally, which is an easy request for her to fulfill as she grows most of her flowers in her Greensburg backyard.

For tabletops, she’s noticing couples are asking for a more meadow-like aesthetic, with flowers arranged in moss or greenery rather than compotes and vases that hold a few colorful blossoms.

She’s also noticed Pittsburgh couples opting for no flowers, instead requesting all greenery on their day.

“There is something new under the sun in bouquets,” she says. Brides are asking for “oversized, wild, mixed greens, really textured. It’s chic; it’s cool. I’ve not seen that before … To see a bride with just greens in her hand is very shocking, very beautiful.”

A Singular Focus

Ramon says he’s also seeing strong style statements with all-white wedding florals.

“The floral element here is luxe — white roses and orchids steal the show and create a formality without being fussy,” he says. “Single buds vases with a single flower, white blooms and lush, textured arrangements make a modern statement while reinterpreting a very classic and timeless look.”

At Community Flower Shop in Overbrook, wedding and events director Miranda Wilder says it’s common for couples to focus on a single type of flower, often roses, perhaps decorating with white-rose bud vases throughout their wedding. Others are keeping their focus on a single color, perhaps all-white flowers with a lot of baby’s breath, a huge trend right now.

“You have some people who are really into that and some people who have really leaned into a lot of color,” she says.

Many people are having a smaller wedding, and when the guest list is smaller, there may be more room in the budget for flowers, she says.

According to The Knot, couples spent an average of $2,400 on a wedding florist in 2022. Wilder says couples should have some idea of how much they’d like to spend before meeting with a florist; she also recommends booking your florist about a year ahead of your wedding.

“I always tell people to reach out sooner rather than later, and that really works for all vendors just to make sure you get the people you want,” she says.

If a couple has a date set, their venue booked and some sort of color scheme chosen, the florist can get started, she says. From there, the options are limitless.

“If someone comes to us with an idea we can find a way to make it happen,” she says.