Oh hey there lovers and brides-to-be! As we are March-ing forward to the opening of the wedding season Crete is getting sunnier by the day! And since most of our next year couples have already began booking their weddings and discussing their blooms I thought I'd post a little something on this season's Flower Of The Year to inspire you. You did know that apart from Pantone's color of the year there is also a flower, right? And you may, or may not guess which one it is... Well, let me introduce you the beautiful and sometimes underestimated ... TULIP! 

Now, if tulips were people, they'd most likely be those outgoing characters everyone likes to hang out with and be around because they have a great sense of humor and are totally relatable. As blooms, they come with even more traits, as the number of their varieties is an astonishing 3,500 +  if we exclude the hybrids! Ding! How haven't you heard of this before? Well, if we weren't wedding planners we wouldn't know that either. Thing is tulips are AWESOME because of their take on happiness and joy, because they do not cause allergies, because they are full-bodied, which means they can also stand alone without the need for filler greenery -unless you really want to go WOWWWW- see below- and because their palettes are sooooooo (seven Os is not enough really) incredibly variegated you can never get tired of them! 

Want to know three varieties that can literally transform your bridal bouquet and your wedding floral centerpieces into something outstanding? (my fingers are typing like wildfire here). 

THE CRISPY... CRISPA
Cup-shaped, fringed and often referred to as "touch tulip" because soon as people see them they want to touch it and make sure it's not made of fabric. The Crispa tulip is a perennial which means you can find it all year round. Bicolor, tricolor, plain... you name it. It's a beauty! Here you get to see it open in a delicately hued arrangement paired to our next charmer... 

A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME ABOUT THE ... PARROT
These whimsically shaped and very unusually hued tulips that come with serrated or fringed petals are larger and owe their innumerate colorations to mutations. They start of green and then -like a parrot's plummage- as they mature the colors begin to shine from within revealing themselves in extraordinary fashion. When completely flattened their dark star-shaped hearts and yellow stamens pop. They bloom in late spring and look PPPPPPERFECT on a wedding bouquet. 

SEEING IT...  DOUBLE
Simply put double tulips come with extra petals. BUT it is those extras that completely transform their look. If seen in an arrangement untrained eyes might take them for roses or peonies. Double tulips are intriguing and eye-popping, fdrthey can be fluffy, ruffled, dense. They come in bigger sizes too, others way bold and other demure. Their effect becomes even more sensational if you pair them with other varieties of their own species in a  monofloral bouquet.
 
Have you enjoyed looking at these gorgeous and exceptionally looking tulip wedding bouquets? Make a note to self - OR grab our FREE Wedding Planning Checklist from the RESOURCES PAGE and where it says "meet with my wedding florist" write "ask for tulips" on the side! 

Till next post, 
~Mariangela