Fresh vs. Dried: Choosing the Perfect Sustainable blooms for Your Wedding Day
When you begin planning your wedding, your wedding flowers are a key part of your day, your style and your personality. While fresh blooms have always been the traditional staple, dried flowers are having a major "on-trend" moment. They are frequently also marketed as the ultimate eco-friendly alternative—but is that always the case?
As a flower farmer, I love both for different reasons. To help you decide which fits your big day, let’s break down the pros, cons, and "hidden truths" of fresh vs. dried wedding flowers.
1. Fresh Flowers: The Timeless Sensory Experience
There is something undeniably magical about walking down an aisle surrounded by living freshly grown flowers. Fresh flowers bring a vitality, texture, and movement to a wedding that is hard to replicate.
- Fragrance: One of the biggest advantages is the scent (much more likely if you are choosing locally grown/locally sourced flowers) . Fresh flowers can add an enormous sensory and unforgettable element to your special day. Think jasmine, lavender, sweet peas, garden roses, dahlias, herbs etc. If you are located near flower farms, then do check out their offerings first for the best of seasonal and fragrant flowers and get advice from them in terms of whats best in season when.
- Variety: There’s an enormous range of fresh flower varieties available in every season of the year, allowing you to customise your bouquet and décor. Seasonality is really key to getting the best of fresh flowers. In Ireland, (according to Bord Bia stats ; over 90% of our fresh flowers are imported from countries all over the world so by choosing local flower farmers or locally grown flowers, you will get the best of seasonal flowers, get more unusual varieties of flowers and ensure your wedding flowers are more sustainable and eco-friendly. On seasonality , if you do have a favourite flower, find out what months it is available in e.g. peonies ; best in season and widely available normally between the months of May/June. If you are getting married outside of those months, peonies will be harder to source and the same applies to some of the focal flowers you may be hoping for on your special day. Flower availability is really dependant on your geographical location and the time of the year so do talk to your florist or flower farmer about that first when planning and they will offer the best advice on this. The style and design you choose will be dependant on a number of factors but most importantly ; on your budget and the floral designer or florist you choose. I do recommend working with a designer whose style really appeals to you and choose flowers and colours you love for yourself not for others; those flowers you choose will be in many wedding photos with wonderful memories of your special day in years to come.
- Lush Appearance: Fresh flowers provide a soft, lush texture, making them ideal for fuller bouquets, centrepieces, and greener installations and can have such a beautiful visual and sensory impact on your special day both for you and your guests, especially if you love flowers.
(Photo: fragrant sweet pea)
Considerations:
-
A Ticking Clock: Fresh flowers are exactly that—fresh. They can be prone to wilting or bruising in high heat or during a long day of hugging and dancing.
-
The Investment: Growing and transporting fresh blooms is resource-intensive. Don’t underestimate the cost of out-of-season imports, which carry a higher price tag and a larger carbon footprint.
2. Dried Flowers: Sustainable and Long-Lasting Beauty
Dried flowers offer a completely different charm: earthy tones, wild textures, and a "boho-vintage" vibe that is incredibly durable.
- Sustainability: I really love working with dried flowers. They can be so full of textures and shapes, really wild and natural too. In the main, dried flowers are now being marketed as the 'eco-friendly' and sustainable option but this is not always the case so it is important to be aware of a few factors when deciding. If sourced locally, they will of course have less air miles travelled and so have a lower carbon footprint. If you can source locally grown and dried flowers, they may also often be grown organically too, so better for the environment overall. Another important thing to consider is that certain flowers do not come in every colour of the rainbow . It is now quite common to see lots of dried flower offerings clearly labelled as 'eco-friendly' or 'sustainable' dried flowers which have in fact clearly been dyed with chemicals or bleached. Whether or not you choose these flowers is completely a personal preference of course. The reality is that unless you are a florist or an experienced gardener, you may not be able to tell what is really natural versus what is chemically enhanced or treated so my biggest recommendation here is that if you are wanting to be truly eco-friendly with your wedding flowers, then do ask the questions of your florist or floral designer.
