Maine Florists & Wedding Flowers
Florists offer traditional arrangements as well as bouquets of Maine wildflowers, pine cones & shells.
Part of what makes a wedding so romantic are the flowers. The deep blush and heady scent of fresh roses and the delicate, sculptured form of the orchid are just two of Mother Nature’s gifts that delight the senses. Add acres of baby’s breath and assorted greenery and the floral designs all come together to create a magical, memorable setting. In Maine, colorful local flowers often make an appearance, along with pine cones and perhaps even a shell or two. Bouquets, boutonnieres, table centerpieces, reception hall and church floral décor all benefit from the skills of local wedding designers and an abundance of natural materials.
Maine Wildflowers
Maine wildflowers are often incorporated into wedding designs from late spring through the fall. The evening primrose adds a bold yellow color and a lemony scent, while the wild lupine adds a touch of bright blue. The meadow rose, a near thornless variety, is hot pink with bold yellow center, offering a bit of whimsy to a spring wedding. New England asters are similarly bold, offering shades of purple and pink attractive to both humans and butterflies. Sunflowers also grow wild in Maine. While you may not think of this as a wedding flower, at a height of up to eight feet they create quite a show when used as side-altar pieces, aisle décor or in an outdoor wedding framing a canopy. The Ox-Eye sunflower is a bit smaller, maxing out at about five feet, with yellow to orange petals and a smaller, auburn colored center.
Distinctive Maine Floral Wedding Designs
Inventive Maine floral designers incorporate local flowers along with pine cones, pine fronds and even seashells to create wedding decorations. One organic farmer/florist, Chickadee Hill Flowers in Bar Harbor, takes their native wildflowers from seed to bloom, combining them into colorful bouquets and centerpieces. A summer wedding at the beach just begs for huge glass bowls filled with shells and accented with bold marsh marigolds or the great blue lobelia that mimicks the color of the ocean. Perhaps you’re exchanging vows on the shores of a tree-rimmed lake in Maine’s interior. Centerpieces using scented pine clippings and/or pine cones complement mixed assortments of wildflowers or deep ruby red roses.
Award Winning Maine Floral Designers
Award winning floral designer Heather Caron works her magic out of her studio in Westbrook, just west of Portland. Specializing in weddings, she crafts everything from wedding cake flowers to elaborate settings befitting a house of worship, a quiet meadow or a sun-swept beach. Traditional wedding flowers as well as Maine specific designs are offered. Caron’s studio is open by appointment only. Prices and dates are discussed at the initial consultation, but as with all weddings, the sooner you get started the better.
Rhonda Little, another of Maine’s award winning designers, operates out of Millinocket, in the Katahdin area. She offers floral designs for all occasions and uses traditional flowers such as roses and orchids along with assortments of Maine’s native wildflowers. Millinocket Floral Shop is open to the public. As far as pricing, that is determined by flower and design. As an example, a rose bridal bouquet averages $175 and one made with local wildflowers runs around $150.
Other award winning designers include Gail Royal, recipient of the 2009 Edward D. Johnson Award from the Maine Florists’ Association, Janet Black operating as Designs by Janet Black out of Bethel and Emily Carter, a wedding design specialist working out of Freeport.
Another place to get some great ideas for wedding flowers is at the annual Portland Flower Show. Held each March, designers, landscapers and flower shops from around the state gather to celebrate and teach about all things floral.