There's reason behind the old saying, "fresh as a daisy."
Because when brides of all ages want to express the youthful side of love, nothing beats the daisy in all its guises: from the traditional Shasta, with its echoes of nostalgia and innocence, to the practically-punk Gerber and its contemporary colors.
Shasta Daisy Style
No other flower says "young love" like the Shasta daisy, with its cheery face and paper-white petals. Dear to blushing brides everywhere, the Shasta begs for sayings like, "he loves me, he loves me not — he loves me ... we tied the knot!"
Silhouettes and textures that suit the shasta to a 'tee': eyelet and cotton fabrics. And gowns with a retro-style bell skirt and slender waist, or chic tea-lengths, worn with a flyaway veil.
Reedy, youthful brides look gorgeous in a simple A-line or column style — especially against vibrant greens of a garden or park.
The Shasta also plays well with white organza bows and delicate pastels like lavender, mint green, or baby-chick yellow. They look lovely paired with pastel roses, and in hand-tied bouquets dressed up with pink or yellow satin wraps.
They're a bit fragile, though, so resort to silks for anything like a pomander ball, anything without a water source, or anything your flower girl might carry around.
Gerber Daisy Drama
Gerbers are the Vivienne Westwoods of the flower world. The brides who love them also love design, and modern shocks of color. The most popular palette for Gerber-lovers is probably bright pink and orange. A close second might be pink and green. For Autumn brides, fiery combinations of yellow, orange and red set the scene.
But brides are also designing around Gerbers' purples, peaches and sultry magentas. And let's not forget that Gerbers really pop against dark brown and black (both super-popular shades for bridesmaids' attire. Coincidence?)
All Dolled Up With Daisies
Here are some adorable things we've seen done with daisies:
Wheatgrass Trays
That rich explosion of green makes daisies look fabulous, whether they're white or fuchsia. Take note: the fragile stems need to be wired!
Floating Heads
Single Shasta flower heads floating in votives or shot glasses: adorable. Larger Gerber heads can sometimes fill a whole fishbowl: finish the look with a bright satin ribbon. Or toss these blooms en masse in fountains or pools.
Flashy Splashes
The brightest gerbers call for dramatic echoes elsewhere in your event. Dress your bridesmaids in bright dupioni sashes (salmon or tangerine, say). Swag the ceilings with shiny fabrics to match. Wrap each cake layer in bold, patterned ribbons. Rustle up tangerine parasols and saturated linens and chair covers. Serve a menu of signature drinks in each of your Gerber colors!
Ribbons on Ribbons
Pick a bright palette to match your favorite Gerber daisies, then wrap your vases and votive holders in several layers of ribbon of different widths. For example, layer a bright orange inch-wide satin ribbon over a corrugated two-inch-wide fuchsia ribbon.
Fruit and Flowers
Choose Gerbers of a citrusy hue, then fill your centerpiece containers with sliced lemons, limes or oranges in bright, coordinating colors.
Back to Basics
Just because you love all-white doesn't mean you have to pass on Gerbers: they come in bridal white, too. And with their oversized heads, they've got all the charm of Shastas, plus a fresh and modern spin.
Rustic Roots
Gerbers and Shastas alike can add rustic punch to any affair. Just combine them with a little raffia or twine, birds' nest bouquet collars, galvanized pails, or gingham and mason jars.
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I am getting married on July. 7th 200 and we are using gerber daises as well. Our colors are red, pink and orange, and every flower has gems in the center> they are amazing.
Hi Nicky - i did pink and orange for my wedding colors and yes everyone thought I was crazy to! But on the day they were all amazed at how stunning it looked. I had one bridesmaid in hot fuscia pink and one in orange - I think it looked very cool.
yeah, will try that. thanks chris. i definitely need some inspiration from somewhere
Lisa, try looking at bridal shops that are local to you. You may fall in love with a dress there for your bridesmaids and it can help you decide what shades you want.
i fancy orange and pink with gerberas as my theme but thats as far as it goes. go no clue as to what shades of orange and pink. help!!!! i’ve seen the site with orange and fuscia but i am still confused. double help!!!!! :-?
Hi! Our wedding colors are brown and pink. The bridesmaids are wearing brown dresses and we are getting married on the beach. I LOVE Gerbers. What color Gerbers do you all think would go good? I am kind of leaning towards fushia and pink, but love the orange as well. Also, do the silk ones look real enough?? Thanks!
I love that color scheme - in fact, I wrote that article she just posted the link to, lol.
First decide what feel you want - if you want soft and romantic, then go for a soft pink bridesmaids with orange and pink flowers. That also has a very fresh, springy feel to it. If you prefer something a little more dramatic - burnt orange is perfect for bridesmaids and if it is a fall wedding, it suits the season a well.
Nicky: not crazy! See this page full of orange & pink brides; maybe you’ll get some ideas.
http://www.favorideas.com/ask-the-expert/is-orange-fuschia-too-loud-for-a-wedding/
I am going for the Pink and Orange colors for my wedding and people think I am crazy. But what color do people suggest for the bridesmaid dresses? Orange or Pink… I was thinking a burnt ornage let me know PLEASE!
We are planning a 7-7-07 wedding also. Our colors are Royal Blue and Orange. I love the orange daisies, but I can’t find the silk yet. I have found the blue ones, but not many. Any ideas?
Here’s how use silk flowers to bring home your theme, using either Shasta or Gerber daisies:
Take florist’s wire and floral tape. Stick the head of the flower onto florist’s wire that is thick enough to look like the natural stem. glue with plain ol’ Elmers (yep, that’s what we used to secure them in the florist shop I used to work at!), then overwrap the end of the flower and the new wire stem with floral tape.
Add leaves to your new flower, and you can make it into a floral napkin ring or wrap it around a wine glass. Take several done this way and create daisy chains to decorate the head table, cake table, or guestbook table. Also, you can wrap these types of bright silk flowers around a favor box — it looks great.
PS, Amy, fresh flowers are fine and real Gerbers are very commonly used for cakes as long as you can find pesticide-free flowers. Talk to a florist and see if they can’t track down organic flowers for you.
Our wedding date is July 7, 2007. I have planned to use gerber dasies for the bouqets and boutaniers. I am going to have an 8″ cake at each table frosted white with a daisey on top. Should I use silk or fresh flowers for this?