A Guide to Roses for Your Wedding
Fact: If a flower was rumored to be used by the sexy siren Cleopatra to seduce Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, then that flower registers an big “OK” in our book of love.
Enter: the rose. Long considered l’amour’s calling card, it’s a captivating blossom. And since they’re blooming aplenty, roses are affordable for your wedding’s bouquets, centerpieces, and garlands. Although, warning: if your wedding date is around Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, all bets are off.
As the Bard says, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But to Suphoj Chancheaw, owner of the South End’s Bloom Couture Floral Studio, once you change the name, you change the vibe. Apparently, a rose is not just a rose.
You’ll see three types of roses floating around weddings: hybrid tea roses, spray roses, and garden roses. Here’s how Chancheaw sees each blossom fitting into your nuptials.
Veterans Honor hybrid tea rose. / Photo by Rafiq Bolar courtesy of the American Rose Society
Hybrid Tea Rose
This is what most people think of when envisioning roses. It’s a structured elegant flower with a large, well-formed blossom on a long straight stem. They bloom in all kinds of colors, but red (Freedom) and white (Tibet) are most popular. With a medium open bloom, this rose can form a very beautiful bouquet without any other filler. However, if you want to add texture and color to your bouquet or centerpiece, use freesia, silver brunia, and green dianthus.
Golden Celebration garden rose. / Photo by Jan Hedman courtesy of American Rose Society
Garden Rose
These blooms are delicate and medium-sized with a perfect cup opening—it ends up almost flat. The Garden Spirit, a blush pink, is very popular for both bridal bouquets and wedding centerpieces. The lush layered petals and rounded deep cup shape blooms with a romantic look that make these a perfect wedding flower. Adding ranunculus or sweet pea between the blossoms will make arrangements looks fuller.
Spray rose. / Photo courtesy of Bloom Couture Floral Studio
Spray Rose
A spray often contains roses in various stages of maturity, from tight buds to fully opened blooms. Because the clusters are on a branched stem with each bud opening separately, this type of rose is better for a more casual wedding. Adding some greens like eucalyptus seed or Berzelia can create a garden style with more impact. Spray roses are also perfect for boutonnieres, flower girl wrist corsages, centerpieces, and other small arrangements.
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