- Longevity: Unlike fresh flowers, dried blooms can last indefinitely. You can keep your dried flower as a bouquet as a keepsake, bring it home, pop it in a vase, no water required and it will last a minimum of 1 year or much longer - the secret to keeping them in their best condition is to keep them dry and out of damp or humid environments. Please note that as with all natural things, the flower colour will fade slowly over time though. To maintain them, you can use a hair dryer on a cool setting and gently blow over the flowers to remove any dust.
- Versatility: Dried flowers offer unique textures and earthy tones that fresh flowers don’t always provide. From pampas grass to lavender, dried flowers can add a boho or vintage wild vibe to your wedding. Preserved flowers are your go to if you love that 'fresh' look in your bouquets but want it to last.
- Cost-Effective: Because they last longer and don’t need refrigeration or quick shipping, dried flowers can be more affordable in the long run if you want to have a keepsake after the wedding. Dried flowers are also a great option for destination weddings or elopements. In terms of budget and the cost, they can be more expensive than fresh depending on the type of flowers or foliage being used so of course, research all of this with your chosen florist or floral designer.
(Photo : An example of some dyed/coloured/ bleached flowers)
Considerations:
- Fragility: Dried flowers are more delicate than fresh flowers, and they can be prone to shedding if not handled properly and will turn brown and break down if exposed to wet or damp environments. Choose your floral designer carefully as they should only provide the best quality flowers for you suited to a little more movement for your wedding day.
- No Fragrance: While some dried flowers retain a slight scent (like lavender, sweet Annie or dried herbs), most don’t in fact have any natural scent after drying.
- Pets : If you have a pet that loves chewing on everything it gets its paws on, always keep dried flowers away from them and out of reach. Many arrangements (the same as with fresh blooms) may contain seed heads or flowers which may be toxic to animals and small children so you must keep them away and out of reach of both.
3. Preserved vs. Dried: What’s the difference?
It is easy to get these confused!
-
Preserved Flowers are real flowers which have been treated with a mixture of glycerin and dyes; some natural some not. This keeps them feeling soft and flexible, almost like a fresh flower. In most cases, these will likely be imported.
-
Dried Flowers are typically air-dried without chemicals. They have a more "ruffled," papery texture and a can have a more natural, muted colour palette but there are some amazing dried flower varieties out there. Ask your local flower farmer if you want locally grown with loads of vibrant colours in your bouquet and arrangements.
How to Decide?
Ultimately, your choice depends on your own wedding style, what you love best, seasonal availability -how sustainable you want to be and the time of the year, location of your wedding and your budget.
-
Choose Fresh if: You love fragrance, fresh floaty airy fresh flowers, lush textures, and a classic, high-impact floral look. I am a sweet pea ,dahlia and peony fanatic so I totally understand why someone would choose fresh flowers solely for the fragrance and the fluffiness of fresh flowers.
-
Choose Dried if: you want beauty without the fuss. You’re not tied to what’s “in season” that week, and you can choose colours and textures you genuinely love — while keeping things kinder to the planet with less waste and no last-minute refrigerated transport. They’re also a dream if you’ve allergies, because they’re naturally low-pollen. Best of all, your bouquet doesn’t have to be a one-day wonder: you can bring it home, pop it in a vase, and enjoy it for months — even years — as a little keepsake of the day.
-
The Best of Both: Many couples now mix the two! Combining fresh focal flowers with dried textures gives you a unique, "best of both worlds" aesthetic. Or consider dried flower bouquets but a fresh altar centrepiece or maybe fresh flowers in bud vases for your dinner reception for example. There are no rules when it comes to wedding flowers so do what you want - it's your day so choose what you love best!
A Pro-Tip on Your Designer
As I already mentioned your florist or floral designer will play a huge role in bringing your floral vision to life, so choose someone who understands your style and values and your personality. Whether you're going for fresh or dried flowers, ask your designer about their experience with both types of florals, and how they approach sustainability. Look at their portfolio, ask for recommendations, and ensure they can deliver the look you're going for—whether it’s an elegant fresh flower arrangement or a whimsical dried flower creation.
Whether you choose fresh or dried flowers, remember you will be looking at your wedding photos for the rest of your beautiful days so choose what you love and choose local if you can!