Classic White

Above: Silene-a perfect perennial flower for added whimsy and romance

We all have had them, those dreaded inquiries that want only stark white flowers for their wedding color palette. It makes a lot of sense to have white flowers at weddings; white is clean, crisp, neutral, and sophisticated and represents innocence and purity, but an all white wedding can fall flat and show up in photos as blobs with no movement. The intricacies of white flowers are often lost because the lens of the camera cannot always capture the subtle details and let’s be honest the photographer is not there to capture the flowers, they are there to capture the blissfully happy couple. In contrast, the naked human eye can see all these subtle details but only when we slow down and really take the time to find them allowing our eye to rest and explore simultaneously. White is not just one color we see it is by definition “…what we see when all wavelengths of light are reflected off an object”, so much of seeing the color white is seeing all colors. Naturally, whites will look incredibly different to each person, in different lighting, in different climates and soils. Nutrients and lack of nutrients can change the color white from flower to flower and farm to farm; this is also similar to other colors. Take the notorious Cafe au Lait Dahlia-you’ve seen her as pink, raspberry, blush, champagne, taupe, and even cream, this has so much to do with soil, nutrients, pest, sun and heat in which it is grown. White flowers are incredibly sensitive to these subtle changes.

As a designer it is our job to give the client what they want, it is also our job to give options and to explain from a design aesthetic what could make their very traditional and otherwise boring color palette become something that is both beautiful and has movement, depth and intrigue. We are responsible for allowing the viewers eye to rest, pick up details and positively encourage their eye to bounce from similar color to similar color within one arrangement. This is why grouping like flowers and colors together is so effective especially in the white color palette because this how our eye naturally moves and embraces art. It is why we are the artist and the client is not. The question is how to we create this while still giving the client what they want? The answer, delicately and intentionally.

Below are some of my favorite white flowers that I have grown on my farm and also have used in events, weddings, and arrangements that solves the dilemma of bridging the gap between the all white wedding and a more sophisticated and romantic all white emotional feeling.

From top left: Queen Anne’s Lace-Queen of Africa, Tuberose, White Swan Marigold, Desdemona Garden Rose

From bottom left: Boom Boom White Dahlia-grown by our friends at Yellow Petal Flower Farm, Voyage White Lisianthus, White Lite Sunflower, Feverfew

As the farmer, white is a hard color to grow in our high desert climate. Our sun is harsh, long and hot which can damage the sensitive white petals. White flowers attract pests and the gentle petals show pest damage far more than any other color. Since we do not spray chemicals on our farm we make sure to harvest at the correct stage to mitigate pest damage and in a pinch we cover our white flowers with organza bags for protection. White flowers also show rain, hail, and dew damage but since we are in the high desert we don’t have to worry about this too much, with this year being an exception. Our 2023 spring is the second wettest year on record, read more here and has made the job of growing white flowers even more challenging! But I love a challenge and I absolutely love white weddings so we grow a lot of white flowers!

From left: Iclelandic Poppy-Champagne, Italian Ranunculus-Bianco, Purity Cosmo, Alba Campanula (bell flower)

Above: Formosa Lily-a fall favorite with a light scent.

While these are just some of our favorite white flowers there are so many more to choose from. Two of my favorite spring foliages to use is spirea and mock orange. While I do not grow either of these (yet) ordering them in from California offers an option that is otherwise hard to find here in the Reno area.

So before you scoff at that all white inquiry, think about all the possibilities that we have at our fingertips using locally grown and ethically travelled flowers. I encourage you to incorporate ingredients that are small and delicate, textural and lacy. Not all white weddings have to be boring and unexciting with a little thought and intentional recipe creating and stem placement all white can be amazing!

From left: Duchesse de Nemours Peony, Percival Delphinium, Oklahoma White Zinnia, White Cloud Larkspur, Orlaya, Agrostemma-Ocean Pearls, Phlox-perennial, white Statice