Video:Wedding Flowers by the Season

Transcript:Wedding Flowers by the Season

Hi, I'm David Stark and I am the president and creative director of David Stark Design and Production. I'm an event producer and event designer, and I'm here with About.com to talk about how to pick flowers by the season for your wedding.

Choosing Local or Seasonal Wedding Flowers

It's important to define a difference between seasonally, what is expected to be found in the market, and, seasonally, what is grown in a particular location. So, in season or in vogue, I would say is what's in the market. In season naturally is what's grown locally - that's a different concept.

Winter Wedding Flowers

Clearly in December, at the height of the holiday season, the things that are in season or in vogue in the market are holiday foliages, holiday berries, amaryllis, things that are indicative of the season. But they're not necessarily grown right here.

There's a distinction from a stylistic standpoint. I would say in the spring, summer and the fall you can depend, generally depending on where you live, that you will find things that are locally grown.

Spring Wedding Flowers

Spring, all of the flowering bulbs, so everything from tulips to daffodils, to ranunculus to grape hyacinth, those are all things that are very indicative of spring.

Summer Wedding Flowers

Summer is roses, dahlias, zinnias, astors, daisies, delphinium.

Autumn Wedding Flowers

Dahlias go into fall, all kinds of berries, autumn leaves, oak and maple, hydrangeas, and other kinds of daisies.

Finding Wedding Flowers Out of Season

The reality of what's going on in the flower market, as you can see around, is although it's winter, it's December today, you know the market is filled with all kinds of yummy things from the spring, from the fall, you know flowers that are endemic to different time periods. You know we have garden roses here, which are really from - if you asked what season are those from? I'd say, that's the summer, that's June / July." We have peonies today if u\you said to me, "when are those in season?" I'd say well those are the height of spring but the reality is that it is spring somewhere in the world. So, those are now coming in from New Zealand, coming in from South America.

Choose Flowers That Suit the Weather

Maybe five years ago it would be unheard of to see a peonies this big and this yummy at this time of year in New York. Is it wrong to use them this time of year? No. I mean they're here in the market, it's not like they were just created out of thin air. They are growing somewhere in the world. But like any kind of fashion it depends on how you use the materials. And I use this metaphor a lot to help people understand…it's the middle of August and it's 110 degrees out, you're not going to put on a wool sweater. It's a balancing act of all those different things you know you r taste, the location, the budget, the time of year. That are really the indicators of where style wants to land.

You know, you're going to find some flowers that are season-less, meaning you can get them year round and then there are other things that are very endemic to particular seasons.

Buying Local Wedding Flowers

The window of opportunity for local flowers is small and it's just like going to the farmer's market. You know when Brussels sprouts are like the best thing in the world to eat at that particular moment, why not have Brussels sprouts.

Flowers are very much like food in the season, so if you're thinking about what flowers are good to get, you can also think about your farmer's market or your local super market - what fruits and vegetables are in season.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us at About.com.