I'll Be There To See The New Green Leaves Grow

I opened up my email on Monday to find one from The Wedding Co. that made me smile. Remember when I made that post about a flower I had discovered last year that's a bit unusual? It seems they have discovered it now, too! Finally I've scooped them ;)

To read my original post about the blushing bride flower, .: head over here :. but keep reading to see all of the information The Wedding Co. dug up ...


Belle Fleur

A blushing bride bouquet has set The Wedding Co.'s hearts aflutter and because we'd never seen this bloom before, we thought it was definitely worth sharing.

A few short weeks ago, Holly Coll-Black married her fiancé, Rupert Duchesne; she carried a bouquet of blushing brides created by florist Lidia Tacconelli (Fiori) . Holly had requested a bouquet that was a little different from the standard issue and one that would tie in the gold and pink tones she had used throughout her decor. Though she suspected something green and white would be ideal, the pink, green and white blooms of the feathery serruria florida from the exotic Protea family were chosen based only on Tacconelli’s suggestion that they would be perfection.

Holly’s favourite aspect of the flowers was that they photographed beautifully and garnered many comments from guests, “they were quite different,” she says, “ and now they’re drying in my garage!”

You’d think, with a name like blushing bride, that this flower would be overused for bouquets and wedding flowers when in fact, nothing could be further from the truth…at least today, and in this part of the world.

In the eighteenth century, so legend goes, the flower was exploited for its feathery foliage and soft colours. In southern Africa, suitors were known to propose with a bloom of the wild flower in their lapel, the darker the pink the flower, the more serious their intention. While the name blushing bride might have come from its colouring, it may also have been earned as the suitor’s intention was apparent to all, much to the embarrassment of his bride to be. Unfortunately, it seems these flowers were over-exploited and disappeared for over a century until accidentally rediscovered. Though carefully sustained since, the flower has only been successfully gown as a crop since the mid ‘60s.

Tacconelli says she is always on the lookout for the unusual and since finding them has used blushing brides whenever it’s appropriate considering their limited colour palette and availability. The Protea family is considered highly exotic for Canada, coming primarily from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, probably because of this, blushing brides are less familiar to florists, uncommonly used and always a delightful surprise.

Photo by Storey Wilkins