September Flowers

It's really important to me to have seasonal flowers at our wedding.  If you fly peonies or tulips in from Ecuador, it adds substantially to the cost, and isn't very good for the environment.  

One of the facets of our wedding that I really enjoy is that very few guests are familiar with Charlottesville.  I get to introduce just about everyone to one of my favorite places in the world.  I want to make sure that they get a sense of what my hometown is all about--I'd like them to feel as fond of it as I do.  A great way to evoke that feeling and sense of localness is through flowers that grow in the area and are in season.  

OK, so that said, what kind of flowers are in season in early September?  Beats me!  I decided to head over to the Greenmarket to find out.

Spring flowers seem to be delicately, softly colored.  Late summer flowers?  Not so much.  Check out these cockscombs:

I don't know why these aren't more popular flowers.  I could definitely see these as a bouquet surrounded by some cool greenery.

Take a look at these vibrant gladiolas. 

I loved this zinnia.

I could definitely see these sweet flowers in a mason jar as a lovely centerpiece.

And lilies!  I had no idea these could be grown around here, but they can.

I've been considering doing my own flowers (my mom's reaction: "Noooooooooooo!"), and the farmer's market would definitely be a good resource.  The flowers are local, often organic, and you can meet the farmer who grew them.  And you can buy these flowers at the Greenmarket for about 6-12 bucks a bunch.  Not a bad deal.