Shades of Surprise: When Rose Colors Aren't an Exact Match

If you are a bride combing through images on the web in search of the perfect flower color varieties to match your wedding, here's a quick lesson in rose color variation.

Popular sites like SierraFlowerFinder.com display thousands of flower photos by variety and can be quite helpful by letting you see color options and seasonal availability - but be sure to remember four key points if you expect exact color matches:

• When it comes to roses, the same variety can produce subtle color variations depending on the season and growing conditions.
• Different flower growers from different parts of the world can and do produce slight color variations of the exact same variety
• The stage of 'openness' of a rose can affect the color. 
• Your PC monitor may not be calibrated properly and could slightly distort the actual color. 
  

Case in point: We recently received numerous bunches of White Majolika spray roses to use in wedding bouquets and reception centerpieces. Their creamy color and high petal count make them a favorite to use in both personal flowers (bouquets and boutonnieres) and reception decor. As we processed and hydrated the shipment, we realized the importer had sent is White Majolikas from two different growers.  There was slight but noticeable difference in the bunches, with one grower's blooms displaying slight pinky peach center petals and the other showing a more consistent cream-ivory color throughout the blooms.

We gave the 'colored' bunches a little more time to open and they did indeed lighten over the course of a few days. Both fit well with the creaminess of the larger 'Vendella' roses also being featured in the designs. From a photographic standpoint, the slight color differences even helped make the cream flowers  add visual depth and dimension when paired with crisp white flowers like hydrangeas.

We sometimes hear concerns from brides about matching exact colors and gently remind each that nature doesn't usually produce 'exact matches', only factories do. Since fresh flowers aren't stamped out in an assembly line, there's going to be some subtle variation. 

So allow for a bit of leeway, choose tints, tones and shades that coordinate with your color theme and celebrate the inherent beauty fresh flowers bring to your wedding.   

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