“Thanks to Roxy, my wedding florals were everything I could have dreamed of and more. Roxy was collaborative and communicative, and I trusted her from the moment we first spoke to bring my vision to life. The flowers were GORGEOUS, and I received so many compliments throughout the day. It was also important to me to reuse florals from the ceremony at the reception, and Roxy did that so beautifully and seamlessly. Roxy is truly an artist!” -Katerina B

Katerina and Joe didn’t want their summer wedding flowers to steal the show. Their venue, the Lyman Estate, already had more than enough presence to go around. They simply wanted their florals to shape the day into an expression of themselves as a couple.

The brief was clear and wide open: bold blooms composed with a careful hand and designed to spark joy.  

Here’s how we brought it all together using seasonal dahlias, garden-style movement, and just enough restraint to let the venue speak too.

Photos by Amy Spirito Photography

Start With a Warm Color Palette That Has Personality

Estate venues bring luxury and refinement all on their own. Color is where Katerina leaned into giving it more personality. She handed me summer warmth in a palette—hot pink, orange, a tiny hit of yellow—and trusted that I would match it with movement… as I’m known to do. 

Every chosen shade lived on the warm side of the color wheel. Loud in theory. Balanced in nature. When you design with the season, not just the swatch, your tones sing… and Katerina was in luck. 

Summer is the season of zinnias, cosmos, and dahlias, three of the most versatile and striking flowers available. Nothing clashes. Everything moves. 

These summer wedding flowers centered around dahlias—full-bodied blooms with intricate petals, color depth, and presence. I added zinnias for softness, cosmos for a floaty effect, and bittersweet berries and pepperberry for contrast (and a little surprise). 

Layer by layer, tone-on-tone, Katerina’s warm summer wedding flowers’ palette gained dimension and depth.

Designing Bold Summer Wedding Flowers With Personality

It was important to K&J to reuse their summer wedding flowers from the ceremony for their reception. One design, seen in new ways is exactly the kind of client request I love to build for right from the start. We opted for a broken floral arch that framed their vows as if it sprang from the garden only moments before Katerina arrived at the end of the aisle.

That same structure later found its way inside. We placed it behind their sweetheart table, paired it with aisle meadows at the base, and added bud vases to mirror the tones and shapes already in motion—giving it a change in setting, not in story. When you trust in the florals Mother Nature already has in season, cohesiveness naturally flows. 

The other meadows moved again—to the DJ booth, to the bar—carrying Katerina’s bold summer palette across the reception like a throughline. Nothing forced— just thoughtful summer wedding flowers designed with a long runway. That’s how you make repurposing summer wedding flowers feel effortless: by designing for it from the very first stem.

Tablescapes That Let Your Summer Wedding Flowers Speak

The reception design followed the same logic as everything else: bold choices, executed with care. The tablescapes were set under a canvas tent, string lights mirrored in gold-accented details. Just five bud vases on each table. A few taper candles. Some flickering votives. It looked simple—minimal—but it wasn’t. It was simply precise. 

Each bud vase held its own story. No two arrangements looked the same, but they spoke the same language, all built from what was growing locally and composed for the way the light moves through a tent in late summer.

A single pink dahlia, a twist of bittersweet, and a strand of pepperberry suspended just so created a secret summer garden in miniature with a little wildness that felt like it belonged.

That’s why I design the way I do; experimenting with seasonal textures and including a surprising ingredient or two that will have your guests talking weeks later. Every detail is a decision, from seed to vase. Every design decision is rooted in what summer wedding flowers bloom nearby, what holds color and character in the summer light, and what feeling it carries from ceremony to dinner. 

Even the boldest summer wedding flowers don’t need taming. Just trust nature (and me, your floral translator) to carry the story from petal to party.

Planning Your Own Summer Wedding?

Looking for bold, garden-style summer wedding flowers that still feel intentional? Whether you’re dreaming of dahlias or simply want a floral design that moves with the season, I’d love to bring your vision to bloom.