So everyone is straight losing their minds over Dahlias because it’s their season to shine; and we sure do love how they look too… but…

Here’s the hard truth people.

Dahlias are flakes!

She is totally the friend that has SO much potential but constantly lets you down. She has the potential to finish law school and dare we say be the first flower president but just can’t get her shizz together to graduate. She has multiple meanings and they are all lovely and such but I am speaking solely from my experience as a floral designer for over 10 years. You think you can change her… but you can’t.

If you’re sourcing her locally then good on you! We work with brides that have access to local Dahlia farms (Pacific Northwest I’m looking at you) but that’s not readily available across the country OR in various seasons so we fall back on shipping them - in which they just don’t fair well. She can’t be trusted and will likely use too many drink passes on SWA and show up sort of sloppy.

But Alison… they're SOOOO pretty

I know, I get it. But they are a fickle flower that even experienced designers may struggle with. A few of the issues I've grappled with in the past include:

1. Petal shedding - meaning a lot of the petals shatter or fall off the head of the bloom and you can’t use them.

2. The petal structure blooms in a way that folds back on itself and it can be hard to find the right placement for the bloom as it will only “look” a certain way.

3. Color transfer. These petals have been notorious for smudging or staining. I would HATE for a bride (or anyone) to accidentally stain their clothing on the big day because some petals flaked out .

They can be a buyer beware item… But don't fret, we’ve assembled a list of substitutes that will not disappoint and are WAY more reliable, affordable, and easy to work with.