Get married with the perfect flower arrangements

We partner with the best wedding florist Marbella business who has revealed what’s trending this season. There are many things to consider when planning your wedding in the south of Spain – from venues and catering, to entertainment and photography. But do you know what makes your day truly unique? The details and special touches – and that includes decoration, and flowers.

Deseos Florist Marbella has been supplying the Costa del Sol with beautiful blooms for over twenty years. Based in Nueva Andalucia, Marbella, their stunning table centres and bouquets have been wowing brides and wedding guests for many years.

We spoke with owner and top florist Karen about choosing the right flowers for your special day, why she loves being a florist in Spain and what are the top floral trends for this upcoming wedding season.

Wedding florist Marbella: Expert reveals everything you need to know

Hi Karen, thanks for speaking to us today. Your flower displays have been transforming weddings along the Costa del Sol for over twenty years. How did you become a florist in Spain?

I come from quite an eclectic creative background, so I’ve always been involved in some type of artistic genre from an early age including painting, sculpture and ceramics. Design, colour and form has always been a very important facet of my life. Deseos came up for sale ten years ago and I saw it as a challenge to get back into another creative industry. I then went on to complete floristry courses in Madrid to have a good base of the technical aspect of the business.

Finding the perfect flowers for a sunny wedding

Getting married in the south of Spain invariably means celebrating in the sunshine. Are there are considerations bridal couples should make when choosing their flowers for a sunny wedding? Are there any types of flowers that aren’t available or are only seasonal?

There are some flowers that are seasonal, one of the most important being the Peony rose as it has a short season between May and late July for the best quality blooms. Spain has a very extensive flower growing industry and produces excellent flowers. What is not available locally can be obtained from suppliers in Holland. Most of the roses are from Ecuador, although there are also growers in Kenya, Holland and beautiful English Garden roses. Couples are fortunate to be able to obtain nearly all flower varieties for their weddings in Southern Spain.

Many times, floral arrangements are seen as simply an added extra to the special day. Why do you think flowers are so important? And how can couples incorporate them into their theming?

Floral choices are important as when carefully chosen they set the mood for the decoration and can change a wedding theme from chic and elegant, to shabby chic or bohemian. The shape, form and colour of flowers has a huge impact on the overall appearance and feel of the wedding. Flowers carry a heavy sentimental value and historical significance in bridal ceremonies too They add softness, fragrance and a beautiful connection to nature on a very special occasion.

You’ve worked on hundreds of weddings over the years. Which wedding has been the grandest or most difficult in terms of floral decoration?

I was very privileged to be asked to put together a team of 16 florists for a 600-guest wedding in June 2018 at La Finca de la Concepcion. It was a florist’s dream to be able to work with the variety of flowers and colours that arrived from Holland in huge refrigerated trucks. It was a challenge, but a fantastic experience for my team. We decorated a chuppah built over the swimming pool on an elevated platform which needed thousands of flowers. It took eight people eight hours to create!

The design company from Tel Aviv borrowed two of my team members to recreate the same chuppah in a New York Hotel ten days later – a very special experience for them and a massive compliment to the Deseos team.

Top floral trends for 2024

Can you give us an insight into floral trends for the upcoming wedding season?

From a southern Spain perspective we are still fortunate to have reasonably priced and a readily available assortment of flowers to suit all tastes and needs. For the last couple of years I’ve seen a big trend in recycling flowers at weddings. Gone are the days of one-off usage and that goes for flowers, as well. I encourage brides to re-use, recycle and redefine their flowers in different areas by adding candles and using them in other areas at the venue. I design the ceremony flowers so that, they can be taken down and placed on the top table. This makes it a cost effective way of creating a top table, with the wow factor, but at no extra expense.

Recycling wedding flowers

There are many options for recycling aisle flowers. The ones tied on chairs can be placed into bud vases and placed on long tables. Larger and medium arrangements placed on a plinth down the aisle can be used for low and tall arrangements on the dinner tables. In this way you can create a stunning aisle and then transfer them to make equally stunning table decorations. By adding abundant candles, it creates a romantic setting for dinner. This is usually done after cocktail hour, after the ceremony. I appreciate that couples feel that flowers are an unrecoverable expense, at a destination wedding, but so are all of the other aspects of a wedding, such as, food, drink, music etc. The flowers and decorations make a substantial difference, in creating a visually dreamy wedding. It’s important as they create the images that will provide nostalgic memories for years to come.

Wedding florist Marbella: ‘Less is more’

The trend is also changing, from abundance to understated, relaxed and simple elegance – less is more. Soft whites and varieties of greenery, are still very much in demand and still the most popular. There has been a trend though, towards, cheeky peach, demure coral, smoky salmon and blushing pink. These soft shades add an air of romanticism to the beautiful surroundings of the unforgettable wedding venues, on the Costa del Sol.

Preserved, hydrolysed, dried and high end faux flowers are taking their deserved place in many weddings this season. The faux flowers allow for additional abundance, without the hefty price tag. It is important to keep in mind that these flowers, need to be cared for, replaced and made into beautiful arrangements, but the labour and logistics are still an incurred cost. Using dry and hydrolysed blooms, adds texture and depth, with their beautiful shades of colour.

The meadow look is very popular this season, whimsical, light and with a lot of movement. Pampas is still in demand but also using fresh blooms in combination, with the preserved flowers. Deseos Weddings, after 15 years prides itself still, in bespoke weddings. I am very guided, by the individual visions of each bride and making sure we turn that dream into a gorgeous reality.

And finally, if you could plan your ideal wedding, what flowers would you choose for the bouquets, in what style, and how would you decorate the venue?

I think it’s important to take into consideration the style of the venue, your own style, budget and favourite flowers and colours. I am keen on neutral tones for myself but love it when a bride steps out and goes for bright vibrant colours. In Spain we are very fortunate to be able to offer open air venues with magnificent foliage and views. Flowers are a compliment, more often than not, and not the main players. Yet a wedding without flowers is missing something essential, in my humble opinion.

To find out more about Deseos Florists, or to discuss your wedding decorations further, please contact one of our team at Sunshine Weddings Spain. We love to make weddings as pretty as possible and truly memorable for years to come!